Foodchain of The Hartfang Mountains
The Living Peaks of Hartfang
To the unobservant eye, the Hartfang range is merely a fortress of jagged granite and freezing mist. It looks desolate, silent, and cold.But to those who know where to look, these mountains are breathing.
The Hartfang ecosystem is a dense, vibrating web of life where nothing exists in isolation. It is a place where the geography dictates the biology, and the biology shapes the geography. Here, the moss does not just grow on the rock; it feeds the mountain. The braided streams are kept clear and flowing not by the water itself, but by the predators that patrol their banks, preventing the herds from trampling the earth into mud.
This is a land of lush, deceptive beauty. It is wet, green, and teeming with life that has adapted to thrive in the chill. But be warned: in the Hartfang Mountains, you are never truly alone. You are simply another potential link in the food chain.
Primary Producers
Stag’s Velvet Moss.
A thick, carpet-like moss that grows from dark green at the root to thick purple at the tips. It grows over rocks in rounded, soft mounds that look deceptively like sleeping animals.
Diet For: It is the primary food source for deer fawns and smaller rodents because it is soft and easy to digest.
A thick, carpet-like moss that grows from dark green at the root to thick purple at the tips. It grows over rocks in rounded, soft mounds that look deceptively like sleeping animals.
Diet For: It is the primary food source for deer fawns and smaller rodents because it is soft and easy to digest.
Iron-Root Sedge
Sharp, triangular blades of grass that grow in tufts directly out of rock crevices. Extremely tough and fibrous, It prevents soil erosion on the steep cliffs.
Diet For: Only hardier herbivores with grinding teeth (like mountain goats or mature stags) can eat this. It is a "survival food" in winter.
Sharp, triangular blades of grass that grow in tufts directly out of rock crevices. Extremely tough and fibrous, It prevents soil erosion on the steep cliffs.
Diet For: Only hardier herbivores with grinding teeth (like mountain goats or mature stags) can eat this. It is a "survival food" in winter.
Mist-Pearl Bushes
Low-lying scrub bushes with dark, glossy teal leaves. They produce clusters of perfectly spherical, white translucent berries that look like drops of mist or pearls. The berries bloom in the autumn fog, providing a sugar spike before winter.
Diet For: Omnivores and birds. Deer will strip the leaves, but the berries are the prize.
Low-lying scrub bushes with dark, glossy teal leaves. They produce clusters of perfectly spherical, white translucent berries that look like drops of mist or pearls. The berries bloom in the autumn fog, providing a sugar spike before winter.
Diet For: Omnivores and birds. Deer will strip the leaves, but the berries are the prize.
Copper-Bark Birch
Thin, spindly trees that bend with the wind rather than breaking. The bark is a bright, flat copper-orange that peels away in paper-like sheets (great for fire starting). These grow in the valleys where the streams "braid."
Diet For: "Browse" eaters strip the bark in winter to get to the sugary cambium layer underneath when snow covers the grass.
Thin, spindly trees that bend with the wind rather than breaking. The bark is a bright, flat copper-orange that peels away in paper-like sheets (great for fire starting). These grow in the valleys where the streams "braid."
Diet For: "Browse" eaters strip the bark in winter to get to the sugary cambium layer underneath when snow covers the grass.
Crag-Star Flowers
Tiny, star-shaped yellow flowers that hug the ground to avoid the wind. They usually have 5 petals and a dark black center. With a Short life cycle, they bloom rapidly after colder periods.
Diet For: Insects (primary pollinators) and small burrowing mammals like pikas or marmots.
Tiny, star-shaped yellow flowers that hug the ground to avoid the wind. They usually have 5 petals and a dark black center. With a Short life cycle, they bloom rapidly after colder periods.
Diet For: Insects (primary pollinators) and small burrowing mammals like pikas or marmots.
Stream-Ribbon Weed
Long, flat, vibrant green strands that flow underwater in the braided streams. They look like ribbons dancing in the current. Oxygenates the water for fish.
