Developed by Pash Vy’Ryn
Price: Not for sale.
Habitat: Deep, frigid waters are their hunting grounds, though once every two arcs, they migrate to areas with pebbled shores and ice flows in order to breed.
Lifespan and Development: Northern sea wolves live between 40-80 arcs, though these are approximate ages. While they are born small, pale-furred pups, they begin to mature around the age of 10 arcs, though most do not begin to reproduce until between 15-20 arcs of age. Males tend to be larger than females, and their sizes range from 6 to 8 meters (20 to 26 ft) long and weigh in excess of 6 tonnes (6.6 short tons) for males and 5 to 7 meters (16 to 23 ft) and weighing about 3 to 4 tonnes (4.4 short tons) for females. The sea wolf more or less possesses a physiology similar to a seal, with weight-bearing forelimbs that are flippers and a powerful tail for swimming, but their head and jaws are even more canine-like with bony ridges sweeping over the eyes and over minimal earflaps to almost look like horns. These ridges are longer and more prominent in males, who use them when sparring for alpha position. Their mouths are noticeably larger than a seal’s and their teeth regrow on a regular basis much like a shark’s. Sea wolves travel in packs of 10-12 individuals with a definite but as-yet unstudied hierarchy, with an alpha male and female usually being the only breeding pair.
Diet: Strict carnivores, sea wolves eat any and all marine life they can catch, including whales and fishermen if they can capsize and destroy their boat through their hunting strategies.
Temperament: Calculating, intelligent, aggressive, hierarchical.
Abilities: They are known for being agile swimmers and terrifying hunters that can take on much larger prey than a single animal. Attempts have been made to tame pups, but they are always far too aggressive once they reach maturity. They have excellent vision and hearing, make a variety of vocalizations to communicate with each other and defend their territory from barks, clicks, and deep howls that can travel for fathoms in the cold, dark waters of the north. They can come on land as well as swim, requiring a rocky beach or packed ice during their every other arc breeding cycle. They have been known to ambush seals and other creatures on land, bursting out of the water and dragging prey short distances back in to the sea. They enjoy playing with their food and often maim and wound and toss their prey around before consuming it.
They are edible, but the younger the sea wolf, the better. Both pup pelts and adult pelts have unique properties and are very valuable. Sea wolf pup pelts are some of the softest pelts in all Idalos, ranging in color from pure white to cream to a light grey with occasional spots—the less blemished, the more valuable. These pelts are more soft than they are warm, luxurious and valued by nobles everywhere. Adult pelts are much more coarse but smooth, and the hide is thick enough to be amazingly warm.
Scalvoris folklore, especially around Halvardr, says that wearing the skin of a sea wolf or possessing pieces of its body is believed to grant the owner supernatural fishing abilities.