Leverets

Dreamer's Code
Bellring a Member
Report Mistakes/Typos
Report Easter Eggs

About Masterplans
Santhworld: Program
SW.: Game Designer
SW.: Treasure Shoals
SW.: Lorehold
SW.: Nepris
SW.: Trivia
Santharia: Manthria
Nybelmar: Zhunite Pl.
Sarvonia: Icelands

World Map Overview
Distances in Caelereth
Climate Map of Sarvonia
Continent: Aeruillin
Continent: Akdor
Continent: Cyhalloi
Continent: Nybelmar
Continent: +Details NE
Continent: +Details NW
Continent: +Details SE
Continent: +Details SW
Continent: +Politics
Continent: Sarvonia
Lands: Icelands
Lands: +Tribes
Lands: Caael'heroth
Lands: Iol Peninsula
Lands: Kanapans
Lands: Kuglim Lands
Kingdom: Santharia
Kingdom: +Ancient
Kingdom: +Provinces
Kingdom: +Rivers
Kingdom: +Routes
Details: Manthria
Details: Ráhaz-Dáth
Details: Silvermarshes

Create Beasts
Create Plants
Create Races/Tribes
Create People
People Nomenclature
Create Places
Create Gods, Myths...
Create Spells/Magic
Create Library Entries
Create Misc. Stuff

Reserving Resources
Arbaon Pictures
Bard Judith Pictures
Eratin Pictures
Faugar Pictures
Grunok's Pictures
Ingeborg Pictures
Isilhir Pictures
Koldar Pictures
Linda Tso Pictures
Quellion Pictures
Quellion Pictures II
Shayan's Pictures
Seeker Pictures
Sheil Pictures
Sheil Pictures II

Proverbs & Sayings
Styrásh (Elvish)
Thergerim (Dwarvish)
Kuglimz'Seitre
Kh'omchr'om (Orcish)
Trollish

[Alysse the Likely]

I think this entry is ready to go, since no further commentary has been made.

Overview
The Leveret is a member of the rabbit family that lives in the northern areas of Sarvonia up into the icelands of Caelereth.  They range as far south as Nymersys, but tend to be most common in the areas north of the Tandalas, the Celeste Lowlands and the Oros. They are attractive, thick furred rodents with large ears and bright eyes.

Appearance

Leverets are small animals, approximately a fore high when on all fours, or 1 ½ fores when sitting up on their haunches.   They have beautiful thick fur, which is incredibly soft, but also slightly water resistant.   It ranges in colour from adelmirene to cinnabrown in the summer months and turns cyhalloian white in the winter except for a tuft of black fur on the tip of each ear.  Usually the pelts are one solid colour but occasionally spotted or mottled leverets have been seen.  Leverets in the upper Tandalas remain white year-round.  In the summer, the fur of a leveret pelt is about two nailsbreadths long; in the winter, nearly four!  For a short time in the spring, they look dreadfully patchy and motheaten as the winter fur begins to fall out and the shorter summer coat begins to come in. The fur on the muzzle is finer and shorter, but as leverets sleep curled up in a tight little ball, with their noses tucked in,  they don’t get too cold. They have large, wide ears--about the length and breadth of a woman’s hand with the fingers tightly pressed together—which are also thickly furred and very sensitive.  The ears end in a curving point with a tuft of black fur at the tip. Their large, round black eyes are fringed with such long thick lashes they would be the despair of many a noblewoman. Leverets have long greaceful bodies that, when stretched out, measure just over a fore, not including the legs.Their hind legs are longer and stronger than their forelegs and they travel by bounding in great leaps of nearly a ped long. Their forelimbs are small and neat, with tiny paws, the size of a baby’s fist, that end in surprisingly sharp little retractable claws.  The hindlimbs also have retractable claws, but the paws are much bigger—about a hand-span long--and a kick from a leveret has been known to seriously injure a person, as the claws can gouge quite deeply. Leverets have tails that are about a palmspan long, and about two nailbreadths in diameter, though they tend to seem thicker because of the heavy pelt.   They have scent glands beneath their tails, which emit a heavy musky odour during the mating season.  Their sense of smell is quite well-developed and they are very alert, easily startled animals—so much so, that the Kuglimz say of a nervous person that he or she is “jumpy as a leveret” (lev’shi’kah, lit. “hare jump like”.

There are several varieties of leveret in Caelereth.

