Unusual /vnug/ Wildlife
/vnug/ is home to a myriad of wildlife, many of which are endemic to the region. For a subpolar country that is located just north of the Maximus Circle, /vnug/ has a relatively high biodiversity. This is sometimes attributed to its high background chhubanite level within the biosphere leading to the develop of unique species, including sapient species, benefiting from chuubanite’s numerous effects.
Flora
Dreamwort
The dreamwort, also known as Skunpsul (Artemisia somnigerae), is a flowering plant unique to the boreal forest and meadows of southwestern /kr/. Belonging to the Artemisia genus of the daisy family Asteraceae, it is related to plants like mugwort, wormwood, and sagebrush. An especially cold-hardy plant commonly found across the region, its unusual biology plays a vital role in both local ecology and native culture.
Dreamworts have a robust taproot system. Within the dominant root, especially around the tip, a high concentration of organic chuubanite complex provide the root tip with structural strength, warmth, and possibly mechanical force. This allows the taproot to penetrate the hard soil pan commonly found in spodosol throughout /vnug/ and access the fertile and iron-rich subsoil beneath. The warmth from chuubanite radiation allowed the taproot to extend closer to the permafrost, as well as giving the plant a longer growing season. As a result, the lack of direct competition allowed dreamwort to spread across the colder and more barren regions of /vnug/. The taproot is also a storage organ for the plant and is capable of budding even if most of the above-ground portion is destroyed. This is believed to be an adaptation in response to predation and forest fire contributed by volatile emission from dreamworts themselves, allowing the plant to survive the adverse events and repopulate afterwards quickly.
Like other Artemisia plants, dreamworts produce and store a myriad of organic molecules. In addition to serving as defensive mechanism against pathogens, parasites, and herbivores, they also play an additional role in the absorption of nutrients like iron and chuubanite in the subsoil. Some of these compounds are secreted into the subsoil to bind with nutrients before being absorbed back into the root system. The extensive effort required to absorb and transport additional nutrients leads to dreamwort having a high transpiration rate compared with similar plants. The transpiration process also leads to the spread of volatile organic molecules from dreamwort, including chuubanite-infused complexes. This, combined with consumption by herbivores and natural decomposition, results in chuubanite gradually accumulating in habitats with significant dreamwort presence.
In its native environment of /vnug/, many native flora and fauna has adapted to this change, with some evolving the ability to absorb and metabolize chuubanite-enriched substances for their own use. In particular, many animals in /vnug/ contains a relatively high level of chuubanite, leading to their enhanced strength and abilities. High level of organic chuubanite molecules in atmospheric droplets also plays a major role in the development of magic in /vnug/. According to Penelite legends, the first Penelite bard-magicians were able to activate atmospheric chuubanite through specific music, poems, and songs. This allowed them to perform supernatural deeds like encouraging flowers to bloom and wounds to heal. As society develops, advents in technology and knowledge led to the extraction and isolation of chuubanite-infused compounds from various plants and animals, including dreamwort. These concentrates proved to be much more receptive to audio-based activation, allowing individuals with less skills to utilize magic and leading to the widespread use of magic in /vnug/.
As a herb, dreamwort is a potent soporific and oneirogen, and has been used to induce sleep and enhance dream by native population since prehistoric times. The most famous users of dreamwort is the Remlins, inhabitants of the hilly inland of central /vnug/. It is believed that they have been making use of this endemic plant ever since their arrival to modern Remland centuries ago. Originally as a source of indigo dye, ancient Remlins soon discovered the unusual properties of dreamwort and began using them for medicinal and spiritual purposes. The most traditional ways to use dreamwort, according to Dreamwalkers, is to generate dreamwort vapor by either steaming the leaves directly, or submerging its branch into warm water before rubbing it against one’s skin. In both cases, the organic molecules in the plant will be released and absorbed by the user, allowing its properties to put one into sleep easily, reportedly with a significant improvement in the quality of sleep and dream when administered properly. Since then, Remlins and Dreamwalkers have been developing more intricate methods of using dreamwort, including isolation of specific compounds and mixing them with other substances, giving them increasingly specific control over the user’s dream.
