Skvader
Skvaders are creatures resembling rabbits with the wings and tails of grouse.1
Ecology
Skvaders prefer to live in areas where vegetation is abundant. They are found primarily in temperate forests and wooded hills, but are also drawn to tall-grass prairies and to cultivated fields. Skvaders have high metabolisms, and consequently consume large quantities of plant matter. This poses a significant threat to farmers, as a group of skvaders can quickly consume their livelihood. If skvaders strip an area of food, they will simply move elsewhere and continue feeding.1
Skvaders live in communal burrows hosting one or more family groups, which they either dig themselves or take over from other animals. Distinct families will coexist with one another until one grows too large, at which point the others will simply move out and seek new territory. Skvaders mate for life; if one partner dies, the other will mourn for a period and then seek out a new mate. Females nurse the young, while males dig burrows, patrol the colony's territory, and protect the females while they give birth. Wolpertingers are sometimes found as part of skvader colonies.1
When attacked, skvaders emit a screech that can be heard from a mile away. Other skvaders that hear it will immediately come to the attacked individual's aid, potentially overwhelming its attacker.1
History
There are a number of theories concerning the origins of skvaders. Some scholars believe them to be a weaker relative of the wolpertinger that never developed the other creature's relatively greater strength. Others hold skvaders to be predecessors to the owlbear, citing their chimeric mix of avian and mammalian traits, and to have been created as an experiment in combining multiple creatures into one.1
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 . “Bestiary” in Shards of Sin, 86. Paizo Inc., 2012
External links
- Skvader (real-world mythical creature) on Wikipedia