Unicorn

Also known as war-horses, unicorns are considered by some to be a cruel joke played on the world by the gods. Wickedly intelligent and quick to violence, they are not the kind of creatures you want to anger.

Basic Information

Anatomy

The most recognizable feature of a unicorn is the single horn protruding from their forehead, which stays consistent throughout the species. In terms of structure, unicorns are four-legged and bear a vague resemblance to wolves. They generally have sharp teeth, close-cropped fur save for plumes on their backs, and padded paws that make them almost silent when they’re sneaking around.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Unicorns have remarkable hearing and eyesight, and are capable of sensing magical residues. This lets them identify magical items, recognize and track any creature with inherent magical capabilities, and locate nearby places where a spell has just been cast.

Ecology and Habitats

Unicorns are most at home in large forests and places with a lot of greenery. Many packs live in god-touched forests under the protection of elementals.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Unicorns are carnivores. Hunting alone, they mainly scavenge corpses or track down and eat small animals every few days. Hunting in packs, they can bring down animals much larger than themselves. Unicorns can go over a week without food and not suffer too badly, but their upper limit is around a month.

Biological Cycle

Because unicorns live in several different climates, they don’t all function quite the same. In general, though, they grow a longer, thicker winter coat and a lighter summer coat, and many go into a state of torpor in the coldest months.

Additional Information

Social Structure

Unicorns live in packs of around three to six, though some packs are larger and some are smaller. The structure of the pack depends on the unicorns within it; but generally speaking, the strongest unicorn will lead the rest in determining where and when to sleep, eat, hunt, and move. Weaker individuals are given less say in how things happen, but rather than being shunned they are usually helped to improve and keep up with the rest. Young are fiercely protected by the whole pack until they grow up, at which point they usually leave to join another pack or fend for themselves.

Uses, Products & Exploitation

Unicorn horns are incredibly valuable, both for their durability and magical properties. Other parts of the animal are sometimes used in magic creations or spells simply because of their infamous nature, but much more rarely. However, nonmagical clothing or other objects made from unicorn skin or fur are luxury items, owned only by the very rich and considered by most people to be unnecessary and wasteful.

Average Intelligence

Unicorns are well-known for their intelligence; on average they are almost as smart as most sapient species. This has caused some people to argue that they should be considered on the same level as those sapient species, but their resemblance to less intelligent creatures drags them down.

Lifespan

70-80 years

Average Height

5.7 - 6.3 ft