Buddler

Used for Transport of Underground Goods

Once seen as an obscure and reclusive animal, the buddler has become a stable for larger mining towns around Dysvoll. They're used for the transport of goods from the mines to the surface and was first seen in use on a larger scale in Neklian, a city-state known for its gem-mining.

Anatomy and Morphology

Buddlers are quite large mammals who are adapted to fare well in underground lifestyles. Some people compare them to be a large version of moles, and this isn't wholly incorrect as they are quite closely related to moles.
They have an oval body shape and stand on their hind legs when they are above ground or in large underground rooms. When on their hind legs, they stand at around 90-110 cm, and are therefore the size of an average 4-year-old human child.
They have brown velvety fur, which insulates them well from the cold they encounter underground.
Their most notable feature is their strong and powerful arms and large, clawed paws that are able to dig at a fast rate and enables them to climb through underground tunnels with ease.
They live primarily underground but are also commonly found around their entrances to their burrows on the surface when food is too scarce underground and they need to gather it otherwise. This has led them to have eyes that easily adjust between complete darkness and light. If they didn't have that, they would be an easy target when they first exit their tunnels and would be temporarily blinded.

Buddler Specific Haemoglobin

A very important feature of the buddlers is that they are able to survive in environments with high levels of CO², compared to humans.
This is due to the fact that their blood cells have a different type of haemoglobin than human blood cells have, and this haemoglobin has a much higher affinity for O².
A higher affinity means that the oxygen binds way faster, and means that the concentration of oxygen can be quite low and it still binds to the haemoglobin in the blood cells. This makes it so that they can reuse air they've already breathed in and out multiple times and still get more oxygen and not get carbon dioxide poisoning.

History of Domestication

The buddlers used around Dysvoll in mining towns all hail from the population of buddlers that were first domesticated by the Neklians who came to Dysvoll Ellecran Forest. It took years before the idea even came to the new residents of the place, but afterwards they became an important and valued part of life in the shining city of Neklian.

Avoidance

The Neklians encountered the animal when Telia Ravenswood first used her Earth Magic to sense the gems beneath the earth, and also sensed the buddlers.
At first, they avoided the buddlers best they could, as they were unsure whether the animals were aggressive.

Buddlers are such sweethearts, they help us out so we don't get back pains and they make oddly good companions, they're very loyal.

— inhabitant of a mine town

First contact

As the Neklians' mining venture evolved to a larger scale, it was no longer possible to avoid contact and they came face to face with the buddlers on multiple occasions, luckily, nothing bad happened to the miners other than a fright.
They discovered that the buddlers were naturally quite mild-tempered and that they only became aggressive when their cubs were threatened in any way.
The Neklians made a great effort to make sure that they didn't hit any of the main hubs of buddler activity as to not upset their new neighbours.

A budding friendship

After years and years of making sure they didn't upset the habitats of the buddlers, the Neklians had a new idea. They would continue to make sure they didn't infringe on the animals' territory, but perhaps they could try and see if they could tame them. This was due to the heavy toll the transport of gems up from the mines took on the people who did it. The buddlers were adept diggers and climbers and would be much more suited for the task.
It became a success and after many years of breeding and the buddlers became highly valued in Neklian. They helped out greatly in the The Glittering Caves, which was where most of the gem mining in Neklian took place.
Since Neklian was a cultural centre, many came to visit the beautiful city and soon other nations took note of their transport system and bought the buddlers off of the Neklians.

Lifespan

20-25 years

Average Height

90 - 110 cm

Average Weight

18 - 25 kg

Geographic Distribution

• Dysvoll
• Dysvoll Ellecran Forest

When I first sensed the buddlers underground, we were all quite frightened of this big and adept underground creature.
However, when we had met them enough times, we realised they were peaceful and mild animals who looked out for their own.

— Telia Ravenswood