Ursandian Fire Bear

Legend has it that the Fire Bears are the result of the Sylvan Court of the Sun seeking to have a war mount to use in the constant fighting among the Sylvan courts. The Fire Bears were too effective and so the species was cursed by the other Sylvan to be born mortal so that during their formative years they are unable to be reliably kept in the Fey realm, which makes it considerably harder to train one to be a mount or war beast. So now the Fire Bears are left on the Material Plane until they are Venerable in which case they return to being Fey creatures and are able to once again return to the Fey realm, they are nearly impossible to tame at this point though.

Basic Information

Anatomy

The average adult size of a Fire Bear is 15ft long, this translates to height when standing on its rear legs, otherwise, they are 8' at the shoulder. They are exceptionally bulky even among bears being 12ft wide. Should the Fire Bear reach what is known as the Venerable stage of its life their size increases by half.
Fire bears look like an oversized grizzly bear as if that wasn't horrifying enough their forelimbs have two sets of claws on them, the ones at the ends of their toes, and a serrated set between the toes that have limited up and down motion. They use both sets of claws when attacking with their paws for devastating damage to all but the sturdiest of metals. Even stone walls are known to crumble under the onslaught of a, particularly angry Fire Bear. A Venerable Fire Bear's claws are said to glow red hot when angered.
Crowning the head of the Fire Bear are two bone ridges that are able to live up and expose a fleshy spot underneath the ridges, this is a sensory organ designed to allow the Fire Bear to sense heat.
The mouth of the Fire Bear continues the trend of being a horrifying thing, while mostly in line with a bears normal jaw structure there are four tusks that protrude from the mouth of this beast. The two on top are located just behind the canines going down and out at a slight angle before just starting to curve out further, the bottom two are the mirror of the top ones just located one set of teeth back. These tusks are about six inches long to the tip but this varies from bear to bear.
The Fire Bear has a universal fur coat, there have been no other documented cases of different fur colors. This color is a brown for the underside of the bear with an orange/red coat over the top of the bear coming down to form '\/' shapes over the top of the head, and limbs.
Now, the reason for their name and the most feared trait of the Fire Bears. Located between their four lungs is a special gland that produces something similar to alchemical fire but far more potent. This Fire Gland is a prized commodity in Ursand where it can be made to help provide heat to a home, or elsewhere as an alchemical reagent. This fire has two forms it can take, the first is a long-range ability to effectively spit the small ball of fire up to 60ft. The next variation is by breathing out the flames in a short cone in front of it, this can reach up to 30ft ahead of the beast and fan out, this attack has less fire to it and instead lets out an incredible amount of heat. The fire from a Fire Bear can burn even when underwater making it exceptionally dangerous to all manner of creatures in Ursand. A Venerable Fire Bear can further augment their fire spit to effectively cast a fireball spell.

Growth Rate & Stages

Juvenile: When the Fire Bear is firstborn until 6 years after its birth it is considered a Juvenile.
Adult: After its 6th year it will leave its parents cave and venture out on its own, this stage lasts for 40 years.

Venerable: After 40 years of age a Fire Bear is considered venerable and marks the next stage in their life, at this stage their type changes to Fey, they usually venture into the depths of the Deep Woods at this stage but some will remain and continue to hunt their previous territory.

Ecology and Habitats

Northern Ursand where it is colder is where the Fire Bear prefers to live, they have thick fur and generate a large amount of body heat so warmer climates are less desirable. There are those that also live among the Dragon-Teeth Mountains for the same reason.

Dietary Needs and Habits

The Fire Bear is an omnivore and scavenger primarily which is a good thing for the people of Ursand. The Fire Bear seems to prefer hunting Fey creatures if it can, this makes Kelpies a tempting target for them, as well as Dryads and the other spirits of the Deep Woods. When they cannot have such tempting prey groups of humanoids, wolves, other bears, moose, and anything they can bring down forms their meat diet. Otherwise, they will eat what plants do grow in Ursand, while rare some will venture into Southern Ursand to make a meal from the farms and livestock there.

Additional Information

Domestication

So far have yet to be domesticated by the people of Ursand.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Fire Bears possess the normal senses but also have a heightened sense of smell and the ability to sense and track heat, which makes them very effective predators in Ursand as anything living will stand out easily from the cold of Ursand.

Scientific Name

Ignus Ursus

Lifespan

Unknown

Average Height

10 feet at the shoulder

Average Weight

5,000+ pounds

Average Length

12-21 feet

Geographic Distribution

• Ursand