[Cosmosdex] The Universal Encyclopedia
[Cosmosdex]
Scarvie
Second Son
Scarvie
Art by, Macara (Paulo Stephano)
- Strength-3
- Intelligence-2
- Charisma-10
- Endurance-2
- Agility-8
- Luck-1
Danger Level: Low
Likes: Attention, Food, Warmth
Dislikes: Being disciplined, Clothing, Cold
Attack Method: Try to trick its attacker into letting down its guard, and bites its weak points. Otherwise use its environment to its advantage.
Attributes
Environment: Plains, ForestsLifespan: 25 years
Size: 2 ft tall, 4 ft long
Diet: Fish, Meat
Bodytype: Horizontal Pose
Type: Avian Reptile
Rarity: Common
Original Creator: Kenshi
Physical Description
Scarvies are fairly large lizard creatures. They usually have jagged maws on their muzzles with two simple nostrils at the top. Scarvies also sometimes have various markings on the top of their muzzles such as stripes. The top of their heads are covered in a small plume of feathers that are usually facing back and traveling downward as a few sets of fans. Their eyes are round and large. Their backs usually have markings that are the same color as the ones on their muzzles. It can be as few as one stripe from the neck to the tail or numerous such as several horizontal lines across their backs. They also have a lighter undersides that start at the end of their neck to under the base of their tails. The tails themselves are covered in blossoming fan of feathers rather than the typical long scaly tail that most lizards have. Their feathers can have a few colors or just a single color, but most scarvies have dual-colored feathers.
Despite what their body type suggests and their rather short tails, scarvies are actually bipeds. They use their hind limbs like a theropod's legs. Despite having no thumbs, they can use their four-toed front paws to grab stuff. They have even been seen grabbing some basic tools like screwdrivers. Their legs end in three-toed paws that have claws with larger tips than the ones on their arms. Despite how small the front claws are, they are still quite sharp.
Males and females usually have a size difference as the males are usually larger. As expected, the females are more agile due to their smaller size. Males are also the only ones that have horns on their heads. They grow facing forward from behind their ears. The fans of feathers on their rears are also different between the genders. Males have two large fans on the left and right side with a smaller fan in the middle. Females have just one tail-fan.
Behavior
Scarvies are pack animals. They are often seen living and hunting in groups of around six. Usually the couple last members of a pack have sneaked their way in the group. Despite being carnivorous pack-hunters, the alpha of the group is almost always the most clever of the pack rather than the strongest. Scarvies don't care about gender when they choose an alpha. Nevertheless, one trait they do share with most pack-hunting species is preferring ambush tactics. They like to strike on unsuspecting prey from the shadows or at least by flanking them. Most of the time, they will leap at stationary prey in order to attack them with the large claws on their legs. However, this is not their preferred method of attacking.
Despite their physical agility and strong legs, scarvies are tricksters. They prefer to fool prey in order to either let down it's guard to attack it's weak points or steal their food if they are too powerful of a target to take down. This is done by a special ability that is performed with their large eyes. For scarvies that are on their own, this ability is used to a greater extent.
There are reports of scarvies among bigger or more powerful predators. This is a case where the scarvie has charmed someone to the point where they live among them. The most common illusion they like to pull off is pretending to be the fauna's child. Even if they are older than the animal in question, they will still try this trick. Scarvies prefer this method, because it allows them to be forgiven more easily over mistakes while they learn the culture of the fauna they're affiliated with. Those affected will care the scarvie as if it was one of its own. However, scarvies aren't freeloaders. They are often seen hunting along with their "parent" in order to gather food for the both of them. Even though it is a illusionary charm effect, scarvies will still treat this as a mutual relationship and not as something to take for granted.
The other common illusion is that they pretend they are part of a pack with other fauna that hunt in groups. Scarvies will hunt down prey along with the other members of the pack all while making sure everyone benefits each other. While there are many variations to the two common illusions such as pretending to be the elder rather than the child, the one thing that they all have in common is that the scarvies are cared for while they assist in return.
Intelligent species are not immune to the scarvies charm effect. As a result, scarvies can end up as pets to even some of the most heartless species of the universe. The charm is powerful enough to cause the intelligent to treat these pets like their own children. Even in this scenario, the scarvie will help in anyway it can. Scarvies are smart enough to pick up ideas and concepts such as being housebroken. As a result, they can learn a whole slew of tricks such as fetching objects.
Subspecies
Water Puppies: Water puppies are an aquatic variant that were genetically engineered by notails. After seeing how loyal scarvies can be even after they charmed someone, notails decided that their helpful nature could be useful in other environments. Water puppies are designed to have a good balance on both land and water. They are not very common due to being difficult to create. The genes have to be made just right to prevent the water puppy from being inflexible for land or sea.
The feathers on their heads are replaced with fin-frills that only cover the top of their heads. Just like the feathers, there are a few of them next to each other traveling downward as a column. The fans of feathers on their tails are replaced with fans of fins. The males have the same singular fan as the females in order to make sure they don't have trouble moving vertically underwater. These fins along with the scaly exterior of scarvies allows them to glide underwater while not sacrificing too much agility on land. Of course, they are still less agile on the ground than their land-based cousins as fins are not as flexible as feathers.
While water puppies do not have any gills, they are able to stay underwater for long periods of time like porpoises. Eventually though, they must come up for air and let out any excess water they have through the blowhole on the top of their heads. They can go down for short dives after recovering, but they usually have to spend at least several minutes above water before they can start another long dive.
Their favorite environments are lakes near forests. The lake gives them plenty of water to swim in while the forest provides plenty of cover on land.
Special
Symbiotic Paradise: Scarvies have an ability with their eyes that can charm others on their sides. When this ability is active, the scarvie will appear innocent while their eyes emit a light glow with sparkles. It will affect most people in some way or another from treating the scarvie as one of their own to spoiling them as a pet. While some forms of resistance are possible against this ability, it is very difficult to nullify it's effects completely. As expected, this ability does not work on creatures with no eyes or who are blind.
The effects last as long as eye contact is made often enough between the scarvie and the affected. How long it takes to wear off depends on the individual. No true average can be determined despite many attempts to find the answer; however, reports say it can be as short as several hours to as long as a few days. For fauna, it takes even longer. It can last at most a couple of weeks.
Trivia
• Stores that sell scarvies as pets are legally obligated to perform a week-long waiting period before they can exchange goods. This is to give time for the charm to wear off, so the customer can determine if they really want the scarvie or not.
• Lucevians usually have packs of scarvies in their dreams as they are the most common pet for lucevians. Flocks of pets they found to be loyal and beloved are given the best afterlife they could imagine in the dreamscape.
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