The Common Halpurgian
The common halpurgian is the most well-known species of halpurgian, commonly found all across the Meridian in forest areas, at low and middle altitudes. Pacifist beings at heart, these creatures prefer to live solitary lives, unbothered by their brothers and sisters. As all other halpurgians, they are very territorial and will use violence to deter trespassers. Their tactics include rising on their back feet and roaring, as well as smashing trees and stones with their highly durable horns in order to intimidate larger creatures. Should you ever find yourself walking into its territory, pay close attention to its warning; the common halpurgian will warn you, but its patience is known to be the lowest among the halpurgian family.
Appearance
The common halpurgian is easily recognizable because of its large stature, with newborns as tall as humans and adults usually measuring tens of fahrii in height. Their thick fur is usually dark brown on their backs and legs and light brown on the rest, with some lighter variations going as far as beige and yellow, and some darker tones getting close to pitch black in rare cases. As the common halpurgian grows older, the horns it grows on its skull will become thicker and longer; horns placed on the top of the head tend to grow the most and to curve, similar to oxen; sometimes they will grow horns on the side, which will be always shorter and pointier. Each paw has four fingers that hold very sharp claws. These claws (and the musculature of the halpurgian) are very potent weapons of self defense, being capable of shattering wooden shields with ease.
Diet
As it is the case for the other members of the halpurgian family, the common variety can be classified as omnivore, even though their preferred diet is almost exclusively based on bushes, leaves, bee honey and berries. Herbivores by choice, these large animals will eat sometimes small mammals if the prey wanders close enough. Many people have also witnessed over the years that common halpurgians will eat the carrion of any predator they manage to kill, as well as the remaining flesh from corpses left by other hunters; because of this, they are considered oportunistic scavengers.
Predators
The conflitc-avoidant common halpurgian does not have many natural predators, as the energy required to take one down and the risk of death or serious injury do not justify the hassle of hunting their kin.
However, their tendency to slowly take over sections of their habitat clashes with other species, such as wolves and drakes.
In these scenarios, the pack/flight will surround the halpurgian, using the limited mobility of its massive body to their advantage.
With help from other members, these predators can work together to bring down halpurgians even more than a hundred fahrii tall.
The only exception to this is the dragon, a carnivore beast known for its power and ferocity.
During these interactions, mobility plays a crucial role in the dragon's strategy; it is in these moments that the solitary nature of the halpurgians, as they are sitting ducks for this dangerous hunter.
Research has shown that many communities of halpurgians will instinctively move closer during dragon mating season for more protection, sometimes even living in groups of up to four, although they will more often than not choose to live with a member of the opposite sex - simplifying the process of finding a partner in the meantime.
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