Diet For: Waterfowl and semi-aquatic herbivores (like beavers or moose diving for food).
Long, flat, vibrant green strands that flow underwater in the braided streams. They look like ribbons dancing in the current. Oxygenates the water for fish.
Diet For: Waterfowl and semi-aquatic herbivores (like beavers or moose diving for food).
Ghost-Pipe Fungus
Not a green plant! It is stark white, has no chlorophyll, and looks like a drooping pipe or a cane. It grows in the darkest shadows of the ridges. It feeds on decaying matter (dead logs/leaves).
Diet For: Slugs, snails, and beetles. Wild pigs/boars will dig up the earth to find the fungal networks underneath.
Not a green plant! It is stark white, has no chlorophyll, and looks like a drooping pipe or a cane. It grows in the darkest shadows of the ridges. It feeds on decaying matter (dead logs/leaves).
Diet For: Slugs, snails, and beetles. Wild pigs/boars will dig up the earth to find the fungal networks underneath.
Needlespine Pine
The classic evergreen of the region. Tall, dark green, triangular silhouette. The cones are blueish-purple before they dry out. They provide shelter (thermal cover) for animals during storms.
Diet For:The seeds in the cones are vital for squirrels and birds. Deer will eat the saplings, effectively keeping the forest from becoming too dense.
The classic evergreen of the region. Tall, dark green, triangular silhouette. The cones are blueish-purple before they dry out. They provide shelter (thermal cover) for animals during storms.
Diet For:The seeds in the cones are vital for squirrels and birds. Deer will eat the saplings, effectively keeping the forest from becoming too dense.
Primary Consumers (Insects)
Granite Rock-Hopper
A large, flightless cricket, heavily built like a tiny tank. Its exoskeleton looks exactly like mottled grey and brown granite.
Diet For: The main food source for smaller birds and lizards living in the high rocks.
A large, flightless cricket, heavily built like a tiny tank. Its exoskeleton looks exactly like mottled grey and brown granite.
Diet For: The main food source for smaller birds and lizards living in the high rocks.
Crag-Star Bumblebee
Extremely dense, shaggy fur that is almost entirely ginger-orange, making them look like flying apricot pits. They vibrate their wing muscles to generate heat before flying. Almost exclusively reliant on the short bloom window of the Crag-Star Flowers for nectar and pollen.
Diet For: Vital pollinator. Eaten by bears (who dig up their underground hives) and badger-like creatures.
Extremely dense, shaggy fur that is almost entirely ginger-orange, making them look like flying apricot pits. They vibrate their wing muscles to generate heat before flying. Almost exclusively reliant on the short bloom window of the Crag-Star Flowers for nectar and pollen.
Diet For: Vital pollinator. Eaten by bears (who dig up their underground hives) and badger-like creatures.
Copper-Borer Beetle
The adult beetle has a carapace that shines with an iridescent copper-green color, camouflaging it against the Copper-Bark Birch. The adults eat the leaves, but the larvae are the real consumers. They tunnel under the bark of the Birch trees, eating the sugary cambium layer. Too many of them can kill a tree.
Diet For: Woodpeckers love digging the larvae out.
The adult beetle has a carapace that shines with an iridescent copper-green color, camouflaging it against the Copper-Bark Birch. The adults eat the leaves, but the larvae are the real consumers. They tunnel under the bark of the Birch trees, eating the sugary cambium layer. Too many of them can kill a tree.
Diet For: Woodpeckers love digging the larvae out.
The Ghost-Slug
Pale white and semi-translucent, looking almost like raw jelly. It leaves a thick slime trail that glows very faintly in total darkness. It is immune to the toxins in the Ghost-Pipe Fungus and feeds on it almost exclusively, along with rotting wet leaves.
Diet For: Cleans up the forest floor. Eaten by hedgehogs and wild pigs.
Pale white and semi-translucent, looking almost like raw jelly. It leaves a thick slime trail that glows very faintly in total darkness. It is immune to the toxins in the Ghost-Pipe Fungus and feeds on it almost exclusively, along with rotting wet leaves.
