WORLD BOOK WORLD BOOK WORLD BOOK 0144 0144
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The shaggy urshev, unlike a bear, neither hibernates
nor does it mate and raise young annually. They are
comparatively long-lived, surviving a century or more,
and only reproduce twice during that time (anytime
in their second and fourth decades). Urshevan rarely
gather in snarls of more than eight, given the amount of
food it takes to sustain them and how protective of that
food they are. Snarls come together most often for winter survival, huddling together for warmth, though twoor three-year snarls happen for mating season (one bull
for up to six females), the eighteen-month gestation of
any young, and the nine months after birth until cubs
can survive on their own.
Urshevan are easily tamed by and put to work for humans, whether young or as adults. They bond easily with
humans who treat them well and, more importantly, provide them with food. The relationship is simple: feed urshevan and they will serve until they need to wander free
to feed themselves or indulge in their rare mating periods.
Battling only when goaded, cornered, or if its food is
threatened, an urshev engages with its long forepaws
and thick, heavy claws. Saddles are unnecessary for
riding urshevan; skilled riders twine their legs into the
beast’s long fur and hold and guide the beast by grabbing certain tufts. The ample urshevash fur can be
pulled up around the rider’s haunches and torso for additional warmth.
Xursha (Constrictor)
Among the most aggressive snakes in all of Khitus,
these 45-foot-long reptiles are a deadly menace found
in swamps and muddy places. Ancient humans once
revered these creatures as avatars of some forsaken
goddess. Some rogue former slaves still settle around
swamps and take captives to them as offerings. Being
fed by savages to a constrictor is a fate spoken of only in
hushed whispers among the desert folk.
A constrictor’s main diet consists of large mammals,
especially beasts of burden or humans, when they find
them. Xursha are highly territorial and will even feed
on other constrictors in any areas claimed as theirs. This
animal is so strong that it is almost impossible to escape
after it embraces its prey, often breaking bones or armor
in its crushing coils. It is very fast in mud or water, but
it can catch an adult man in a few seconds and swallow
him after constriction in just a couple of minutes. Constrictors cannot dissolve iron or gems, though, so the
older it gets the more items it could have inside its belly.
A constrictor’s hide is highly valued for use as armor.
Its treated scales are difficult to cut or burn, though the
fibrous hide is rubbery and flexible, far more so than
standard hide or leather armors.
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