Fauna, Companions & Familiars
15.1 Major Fauna
| Creature | Description |
|---|---|
| Snow Bears | Massive, white-furred bears that are both a threat and a valuable resource for the Frostborn. Their pelts provide superior warmth, and their meat sustains clans through long winters. Hunting a snow bear is considered a rite of passage. |
| Frost Wolves | Pack hunters that roam the icy plains, their pelts highly prized for their warmth and beauty. Some clans have domesticated frost wolf pups, forming bonds with them as hunting companions and guardians. |
| Ice Eagles | Majestic birds of prey that soar above the glaciers. The Frostborn consider their appearance an omen of favorable hunting conditions. Their feathers are used in ceremonial headdresses. |
| Frostroot | A hardy, tuberous plant that grows beneath the snow. It is a staple food for the Frostborn and can be prepared in numerous ways. |
| Icebark Trees | Rare, twisted trees that manage to grow in sheltered valleys. Their wood is prized for crafting tools, musical instruments, and ceremonial items. |
15.2 Additional Flora & Fauna
- Glacial Beetles: Thumb-sized insects with iridescent blue-white carapaces. They survive by producing a natural antifreeze compound in their blood. Frostborn shamans harvest this compound for use in frost-healing salves and cold-resistance potions.
- Deep Ice Wyrms: Rare, serpentine creatures that tunnel through the hearts of glaciers. They range from arm-length juveniles to ancient specimens over thirty feet long. Their tunnels are sometimes repurposed by the Frostborn as passageways and storage chambers.
- Snowlarks: Small, hardy songbirds whose trilling calls herald the arrival of the Thawing season. Their nests, woven from moonmoss and frost wolf fur, are considered good luck charms.
- Whitehorn Elk: Large, stately herbivores with pale antlers that graze on mosses and lichens in sheltered valleys. They are hunted for their meat and hide, but the Frostborn maintain strict seasonal limits to preserve herd populations.
- Crystalwort: A low-growing plant with translucent, ice-like leaves that captures and focuses what little sunlight reaches the wastes. It is used in salves for snow-blindness and as a flavoring in teas.
- Windwillow: A flexible shrub that grows along the margins of the Howling Plains, its branches perpetually bent by the wind. Windwillow bark is woven into rope and basket material, and its inner pith is edible in emergencies.
15.3 Companion Bonds
Animals are central to Frostborn life. They are not just a source of food and materials, but are also respected as fellow inhabitants of the icy wastes. The Frostborn have a deep understanding of animal behavior and often incorporate animal symbolism into their art and stories.
The bond between a Frostborn and their frost wolf companion is considered sacred, formalized through a ritual called "The Bonding of Breath," in which the Frostborn and the wolf share warmth by breathing into each other's muzzles in the cold. A bonded frost wolf will defend its companion to the death and can sense its partner's emotional state across great distances. The most famous bonded pair in recent history is the hunter Kjell Wolfbrother and his frost wolf, Skuggi, who together tracked and drove off a marauding deep ice wyrm that threatened the Windrunner Clan's territory.