I dont know why it is so, but the world is lucky that the Myrdhor Jackalope doesn't follow the origins of the phrase "breed like rabbits." They are terrifying enough as it is. The way you can tell a true Myrdhor veteran from those full of bravado and bluster is to mention the phrase "killer bunny." Those that laugh are lying about how experienced they are, those that shudder, if you see them start to run, best try to keep up. When it comes to a jackalope herd there are no cowards, only the quick, the lucky, and the dead.— Jasper Cameron, Leader of the Bronze Ravens
No one knows how the jackalope came to be. Was it an experiment gone wrong? A god playing a cruel joke, perhaps? Was it Nature, saying to the
City of Sleeping Skulls "anything you make, I can unmake."
I am sure that most reading this are familiar with the general size and shape of a jackrabbit, or some other member of the family that includes rabbits, bunnies and hares, so I will not bore you with the details of that and instead, we will be focusing on the differences between these cousins, and the "black sheep" if you will.
We will start with the obvious. A jackalope can be easily distinguished by its horns. There are, as far as we know, 3 subspecies of the Myrdhor jackalope, and their unique horns lend credence to the supposition that they are the result of a magical experiment.
The first, most often found in the southern regions of the Myrdhor, is the Elk-horn Jackalope. As this is widely considere the safest region, this is the one that most people are familiar with. Well suited to stabbing and raking, herds of Elk-horn jackalopes will often hunt by disemboweling their prey, running under them and thrashing their horns through the belly of their target.
Up next is the rams horn jackalopes. Found in the higher elevations of the
Myrdhor Desert on the borders of the Outh Mountains, these are affectionately called "ankle breakers" by the dwarfs in the region. as the nickname suggests, they disable their prey most often by ramming their heads into other creatures relatively delicate ankles, shattering them and allowing them to then deliver a killing headbutt to their victims head. There is one other way they have been observed to hunt, and that is by waiting at the top of a cliff or ravine, then ambushing their prey, falling on it head first from above.
Last, the rarest of the Myrdhor Jackalopes.The Dibatag Jackalope, native only to what most call the Deep Myrdhor, they are the only subspecies that does not hunt in packs, instead grouping in pairs or alone. They have an unerring sense of accuracy and are eerily silent when moving. They will stalk their prey, then with a burst of speed, run at it head on and use their forward swept horns to impale through the eyes of their prey into the brain. When hunting as a pair one will often work to drive the prey toward the other, lying in wait.
The other oddity is that no one has ever managed to document a pregnant or baby jackalope. We assume they exist, as surely they age, and we know they die, whether from falling prey to one of the deserts many other hazards or to the weapon of an adventurer of guard. One crazy person suggested maybe they lay eggs, left behind to hatch into a new jackalope, but they are mammals making this unlikely as all discovered mammals need milk when first born or (in EXTREMELY rare cases) hatched.
I love these killer bunnies. Reading it reminds me of the rabbit death in re:zero.
Adazuri: A shonen-inspired magitech fantasy world home-brewed for 5e.
Glad that you liked it, I enjoy adding animals to what I affectionately call my "murder desert." besides my enjoyment of biology in general it is also a fun thought experiment thinking "how can this thing become dangerous/deadly?"