Great Stags

Great Stags

Great stags have roamed the woods of this world for as long as the history of such things has been recorded. Before the Starless Nights arrived, scholars in Dwar Fell kept an archive of centuries-old drawings of local flora and fauna, including many of the well-loved great stags.
Great stags are skittish animals that travel in small herds and tend to avoid cosmopolitan areas. High populations may be found in wooded regions with plentiful fresh water. They are most easily spotted at dusk or dawn when they emerge from the trees to graze in fields for the small rodents and large insects that make up their diet.
Great stags are most notable for their owl-like faces, their tiny, sharp beaks, and the wide variety of antler configurations that may be seen atop their heads. One great stag, captured by a game hunter several decades ago, bore antlers that had grown into the shape of a large heart. For many years, its head hung over the fireplace of a very wealthy human aristocrat until his new wife declared it distasteful and had it removed. Despite their carnivorous appetites, great stags are seen as a symbol of peace and tranquility.