It is difficult to cultivate dreamwort in pots or other containers, both because of its long taproot requiring deep soil to grow, and its adaptations to absorb subsoil iron and other nutrients. Instead, cultivated dreamworts are primarily grown in their native spodosol environment, either in cleared forest grounds or within boreal tree farms. It is not uncommon for dreamwort cultivators to build chambers in existing dreamwort fields to harvest its essential oil, often making use of specific local conditions to produce valuable mixtures.
Snow pepper
▲Snow pepper fruits mature quickly but not uniformly, often resulting in a colorful harvest. The color is used as a rough indicator of their spiciness.
Snow pepper is a variety of bird pepper endemic to /vnug/. One of the most cold-hardy breeds of chili pepper in the southern hemisphere, it is known for its ability to grow quickly during the short subpolar summer, as well as its exceptionally spicy and sour fruits. Because of that, it is commonly used in /vnug/ cuisine, especially in southern Symphoria where the intense taste is preferred.
Like winterized bees and hardy oranges, snow pepper is believed to be something introduced to /vnug/ by refugees from the tropical north. First carefully cultivated in hothouses, refugee farmers were able to selectively breed their stock for traits that would allow them to survive the long, dry winters of /vnug/. The resulting snow pepper variety was capable of maturing faster and in colder weather than its tropical ancestors, especially in well-drained soil enriched by animal manures and river sediment. A combination of the quick mature speed in acidic soil, cold growing season, and predatory pressure from the local wildlife led to its fruits maturing at varying speed, with pea-sized round fruits, and extreme spiciness before fully ripening.
Due to its nutritional needs, snow pepper is traditionally grown around the relatively fertile river banks of lower Symphoria river, especially near reindeer migration routes for easier access to potassium-rich fertilizer. During the Mujigae period, snow pepper was introduced to Remland by migrants, who purportedly use its spiciness to ward off the hypnotic effects of the local dreamwort vapor. Since then, it has become a common addition to local cuisine, both as an extreme means to keep oneself awake, and as a way to ward off the coldness in mountain valleys. Like many other flora and fauna, snow pepper is known to absorb organic-chuubanite complexes in soil and air, and its extract has been used by natives as magical ingredients and activators. Due to its intense spiciness, touching ripen fruits unprotected can cause a noticeable burning sensation, especially if they touched a mucous membrane such as eyes and nose, or otherwise sensitive skin.
Fauna
Bitterbug
See also:
Bitterbugs are a group of species of flying insects endemic to /vnug/. Their appearance varies greatly between individuals, although many of them resemble gigantic beetles, usually with a dark, metallic color. They are the largest insects in /vnug/, and some of the largest flying insects in the world. Their ability to fly despite the large size and heavy weight is often attributed to their hematophagous nature, feeding off the enriched blood and other nutritious bodily fluid. Due to the chuubanite-rich environment of /vnug/, many of the animals living in /vnug/ have an elevated level of chuubanite in their body. As such, some of their bodily fluids can become volatile once removed from their body, leading to degradation of nutrition and possible buildup of poisonous substance. To mitigate that, bitterbugs have evolved to secrete a mixture of substance in their saliva and stomach that can stabilize the volatile content of their food. This allowed them to feed less less often and rely on their storage of preserved fluid, especially during the long winter of /vnug/ where animal activities are greatly decreased due to the hostile weather.
Due to their ability to preserve the otherwise volatile chuubanite-rich bodily fluid of the wildlife, bitterbugs have been farmed by the native population since prehistoric times. Originally, bitterbugs were harvested solely for their nutritious, but extremely bitter juice for survival, and their shells as decorations. Gradually, the people discovered their ability to preserve unstable compounds, and their unique effects when consumed. This led to the development of the bitterbug taming and farming among hunter-gatherers of /vnug/ as an invaluable source of unique medicine otherwise unavailable to them. Nowadays, the bitterbugs are considered semi-domesticated through generations of selective breeding and development of training technique. Although physiologically similar to their wild counterpart, many bitterbugs are trained to follow simple verbal commands by professional bug tamers, and isolation of bitterbug pheromones allow bug tamers to direct them towards specific locations. In addition to each other, tamed bitterbugs are also capable of feeding their tamers and, in some cases, other individuals directed by them. Because of their unusual diet, bitterbugs are uncommon as pets outside hunting communities.
