Ivern

Ivern

I watched as the critter nibbled on some old boiled roach scraps by the butcher shop. I needed to be patient and wait for just the right moment. Any sound could have spooked it, making it fly away and turning the two periods it took to find it into a waste of time. I took one small down the alley, then another, hoping the noise from the market will disguise my footsteps. Its head perked up and I froze in place while it glanced around..after a few moments, it went back to its meal. I readied my net as I took two more silent steps. Then disaster struck, the butcher came out the door and saw the Ivern. I had no choice but to lunge with the net and hope to catch it. It jumped to the air ready to fly just as my net hit it. A high pitch scream came from it as it struggled in the net. I quickly grabbed it to get it in the jar before the wings are damaged, suffering a minor bite in the process. With the lid on, it slowly drifts to sleep after inhaling the Souder Dust. Satisfied, I sprinted away to Ellara the Herbalist, she usually offers me the best deal.

Basic Information

Anatomy

An Ivern is a tiny creature usually 1-2 inches tall and usually have a thin layer of fur on their bodies. Beyond that, there seems to be a lot of variations in them. Multiple fur colors exist that can range from a deep black to a light pink or white and almost everything in between. Some will also have small wings that allow them to fly, but for only short distances. Others seem to have the ability to walk on walls and ceilings.

Genetics and Reproduction

Ivern breed often without any real regulation. They will lay two dozen tiny eggs no bigger than a finger tip. The parents will abandon the eggs in a nest and go their separate ways. The eggs will take approximately 20 cycles to hatch. Only about half of them will hatch and many nests are raided by other creatures.

Growth Rate & Stages

They are only 1/2" when they hatch and will grow to adulthood within only 20 Cycles. At adulthood they will be 1-2" tall. Within those first 20 Cycles they eat double their weight everyday. Their lifespan is only believed to be about 2 years. This is debated as no one has ever seen one die of old age, those kept in captivity tend to just disappear.

Ecology and Habitats

Ivern were originally only found in the Lifestone Forest but as the people spread so did the Ivern. The only place they seem to avoid was Paradise Stratum as they are not meant for the cold weather.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Ivern are scaverngers. They generally eat meat after it goes rancid and begins to smell.

Additional Information

Social Structure

Their behavior has led most people to consider them pests. They are thieves in general and will steal food mostly, but also seem to slip away with a wide range of minor trinkets. They also don't appear to speak, but some have noticed high pitched squeals when they are being chased, otherwise they appear to make no noise at all.

Domestication

Although some are kept as pets, there short lives make them poor pets and hard to bond with. The domesticated Ivern seem less active and rarely mate or lay eggs.

Uses, Products & Exploitation

In 4410 a discovery by Nadi Akirns found medicinal purposes for the fur of the Ivern. The fur can be ground down and made into a tea that is used to bring down fevers. Herbalists have created a market for the Ivern and their fur.
Bligt Thorscrapper found that the yolks can mixed with a few other ingredients to create a cream that helps with several bites and minor rashes. Havers (Clanless) uses the yolk with Blood Mold to treat the Verdant Infection.
Ivern wings are more rare, but are sought for their use in a more controversial procedure. Intera Darkside used the wings to improve her skin tone and to reverse aging and stress. Although the results seem questionable, the process has stayed strong for over 200 years.
After the tragedy of the Age of Light, there was a massive amount of dead and very few options. Kyren Yorik Valumbar started using newly hatched Ivern to eat the bodies of the dead. This process is still used in some places around the city.
The process of taking the fur does not outright kill the Ivern, but they will likely not regrow the fur. Naked Ivern usually do not breed though, so most will only hunt adult Ivern to allow them to breed a few times first. Sadly an Ivern without wings does tend to die within 2 cycles as they tend to stop eating or hunting without their wings.

Average Intelligence

Minimal, although there are reports of hand gestures that might be communication, these were never studied in depth.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Ivern have weak vision, but increased range and very precise hearing. They also seem to have a very keen sense of smell when it comes to finding food.

Symbiotic and Parasitic organisms

Their stomachs seem to be able to process very old meat and almost any trash.

Kawii by Alexandra Semushina

Lifespan

2 Years

Conservation Status

As the Ivern spread to the other Strata, they had less natural enemies and their numbers increased significantly. In 3110, things became so desperate that the Councils proclaimed a hunt for the creatures and a bounty to promote it. Although the proclamation was never retracted, the hunt only lasted about 20 years the bounty continued to get reduced.

Average Height

1-2 Inches

Average Weight

Less than 2 lbs

Average Length

Wingspan: 5 Inches