Diet For: Cleans up the forest floor. Eaten by hedgehogs and wild pigs.
Sedge-Saw Katydid
Its body is long, thin, and triangular in cross-section, perfectly matching a blade of Iron-Root Sedge. It even has serrated edges on its legs. It is one of the few things with jaws strong enough to chew the tough, silica-rich Iron-Root Sedge.
Diet For: Hard to spot, but a staple food for sharp-eyed birds.
Its body is long, thin, and triangular in cross-section, perfectly matching a blade of Iron-Root Sedge. It even has serrated edges on its legs. It is one of the few things with jaws strong enough to chew the tough, silica-rich Iron-Root Sedge.
Diet For: Hard to spot, but a staple food for sharp-eyed birds.
Ribbon-Nymphs
The aquatic larval stage of a large mountain damsel-fly. They look like little alien skeletons made of green glass. They have three feather-like "tails" (gills) at their back end. They cling to the Stream-Ribbon Weed in the fast current, grazing on algae and decaying bits of weed caught in the strands.
Diet For: absolute crucial food source for fish (trout/salmon types) in the braided streams.
The aquatic larval stage of a large mountain damsel-fly. They look like little alien skeletons made of green glass. They have three feather-like "tails" (gills) at their back end. They cling to the Stream-Ribbon Weed in the fast current, grazing on algae and decaying bits of weed caught in the strands.
Diet For: absolute crucial food source for fish (trout/salmon types) in the braided streams.
Mist-Midges
Tiny, two-winged flying insects that form massive clouds. Individually almost invisible grey specks. Collectively, they look like smoke hanging over damp valleys at dawn.
Diet For: The "plankton of the air." Swallows, bats, and spiderwebs consume them by the millions.
Tiny, two-winged flying insects that form massive clouds. Individually almost invisible grey specks. Collectively, they look like smoke hanging over damp valleys at dawn.
Diet For: The "plankton of the air." Swallows, bats, and spiderwebs consume them by the millions.
Needle-Weaver Caterpillar
The larvae of a dull grey moth, a dark green caterpillar covered in stiff, prickly hairs that deter predators. They eat Needlespine Pine. They don't just eat the needles; they use silk to tie several needles together into a protective "tent" to survive cold snaps while they eat.
Diet For: Eaten by specialized birds like crossbills or chickadees that can break open their silk tents.
The larvae of a dull grey moth, a dark green caterpillar covered in stiff, prickly hairs that deter predators. They eat Needlespine Pine. They don't just eat the needles; they use silk to tie several needles together into a protective "tent" to survive cold snaps while they eat.
Diet For: Eaten by specialized birds like crossbills or chickadees that can break open their silk tents.
Primary Consumers (Beasts)
Hartfang Shag-Elk
The primary large browser of the valleys and lower ridges. Smaller and stockier than a moose, but heavier than a standard deer. They grow an incredibly thick, shaggy mane around their necks and shoulders that is perpetually damp and often has actual moss growing in it.
Diet: Strips the bark off Copper-Bark Birch in winter; eats Mist-Pearl Bushes in summer.
The primary large browser of the valleys and lower ridges. Smaller and stockier than a moose, but heavier than a standard deer. They grow an incredibly thick, shaggy mane around their necks and shoulders that is perpetually damp and often has actual moss growing in it.
Diet: Strips the bark off Copper-Bark Birch in winter; eats Mist-Pearl Bushes in summer.
Iron-Quill Bristleboar
The forest floor tank. They dig up what others can't reach. A squat, muscular wild pig. Instead of normal coarse hair, their backs are covered in thick, keratin quills that look like rusted iron spikes. Their snouts are reinforced with a callous pad for rooting in rocky soil.
Diet: They use their tusks to dig up the tough roots of Iron-Root Sedge. They are omnivorous and actively hunt for Ghost-Slugs and dig up Copper-Borer Beetle grubs from rotting logs.