Maximus Narwhal
The Maximus narwhal, also known as unicorn whale or hanipil (/ɦənipɨɭ/, “one horn” or “great horn”) (Monodon unicornis or Monodon monoceros ssp. unicornis), is a species or subspecies of narwhal native to the Maximus Ocean at the south pole of the planet. Like other narwhal species, Maximus narwhals are known for the prominent “horn”, which is a long, straight, helical tusk originating as an elongated upper canine. This is archetypically found among adult males, although some adult females also bear the tusk, and in rare occasions both upper canine are elongated. They are morphologically similar to the regular narwhal, although the vast geographic separation between them means there are no known case of interbreeding between the two populations.
They primarily feed on fish, mollusks, and crustaceans around the sea floor. Untusked individuals such as juveniles and most females feed on the seafloor, while tusked individuals like almost all adult males and some females feed near the sea floor. The long tusk is a sensitive sensory organ, allowing Maximus narwhals to detect minute changes in environment conditions and water movement, although some individuals are known for also using it as a weapon against their prey. Maximus narwhal is a migratory species. In winter, they feed under the sea ice of the south pole, sometimes diving to bathypelagic depths for food; in summer, they feed in bays and inlets along the southern coast of /kr/, where calves are also birthed.
In /vnug/, some Maximus narwhals are noticeably bigger and stronger than average, with some expressing an elevated level of aggression. High level of chuubanite within their body, especially the hardened tusk, is believed to be the main cause of these changes. It is hypothesized that juveniles who fed in /vnug/ estuaries receive a higher level of chuubanite from their diet due to the chuubanite-rich sediments washed down from the rivers. The depth of their winter feeding ground means their exact source of chuubanite beyond /vnug/ remains a mystery, with some suggesting the existence of chuubanite-rich hydrothermal vents as the source of abyssal chuubanite enrichment.
Southern Timberwolf
▲Southern timberwolf has relatively strong jaws and teeth for its size, an adaptation for more effective hunting and eating of large wildlife in /vnug/.
Several subspecies of wolves are known to inhabit the boreal forest and tundra of /vnug/, with the endemic southern timberwolf (Canis lupus dentaneus) being the most famous and prominent both ecologically and culturally. Physically similar and closely related to other timberwolf subspecies, the southern timberwolf is believed to be the result of adapting to the stronger, sometimes chuubanite-enhanced fauna of /vnug/, coupled with geographic isolation in the wake of glacial retreat across /kr/. Compared with other wolves inhabiting the subpolar southern woods, southern timberwolf has shorter snouts, and relatively strong and robust skull and dentition. This allows it to produce stronger bite and grapple forces against larger and stronger preys, making predation and scavenging on /vnug/ wildlife more effective. Like many other boreal animals, southern timberwolf changes its color through moulting and growing new fur, from brown or gray in the summer to white in the winter.
Specialized in hunting large animals, southern timberwolf primarily preys on large herbivores like reindeer, although it is also known for attacking other carnivores like bears, other wolves, walruses, and even humans. This is especially prominent during cold seasons and other periods with significant food stress. As an opportunistic predator and scavenger, it is also known to feast upon carcasses and river fish.
Southern timberwolf is a pack animal, with pack size varying significantly between seasons and dependent on the local environment at the time. Most of the time, a southern timberwolf pack consists of a breeding pair and their offspring. The size of such archetypal pack is usually between 2 and 8, averaging around 4. However, larger packs with size up to 30 have been observed, likely a result of unrelated packs joining forces during times of abundant preys. Contrary to popular beliefs, fights for dominance are rare among pack members.
Southern timberwolf is sometimes considered the national animal of /vnug/, with many local folklore and tales extolling their virtues of courage, resolve, and unshakable loyalty to their own as something to be imitated by the people. Among hunting communities, southern timberwolf is also seen as natural hunters, whose combat prowess and in-pack coordination should be emulated for successful hunts. In Palherjar faith, it is seen as the favored mount of valkyries when they manifest to elect worthy warriors for the afterlife. Some /vnug/ lineages such as the Ilhipids claim their ancestral origin as orphans raised by wolf.