Shal Rah

The hunt was going badly, our desired prey had been hard to track since entering these woods. A gruff snorting from across the clearing caught our attention as we looked up to see the creature staring back at us. A huff of snot as he breathed hard and pawed at the ground seeming to prepare itself for a charge. Taking a deep breath, I aimed my bow with assured accuracy and fired. The arrow took flight across the field only to be, by Landrick luck, deflected off the large horn, and into the tree nearby it. The beast sped like lightning across the field, closing distance with blinding speed, head down, horn poised. As I saw my last seconds before me, my assistant managed to pull me away in the nick of time as the creature buried its enormous horn in the large tree behind us. Sweating and shaking, we gathered what we could and ran as if being chased by Verth himself.

- Unknown Author
Excerpt from a ragged hunter's journal

Shal Rah is a large apex predator that currently has no known natural predators, except when faced with humanoids. They are prized for their valuable tusks.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Their body is broad-chested, with the prominent muscular structure of the two fore and rear limbs. A broad head with a tough plate-like structure along the head and fore shoulders that give it protection against impacts. Two to four horns usually adorn the bridge of the snout, with one of them being extremely long and dense, ranging from three to five feet in length and up to two feet around in circumference. The front of the snout contains a sharp beak used to tear into flesh to consume. A long row of spikes that adorn the creature's spine to help protect it from anything that may try to attack it. Their back spikes are an old adaptation bred into the race by the elves when they were used at pets,

Biological Traits

Within the Shal Rah, males and females do differ slightly. While males are exceedingly muscular, the female is more trim and toned. The female also tends to range on the smaller size of height, length, and weight. The female's main horn tends to be a bit thinner and there are fewer ancillary horns compared to the males.

Genetics and Reproduction

There is notable sexual dimorphism noted in the species. Males tend to be much larger and more aggressive than females of the species. The males have much larger primary horns, multiple sub-horns, a larger muscular structure, and hooves. When a pair of Shal Rah mate, they mate for life. They are only able to conceive once in their lifetime and may birth up to 4-5 offspring.

Ecology and Habitats

Preferring to live in forests, Shal Rah will usually make a large caves their home. Because of their hunting habits, you'll never find more than one or two families making a home in certain a square kilometer of area.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Shal Rah are considered omnivores, however, they prefer a consistent diet of 80% or more of meat. An average male Shal Rah can eat up to a quarter of its body weight in food a day if the food supply in the area allows. They will hunt creatures even larger than themselves to sustain this need. This hunger is one reason they are a threat to the local wildlife populations and are often hunted to salvage the area's food supply.

Additional Information

Social Structure

Solitary hunters for the most part, but can occasionally be found hunting with a mate or a young male offspring. The shoat will usually stay with the mother for the first year of its life at which point it will begin to learn to hunt with its father. The males will usually set off on their own within three years, the females within five years.

Domestication

Shal Rah at one point in time were domesticated by The Elven Conclave to serve as war pets, guard animals, and hunting companions. However, the creatures are hard to control without magic and easily turn on their handler otherwise. Since the fall of the empire, domestication has fallen away and if a domesticated one is found, it is usually put down as a danger to society.

Uses, Products & Exploitation

Horns of a Shal Rah is prize hunting trophies for the bravest of hunters. The horns are also prized on the black market for the use of drugs, potions, expensive trade goods and crafts. The meat of a Shal Rah is very gamey and only appeals to select tastes.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

The origins of Shal Rah are unknown. They have been spotted within most forests on the continent and could be encountered in any major forest.

Average Intelligence

Higher than average animalist intelligence. They seem to know the threat of creatures they encounter.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Shal Rah are known to have incredible eyesight and hearing and can detect threats from a distance.

Monster by Yawei Cao

Scientific Name

Sus spikora

Origin/Ancestry

Boar, long-spiked

Lifespan

30-40 years

Average Height

Between 1 and 1.2 m

Average Weight

Between 181-226 kg

Average Length

Between 2.5-3 m

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Grey tints from light to dark mostly, however, the tusks may whiten over time and use.