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{{Info fauna
{{Info fauna
|officialname = Antelabbit.
|image = Antelabbit.png
|nicknames = Antels, 'abbits.
|officialname = Antelabbit
|classification = Mammal.
|nicknames = Antels, Tomgangskanin
|habitat = Ellador
|classification = [[Mammal]]
|domesticated = No.
|habitat = Western [[Ellador]]
|status = Rare.
|domesticated = No
|status = Rare
|}}
|}}
==Appearance==
The Antelabbit is a terrifying creature, thought to be a [[Void]] corruption of some ancient rabbit unfortunate enough to be within the energy’s corrupting reach in the [[Fifth Void Invasion]]. It appeared like any other common rabbit but hidden just barely beneath its surface are savage features that aid it in its hunting and consumption of meat. The animal has even been known to eat other members of its species and those hunters who are paid enough to pursue them know to never underestimate these little furry beasts.  
Small, about the size of a large cat, Antelabbits (called Antels by professionals and 'abbits by common folk) are creatures best distinguished by their impressive leap, which can land them square in the face of a grown Avarr (though such has yet to be seen). Not to be mistaken for their close relative, actual rabbits, Antels are fully carnivorous. They have large, elongated, pointed ears and eyes that are solid black, giving them a fairly cruel and evil look. Their fur ranges from warm light chocolate brown (summer) to dull gray and ugly (winter), though they are confirmed to range from black to white during winter and from black to light tan in summer. They have a large, fluffy tail made of long threads of hair. Their mouths when closed seem small, harmless, and with their giant buck teeth are almos comical - but beware. Upon opening their mouths they reveal their buck teeth to be resting in front of rows of inward-pointing, razor sharp, needle-like teeth that force anything bitten or swallowed to be pulled into the throat. Bright pink gums give them a downright bloody appearance when howling (yes they do this) and devouring whatever they happen to be eating. In front of their teeth, and a bit above, is a large velvet-black 'nose', which in actuality sits below their actual nose (which cannot be seen) and is a hard, bony protuberance similar to a birds beak. This structure is used to break the bone of already dead prey, while the large teeth are used to remove limbs from small prey and to break apart bones of larger, sturdier prey. Their forefeet have short, shovel like claws (just a single large claw on each foot) with which they can bore through dirt with ease, and even through wood and softer stones/metals with effort. Their rear feet are powerful and good for leaping, though their main purpose is holding onto the inside of whatever hole is being used, which allows the Antel in question to pull back into its hole once it grabs hold of a prey item.
==Natural Habitat==
Antels generally live in grassland and sparse forest, preferring to have sturdy ground beneath their feet when they hunt and travel. For the majority of their lives Antels are loners who live in holes below the ground. They hunt prey by hiding in their holes or in clumps of grass or bushes, remaining stationary, and waiting for something to meander along and take a step to close to the hole. Upon doing so, the poor creature finds the limb that got to close cleaning broken and often ripped right off by the powerful jaws, sharp teeth, and mighty tug of the Antels head and body back into the hole. Smaller prey will often vanish entirely into the hole, and lament for the bird of prey that mistakes an Antel for its next meal. Prey as small as mice and rabbits all the way up in size to full grown Moose have fallen prey to these devious hole-dwelling creatures.


When something large, like a cow or even a human, falls prey to an Antel it will tip back its head and let out the most terrifying sound in the world - something between the howl of a wolf and the shriek of a dying Thylan. The sound travels for great distances, and draws in all the surrounding Antel - the tone, volume, and howl/shriek mix will alert others to the size of the prey and therefor if they should bother going for a snack or not. Strangely, Antel do not breed when gathered around a meal, and do not fight - it's always first come first serve, and they leave in silence when they've had their fill. The interesting thing about Antel is that they, once they've gotten to a food source, won't hunt at all while eating or upon having eaten recently, even if the prey dies or falls asleep right in front of their hole. So if one comes across a group (called a 'table' of Antel) while eating they can safely observe, though attacking them or attempting to take food will... end badly, to say the least.
==History==
 
