Heather Deer
Heather Deer
| Respawn: 25 minutes | |||||
| Level: 5 | Attack: 43 | ||||
| HP: 1150 | MP: 100 | SP: 100 | |||
Max Drops: 45 gold, 0 silver, 0 copper
- One of many magically-imbued creatures of the pixie and fey lands, the heather deer is said in legend to be the creature that united the pixies and the fae together when these lands were discovered. Characteristics typical of the heather deer similar to their non-magical relatives include long, powerful hoofed legs, a diminutive tail used to communicate with one another from a distance, and long ears.
Their coloring and stature have adapted to camouflage within the miles of heather plains that surround the Kingdom of Enchantment; their short coats are often a deep grayish-lavender fallow with white undersides and white spots. On average, their height ranges from 45-55 centimeters at the shoulder, allowing them the perfect height to peer over the moors while being able to hide from predators such as the ebon wolves and feral dragons of the area.
Heather deer are an herbivorous mammal, browsing the moors for fresh grasses, soft twigs, heather fruits, fungi, and lichens. Their bodies seem to possess an incredible toxin resistance, as they are known to consume death caps by the fieldful with no ill effects seen, whereas trace amounts of this fungus will incapacitate a grown giant.
Both the males and females of the heather deer species grow prominent spiked antlers that shed twice a year once they reach maturity, that are bone-white upon the shedding of the soft lavender velvet tissue. These are used to both impress potential mates and to impale ebon wolves and sentients alike that are threatening the herd. It has been observed that different flocks will exhibit differences as to whether antlers are more dominant in one gender over another, leading to the hypothesis that both sexes rear their young equally. The latent mana of the deer are pronounced in said antlers, which will glow with a bright light when the rainy and foggy seasons occur. In the more grim corners of the moor, this also serves as a way to ward off malevolent specters.
It is said that when the pixies and fae were originally looking for a land to call their own, a heather stag appeared before both clans when Vaalane and Arh’Nuk were at their dimmest point. The lights from his antlers served as a beacon in the dark for the lost peoples, until he led them to the Mystical Stream, from which Enchantment was built around. It was said that Hind above sent her child to guide them. In modern day, this is disputed as being taken from an old story and repurposed into legend, as a heather stag will be far more likely to charge at a group of sentients rather than aid them.
While heather deer are magical beings and believed to be sacred in the area, there are still those who would hunt them for their magical antlers and pelts, leading to the hunting of these creatures rightfully being outlawed within the borders of the Kingdom of Enchantment. Those who become lost in the moors and cave into madness make the mistake of thinking that this is a mammal that is safe for consumption. Because of the heather deer's indifference to poisonous plants, those very toxins permeate their livers, which many make the mistake of including in what turns out to be their final meal. Beasts know better and will often drag the liver out with their claws before consuming the safe muscle tissue.
Written by Kanna for the Unique Fauna Contest