--Ice Leverets.  These are the ones that are furthest north and in the upper Tandalas  They stay white year round.
--Miniature Leverets.  They resemble other leverets except are significantly smaller,  about half a fore long and reaching to just over a handspan at the shoulders on all fours. They are more commonly found on the northern islands, and remain white year round, except for a black nose and the little ear tufts.
--Cinna Leverets.  These are the brown ones that turn white in winter.  They are the most widely known and generally are the ones people mean when they speak of leverets.

Leverets are similar to Tarepi but they are not the same and cannot even interbreed.  Leveret young are born with their eyes open and a full coat of fur, whereas tarepi are blind, deaf and hairless.  Leverets (except for the miniature variety) are much bigger, with proportionally bigger feet and wider ears.  Tarepi don't change colour in the winter, and the brown of a leveret's coat is usually a rich cinnabrown or darker. Tarepi are a grey-brown colour without much variety.

Special Abilities
Leverets are able to withstand extremely cold temperature due to their unique body structure.  Not only do they have unusually thick fur, which nearly doubles in length in the colder months, but they also have a layer of “brown fat” just beneath the skin, which gets thicker in the fall months as the leverets begin to eat vast quantities of food to prepare for the winter.   All leverets share a peculiarly interesting trait, and that is that they will all change their coat colour depending on the climate.  Even the ice leverets, if brought down into Southern Santharia, will turn brown in summer, though normally they do not change colour.  And if one were to place a brown leveret in a colder climate zone, over the course of about a month, it will grow in a thicker, warmer, white coat, and shed the brown.

Territory/Habitat

The coldest parts of Caelereth are home to this little animal, including the Icelands, Cyhalloi,  Akdor and Northern Sarvonia.  They are rarely found south of Nymersys.  Leverets tend to live in solitary dens, dug out in the summer months, which they keep clear of snow in the winter. The dens tend to be long, crooked corridors, which end in a cozy little room dug out beyond, with at least one other exit. This allows the leveret to escape in case of other tunneling creatures or, in the summer, snakes.


Behavior
Leverets do not live in family or pack groups.  Rather, they are solitary animals, coming together briefly during mating season in the early spring but then going their separate ways. They are nervous, active animals, but if a predator is near, they will sit absolutely motionless (unless it has spotted them) until it goes away.  Leverets do not have a very strong scent, except during the mating season, when even a human can smell the thick musky odour they emit. Leverets tend to be a nocturnal animal, and the best time to see them is usually early evening, when they start to come out and get more active.

Diet
Leverets, like the Tirpan horses, can eat nearly anything.  Their main dietary sources are the goldenbell bush seeds and leaves, mutnut leaves, wild carrots, onn leaves, and Alth’ho grasses.  They are extremely fond of the Rik’tyan plant as well.  In some areas the leveret is considered to be quite a pest, as it will freely help itself to people’s gardens if they are not protected or fenced in.  And, to be effective at all, the fence needs to extend below the ground at least a fore.

Mating

The leverets get together in early spring.  They emit a strong musky odour from the scent glands beneath their tails. Presumably this enables them to find each other.  They will cluster in large groups of twenty or more and the males do a mating display involving high leaps, tumbling rolls and long springs.  If the female of their choice is interested, she will watch the performance and then go off with the male to mate.  However, her attention is easily distracted and the male may finish his “dance” only to discover that the object of his affections has already gone off with someone else.  The leverets rarely fight, however, and the male will typically go find another female to appreciate his display.
After mating, the pair does not stay together.  The males go off to impregnate more females, while the female will build a cozy nest in her den, made of her own winter fur, which is usually beginning to shed at this point anyway.  She uses her sharp little claws to comb out the loose fur and piles it into a corner, along with grass, and leaves.  The gestation period is about 70 days. The babies are born in litters of six to ten.  They are born with their eyes open and a full coat of soft, eophran brown fur, which gradually lightens to adelmirene or cinnabrown (white for the ice leverets) as they mature.  A newly born leveret will fit in the palm of a man’s hand.  They stay with their mother until the following spring, by which time they are ready to live on their own.  They will not mate for another year, however.  Leverets have a lifespan of about 7 years, although those that have been raised as pets can live to be 9 or even 10 years old.

Researchers
Alysse of the Fal’cone Kuglimz is the most authoritative researcher on these animals.  As a child she kept some as pets and often studied them in the wild as well.  She was aided by Turik, who related "A Leveret's Tale" (see Myth/Lore section, below) to her.  Alysse disclaims any responsibility for the accuracy of the tale herself.