The forest floor tank. They dig up what others can't reach. A squat, muscular wild pig. Instead of normal coarse hair, their backs are covered in thick, keratin quills that look like rusted iron spikes. Their snouts are reinforced with a callous pad for rooting in rocky soil.
Diet: They use their tusks to dig up the tough roots of Iron-Root Sedge. They are omnivorous and actively hunt for Ghost-Slugs and dig up Copper-Borer Beetle grubs from rotting logs.
Crag-Strider Goat
Lives on near-vertical cliff faces where nothing else can reach. Shaggy, off-white coats that blend in with the mist. Their horns are backward-curving and look like chipped slate rock.
Diet: The only creature tough enough to chew and digest mature Iron-Root Sedge. They also graze on Crag-Star Flowers in season.
Lives on near-vertical cliff faces where nothing else can reach. Shaggy, off-white coats that blend in with the mist. Their horns are backward-curving and look like chipped slate rock.
Diet: The only creature tough enough to chew and digest mature Iron-Root Sedge. They also graze on Crag-Star Flowers in season.
River-Moss Behemoth
A massive, semi-aquatic mammal that keeps the braided streams open. Sleek, waterproof, seal-like fur. They are very fat (blubber for insulation against the freezing snowmelt water).
Diet: They consume massive quantities of Stream-Ribbon Weed and graze on the lush Stag's Velvet Moss right at the water's edge.
A massive, semi-aquatic mammal that keeps the braided streams open. Sleek, waterproof, seal-like fur. They are very fat (blubber for insulation against the freezing snowmelt water).
Diet: They consume massive quantities of Stream-Ribbon Weed and graze on the lush Stag's Velvet Moss right at the water's edge.
Copper-Back Pika
The "popcorn" of the mountain. Small, numerous burrowers. A small, round rodent with round ears and no visible tail. Their fur is a reddish-copper color that camouflages perfectly with pine needles and birch leaves.
Diet: They gather vast "haypiles" of Crag-Star Flowers and grasses to dry out and eat during the winter. They also eat fallen Needlespine seeds.
The "popcorn" of the mountain. Small, numerous burrowers. A small, round rodent with round ears and no visible tail. Their fur is a reddish-copper color that camouflages perfectly with pine needles and birch leaves.
Diet: They gather vast "haypiles" of Crag-Star Flowers and grasses to dry out and eat during the winter. They also eat fallen Needlespine seeds.
Pine-Cracker Squirrel
Lives almost entirely in the upper branches of the Needlespine Pines. Larger and darker than a normal squirrel, with very long tufts on their ears. Their front teeth are stained orange and protrude slightly like little chisels.
Diet: Needlespine seeds. They will also opportunistically eat Needle-Weaver Caterpillars.
Lives almost entirely in the upper branches of the Needlespine Pines. Larger and darker than a normal squirrel, with very long tufts on their ears. Their front teeth are stained orange and protrude slightly like little chisels.
Diet: Needlespine seeds. They will also opportunistically eat Needle-Weaver Caterpillars.
Stone-Back Tortoise-Ox
A slow-moving, heavily defended grazer of the open plateaus. Not a reptile, but a mammal evolved into a similar shape. It is low to the ground, incredibly wide, and covered in thick, leathery plates of skin that look like cracked boulders.
Diet For: They eat low-lying vegetation, mowing through patches of moss like living lawnmowers.
A slow-moving, heavily defended grazer of the open plateaus. Not a reptile, but a mammal evolved into a similar shape. It is low to the ground, incredibly wide, and covered in thick, leathery plates of skin that look like cracked boulders.
Diet For: They eat low-lying vegetation, mowing through patches of moss like living lawnmowers.
Mist-Prowler Badger
Nocturnal hunter-gatherer of the forest floor. Low-slung body with silvery-grey fur that seems to ripple like fog. It has a striped black-and-white face and very long foreclaws.
Diet: A true omnivore. It gorges on Mist-Pearl Berries in autumn, but its main protein source is digging up the underground nests of Crag-Star Bumblebees and eating the larvae and honey.
