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The Barroth is a swine-like creature with reptilian traits well recognized in the world today. Used as a Mount for conflict by the Eronidas, and as an agricultural animal by the Maquixtl, the large animal existed for millennia back on Guldar and was transplanted to wider Aloria in the Eronidas Exodus. Barroth are very durable and complex, social creatures, with a great deal of friendliness between siblings that lasts their lifetimes.
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| Fauna | |
| Official Name | Barroth |
| Common Nicknames | Tetl, Swinamander |
| Classification | Mammal |
| Habitat | Various |
| Domesticated | Yes |
| Current Status | Uncommon |
History
The Barroth is one of the animals of Guldar with the most history and deepest, confirmed connections to the continent. Originally, they were somewhat larger, and fiercer, similar to the Fire-Salamander, and were likely considered a great threat by the Avarr. Ancient artwork depicts their battles with Barroth, but also what might be their taming. While the official record holds that the Barroth was tamed by the Eronidas first, some Maquixtl dispute this idea. Regardless, the Barroth’s role in society was truly embraced alongside the Eronidas. It became a beast of war, not of burden like the Aaltaar Bok, and was ridden into many battles by the Eronidas as their cities warred against each other. The Barroth became a symbol of ferocity as a result. When the time came for the Eronidas Exodus, Barroth were loaded among the fleets, braved the years of travel, and were ultimately scattered across the lands of Aloria upon the arrival of the Eronidas. It appears that during the long passage east, the former limited agricultural uses for Barroth greatly diminished among the Eronidas, and so they became solely creatures of the battlefield or great delicacies rarely eaten among the warrior people. However, soon after the Eronidas arrived, another group went in the opposite direction. The Maquixtl, who ultimately settled in Guldar, had little use for the wild Barroth that remained on the continent, but harvested their Genos and took to taming them instead. Among the Maquixtl, the animal’s agricultural uses flourished, while the adaptations the species provided the Maquixtl were invaluable. The animal thus has a broad reach and occupies different roles among the Eronidas and Maquixtl of Guldar.
Physical Appearance
Barroth are large animals, reaching up to ten feet in length, and a height of six feet, while weighing a significant amount. Their head is a mix of traits as much of their body is, with a prominent, rounded muzzle, two small nostrils, and a broad mouth beneath that, with a pair of large tusks emerging and pointing up from the mouth. The tusks can measure up to five inches and are thick, hardy implements. Their two eyes are set above their snout, at a slight angle on the head, capable of looking forward and to the sides. Their head is then crowned with two short horns, and a pair of small, floppy, triangular ears next to these horns. The animal’s neck is thick and connects back to their bulky bodies, which stand on four powerful legs that each end in a cloven hoof. The end of their body is a medium-length pointed tail. As a blend of mammalian and reptilian trails, while a lot of the animal is covered in a thin to medium-thickness coat of hair, there are also scales along its body. This begins at the snout, where the nostrils are more reptilian than mammalian, and runs up the middle of the face to the crown of the head where the horns emerge, and then runs down the spine, spreading out over the back, before fully taking over the tail.
Diversity
The Barroth is a species with great diversity in appearance, though largely in the realm of coloration. The species lacks sexual dimorphism and also has a relatively equal reproduction rate. Barroth colorations, meanwhile, vary greatly. There are the so-called common coats: browns, blacks, and dark grays with corresponding paired colors of any of these three in a different shade. There are pale coats: pale grays, white, and light green, with corresponding pairs largely being a dark hue like black or brown. The rarest of all are the emerald and sapphire hues: colors drawn from the animal’s deep scale coloration, often resting on a tan-skin body. Barroth horns are also different colors, from black to hues of white.
Life Span and Development
Barroth are liveborn in groups of one to three, and initially emerge far more scaled than their adult selves, with a very pale hue to the long hair they have on their underside and legs. As they mature over the course of six months, their scales begin to shrink back, and the first signs of their tusks come in. After six months, they abruptly go through a shedding period, where the scales regress further in the course of days, while their coat also drops off their body, replaced by a thinner layer that reflects their adult coloration. After this period, a Barroth is no longer considered a kid but a juvenile, and after another six months of development, is a young adult. Their development pauses for several years, varying between five to seven before they at least reach a fully adult body. During their young adulthood, they are commonly paired with their young Eronidas rider so the animal can get used to the increase in weight, and build its own muscle mass accordingly. By the age of eight, they are considered full adults, and the species is capable of living forty years both in the wild and in domesticated surroundings.
Mental Overview
Barroth are creatures of complex emotions and activities, and are probably among the best-understood animals in the world of zoology thanks to their long history interacting with the sentient peoples of Aloria. The Eronidas, in particular, have the greatest knowledge about the animal, with the Maquixtl rapidly catching up to them. For starters, Barroth are omnivorous, capable of eating a wide range of plants in addition to meat, which comes from sources like fish, as Barroth love both a good mud bath and flowing water. Barroth are generally described as “jovial” with plenty of hardy grunts and oinks as they trundle around in their paddocks, climbing up and over exercise obstacles, or engaging in bouts of running for friendly chases with members of their own species. They are fairly intelligent, and even crafty, as younger Barroth are known for their escapes from paddocks to roam free. As social creatures, Barroth care a great deal about each other, as while direct family bonds may weaken between parents and their offspring, Barroth siblings always have an awareness of each other, and frequently group up during social hours. The Barroth is also a beast of war and can engage both in fights within their ranks and are trained to harness or display aggression by their Eronidas tenders. These fights are often for the sake of discipline, or due to the unruly nature of a few Barroth who the Eronidas and Maquixtl tend to separate, and keep in their own space. Among the Maquixtl, this is often temporary, as a sort of punishment, while for the Eronidas, it is to help hold them for training them as war Mounts earlier than other members of their herd.
Territory and Groupings
Barroth live almost exclusively in domesticated surroundings, with the few wild specimens left in extremely isolated pockets in Guldar. Knowledge about domesticated Barroth is far greater, and the herd numbers differ greatly between the two groups who hold the population. Among the Maquixtl, who keep the Barroth for agricultural purposes, herds can number as many as 200, in large spaces turned over for the keeping of such animals. The Eronidas Pols, meanwhile, have subdivided Barroth living conditions further, to better foster cohesion in military units who make use of the reptilian swine. These groups number between thirty and sixty individuals.
Trivia
- Eronidas gladiators often use armor emblematic of the animals around them. Great lion-like helmets, horned helmets, and tusked helmets, each represent the best-known members of the Eronidas’ animal stocks.
- It is unclear why the Maquixtl do not also use the Barroth for warfare, but some suggest the original arrivals, likely many aware of the initial expansion of Eronidas forces back in the Allorn Empire, did not entirely trust the large creatures, especially after the artwork of the Avarr.
- Barroth tusks are sometimes used as decoration in the leather armor of the Eronidas warbands that roam beyond the control of the Pols.
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