Usages

This little animal has a number of uses.  The thick heavy pelts are much prized by Kuglimz mothers, who use the furs for trimming on their children’s clothing and for mittens (furry side in) in the winter.  The Kuglimz also make an ear protector for winter use, consisting of a long strip of the furry hide which goes over the head and ties beneath the chin. Leverets also provide a delicious meal—they are very versatile and can be stewed, fried, boiled or roasted—especially with weeproot and Squilla, two of the favorite flavourings for leveret meat.  Kuglimz children like to keep them as pets and, if raised from birth, leverets are very affectionate, cuddly animals. Trying to tame a wild one, however, is an exercise in futility.

Myth/Lore

There is no particular lore associated with the leveret, but there is an interesting little story told about them.  Apparently Turik, on one of his trips up to Nymersys during the winter, saw some children with their pets and thought they were enchanting.  He acquired a tame one from the family he was staying with and brought it home with him.  He sold it, for a large sum, to a young nobleman who wanted to impress his lady love. With the assistance of an apprentice Bard, The young noble composed a little ode to his lady, saying that her hair was soft as its pelt, her lashes longer than its, her fair skin like to its silken, snow-white beauty, and so on.  He gave the animal to a servant to care for, and it was presented to the lady at a party, in a covered cage.  The ode was read and the animal revealed.  Unfortunately the spring moult had begun and so what everyone saw was the usual mottled, patchy-looking mess of brown and white that leverets take on in the spring until their summer coat is in.  To say the least, the lady was Not Amused.
(When confronted by the noble, Turik informed him that it must be a rare, colour-changing leveret, they were exceedingly unusual  and hard to acquire, and worth considerably more than the fellow had paid him to begin with, so he should be thankful for his good fortune.)




.

Alysse the Likely

Edited by: Artimidor Federkiel at: 8/14/04 10:03

[Ta`lia of the Seven Jewels]

A nice entry in general, didn't look through it too thoroughly though.

A few comments:

I like the name leveret, it is not "hare" or "bunny", different, but most english native speakers know it, I assume, so the name leads you to which animal in generell it is. (I often try to use the latin somehow, though this might not work so well).

I would not call it "Ice" leveret though, not for the one for which changes the color of its fur. In this respect I would alter the ..darn, following:

Quote:Overview
The Ice Leverent is a member of the rabbit family that lives in the northern areas of Sarvonia and other continents of Caelereth. They range as far south as Nymersys, but tend to be most common in the areas north of the Tandalas, the Celeste Lowlands and the Oros. They are attractive, thick furred rodents with large ears and bright eyes.

Territory
The coldest parts of Caelereth are home to this little animal, including the Icelands, Cyhalloi, Akdor and Northern Sarvonia. They are rarely found south of Nymersys. Leverents tend to live in solitary dens, dug out in the summer months, which they keep clear of snow in the winter. The dens tend to be long, crooked corridors, which end in a cozy little room dug out beyond, with at least one other exit. This allows the leverent to escape in case of other tunneling creatures or, in the summer, snakes.

Turn it round, write in the overview, that they live in whole Northern Sarvonia including... the icelands.
And in territoty, that they are most abundand around the Tandalas.

I didn'tknow in the beginning, why you called them ice leverets at all, with so little snow in the Tandalas.

Back to the "ice" leveret: I would propose to name only the white variety like this, either only the one which stays all year round white (in the icelands where it has snow all year round), or additional the white variety in the winter.

Do some differencs between the leverets of different regions. The European hare differes surely slightly from the one in Sibiria.(size, colour, earform, anything you can think of. )


Mention the tarep as a similar, but different animal (people on earth tend to mix up both as well), say something about the different behaviour, appearance , taste of the flesh... anything!

Then I would like  to ask you, if you could add a very small variety for my three islands up there, really tiny, only half a fore long, but with the same behaviour, and white of course, maybe with a black nose. The food is really scarce for them there.

A lot of comments for a good entry!

LOL, never thought of mentioning myself as researcher, never saw it before, at least I can't recal it!

Will go through it as soon as you have finished it.

***Astropic of the day***
"For me there is only the traveling on paths that have heart, on any path   that may have heart. There I travel, and the only worthwhile challenge is to traverse its full length. And there I travel looking, looking, breathlessly. ~Don Juan"

Edited by: Talia Sturmwind  at: 7/9/04 16:25

[Bard Judith]

Oh, they are ADORABLE!        Cute ickle Leverents!