Nocturnal hunter-gatherer of the forest floor. Low-slung body with silvery-grey fur that seems to ripple like fog. It has a striped black-and-white face and very long foreclaws.
Diet: A true omnivore. It gorges on Mist-Pearl Berries in autumn, but its main protein source is digging up the underground nests of Crag-Star Bumblebees and eating the larvae and honey.
Secondary Consumers
Frost-Wing Bat
Nocturnal hunter of flying insects. Unlike most bats, these have a thick coat of downy, pure white fur on their bodies to survive the icy temperatures. Their leathery wings are pale grey.
Diet: Consumes massive quantities of Mist-Midges and the adult moths of the Needle-Weaver Caterpillars.
Nocturnal hunter of flying insects. Unlike most bats, these have a thick coat of downy, pure white fur on their bodies to survive the icy temperatures. Their leathery wings are pale grey.
Diet: Consumes massive quantities of Mist-Midges and the adult moths of the Needle-Weaver Caterpillars.
Copper-Beak Woodpecker
Tree-trunk predator. A large, powerful bird with black and white checkered feathers. Its defining feature is its beak, which has a metallic, coppery sheen and looks like a hammered chisel.
Diet: Highly specialized to listen for and dig out the wood-boring larvae of the Copper-Borer Beetle from inside the birch trees. They also glean Needle-Weaver Caterpillars from the pine branches.
Tree-trunk predator. A large, powerful bird with black and white checkered feathers. Its defining feature is its beak, which has a metallic, coppery sheen and looks like a hammered chisel.
Diet: Highly specialized to listen for and dig out the wood-boring larvae of the Copper-Borer Beetle from inside the birch trees. They also glean Needle-Weaver Caterpillars from the pine branches.
Phase-Stoat
Hyper-active small predator of the rock falls. Long, serpentine body with short legs. In summer, its fur is a shifting, oily mix of brown and grey; in winter, it turns pure white, retaining only a black tip on its tail.
Diet: Its primary food source is the Copper-Back Pika. It also raids the nests of Pine-Cracker Squirrels.
Hyper-active small predator of the rock falls. Long, serpentine body with short legs. In summer, its fur is a shifting, oily mix of brown and grey; in winter, it turns pure white, retaining only a black tip on its tail.
Diet: Its primary food source is the Copper-Back Pika. It also raids the nests of Pine-Cracker Squirrels.
Braided-Stream Trout
The top predator within the water of the smaller streams (before the big rivers). A sleek, powerful fish. Its scales have a unique wavy pattern of silver and olive green that perfectly camouflages it against the flowing water and stream-ribbon weed.
Diet: Feeds heavily on the Ribbon-Nymphs clinging to the weeds, as well as terrestrial bugs that fall into the water (like the Granite Rock-Hopper).
The top predator within the water of the smaller streams (before the big rivers). A sleek, powerful fish. Its scales have a unique wavy pattern of silver and olive green that perfectly camouflages it against the flowing water and stream-ribbon weed.
Diet: Feeds heavily on the Ribbon-Nymphs clinging to the weeds, as well as terrestrial bugs that fall into the water (like the Granite Rock-Hopper).
Ridge-Runner Lynx
Ambush predator of the forested slopes. A medium-sized wildcat with disproportionately large paws that act as snowshoes. It has long black tufts on its ears and a thick, grey-brown coat dappled with darker spots to blend into the rocky shadows.
Diet: The primary predator of the Pine-Cracker Squirrel and Stone-Back Tortoise-Ox (it flips the young ones over). It will also hunt Mist-Prowler Badgers, though that's a tough fight.
Ambush predator of the forested slopes. A medium-sized wildcat with disproportionately large paws that act as snowshoes. It has long black tufts on its ears and a thick, grey-brown coat dappled with darker spots to blend into the rocky shadows.
