Sha

Also known as the Set Beast, or Set Animal, after the God Set, with whom it is associated.
This beast is a dog-like animal in size and shape, although its ears are much larger than any dog's and its tail ends in a tuft much like that of a lion. They can vocalize a startling number of calls and yips, and can even mimic the sound of speech. They are extremely intelligent for animals and can often empathise with others with whom they've had much exposure. A sha is a tremendously loyal animal and will not leave it partner's side even at death. This loyalty is extended to their "owners," if such a word can be used to describe the relationship between a sapient being and this animal. This loyalty has forever associated them as companions of the departed soul to the afterlife.
In nature, this beast is naturally a scavenger. They are not terribly brave and will only attack another living thing if they can be assured no reprisal or if they are backed into a corner. They will snip at the heels and unprotected rears of enemies while their backs are turned. Their vigilance and acute senses make them excellent bodyguards and assassin-detectors and their harassing behavior in combat is more valuable in one-on-one battles than an in-your-face opponent could ever be. Sha are prized as companions and awarded to the generals of the Pantheon of Dark by Set himself.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Much like earth hyenas, sha have extremely strong jaws and dense teeth for cracking open bones. Their forked tongue has a rigid cartilaginous spine down the center making it perfect for probing for bone marrow.
The ears of the sha are extremely large and are constantly on alert for the approach of hunters and other scavengers.

Ecology and Habitats

The home planet of the sha is long lost. It must have been one with low oxygen levels to cause their blood to use copper-based hemycyanin instead of iron-based hemoglobin. Regardless of their original homeworld, the animals exist almost entirely in captivity and are bred by Set for followers of the Pantheon of Dark.
There may be some worlds where sha have survived battles in which their masters did not and have become feral. Whether it was from one of these worlds or from some other source, feral sha are also on Rifts earth. There is a sizable and self-sustaining population of wild sha concentrated mostly in the area of the Serpent Spine Mountains.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Sha are scavengers. They have blue copper-based blood instead of red iron-based blood so scavenging the iron-based lifeforms found on Earth is not very conducive to this demand for copper. Since the liver is the best source of copper in a typical earth animal, that is the first thing sha will devour when they come across a carcass. But sha can't meet their copper intake needs through carrion alone. Wild sha can also be found eating wild mushrooms and even some leafy greens to make up the difference. This is not a behavior found in any other sha.
Armillaria may be generously sending mushrooms to the surface for them. If it is, one would have to wonder why, since scavenger by their very existence clean up potential decomposing food that a fungus would thrive in.
Another supplemental source of copper is dark chocolate. Just a small dose of dark chocolate (about 50g) would supply its full daily copper requirements. They go bonkers for dark chocolate, in fact. It is excellent bait for trapping the animals.

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Sha have blue skin, covered in a thick coat of short black fur. Under this coat is an inner down-like coat of even shorter soft gold fur. The overall appearance is of black with shimmering gold highlights. The only exception to this are some vivid gold splashes of fur around their eyes. The tuft at the end of their tails at first appears to be composed of long black fur like that of an earth lion. However, when the animal feels threatened, it splays the fur there, exposing the inner mass of shorter gold fur. Sha use this flash of gold at the ends of their tails to distract opponents by flinging the tips of their tails into their opponents' faces and in directions opposite to their movements.
Anyone attempting to attack a sha in melee will suffer a -2 to hit due to this distraction.