Onkers

The Hell Pigs

An Onker is a fiery pig that resides in the Uncharted Deserts of Elone. They look as if they are from Hell, which is what gives them their nickname of "The Hell Pigs."

Biological Traits

Onkers are grey and orange pigs with trails of fire coming off of their backside. They are rather plump, often weighing around 1050 pounds and being about 6 ft tall when they reach maturity. For this, many Onkers raised in captivity are bred when they reach maturity and then killed, as they can be incredibly dangerous when they are older and larger.

Lifespan

Onkers live for 10 years, normally reaching maturity at 9. This gives them two years at maturity, at which point the flame on their back begins to burn at its full capacity until eventually it sputters out completely and the Onker dies, provided they do are not killed before then.

Flame

The Flames on the back of an Onker is produced from their own body heat. Within their bodies, they have some small portal that mana flows from, like the brains of most sentient species on Totania, where all Magic comes from. Their body converts this Magic into heat, which keeps the Onker alive. All excess heat is expelled from the back in the form of a flame.

The Uncharted Desert

The Uncharted Desert is a large part of the Eastern Continent of Elone. It is a region fully made of sand, which has never been mapped out in completion. Many maps exist, but those that map some areas that others don't do not seem to line up, causing much confusion.
It is home to the Gnomes and Emetians, who live in various cities and villages around the desert, though the amount of them whose locations are known could be counted on one hand.

Onker by Jarhed

This also means that the flames shooting out of an Onker shows how well their body is producing heat. A bigger flame shows a healthy Onker, while a smaller flame shows that the Onker needs care.
However, when an Onker gets to be 10 years old, their flame begins to die out anyway. Their body has finished growing and now their flames begin to die down. Their body is fueled fully for one year, but when they reach 10 years old, the body cannot handle producing the flames to suit the larger Onker, and thus they begin to die down.

Onker Uses

There are various things that can be done with an Onker, but the main two things are eating them and taming them to be pets or weapons of war.

Meat

Onker meat is delicious. At least, that is what most people who eat it say. It is naturally smoked thanks to the exposure to their natural flames and heat. All it takes to complete Onker meat is some salt and it is complete, even able to be added to things like Stygian Salad to make some of the best dishes ever, at least according to the food reviewing organization F.O.O.D..

Domestication

Onkers can be tamed with music. As a matter of fact, Onkers react strongly to any music. Most kinds of music causes them to become enraged, however heavier rock music can make them look more favorably towards you. Doing more of this causes Onkers to follow you around and, basically, become your pet.
Having an Onker as a pet is useful for many reasons. They are very protective of those that play music for them, and anyone that attacks said person will be attacked by the Onker. They also sing back at their owner, repeating back the melody they heard to try and impress the person right back.

Satanael by Jarhed

They will also help cook meals, being pretty much a walking, living stove. Due to this, they can help keep people warm in the cold as well.

Weapons of War

Some have tried to weaponize Onker domestication, using many of them to attack people. The difficulty that comes from this is that some Onkers like different music, meaning that it is difficult to get many of them together as some will get angry at what may tame others.

Pigs from Hell

Many wonder what the deal is with Onkers. They do not seem native to Totania, being more at home in Hell itself. There are scholars that believe Satanael, God of the Devils, did not want them in Hell. Therefore, he sent them onto Totania.
Whether his goal, then, would be to feed people with Onkers or ruin their lives with the fiery pigs is unclear. Some have tried to ask him, but Satanael always asks for money when being asked, and no money is ever enough for him to even answer. Some wonder whether he even has an answer, or if he instead is just trying to get money out of people and give them nothing in return.
Still, many say Onkers must be from Hell. They look a lot like Hell creatures, and their fire is infernal. Their giant size as a pig is to help them survive in the inhospitable environment of layers like Manhottan. This is also assumed to be why they have short life spans, as they were meant for torment of damned souls. This will likely always remain a theory, yet still, they are called "Hell Pigs."