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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Mr Fidgit" data-source="post: 543566" data-attributes="member: 6968">The Great Gray Land of Thar (from Elminster's Ecologies - a great supplement for FR, IMO -- the story is told from the perspective of a cynical ranger (hence, the attitude <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f600.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":D" title="Big grin    :D"  data-smilie="8"data-shortname=":D" /> )) "WildlifeMundane wildlife in the regions follows the predator-prey pyramid I grew so familiar with during my early adventures. Hordes of rodents infest the grasslands - mice, voles, shrews and rabbits - and they make life miserable for the idle camper. They invade tents, devour supplies, gnaw leather, and generally make themselves a serious nuisance. The ogres of Thar, superstitious beings that they are, ascribe the damage done to the works of evil spirits and such, but the average adventurer is fully aware of the culprit's identity.Large hoofed mammals such as deer and antelope are uncommon. Where they do exist, they run in herds of up to a dozen individuals, but pickings in region are scarce and predators must be cunning and merciless, whether human, humanoid, or animal.Small mammals are preyed on by larger ones like foxes, coyotes, and wolves that travel alone or in small packs. These predators have a bad reputation among the bumpkin set who regard them as vicious killers of humans, raiders of hen houses, or competitors for game. Unsurprisingly, my view of these creatures is more charitable. I have seen the valuable role they play keeping down pest populations, culling sick or dying animals, and maintaining the natural order.Top predators include a variety of raptors. The majestic steppe eagle, a handsome beast with a lordly white-crested head, is probably the best known, although it is among the rarest. Other avian predators include kestrels, falcons, kites, and owls, as well as the shrike, a perching bird similar in appearance to a jay, whose beak and talons have been adapted to a predatory lifestyle.These birds also fees on the rodent population of the steppes, as well as on the numerous perchling bids that inhabit the region, filling the area with their songs in spring and summer, but migrating to warmer climes in the fall." the (mini-) book goes on to describe, in greater detail, the monstrous populations of the region - bulettes, ogres, leucrotta, orcs, manticores, etc.)</blockquote>

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