Scursal
Different lands have developed their own unique ways of travel. For residents in and around the Demar Forest, that would be riding a scursal.
Riding a scursal isn’t just a method of transportation…
Let’s just say it's an adventure…
Much like the Geldar Bighorn, camels, horses, Steelgray dire wolves, and even the massive gatleons, the scursal is another domesticated beast, most often used as riding mounts, guards, and companions.
The origin of the species is no surprise, as the scursal is obviously a giant descendant of the dire squirrel. How this branch of the species became so large is a subject for debate. Scholars have pinpointed that the original people that first domesticated the scursal were the Swiftwater kobold tribe.
However, while the Swiftwater tribe keeps written records, those accounts are kept in two forms. Either in their tactile writing system called ‘Scorsi’ or through a picture-language instructions for shadow plays. Some nuances of how the Swiftwater domesticated the scursal have yet to be translated.
Examinations by wizards have led to the accepted conclusion that scursal's size was not entirely magical in origin. Though druid practices or a skaldic duel gone wrong have not been ruled out.
Riding without a saddle is a challenge. It just takes some patience and practice. To be fair, my Steelgray dire wolf doesn’t run upside down in a tree.
Elder treants, when asked, were clear on the matter. This wasn’t their fault. However, they point out that saplings enjoy the ride.
Basic Information
Anatomy
If you’ve ever seen an over-excited scursal, then you don’t know the meaning behind ‘as nimble as a scursal’…
Or, if you were the scursal’s rider, that healing potions come in flavors.
Scursals are much like their squirrel cousins, only a lot bigger. Much bigger, in fact, since a scursal is the size of a pony. Provided said pony has a slightly overdeveloped sense of curiosity and twitch reaction time.
They are a fur-covered creature, 8 feet in length and 4 1/2 feet tall at the shoulder. Scursals are lean, like the Snowsaber Leopards of Samakar or the Rosewood Chimeras of the Empire of Jade. This makes them unsuitable as a draft animal, but perfect for other forms of fast transportation in locations like the Demar Forest.
Fur coloration and patterns follow the theme of their smaller cousins. Colors range from rust red to shadow gray. The fur itself has a silky quality and rather thick. In fact, a scursal’s fur has a dual layer. This dual layer provides defense against inclement weather, rendercoons, and dire eels.
Scursals have four limbs, with the rear limbs being longer than the forelimbs. They have five toes and a bushy, prehensile tail. It isn’t uncommon for a scursal to use this prehensile nature to grasp food or other items.
However, the adept dexterity of the tail is used more during competition for food against rendercoons or other scursals in the wild. Other uses seem to include acting as a counterbalance when leaping, shelter its head from rain and snow, or signaling extreme reactions such as surprise or curiosity.
Mostly stealing travel bread. Often mine. But… I just make sure I pack extra.
It’s claws make it no surprise that it can scale trees or other rough vertical surfaces. But it can also scale down head first by rotating its fore and hind legs sideways. Thus a scursal maintains a very stable grip on whatever it’s climbing on.
Scursal's eyes, teeth and nose are much as they are with a squirrel. They have average hearing and sense of smell. Their vision is quite exceptional, allowing them to see differences of color far beyond most other riding animals. Their average hearing is made up for by their sense of touch. It’s been recorded that scursals use vibration patterns with scents and colors to identify threats or food.
A discussion of scursal anatomy wouldn’t be complete without covering their spitting ability.
These giant beasts are primarily herbivores that eat lean meat on occasion. Like their distant squirrel cousins, they prefer a plant-based diet. However, their 300 pounds doesn’t come from just eating pumpkins or acorn squash. Scursals enjoy the occasional meat based meal of chicken or dire eel. Wizards and skalds are positive that the spitting developed because of the latter.
Dire eels, especially in the rivers of the Demar Forest, have an unusual electrical-based venom. They also prey upon both rendercoons and scursals among other creatures. Scursals, in response, have developed venom sacks of their own. However, this venom is not poisonous. Nor is it delivered through a bite.
Scursal venom is fast acting sleep toxin that also acts as a natural insulator against the eel electrical discharge. During a hunt for an eel, a scursal spits a venom glob up to 30 feet in distance with incredible accuracy. The toxin takes only seconds to react on a victim.
Fair warning. Scursals can be a tad skittish sometimes in loud thunderstorms.
However, there have been stories of a startled scursal spitting toward what frightened it. Many owners have discovered this side effect the hard way. Those same reports state that it’s a damp, yet restful sleep.
The locals in Demar Forest call it taking a ‘fur nap’.
A Gooey Proposition
Milking a giant squirrel for its spit. This has to have been thought up by a Copan Shire pirate or Cuali merchant.
Once domesticated, it took no time at all before the tranquilizing effect of scursal spit became a lucrative trade in the Topan League. Scursal ranches can be found all along the Demar forest that not only offer services to train scursal, they also sell them as riding animals and sell milked scursal spit.
The viscous light blue substance, called ‘lober’, is of great demand by wizards or most any alchemist looking to strengthen a sleep potion. Likewise, healers use the substance as a base ingredient of numbing cream for burns.
Not all uses are for medical reasons. Some regions, such as Copan Shire, trade for lober as it's a primary ingredient in certain types of fermented drinks. Other uses are as a calming additive to teas or used as a coating glaze for certain recipes.