The Antelabbit has a relatively unknown history but many suspect it to have come from the Fifth Void Invasion. A creature from chronicles of the Invasion match the Antelabbit well, being named as deceptively small and all-consuming and supposedly serving as a scouting, forward force of the enemy. However, detailed reports of the animal begin only after the [[Cataclysm]] where several [[Velheim]] towns in [[Ellador’s]] west were found empty of all life, with doors and barricades eaten through. While originally suspected to be raiders, the traders who had discovered the curious sight soon came across several Antelabbit. They were then able to fight off this small group and escaped back south to tell their tales of demonic rabbits. In the years since this famous encounter, the Antelabbit has been left alone with the only ones to pursue it being well-paid hunters, radical scholars or collectors of exotics. The animal’s population has remained low over that time, namely due to their cannibal nature and it is rare now for a settlement to be attacked by them. With the recent moves made in Ellador by the [[Isldar]], some wonder if the Antelabbit will survive for much longer against such foes. But those who have faced them know: Never underestimate that little fluffy exterior.  
Antel have a single month every 3 years where the entire species ups and goes insane. In that month, all other creatures in Ellador pretty much wish they were anywhere but there as the Antel become a ravenous, violent, massively aggressive hoard of leaping, running, and rapidly reproducing Antelabbits. This hoard has been recorded to have literally overwhelmed entire towns that were unlucky enough to fall in its path and not have sturdy walls and stone floors. No creature in Ellador can survive contact with the great hoards, and are often driven into the ocean, where the hoards always end up on the bloodsoaked beaches, drinking salt water (of all things) until most of them die and the rest pass out, to return to their tunnels (if they remember where they are) the next day and evening. They then remain inside their tunnels for around 2-3 weeks while the females kit and the males tend to both the young and to the females.
 
The young Antel do not leave the tunnels for around 2 months, at which point they are basically adults but slightly smaller and with softer fur. They travel out and inhabit the abandoned tunnels left by those Antel who died after drinking the salt water at the ocean coast. The parents will aggressively defend the young, and will hunt beyond waiting for their prey to arrive until said young move out. This is the time when Antel are most dangerous as lone predators, but also when it is easiest to avoid them due to their small numbers.


==First Encounter==
==Physical Appearance==
The first recorded encounter between Antel and another thinking race are the Dwarves, who were easy prey for the Antel due to their small size and general slow rate of movement. Indeed, the very first encounter with the creatures that Dwarves called "blood rabbits", or just blobbits (blow-bits), was of a small dwarven farming settlement where children who would go into the forest were disappearing inexplicably. After slowly killing off all the few undead, wolves, and other potentially dangerous creatures in the forest, the dwarves told their children not to enter. It was then that the village first encounter the Great Swarming. Being dwarves, they had many stone floored structures and a great stone hold... but even so, most of the village was wiped out in mere hours while the Swarming bored with teeth and claw through wooden doors. Only the iron doors of the Hold were able to withstand the monsters, and when the Swarming passed the village by those few who had survived in the Hold traveled out into the town to find their friends, families, and children almost all dead, many of them in too many pieces to be recognized. The dwarves fled the death and returned their mountain holds, where the Antel don't exist, and rarely if ever returned to their lowland homes.
The Antelabbit sits at a foot and a half long and is one foot tall when on all fours. Its head is small but displays many of the features of a rabbit such as large and flexible pointed ears, wide black eyes, little noses and small mouths. However, an Antellabit’s mouth is full of pointed teeth rather than the bucked or smaller teeth of normal rabbits. While the mouth can stay small, the animal can unhinge its jaw to take larger bites. The remainder of their bodies are also similar to rabbits, with a short neck connecting the head to the body, two small forward paws and two larger rear paws supporting a round, somewhat fat body with a short tail. There is another hidden feature as well; the rear paws of the animal hold a single large claw each, able to latch onto prey or allow them to perch. Their rear legs are also deceptively small compared to the raw jumping power they give the Antellabit. The animal is covered in a coat of thick fur that varies in color depending on the season, some of which forms a light collar around the animal’s short neck.
===Diversity===
Antelabbits have no obvious external sexual dimorphism and would possess equal numbers of both genders except for them eating each other each spring. Instead, their diversity comes in their coloration. In the spring and summer months they are various shades of brown while in autumn they are colored black, but by winter they turn solid white..
===Life Span and Development===
Antelabbits are born like normal rabbits, from their mothers in clusters of one to six “kittens.” They rapidly mature, reaching full size within a quarter of a year and by the end of autumn, primarily to defend themselves from other members of their species who wish to eat them. Even their own mother will eat them if it is needed for their survival. When the mating season comes, late spring to early summer, males randomly pair with females. There is no direct competition, no fighting for a mate; it is just carried out when and where possible. The Antelabbit can live for up to ten years.


