Runaskjald

From the back of the caravan, all I saw were packs and crates gliding atop the sand - the skjalds were all but unseen with their ominous sand swimming. They're quick pack animals and valuable mounts, but they still creep me out.

Caravan Master Oliu

Resembling a gigantic, scaled fusion of badgers, turtles, and pangolins, runaskjald are clad in a heavy and rough turtle shell, and are domesticated as both work and war animals. Their tough shells give them solid protection - in battles against bandits or soldiers, and from environmental accidents on the road - while their long, broad claws make them incredibly efficient burrowers. Due to their natural habit of "swimming" shallowly in the earth at high speed, it's believed they're a distant relative to bulettes.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Runaskjald are large quadrupedal reptiles. The largest feature of their body is a large two-part shell covering their torso and abdomen. Their shell is as hard & tough as steel. The front edge of the top half is rimmed with smaller plates that are extra-hard, and almost never chip. The front half of their shell has a hexagonal grid of foot-wide raised plates, which fade into a smooth back half, which comes with a streamlined edge. From this shell extend 4 strong legs covered in tiny pebbled scales and tipped with large digging claws, a short tail, and a head that rather resembles a pangolin's.
Overall, fully grown runaskjald grow to be 9-11 feet long, 6 feet tall at the crown of their shells, and weigh in at around 4,000 pounds. Their shells alone weigh roughly 2,500 pounds.

Genetics and Reproduction

Runaskjald reproduce sexually, and the females usually give birth to one or two pups (each of which measures about 3 feet long and weighs about 100 pounds) after a roughly 300-day gestation period. Runaskjald usually mate in a single pairing for life, and pups are raised by the herd.

Growth Rate & Stages

Pups grow to full size in roughly 5 years. When born, runaskjald shells are soft & flexible, and they harden over the first year of the pup's life. The raised echo-chamber nodes on the shell's forward half don't start developing until a pup is half a year old, but will not stop growing for the rest of their life; though their growth slows down after the first 5 years of the runaskjald's life - they grow about 2 inches a year until 5 years old, and then only about half an inch per year, and after runaskjald are about 30 years old they only thicken by a quarter inch or less per year; the tops of old runaskjald often get so crowded by the nodes' growth that they almost become smooth. Runaskjald often live to be upwards of 150 years old, with the oldest recorded runaskjald living to 214 years of age.

Ecology and Habitats

Though runaskjald are mostly a domesticated species, they are still occasionally found in the wild, where they are also herd animals which live in the . They usually form herds of three to five dozen individuals, which form a large nest under the earth for sleeping and raising young. These nests are usually about 80 feet across, and are usually comprised of a several distinct rooms for structural integrity. Some runaskjald stay behind to protect this den, while the rest range several miles to forage. Runaskjald rotate throughout the day in this manner, though a given skjald's foraging journey is usually half a day - about a two-thirds of the runaskjald in a herd are at the den at any given point in time, and of those, half are awake.
When travelling, runaskjald use their large claws to quickly burrow just beneath the surface, usually with their top shells exposed to keep track of potential threats or food topside. This behavior has been seen as a potential connection with bulettes. Their speedy burrowing and large shells are often taken advantage of for warbeasts and work animals - runaskjald in wars are often used to undermine enemy positions, or as a stealthy cavalry unit; while runaskjald are also often used as pack animals running caravans, as they can carry crates strapped directly to their shell, and burrow quickly enough that they can make trips where there are no roads with no issue.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Runaskjald are opportunistic omnivores, though their specific adaptations mean they will usually forage for berries or insects with their extended tongues. Particularly hungry runaskjald have reportedly hunted and eaten large animals such as deer and horses, and a skjald presented with a free meal of any variety is unlikely to abandon it. In society as work and war beasts, they are often fed a fodder consisting of dried fruits and ground insects.

Additional Information

Social Structure

Runaskjald social structure is dominated by a bonded male & female, who serve as primary protectors for the herd, and who are usually the largest pair of runaskjald in a given herd. When either of these two leave the den, their trips are only half as long as others, as they're needed to defend and rally the herd. Below this pair, runaskjald social structure is very rudimentary - all runaskjald leave the den for 12 hour periods of foraging and are back in the den for at least 24 hours; this time is spent sleeping in shifts, guarding the den, and caring for young.

Uses, Products & Exploitation

warbeasts, caravan animals, raw materials (steel-like shell & claws)

Facial characteristics

Runaskjald faces are thin and armored on top, leading to rather few notable facial features, though their facial scales often have distinct patterns of white or brighter colors, which can help distinguish individuals

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Though they have poor eyesight, parts of the runaskjald's shell function as natural resonators, granting them exceptionally precise hearing - so long as their shell is intact. Their senses of touch, smell, and taste are nothing special.

Lifespan

150-170 years

Average Height

5.6-6.3 feet

Average Weight

3550-4030 pounds

Average Length

9.2-11.2 feet

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Shells are colored by their local terrain Pale brown limbs & head, with specks of brighter colors

by GoldenRA