Vargar
Large lupine creatures who have developed symbiotically with Fomorians -- and they're smarter than you think.
Vargar are giant lupine creatures that often work with Fomorian species. Through generations of selective breeding, vargar have developed into three breeds; Goblin, Orc, and Throwback.
Goblin Vargar are physically identical to common Vargar (called throwbacks), though slightly larger and as mentally as different as night and day. The goblin vargar are bright, cunning, charismatic. They have developed the varg language to include complex concepts like relationships and religion. And in goblin society, they are, really, in charge. They have no respect for goblins who are not Emm'Kevirda , except the occasional Ip-Ara'dare, and will growl at them if they approach too close (which depends on whether they are male or female and whether or not they are up or down wind), and if they don't take the warning, they will probably die. This is not to say that they dislike goblins, quite to the contrary, generations of selective breeding have made them quite amiable towards the goblins. They just don't like the way that most smell, at least the males. In warrens where the males are kept clean, such as the Sparklingsky Cartel, or the Clans Bloodfist and Rageclaw, goblins and vargar are inseparable.
Orc Vargar are immense brutes that have been selectively bred for aggression, size and loyalty. They are no more bright than throwback vargar, but they are less malicious and more aggressive. Meaning they are sort of playful with those they deem worthy. Mostly, they respect strength, and if taught from a young age to obey you, they will think you are stronger than them and obey you. They prefer the company of orcs but, will accept anyone strong enough to cow them as a cub or someone whom they perceive to be stronger than them now. Since this is a matter of scent, no one really knows what criteria the vargar use to judge or if it is even the same criteria between different vargar. They prefer the clans Bloodaxe, Bloodfist and Rageclaw.
Throwbacks can occur in either a litter of goblin or orc vargar The chances are about 25% for each cub if both parents are the same breed. If one is a goblin varg and the other an orc varg, the chances rise to 40% and if a throwback varg is allowed to breed, there is a 50% chance per cub with one throwback parent and 70% with both, with the remainder evenly split between the two breeds. Typically smaller than goblin vargar, as dim-witted as orc vargar and generally mean (if they stray from Neutral it is towards Evil), throwbacks will never lead a pack of vargar, and they are neutered/spayed when they are young in Balorian/Cartel society, to prevent breeding, which also tends to make them more docile.
Basic Information
Anatomy
A goblin varg stands about 1 m (3.5 feet) at the shoulder and weigh about 180 kg (400 lb.) Their fur is white, grey, brown red, or black, and can, rarely, be mottled or duo-toned, and their eyes are always ice blue, the feature that separates goblin varg cubs from throwback cubs.
An orc varg stands 1.8 m (6 feet) at the shoulder and weighs about 900 kg (2000 lb.) Their fur is white, grey, brown, red or black, and can, rarely, be mottled or duo-toned, and their eyes are red, orange, yellow, green or blue with an apparent correspondence between intelligence and eye color, with red being the least bright and blue being brightest.
A throwback varg stands about 0.9 m (3 feet) at the shoulder and weighs about 135 kg (300 lb.) Their fur is white, grey, brown, red or black, and can be mottled or duo-toned, less rare than the others, and their eyes are never ice blue, the feature that separates throwback cubs from goblin varg cubs. Most often their eyes are red or amber.
Genetics and Reproduction
The gestation period lasts 85–105 days with pups usually being born in the early summer. Young females give birth to 4-5 young, and older females from 6-8 young and up to 14 young. Their mortality rate can be as high as 75% percent. Newborn varg pups look similar to wolf pups, just larger. Pups are born blind and deaf, and are covered in short soft grayish-brown fur.
Growth Rate & Stages
They weigh 0.8-1.35 kg (1.8-3 lb) (orc vargar 6.25-9 kg (14-20 lb)) at birth, and begin to see after nine to 12 days. The milk canines erupt after one month. Pups first leave the den after three weeks. At 1.5 months of age, they are agile enough to flee from danger. Mothers do not leave the den for the first few weeks, relying on the fathers to provide food for them and their young. Pups begin to eat solid food at the age of three to four weeks. Pups have a fast growth rate during their first four months of life: during this period, a pup's weight can increase nearly 30 times. Varg pups begin play-fighting at the age of three weeks, though their bites are gentle and controlled. Actual fights to establish hierarchy usually occur at five to eight weeks of age. By winter, the pups are mature enough to accompany the adults on hunts for large prey.
Dietary Needs and Habits
Vargar are omnivores, like dogs, and unlike wolves. They hunt everything from small mammals to mastodons. Being smarter than their prey (even throwbacks), vargar are apex predators.
Additional Information
Average Intelligence
Goblin vargar are as bright as most humanoids, and probably sentient, whereas the other two are brighter than animals and capable of understanding speech in other languages, however there is no indication that they are sentient.
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Vargar have incredible senses of smell, on par with bloodhounds. Orc vargar have an even better sense of smell than that. They see in both the infrared and ultraviolet spectrums, and they can taste almost as well as they smell.
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Genetic Descendants
Scientific Name
Canis Lupus Sagax
Lifespan
60 years
Average Height
Goblin - 1 m (3.5 feet), Orc - 1.9 m (6 feet), Throwback - 0.9 m (3 feet)
Average Weight
Goblin - 180 kg (400 lb), Orc - 900 kg (2000 lb), Throwback - 135 kg (300 lb)
Average Length
Goblin - 1.8 m (5 feet), Orc - 2.9 m (10 feet), Throwback - 2 m (4.5 feet)
Related Organizations
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