Diet: The primary predator of the Pine-Cracker Squirrel and Stone-Back Tortoise-Ox (it flips the young ones over). It will also hunt Mist-Prowler Badgers, though that's a tough fight.
Crag-Wyvernlet
The cleanup crew and opportunistic hunter of slow prey. Not a majestic dragon. Think of a creature the size of a large turkey, leathery and reptilian, with tattered-looking wings that are better for gliding between cliffs than sustained flight. They have hooked beaks and drab grey/brown scales.
Diet: It's not a high-speed hunter. It prefers slow, armored food like the Ghost-Slug (it is immune to the slime) and the Granite Rock-Hopper. It also eats the eggs of ground-nesting birds and scavenges any kills left by larger predators.
The cleanup crew and opportunistic hunter of slow prey. Not a majestic dragon. Think of a creature the size of a large turkey, leathery and reptilian, with tattered-looking wings that are better for gliding between cliffs than sustained flight. They have hooked beaks and drab grey/brown scales.
Diet: It's not a high-speed hunter. It prefers slow, armored food like the Ghost-Slug (it is immune to the slime) and the Granite Rock-Hopper. It also eats the eggs of ground-nesting birds and scavenges any kills left by larger predators.
Tertiary Consumers
The Hartfang Gloom-Strider
The Silent Stalker of the deep forests and misty valleys, It evolved from an elk ancestor that became trapped in a harsh winter valley centuries ago and turned to cannibalism to survive. Evolution favored the ones with sharp teeth and silent steps. It looks like a "wrong" version of the Shag-Elk. It is gaunt, with elongated limbs and too many joints, moving with an unsettling, silent fluidity. Its fur is dark, almost black, and oily to shed rain. Its antlers are not majestic shovels; they are forward-facing spikes of bone, like a crown of spears, used for impaling. But its true weapons are its mouth (it opens wider than a normal deer's), revealing rows of sharp, interlocking incisors and canine-like tusks designed for tearing meat, not grinding grass.
Diet: Shag-Elk, Ridge-Runner Lynx, and unwary travellers.
The Silent Stalker of the deep forests and misty valleys, It evolved from an elk ancestor that became trapped in a harsh winter valley centuries ago and turned to cannibalism to survive. Evolution favored the ones with sharp teeth and silent steps. It looks like a "wrong" version of the Shag-Elk. It is gaunt, with elongated limbs and too many joints, moving with an unsettling, silent fluidity. Its fur is dark, almost black, and oily to shed rain. Its antlers are not majestic shovels; they are forward-facing spikes of bone, like a crown of spears, used for impaling. But its true weapons are its mouth (it opens wider than a normal deer's), revealing rows of sharp, interlocking incisors and canine-like tusks designed for tearing meat, not grinding grass.
Diet: Shag-Elk, Ridge-Runner Lynx, and unwary travellers.
Granite-Hide Kodiak
The unstoppable force of the lower slopes. The only thing strong enough to crack the armored prey. A massive bear species, easily twice the size of a normal grizzly. Its fur is so thick, matted, and sedentary that actual moss and small Iron-Root Sedge plants grow on its back and shoulders. When it sleeps, it looks exactly like a mossy boulder. It's weapons are sheer brute force and massive, non-retractable claws shaped like pickaxes.
Diet: Bristleboars, Tortoise-Oxen, and hibernating Mist-Prowler Badgers.
The unstoppable force of the lower slopes. The only thing strong enough to crack the armored prey. A massive bear species, easily twice the size of a normal grizzly. Its fur is so thick, matted, and sedentary that actual moss and small Iron-Root Sedge plants grow on its back and shoulders. When it sleeps, it looks exactly like a mossy boulder. It's weapons are sheer brute force and massive, non-retractable claws shaped like pickaxes.
Diet: Bristleboars, Tortoise-Oxen, and hibernating Mist-Prowler Badgers.