I also like the name, derived from 'leveret' as Talia noted.  I'd be tempted not to add the extra 'n', actually, because it's exotic enough and you don't need the association of 'revenant', 'reverent', etc.    How about calling them simply 'Leverets" and then noting in the entry the various kinds - Ice Leveret, Cinna Leveret, Miniature Leveret... etc.?  For styling subentries, see the Cats, or my Myrmex, in the Compendium...

I hope someone does a picture, because they are very easy to visualize from your detailed description.  

Also an excellent choice to fill in a significant ecosystem gap between grass and carnivores!  

Ok, I'm writing this from a PC-bang in Seoul at 8:30 in the morning, so no more for now!

[Drogo]

Great idea Alysse, this is exactly the type of thing that we need more of up north.  Good job at filling in the eco-system.  The kuglimz part is good and I will add the word as well.

Dirg'mystrume of the Helvet'ine Kuglim.  
Lord of the North

[Ta`lia of the Seven Jewels]

Yeah, they are really lovely.  And from there I had the idea, that you could add as a (recent) lore, (don't know how old lore has to be, I mean something like what we call here city-fairy tale) that there was a noble man who wanted to impress his love in New Santhala (for there they are unknown) and brought her a snow white when returning from his trip to Nyermersis in late winter. He compared the milky white of her skin with the white of its coat and so on.... unfortunately in spring it turned to a brown and he was not longer in the favour of this lady... or something like this - if you like it.

***Astropic of the day***
"For me there is only the traveling on paths that have heart, on any path   that may have heart. There I travel, and the only worthwhile challenge is to traverse its full length. And there I travel looking, looking, breathlessly. ~Don Juan"

[Alysse the Likely]

That's a marvelous idea, Talia, I love it!  I could attribute the tale to Turik, since he's noted for his wild stories (if Drogo doesn't mind)

Alysse the Likely

[Bard Judith]

May I make a couple of refinements to the story for a stronger ironic effect?

The gentleman is enchanted with the adorable leveret, etc. etc., composes the ode comparing his love to the bunny, etc. etc. brings the animal back JUST BEFORE THE SPRING molt.  Being a 'noble', he has handed the animal over to the care of one of his servants during the trip and thus hasn't seen its metamorphosis.  He proudly presents it to her at a ball in her honour, in a cage shrouded in velvet for maximum drama, and has a bard read the ode at the height of the festivities.... The lady whisks the coverlet away to reveal the patchy, mottled, blinking-in-distress beast... and we shall draw a veil over the resulting tempest...

[Ta`lia of the Seven Jewels]

I knew you were even meaner than I am Judy!

But then it won't work with Turik, because he should know about the mold (?)

And Alysse - I see Judy already doing a poem...... YOU DO, DON'T YOU, JUDY????  

***Astropic of the day***
"For me there is only the traveling on paths that have heart, on any path   that may have heart. There I travel, and the only worthwhile challenge is to traverse its full length. And there I travel looking, looking, breathlessly. ~Don Juan"

[Bard Judith]

(jumps, looks up sleepily, looks around)

Huh, eh, hmmm, yes, of course, uh what?

(sees that Talia has woken her up and looks innocent)

Of course I was paying attention, yes, a poem, certainly, got one right here...

(frantically fumbles for her quill and parchment and starts scribbling as soon as Talia and Alysse aren't looking)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Life-leaping springer         soft leveret
Warm weather bringer      in beauty set
Far-faring fur-coated         careful of eye
Dearly much doted           our children by
Long-eared light dancer     daring to run
Bounding bright prancer     in fanciful fun
Leap lightly, leveret            on the long plain
Bring up furred babies         when spring comes again
Leap love and laughter        upon the broad plain


Attributed to a Kuglimz (insert specific clan here) female bard of the last century, Jaecy Alkimah...

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
       

With regards to the tale, if it must be Turik (which adds a nice twist to the story, not to mention the cross-referencing much beloved of this particular bard)  - well, see, Turik was TOLD it was an Ice Leveret, but they palmed off a pretty Cinna Leveret in winter coat on him....  

[Artimidor Federkiel]

Got a mail from Alysse, I'll post here to keep you informed:

"Hi, Art!

I am e-mailing you because I am having problems with my ezboard account and can't get on to the site.  Would you be so kind as to make a quick post to my "Leverets" entry in the Bestiary form and let my commentators know that I am not ignoring them and will get back to them as soon as my computer insomnia is cured and I can get back to Dreaming?

