A I: Scavenners

Written by Neons-Mindrealm

Scavenners
Omnipresent Pests of Alterna I: The Lands of Paradise

Origins:

Rumors have it that the Scavenners are a mutated version of the just ordinary and widely spread Sewage Rats, who during the Throne War of Origin Race are said to have been inflicted with the cursed energies of Fallen Spirits, and had their evolution spiral out of control.
Not only did they grew drastically in size, but were also able to greatly adept to nearly any biome of Narcana and the Lands, making them one of the most widespread pests to ever have lived.

Current Habitat:

Scavenners can be found virtually anywhere on the Lands where there is food to be found.
They mostly scurry around near restlessly through the 5 biomes formed by the Spirits, inhabit small to large caves, build narrow burrows, or sometimes even make themselves at home in the basements of the Lands' citizens houses.

Average Size / Height:

Whilst many Scavenners average a body size of around 30 centimeters in height and 60 in length, some examples of their species have been reported to also reach a height of approximately 75 centimeters with a length of up to 1.4 meters. With their tails always doubling their total length, no matter if they are on the smaller or larger side.

Diet:

Scavenners are quite optimistic feeders which will feast on nearly anything they come across, whether it be plants, fruits, meats, carrion, rotten, or even waste.
It is also said that in some instances, Scavenners were observed to be feasting on the flesh of still living creatures, without even bothering to kill them first.

Physical Appearance:

With a body structure quite similar to that of a large, roughed up Sewage Rat, Scavenners mostly walk very closely to the ground on four rather short limbs, with their hind legs being more muscular to enable them to briefly stand up straight to better scan their surroundings.
They also possess a rather long and slightly thick tail, which is just as long as their entire body.
And their paws are equipped with both short yet dangerous claws, as well as fine flexible webbing in between their fingers to help them move more easily through water.
Scavenners who are native to wet or oceanic environments often utilize this webbing by completely spreading their fingers apart and stretching them out, whilst those native to more dryer biomes mostly keep their fingers very close together to avoid unnecessary exposure of these sensitive skin flaps.
Depending on their environment, the appearance of a Scavenner's fur also varies heavily. And ranges from the dryland style of a roughed up tousled mess, looking like they have just escaped from a tough turf war, to a slick and neatly combed looking pelt, often presented by the island and swamp dwellers.
No matter to which biome a Scavenner is native, their fur always appears to be a dark brown to black color, whilst also appearing to be completely covered in some sort of oil.
Their heads follow a rounded up cone shape. With two big ears, the Scavenner can either spread out into a large circular shape to enhance their ability to sense approaching dangers, as well as to better dissipate heat in warmer climates, or fold them into a long and pointy shape, to help them retain some heat.
The two eyes on their upper sides of their head are like pure black circles, aiding them to better see during night or in the dark caves and basements they typically build their nests in.
And at the very front of their long snouts, Scavenners are equipped with two razor sharp incisors, to both be used as quite deadly weapons as well as tools to easily cut through anything even remotely edible.

Behavior and Social Structure:

Scavenners appear to possess a surprisingly high intellect and skill of communication. As even though they are mostly solitary creatures, they have been observed to quite often create pacts with others of their species, and either form temporary hunting or gathering parties to take down larger prey, gather more fruits, or simply cover a wider area to look for all kinds of food.
It is also not unheard of that occasionally Scavenners would try to steal or hide the food of other creatures, or even their fellow pact members. Which, if found out, often results in a bloody turf war in which the thief would either get brutally maimed by the other pact members and sent away to die, or simply killed on the spot and turned into food.

Role in the Food Chain:

Across all predatory mammals and oviparous of the Lands, Scavenners probably rank as the weakest.
Even though they are capable of hunting and slaying small and slow creatures by themselves, or even injure or kill severely unprepared adventurers. They mostly only actively hunt in temporarily formed hunting parties and as a last resort if there is no other food source to be found.
Typically, Scavenners are most likely to flee from any encounter, even if they greatly outnumber their opponent. And they will only turn aggressive and try to stand their ground, by mainly defending themselves with their razor sharp incisors against incoming attacks, if they are backed into a corner with no way to run.

Special Abilities and unique Physical Traits:

As optimistic feeders who feast on virtually anything even remotely edible, including rotten fruits, carrion, or even waste, Scavenners have developed a near impenetrable immunity to a vast variety of most diseases and poisons.
However, whilst they themselves are mostly immune to the effects of toxins, they are still highly contagious. As even touching a Scavenner with bare hands can potential already be enough to transmit a plethora of all kinds of diseases. Since any harmful substance they consume is simply turned into and expelled as an oil like substance through their glands, covering their fur in a highly poisonous oil film that technically only serves the purpose of a slight elemental protection.
But also bears the side effect of being one of the most potent sources of poisons.

Additional Insights:

Due to their secretion of highly toxic oils, Scavenners are seen as one of the most dangerous health hazards if kept unchecked, even though they usually do not actively try to inflict any harm.
But with them being able to completely contaminate small lakes and rivers just by taking a swim in it, or unintentionally poison both herbivores and carnivores by leaving behind their tainted leftovers. The extermination of Scavenners has quickly become one of the most necessary but also unpopular, omnipresent tasks for both low-ranking adventurers and mercenaries alike.