Murk

One of the most iconic herbivores throughout the Forbidden Isles, murks are a much harder beast to tame than horse or donkey, but are considered much more prestigious and rewarding when done so. So far, it seems that only The Phurzic Dominion has managed to domesticate them proper, with other nations using captured and tamed wild beasts as mounts. Whatever way, these formidable herbivores are an enviable resource in any army or rich man’s field.
These large herbivorous scythebeasts are the only vegetarians of their kind native to the Forbidden Isles, possessing a scythe-like claw on each arm, said to be capable of decapitating a man in a single swing. Along this, they possess a large beak for plucking up the grasses, and molars to grind vegetation. This grants them a superficial resemblance to the flying griffins in a sense. With long muscular tails and padded feet like camels, murks don’t quite look like any of the mammal herbivores of the islands, and yet appear just as natural as any of them. They live in small herds led by a single male, who tends to be nearly twice the size of the females. A fully grown bull stands three metres tall overall, two and a half at the withers, and can weigh us much as two and a half tonnes, while females rarely surpass two at the withers, while also lacking the spur on the back of the foot and having a duller, less red colouring in their fur. These features, along with their territorial nature, makes them a target for hunters as trophies, or for more practical usage.
While found across Tzunar, the greener parts of Phurzia price some of the most well suited terrain and food for the animals. It is for this reason that the Dominion is the only nation where they serve as a core division of the army, and not merely as elite units ridden by generals and aristocrats as in other nations. It is estimated that as many as one murk-rider for every thirty horse-riders exists within the Dominion’s army, going up to one; twenty in times of plenty. Typically serving as cataphracts, or heavily armoured cavalry, murk riders are some of the most iconic of the Dominion’s units in the battlefield. This owes to the fact the Dominion is the only nation known to have domesticated them properly instead of taking captured wild specimens. They can also be grown for meat or to pull large ploughs.

Basic Information

Anatomy

As scythebeasts, murks possess six limbs; two arms with a single digit each and four legs. In the case of murks, they end in three toed feet with pads, somewhat like those of camels. The legs are well muscles and allow them to move with good bursts of speed to escape or run into predators, flailing their blades arms or swinging the long muscular tail.
Able to rotate the wrist, they use their scythe-arms to cut through thick grasses and bamboos as well as through digging for fibers. They are also used in combat, whether against predators, human hunters or one another. The claws therefore need to be sturdy, and they regularly scrape them against trees or stones to maintain their sharpness.
With a beak at the front of the skull and tufted ears, their head bears a superficial resemblance to that of griffons, though they lack external ears unlike the latter. The canines extend out as enlarged tusks, used mainly in intraspecific combat. They are much larger on males than on females, as long as 30cm compared to 10. Additionally, males have a spur on their back feet, up to 20cm or 8 inches in length.

Genetics and Reproduction

Being large animals, their gestation period is surprisingly low due to laying eggs, which are similar in size to those of ostriches. Once they hatch, it takes them about nine to eleven years to reach sexual maturity, with females maturing faster than males.

Growth Rate & Stages

It takes a murk about ten years to go from hatching from an egg to sexual maturity.

Ecology and Habitats

Murks tend to prefer grasslands and scrublands compared to other herbivores like tuskers and the enigmatic Yuntas.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Eating a mix of grasses, shrubs and fibres primarily, they will occasionally feed in short trees when need be.

Additional Information

Social Structure

Small herds of 5-10 adults led by an experienced male, along with juveniles.

Domestication

A domesticated population exists in Phurzia, though the secret to this is highly guarded. Other regions capture and tame wild ones.

Uses, Products & Exploitation

Aside from domesticated purposes of fur, meat and bones, they are often used as shock troopers. Rich aristocrats and generals of most nations will happily ride a murk into battle to show their wealth. They are also especially prized as cataphracts; heavy cavalry units able to charge into infantry formations and break them. Being four times the size of most war horses and with arms capable of decapitating a man in a single blow, they are unsurprisingly very dangerous to face. They are not invincible however, and as with griffons, a well placed arrow or scorpion bolt can prove lethal if I careful.

Facial characteristics

A long skull, with two eyes at the sides to scout for danger and the third at the centre to look on front. Nostrils are located just behind the beak. Canines are larger and protrude from the lower jaw in the males.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Found across Tzunar, Hartstone Gurd and Sandur, while the related Blue Murk is found on Vork.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Possessing the third eye in the forehead as with all scythebeasts, this allows them a field of depth most herbivores can’t afford to have, allowing them to be quite perceptive compared to large mammalian herbivores, and so relying on sight more often than smell. They also have keen hearing.

by Dylan Bajda

A fully grown male murk arching it’s claws forward in an aggressive posture towards another male out of shot. Even while smaller than the legs, each arm is larger than a human leg, and possesses a claw as heavy as a sledgehammer.
Image by Dylan Bajda

Lifespan

40 years

Conservation Status

Common

Average Height

Males; 2.5m/8”2’ at the withers and 3m/9”10 overall. Females; 2m/6”7’ at the withers and 2.4m/7”11 overall.

Average Weight

Males; 2.5 tonnes, exceptionally large individuals reaching 3. Female; 1.2-1.5 tonnes.

Average Length

Males; 7.5m Females; 6m

Average Physique

More proportionally robust than even draft horses, murks have strong backs and a lower build, making them suitable heavy cavalry for soldiers who manage to tame them, while still being faster and more agile than tuskers on the battlefield.

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Possessing a dark red-brown fur across most of the body, lighter on the underside. Juveniles have darker and yellower fur to camouflage with the grass. The fur of males tends to be more intense than that of females, and there are white points at the end of it’s early tufts.