Scurrier

A cave dwelling rodent viewed as both vermin and a food source.

Basic Information

Anatomy

These four legged creatures grow up to a foot long (not counting the tail). They have white fur, a dark brown nose, and very large red eyes. Large round ears covered in fur sit on the top of the head and long whiskers protude on either side of the narrow nose. The long tail (up to another foot) and claws are a light brown.

Ecology and Habitats

Scurries can be found in caves and tunnels all over the world but they are most common in the halls of the dwarves. Scurriers have long been scavengers and they have adapted to thrive in dwarven settlements where there is an ambundance of food compared to the near empty caverns they used to inhabit.
Scurries once had to survive on insects and the occasional mushroom, but have shown that they can consume almost any foodstuff, much to the annoyance of those they share caves with. The settlements of the dwarves can therefore prove to be a somewhat hostile environment for the scurries as they must contend with the poison and traps the dwarves use to protect their supplies.
The scurries' claws are used for climbing (wuth the aid of the tail) as well as being used for digging. Thei ability to tunnel is frequently compared to the moles seen in the meadows of the surface world.

Additional Information

Uses, Products & Exploitation

Scurries are considered vermin by most who encounter them, and there is a job for life for anyone willing to spend their time removing these rodents.

If you let a scurry get away, you can be sure he'll be back with his family the very next day.

Poison is frequently used in the more affluent areas of a settlement, but it's use is practically forbidden in the poorer caverns where baked scurrier is a part of the regular diet. The flavour of scurrier is not especially appealing, except to the hungry, so they are typically prepared with a blend of spices. In addition to the poorer areas, scurrier is not an uncommon meal in military outposts and new mines.
Children in places like the Cavern of the Unclaimed are tasked with protecting what few stores of food from scurries with their pay being to keep the ones they catch for dinner.

This was written to answer the Food prompt for Bestiary February. Other articles can be found in Tremanac Bestiary February.

Lifespan

12 years

Average Length

2ft (including the tail).

Geographic Distribution

• Ironhammer halls
• Khezdur

Scurry Box

Fuel for cooking isn't always available so residents of poorer quarters like the Cavern of the Unclaimed have taken to baking scurries in metal boxes. These boxes, frequently made from scrap iron, are placed alongside forges and other sources of heat with the scurries slowly cooked during the day.