The Swiftwater tribe has a means to process the spit, so it keeps the insulating ability but loses the sleep toxin. They coat themselves with this when they engage in dire eel hunting.
Boundless Energy, Smaller Package
To the surprise of many outsiders there is a smaller variety of scursal. This smaller breed is still a scursal but was bread to be slightly shorter in height and length. The change was to accommodate owners with a smaller stature such as halflings, dwarves, goblins, kobolds, and the diminutive Piskies.
They call this smaller breed a ‘Skimp Scursal’, or Skimper. Skimpers are 3 feet (0.9 meters) tall at the shoulder and 5 feet (1.5 meters) in length. Other than their size, they have the same characteristics as the full sized scursals. Skimpers also have the same heightened reaction time and speed as the larger variety.
Not to mention an overdeveloped curiosity over what you have in your backpack...
In a Family Way
If there is one thing scursals enjoy more than running, leaping or food, its being social. They are very social creatures with each other and anyone who owns a scursal for an extended length of time.
The term group of scursals is called a ‘flurry’. This could be a family in the same nest-den, or a collection on a farm that has shared the same living space for some time. It isn’t uncommon for a scursal to form social bonds with other animals on a ranch of different species, including but not limited to chickens, rabbits, horses and more.
A family of scursals involves two makes and three females. The females usually give birth once a year to two to four pups. Once born, its the males responsibility to guard the nest-den. Meanwhile the females take turns nursing the young and hunting.
Scursals dislike being left alone for extended periods of time. Because of this, it isn’t uncommon for a scursal to follow its owner into ruins or dungeons. The creatures find that being near their bonded owner is preferred despite the danger of the environment. This is compounded by that scursal instinct appears to tend toward ‘safety in numbers’.
It’s simple, really. Growing up, I was always taught this about scursals… “Where the head goes, the body follows”
Like a cat, and I don’t mean rendercoons, they act like they have a special arrangement with nature to ‘flex like rubber’.
If left alone, with no means to solve the problem, scursals will exhibit one of their lesser talked about behaviors: howling. Scursals will howl a mournful cry, sometimes for hours.
Most scholars who study scursal agree, this is a form of communication. A song that is calling out for other members of its ‘flurry’. This has led to unproven suggestions that scursals sing at other times, only just not as loud. Some have wondered if flurries have unique songs.
Songs when they’re hungry… have eaten something they like… then there's "You've been writing in the book thing long enough and I want scritches" song...
Lifespan
20-25 years
Average Height
4 1/2 feet (1.4 meters) at the shoulder
Average Weight
250 - 300 pounds (113-136 kg)
Average Length
8 feet long (2.4 meters)
A Little Different Riding Gear
Scursals wear saddles, saddle blankets and other familiar items to those experienced with riding animals. However, there are some differences.
First is that the saddle has a latch where the rider is expected to latch on their riding harness. As a scursal can, and often will, run along the side of walls or trees, or even upside down. The harness keeps the rider in place on the back of the scursal.
Next are the saddlebags. They are also equipped with their own harness. This keeps them firmly in place on the saddle. Also, they have a dual flap closure. This is to prevent anything from falling out if, or really when, the scursal decides "down is up" and "the floor is the ceiling".
Last is that there is no bit that the scursal bites on. Instead, it is a head harness that slips over the animal's head. It isn't uncomfortable and is the most padded piece of equipment. This padding helps soothe the animal's nerves by mimicking close contact. That way, the scursal is less prone to fits of jitters or nerves.
Even still, it's well documented that sometimes a 'whim' will just overtake a scursal... and then the adventure begins...
Charge of the Chitter Brigade
Another outgrowth of scursal domestication is their training and use as cavalry in the Topan League. These specifically trained scursal cavalry units use a wide variety of tactics given the animal’s climbing ability.
Attacks can come from ground, walls, or high above in the trees. Often these are coordinated so that magical, arrow and other attacks come from at least two of these directions at once. The results are always devastating.
Then, there is the rumored ‘Lober-lug’ assault where riders have trained their scursal mounts to spit in unison on command.
It makes a certain kind of tactical sense… in a really slimy sort of way…
Darker Side of the Branch
Scursal spit isn’t the only desired trade good from the animal. However, it is the only legal one. What remains is a subject more dire that locals in the Demar Forest region will discuss. Unless they have been a victim to this particular problem.
Scursal venom sacks themselves have magical properties. However, these properties are reported to be necromantic in nature. The exact details are unclear but center on certain necromantic spells involving creation of slime golems and other unpleasant creations.
In addition, there are some regions that prize scursal fur for its thick, silky texture that seems to have some water repellent properties.
Because of the above, poaching and scursal rustling is a minor problem in areas that raise and maintain a scursal population. Those poachers are constantly sought out by local authorities and members of the Swiftwater tribe. The former to stop the poaching, the latter as the Swiftwater Tribe has discovered that poachers make wonderful dire eel bait when aforementioned poachers are out hunting scursals…
I often wonder if these 'customers' would like it if they were ambushed, then held down while their head got shaved. They might not be so interested in scursal fur then...
I clicked on the little link that says "hello there" and was absolutely delighted even though I'm not sure what else I expected. The addition to how they are ridden was a fascinating touch and clearly well thought through. I loved everything about the Scursal, seriously. Everything. They sound so adorable and fun to be around.
Thank you! I really appreciate that. I really enjoyed coming up with them! To be honest, that is exactly how I hoped they would come across. :D