Wollipeds

Wollipeds are eight-legged mammals with a thick fleece and long tusks. Originally native to the Parapet Mountains on Triaxus, wollipeds were among the first animals the Ryphorian domesticated. On Triaxus, ryphorians have raised wollipeds as livestock for thousands of years. With the advent of Drift travel, however, wollipeds have spread to other planets beyond the Pact Worlds. In the wild, wollipeds are herd animals. When threatened, they gather in a tight cluster, adults on the outside with their tusks facing outward, and the young and infirm herd members protected in the center. Wollipeds also spit as a defense mechanism. They developed spiting to warn off competitors for choice food. However, if attacked or sufficiently upset, a wolliped vomits the half-digested contents of its stomach to scare off attackers. Wolliped defensive clusters rain this spit on would-be attackers, often driving off all but the hardiest of predators. On Triaxus, herds of wild wollipeds migrate great distances during the planet’s harsh winters in search of food. Most wollipeds are herbivores. Those dwelling in high altitudes or areas with sparse vegetation feed on lichens, mosses, and tubers. Wollipeds of the plains graze on grasses and leaves. Like ryphorians, wollipeds have adapted to Triaxus’s long seasons, regardless of what planet they inhabit. Wollipeds born in the winter (Triaxus’s current season) have long, thick, shaggy coats. Those born in the summer have shorter, thinner coats. Winterborn wollipeds grow much longer tusks than their summerborn kindred, using them to dig into the ice and snow for burmoss, roots and rhizomes, tubers, and patches of sentient tulbos fungus. All wollipeds also clash their tusks in dominance competitions and mating displays. Wollipeds are exceptionally surefooted, able to easily climb steep mountain trails and maneuver in deep snow. This ability to navigate challenging environments, as well as their docile nature, made wollipeds a natural choice for domestication. Of greatest value is the wollipeds’ fleece, which can be spun and woven into warm, water-repellent textiles. Wollipeds are also raised for their meat, and some ryphorians drink a potent alcohol made from fermented wolliped milk for traditional celebrations and rituals. Wollipeds also make fine mounts and beasts of burden. Herds of domesticated wollipeds can be found all over Triaxus, from the Allied Territories to Ning. Most are raised for their fleece, but more than half of Triaxus’s domesticated wolliped production goes to feeding the population of the Drakelands. The same traits that led to the domestication of wollipeds on Triaxus have made them valuable as hardy livestock on cold or mountainous colony worlds. In a pinch, colonists can use them for physical labor, just as the ryphorians did in pre-Gap times. A typical wolliped is about 12 feet long from nose to base of tail, stands 5 feet tall at the front shoulder, and weighs around 3,000 pounds. Wollipeds mate annually and give birth after 11 months. Most wollipeds live for about 15 years.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Regional Variants The wolliped statistics represent the most common breed native to Triaxus, but other breeds exist across the world. These beasts are available off-world as well. Alural: Ryphorian tribes of the Alural Plains in the Drakelands have long bred the strongest and most aggressive wollipeds. They start with the only known carnivorous strain of wollipeds, which aren’t docile like their herbivorous kin. Alural trainers then prepare the wollipeds for riders and war. For those who prefer the ancient tradition of riding a wolliped into battle, this variety is widely regarded as the best. The alural war wolliped statistics represent a combat-trained, armored wolliped. A wild alural is like a normal wolliped, but it lacks the docile weakness. Ningese: The island continent Ning on Triaxus is home to a small breed of wolliped, known for its hardiness, speed, and agility. Ningese wolliped fleece is fine and soft, and the animals’ tender meat is considered a delicacy on Triaxus. Both are rare luxuries elsewhere, because the Immortal Suzerainty of Ning claims independence from the Pact Worlds, and Ning’s exports carry severe tariffs and shipping restrictions.