==History==
==Mental Overview==
Since the destruction of that village, Antel have been recognized by the dwarves as a threat. This said, humans, elves, orcs, tigran, thylan, and ur all found to their misfortune that the Antel are never to be underestimated. Several notable incidents were the Slaughter at Tradeport (Elven Town), the near disappearance (near because one survived) of a Thylan pack in the floating mountains, and the destruction of a small army from Regalia during the Swarming of 193, when a Regalian force attempting to hold back the tide was completely destroyed with no survivors from the army forces, but many who had been observing from the nearby fortress town of Depanit. These encounters, as well as others, have made the Antel into a nearly legendary creature that many 'heroes' attempt to slay, an that the greatest of hunters NEED to have stuffed or on their wall to prove their worth.
No one can understand the mind of an Antelabbit, though their most base instincts are clear for any to see. The Antelabbit is a predator who relies on surprise and ferocity to kill its prey. Aided by its strong, sharp teeth, it can chew through most substances, even metals like [[Copper]] and [[Ferr-Iron]] if given enough time. Their common tactic is to jump for a victim’s neck, latching on to their chest with the “hooks” and rapidly biting at the target’s neck. They are also known for eating other members of their own species when fresh meat and carrion are insufficient. At all other times, the different members of the species seem to get along amicably and share what they have in the way of shelter and food, especially if it is a large kill.
===Territory and Groupings===
Antelabbits are divided into swarms, of which there are three known to exist in the west. They move around every few years just before the mating season to ensure the different areas recover their animal populations. No swarm has ever met another, but most dread the day such an occurrence transpires. They live in underground dens, believed to have been dug centuries ago, and each swarm uses the dens of the others.


==Trivia==
==Trivia==
The ears and feet of Antelabbits are considered by many Ur and Thylan alike to have spiritual properties, often being included in their religious gatherings. The teeth, on the other hand, along with the beak, are sturdy and have often been used to reinforce stone and wood weapons, causing them to become 'equal to steel' if done properly. The fur of the tail is extremely soft and downy, and is used in many articles of clothing by Regalia Nobles and other wealthy people.
*The ears and feet of Antelabbits are considered by many [[Urlan]] to be important symbols of the hunt and a testament of an Urlan’s skill, for obvious reasons.
{{Fauna}}
*There is a myth told to children in the northern regions of the [[Regalian Archipelago]] of three powerful knights who all came upon an Antelabbit in a forest. One tried to remove the animal gently and was eaten. The second tried to trick the animal and was eaten. The third ran it through in a mad rush forward, defeating it by sheer luck.
[[category:Beasts]] [[category:Existing Beasts]]
*Antelabbits might also have been from a previous Void Invasion, as some Regalians question the validity of the [[Elven]] reports given the manic state they were recorded in and the difficult period the conflict they fought in was.  
{{fauna}}
{{Accreditation
|Artists = Patsie
|Writers = HydraLana
|Processors = HydraLana, SupremeCripple
}}
[[category:Fauna]] [[category:Mammals]] [[category:Ellador Fauna]]

Revision as of 23:36, 18 April 2022

Antelabbit
Antelabbit.png
Fauna
Official Name Antelabbit
Common Nicknames Antels, Tomgangskanin
Classification Mammal
Habitat Western Ellador
Domesticated No
Current Status Rare

The Antelabbit is a terrifying creature, thought to be a Void corruption of some ancient rabbit unfortunate enough to be within the energy’s corrupting reach in the Fifth Void Invasion. It appeared like any other common rabbit but hidden just barely beneath its surface are savage features that aid it in its hunting and consumption of meat. The animal has even been known to eat other members of its species and those hunters who are paid enough to pursue them know to never underestimate these little furry beasts.