Rime-Fang Pack-Wolves
The apex pursuit predators of the open valleys and riverbanks. Large wolves with coats ranging from pale grey to pure white. Their defining feature is that their breath is so hot and moist against the freezing air that it instantly freezes around their muzzles, creating jagged "beards" of ice and rime that make their teeth look massive and crystalline. They use highly coordinated teamwork. They are endurance runners. They will chase a healthy Shag-Elk for days until it collapses from exhaustion. They work together to harass and distract the massive River-Moss Behemoths in the water until they can bleed them out.
Diet: Shag-Elk, River-Moss Behemoths, and sometimes coordinating to take down a solitary Gloom-Strider.
The apex pursuit predators of the open valleys and riverbanks. Large wolves with coats ranging from pale grey to pure white. Their defining feature is that their breath is so hot and moist against the freezing air that it instantly freezes around their muzzles, creating jagged "beards" of ice and rime that make their teeth look massive and crystalline. They use highly coordinated teamwork. They are endurance runners. They will chase a healthy Shag-Elk for days until it collapses from exhaustion. They work together to harass and distract the massive River-Moss Behemoths in the water until they can bleed them out.
Diet: Shag-Elk, River-Moss Behemoths, and sometimes coordinating to take down a solitary Gloom-Strider.
Cloud-Piercer Eagle
The undisputed ruler of the highest peaks and vertical cliffs. A raptor with a terrifying wingspan. Its feathers are dark slate-grey and coated in natural oils that make them completely waterproof against the freezing rain. Its talons are oversized and curved like grappling hooks, designed to grip icy rock as easily as flesh. It circles above the cloud layer, using its incredible eyesight to spot movement below. It dives through the mist at breakneck speed to snatch prey off narrow ledges.
Diet: Its favorite food is the Crag-Strider Goat (it knocks them off the cliffs). It also actively hunts Crag-Wyvernlets and will snatch up a Ridge-Runner Lynx if it catches one in the open.
The undisputed ruler of the highest peaks and vertical cliffs. A raptor with a terrifying wingspan. Its feathers are dark slate-grey and coated in natural oils that make them completely waterproof against the freezing rain. Its talons are oversized and curved like grappling hooks, designed to grip icy rock as easily as flesh. It circles above the cloud layer, using its incredible eyesight to spot movement below. It dives through the mist at breakneck speed to snatch prey off narrow ledges.
Diet: Its favorite food is the Crag-Strider Goat (it knocks them off the cliffs). It also actively hunts Crag-Wyvernlets and will snatch up a Ridge-Runner Lynx if it catches one in the open.
The Silt-Maw Salamander
The "River Dragon" / Ambush predator of the deep pools. Imagine a Hellbender or Giant Salamander, but the size of a crocodile (10-12 feet long). Its skin is slimy, wrinkled, and mottled with dark greys and pale circles, making it look exactly like the wet river stones and silt at the bottom of the stream. It has tiny, pale eyes that look like blind cataracts.
The ultimate camper. It can slow its heart rate to almost zero and lie motionless on the riverbed for days. It waits for a school of Braided-Stream Trout to pass over, or for a thirsty Shag-Elk or Wolf to dip its muzzle in the water. THWUMP—gone.
Diet: It consumes schools of Braided-Stream Trout in single gulps. It is also the only natural predator of the River-Moss Behemoth (it targets the babies or bites the legs of the adults to drag them under).
The "River Dragon" / Ambush predator of the deep pools. Imagine a Hellbender or Giant Salamander, but the size of a crocodile (10-12 feet long). Its skin is slimy, wrinkled, and mottled with dark greys and pale circles, making it look exactly like the wet river stones and silt at the bottom of the stream. It has tiny, pale eyes that look like blind cataracts.
The ultimate camper. It can slow its heart rate to almost zero and lie motionless on the riverbed for days. It waits for a school of Braided-Stream Trout to pass over, or for a thirsty Shag-Elk or Wolf to dip its muzzle in the water. THWUMP—gone.
Diet: It consumes schools of Braided-Stream Trout in single gulps. It is also the only natural predator of the River-Moss Behemoth (it targets the babies or bites the legs of the adults to drag them under).
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