Ratlings

Ratlings are one of the most prolific creatures to live in The Haze. They breed quickly in their underground nests and only take a few weeks to mature. Luckily, they do not cooperate with others outside of their own nests and so fall to predation by other ratlings as often as they do to other creatures of the Haze.

Variants:

Ratling Guttersnipe
Warlock of the Rat God
Buff Danny
Rat Prince

Basic Information

Anatomy

"The typical ratling is a rodent of prodigious size. Able to stand on two legs, it is about the size of a goblin or halfling. Whether by accident of birth, or a result of the delerium they consume, some ratlings grow larger or have other mutations. Luckily for us, this is a rare occurrence." - Bartok the Bard

Genetics and Reproduction

Ratlings reproduce incredibly fast, but are dependent on a steady supply of delerium.

Growth Rate & Stages

Ratlings mature quickly. The babies are small, but when fed delerium, their growth accelerates until they have reached adult size. Children who are not fed delerium grow into giant rats instead.

Ecology and Habitats

Like all of the new species discovered within the Haze, they seem to subsist on it and grow frail and weak if they leave the Haze for an extended period of time.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Many of the creatures in the Haze don't seem to require food or water, but Ratlings live to eat. they hunt in large swarms, using their superior numbers to overwhelm their prey. They will often bring prey back to their lairs alive, in order to eat them later. Ratlings will often not attack unless they outnumber their quarry at least three to one.

Civilization and Culture

Common Dress Code

Some ratlings go nude, their fur the only cover

Common Myths and Legends

"Ratlings worship a being they call the Rat God. I have witnessed ratlings in multiple colonies creating effigies and worshipping them. Some even seem to do magic in its name. Once I saw them drag a garmyr from their larder, sacrifice it to the Rat God and consume its corpse. I nearly retched in revulsion at the sight." - Bartok the Bard

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

"Ratlings consider all others to be food. Even other ratlings." - Bartok the Bard

Geographic Distribution

• The Haze

Discovered by

Bartok