The Irivi - Kjeri Companions
Irivi are large quadrupedal lizards native to the swamps of eastern Aelura. Once feared by many races, they have been tamed by the kjeri and are treated as beasts of burden, as well as a source of food and materials for tools and crafting.
Appearance
Irivi grow to an average of four feet tall and ten feet long, with half their length their tail and the other their body. Their skin is tough and scaled, resistant to a lot of damage and makes good quality leather, it is a deep grey-brown in colour with a lighter brown underbelly. Their feet are webbed and clawed, with each razor-sharp talon averaging six inches long, and they have rows of serrated teeth used to tear at their food and prey. Their tongue is long, deep blue in colour, and forked. Males have a darker brown stripe from their nose, over their back, and down the length of their tail.
Habitat and Behaviour
Irivi thrive in swampland and marshes, making use of their sleek bodies and webbed feet they can ambush and hunt prey with cruel efficiency. Though their eyesight is poor, their sense of smell and hearing is exceptional, and any prey hunted by an irivi is unlikely to escape without masking their scent or sound.
Irivi in the wild stick together in small groups no larger than ten called packs. There are often only a few males in the pack, with the rest females, the largest male is often the leader of the pack. In a domesticated sense, kjeri tend to have three to four irivi, which they refer to as a herd to distinguish them from their wild relatives.
Irivi live in nests and burrows dug out from marshland and littered with reeds, grasses, and bones. During the day they hunt, though can often be found in the middle of the day lying on their nests or on rocks building energy during the high sun while others keep watch.
Diet
Irivi are carnivorous, and mostly eat fish and wetland birds, as well as cattle, goats, and other fowl. They prefer to ambush and kill prey quickly to conserve energy though are capable of tracking escaped prey over large swaths of swampland, and if the prey does little to hide their tracks it’s not a matter of if they’ll get caught but when.
In most cases, irivi eat prey whole including any horns, bones, fur, and teeth, which are regurgitated later. Because they have slow metabolisms, irivi do not need to eat big meals often, the largest of their species can survive on as little as fifteen meals a year. Rarely, they will eat fruits and vegetables, though an irivi would likely resort to cannibalism before that stage.
Reproduction
Mating between irivi occurs during the hotter months of the year. During this time females who are ready to mate will present themselves to available males, where and interested males will fight over her, and there is only one winner. However, it’s not the end of the road, the winning male must now present himself to the female, to see if the female is interested, because though he might be the strongest, he might not be the right male to produce offspring with.
Courtship rituals include swaying is tail, rubbing his chin against her head, grunts and hisses to show strength, and scratches along the female’s back. If he is successful, the female will become receptive of his advances, otherwise he will be chased away.
Copulation can take hours, and during that time the female can get bored or combative. It is important therefore that the male be strong enough to restrain her, for if she moves too much it could cause physical harm to both of them. Irivi have been known to form packs based on one primary mating partner, and one or two secondary partners.
Females will lay three to four six inch eggs in a burrow or nest, often using burrows left behind from previous mating seasons, and will protect their clutch with all their being as other irivi may try to eat the eggs. After hatching, young irivi will often survive by sticking close to their pack or climbing trees to hide from the larger of their kind that may want to eat them, they take three years to reach maturity, and future two to reach full size, and have an average lifespan of thirty-five years.
Domestication and Husbandry
The swamps of the east were avoided and feared by most races due to the irivi, but the kjeri have made it their home. Three centuries after their liberation from their fae masters, the kjeri themselves have become masters of the swamp and gained clout as being the ones who tamed the fearsome lizards.
Because they do not need to eat often, meals for irivi can be stockpiled and set aside, and as they don’t mind eating rotten or spoiled meats, leftover carcasses can be saved too. Domesticated irivi will not seek out and hunt food if they have been properly trained, so they are safe to be around food stores and large groups, though they’re often not welcome in the large settlements of the other races.
Irivi are farmed for their meat and leather, though a side product of this is their strong bones, teeth, and claws. The flavour of the meat varies depending on what the creature had eaten: fish makes it mild and oily, cattle and goats make it darker in colour and taste of iron, and things that had begun to rot impart a slightly fermented flavour. Most irivi are slaughtered within their first two years of life, and eggs that do not hatch are also consumed. Older irivi are not slaughtered, but after their death there is often a large gathering of kjeri to celebrate and feast. Irivi meat can be aged, smoked, or cured to prolong its freshness.
Irivi leather is tough and durable, and combined with wood or metal makes very strong armour. It is also used to create other tools and instruments such as drums and coverings for homes and tents. The bones, teeth, and claws of the irivi are even tougher than the skin, and are used to make knives, spears, arrows, and needles. Male kjeri carve intricate designs into a claw of an irivi and present it to their lover as a sign of commitment.
Interaction with their Masters
Because their size and ferocity, many irivi are used as weapons of war and combat. The kjeri have tamed the lizards to be protectors of their people and their lands in much the same way wild irivi protect their territories. Important locations and contested borders in the kjeri lands are patrolled by wandering irivi, some of them without riders.
As powerful swimmers and runners, the irivi can be used to travel long distances and are used by messengers and scouts. Their strength allows them to haul large loads across long distances, and they can be used by hunters and gatherers to bring game back to their camps, especially large animals.
Though most irivi are neutral towards their masters, some have been known to grow very close to their owner and behave more like a pet than a beast of burden, nuzzling and producing a low rumble. Irivi that have bonded this way with someone are often very protective of them.
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