Márfhetíl

Short introduction

The Duinis 'Arforát is known for its unforgiving, stormy climate and the challenges it poses to people and wildlife there. One of the species that has profited from these conditions in a macabre way, is the márfhetíl (Duinis 'Éch for 'carrion flutterer', pl.: márfhetís), a species of bats that lives in either stone crevasses or in hollowed out trees along the coastline and feeds on carrion of animals - or beings with the Gift of Reason - that have been smashed to death against the rocks.

Appearance, distribution and ecology

The márfhetíl shares a lot of similarities with other bats. Their sight is of lower importance, but also they did not develop a very sensitive form of echolocation, as they don't hunt living and moving things. Instead their sense of smell is highly accurate and they have specially formes noses with elaborate wrinkle patterns that form a big surface for olfactory sensors. Their wings are short and broad, as they have evolved to live in the difficult conditions of the Duinis 'Arforat and a larger surface would make them likewise susceptible to the winds. With their muscular arms, they can also crawl effectively and use this ability to a considerable degree. This saves them a lot of energy compared to flying. A márfhetíl has a body about the size of an average palm and its wingspan is around two feet. They have a completely naked head and their olfactory field reaches from between the eyes to the mouth and also sideways to the cheeks, which gives them a very strange appearance with a seemingly huge, flat nose. The rest of the body is covered in short, velvety black fur to keep them warm.
These animals can only be found along the entire coast of the Duinis 'Arforat but never further inland than a few miles. They are the main scavengers of this stretch of land and can sometimes be seen in the dozens stripping flesh and fat from seals smashed against the rocks or fish lieing on dry land.

Behaviour, cultural role and use

Although they live in small colonies and the colonies live relatively peaceful next to one another, these colonies do not band together to form groups larger than maybe 20 animals. Within these groups though, they are highly social, taking care of each others babies, calling the others to potential food sources and especially cleaning each other after feeding. As all scavengers, the márfhetíl also has to deal with hygiene somehow, especially considering their specialized nose. Thus they lick each others faces regularly, especially of individuals, that have just come back to the colony, no matter wether they have fed on something or not.

For the local societies, these bats have no use. They keep the coastline free of rotting carcasses, though, for which at least some Duiniken, Andaperna people or Suadleyn appreciate them. Unfortunately these bats are not very intelligent and can also not be bonded with. Rumors say, that they might be used in alchemic recipies, but nothing sure is known about that, as alchemy requires very refined ingredients and often also a specific time or method of collecting the ingredients, so which part of the bat exactly might be useful in such a case is unclear, until a specific recipe shows up.