Hrugnim (Deepcalf) By Imperator-Zor Watch

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With a few exceptions the traditional dwarven enclaves of Ilvamicum make use of six large domestic mammals. Among these are Goats, Donkeys, Ponies, Pigs and Dogs, creatures which are also frequently kept by Humans, Elves and latter Orcs, even if there are a few breeds of said creatures that the Dwarves had breed for their needs. The sixth, however, is one which is by in large particular to the Dwarves: the Hrugnim. In several Non-Dwarvish languages these creatures are known as Deepcalves



Deepcalves are a species of bovine creatures that long ago established themselves in the vast network of caves and evolved to make the most of this environment. Four species exist in it's genus and share it's enviroment, but only the Deepcalves have been Domesticate. They are short and stocky creatures that stand between 0.6 to 0.9 meters tall with short strong legs and weigh between 80 to 160 kilograms. They are well adapted to a subterranian life. They don't have horns, but they do have a bony plate on their head. They have poor eyesight, but a well developed sense of smell and hearing, with long whiskers and flexible ears that allow them to better judge where sound is coming from. They are capable of echolocation. Deepcalves are capable swimmers. Most notable is the efficiency of their digestive system. Deepcalves are obligate herbivores mostly subsist off manasynthetic plants and fungii that grow naturally in the labyrinth of caves, but in truth can eat almost any plant material short of bare wood. Such material often finds its way underground, washing down rivers. Their digestive system is quite extensive and they often use gastroliths to help things along. This has led to another distinctive feature about deecalves, lethargy. Once they've eaten their fill they'll spend a fair amount of time laying about digesting their food. However they are very good at getting the most energy out of what they eat. Deepcalves give birth to two calves at a time which take about a sixteen months to reach full size and can be very long lived (sixty to seventy years).



Dwarves have been keeping domestic deepcalves for at least fifteen thousand years. They have used them at time as beasts of burden (a job they are rather poor at unless they are fed grain and even then they're not great at it) and their wool but are mostly kept for meat, milk, hides and dung (which is often burned to provide charcoal). Deepcalf meat is usually rich in flavor and fatty, but is also generally tough and requires a fair bit of slow cooking. Deepcalf cheese is usually hard lumps. There is a fair bit of offel on a deepcalf which the dwarves generally turn into sausage. Most dwarven enclaves have some Deepcalves to help them meet some of their food needs. Deepcalf meat has some market above ground as it can be made into long lasting preserves, some humans have developed a taste for it and some gormets prize it. Even so there are practical limitations to the raising of Deepcalves. Part of this is the matter of maturation (. Most notably is the fact that they don't do well above ground. Their are a varierty of factors in this regards, but the biggest is that year round the home environment of Deepcalves stays around 15 degrees. They can't take sub zero temperatures and are poorly suited for 25 degree temperatures that humans generally find comfortable. Occasionally Dwarven Deepcalf herders would bring their animals up to the surface to graze when temperatures are suitable so that their charges can fatten up quicker, but for the most part they are kept in their underground world. The Drow States also raise a few of these creatures in their old mining networks, especially the State of Galthirith.

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