History

The Antelabbit has a relatively unknown history but many suspect it to have come from the Fifth Void Invasion. A creature from chronicles of the Invasion match the Antelabbit well, being named as deceptively small and all-consuming and supposedly serving as a scouting, forward force of the enemy. However, detailed reports of the animal begin only after the Cataclysm where several Velheim towns in Ellador’s west were found empty of all life, with doors and barricades eaten through. While originally suspected to be raiders, the traders who had discovered the curious sight soon came across several Antelabbit. They were then able to fight off this small group and escaped back south to tell their tales of demonic rabbits. In the years since this famous encounter, the Antelabbit has been left alone with the only ones to pursue it being well-paid hunters, radical scholars or collectors of exotics. The animal’s population has remained low over that time, namely due to their cannibal nature and it is rare now for a settlement to be attacked by them. With the recent moves made in Ellador by the Isldar, some wonder if the Antelabbit will survive for much longer against such foes. But those who have faced them know: Never underestimate that little fluffy exterior.

Physical Appearance

The Antelabbit sits at a foot and a half long and is one foot tall when on all fours. Its head is small but displays many of the features of a rabbit such as large and flexible pointed ears, wide black eyes, little noses and small mouths. However, an Antellabit’s mouth is full of pointed teeth rather than the bucked or smaller teeth of normal rabbits. While the mouth can stay small, the animal can unhinge its jaw to take larger bites. The remainder of their bodies are also similar to rabbits, with a short neck connecting the head to the body, two small forward paws and two larger rear paws supporting a round, somewhat fat body with a short tail. There is another hidden feature as well; the rear paws of the animal hold a single large claw each, able to latch onto prey or allow them to perch. Their rear legs are also deceptively small compared to the raw jumping power they give the Antellabit. The animal is covered in a coat of thick fur that varies in color depending on the season, some of which forms a light collar around the animal’s short neck.

Diversity

Antelabbits have no obvious external sexual dimorphism and would possess equal numbers of both genders except for them eating each other each spring. Instead, their diversity comes in their coloration. In the spring and summer months they are various shades of brown while in autumn they are colored black, but by winter they turn solid white..

Life Span and Development

Antelabbits are born like normal rabbits, from their mothers in clusters of one to six “kittens.” They rapidly mature, reaching full size within a quarter of a year and by the end of autumn, primarily to defend themselves from other members of their species who wish to eat them. Even their own mother will eat them if it is needed for their survival. When the mating season comes, late spring to early summer, males randomly pair with females. There is no direct competition, no fighting for a mate; it is just carried out when and where possible. The Antelabbit can live for up to ten years.

Mental Overview

No one can understand the mind of an Antelabbit, though their most base instincts are clear for any to see. The Antelabbit is a predator who relies on surprise and ferocity to kill its prey. Aided by its strong, sharp teeth, it can chew through most substances, even metals like Copper and Ferr-Iron if given enough time. Their common tactic is to jump for a victim’s neck, latching on to their chest with the “hooks” and rapidly biting at the target’s neck. They are also known for eating other members of their own species when fresh meat and carrion are insufficient. At all other times, the different members of the species seem to get along amicably and share what they have in the way of shelter and food, especially if it is a large kill.

Territory and Groupings

Antelabbits are divided into swarms, of which there are three known to exist in the west. They move around every few years just before the mating season to ensure the different areas recover their animal populations. No swarm has ever met another, but most dread the day such an occurrence transpires. They live in underground dens, believed to have been dug centuries ago, and each swarm uses the dens of the others.

Trivia

  • The ears and feet of Antelabbits are considered by many Urlan to be important symbols of the hunt and a testament of an Urlan’s skill, for obvious reasons.
  • There is a myth told to children in the northern regions of the Regalian Archipelago of three powerful knights who all came upon an Antelabbit in a forest. One tried to remove the animal gently and was eaten. The second tried to trick the animal and was eaten. The third ran it through in a mad rush forward, defeating it by sheer luck.
  • Antelabbits might also have been from a previous Void Invasion, as some Regalians question the validity of the Elven reports given the manic state they were recorded in and the difficult period the conflict they fought in was.

Accreditation
Writers HydraLana
Artists Patsie
Processors HydraLana, SupremeCripple
Last Editor HydraLana on 04/18/2022.

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