Thanks,

Alysse the Likely."

The Santharian Dream Webmaster - Let Fantasy Dreams come true!
World Development Admin - The Forum where Worlds are born...

[Ta`lia of the Seven Jewels]

I see, I see, Judy, should we ask Drogo what he thinks

Your poem is so nice! It COULD be from the Himiko as well

But I was thinking on the one for the lady with the comparisons..btw, I don't think , that Turik would get fouled with an cinna leveret instead of an iceleveret,  but that he coldly would sell the still white levret to a young Santhalian lad who wants to impress his live - and afterwards he would say something like "you didn' ask me" - and court the young woman in question....

It seems to me, we are about to design a story, lol.  

***Astropic of the day***
"For me there is only the traveling on paths that have heart, on any path   that may have heart. There I travel, and the only worthwhile challenge is to traverse its full length. And there I travel looking, looking, breathlessly. ~Don Juan"

[Bard Judith]

It didn't come out right!  There are supposed to be long spaces between the first and second halves of each line.... grrrr..  I'll do it like this so you can see the visual effect.  It's supposed to mimic a Scandinavian skald's style...


Life-leaping springer _______soft leveret
Warm weather bringer_________ in beauty set
Far-faring fur-coated __________careful of eye
Dearly much doted__________ our children by
Long-eared light dancer___________ daring to run
Bounding bright prancer_________ in fanciful fun
Leap lightly, leveret_____________ on the long plain
Bring up furred babies _________when spring comes again
Leap love and laughter _______upon the broad plain


There!

[Alysse the Likely]

Ha!  I'm back on.  Thanks to Art for posting for me.

So who's going to write this story, anyway?  Or is it to be a collaborative effort?  I think Drogo needs to get his two sans worth in as well.

Actually I had the idea of the recent posting in mind, that Turik had just "happened" to be available to "console" the damsel after her indignant rejection of the unfortunate suitor.  IBut I hadn't thought that he might have given the noble the Cinna Leveret in the first place.  That sounds like his outrageous style.  

BTW, even an Ice Leveret will change its coat colour if brought into a warmer climate--it's a quirk of the species that makes it uniquely Santharian, because I don't like to copy real life species too closely.

I love the little poem, it's great!  Thank you to Bard Judith and Lady Talia for your comments and suggestions.       (one for each of you)  I've tried to incorporate most of them.

Alysse the Likely

[Drogo]

Allright, sorry about the delay, internet problems and all.  

Anyway, I love the idea and it would help add a great bit to the entry.  Part of the thing one must keep in mind is that while Turik has experianced life in the North he still is not the most knowledgeable about it.  He more uses the small amount he knows and pulls one over on others.

I could see him seriously not knowing that it would shed it's winter coat and then when confronted with the matter, he would convince the nobleman and noblewoman that he got them a special color changing leveret.  Definately most rare and the nobleman should be so lucky that he was even able to find one.

[Artimidor Federkiel]

What has become of this one, Alysse? Is this already finished now, or do you still need something from Drogo or someone else?

The Santharian Dream Webmaster - Let Fantasy Dreams come true!
World Development Admin - The Forum where Worlds are born...

   About this Board
   Dev Introduction
   Developer's 1x1
   Technical Forum Stuff
   Advanced Forum Help
   Testing Thread
   Where's the game?

Advanced search

[Members]

Members Total Members: 1007 Latest: Manticain Stats Total Posts: 143122 Total Topics: 10872 Online Today: 17 Online Ever: 226 (05 November 2012, 23:38:23) Users Online Users: 1 Guests: 9 Total: 10 Artimidor Federkiel

[Artimidor Federkiel]

Last 10 Shouts: Artimidor Federkiel 16 May 2013, 22:20:50 Files have been replaced again, but the question remains how long this will last. SMF support will have a look at the security problem. Artimidor Federkiel 16 May 2013, 17:26:47 It has been hacked. The third time in 3 days. I need to replace the changed files again (won't happen before evening) - and then see what the SMF support recommends as a strategy. Irid alMenie 16 May 2013, 10:06:36 Arti, could you maybe take a look at the RPG board? I got a message from my anti-virus program and now I can't access the column on the right with the list of current threads and the shoutbox. Thankies Artimidor Federkiel 04 May 2013, 13:50:24 Ta`lia of the Seven Jewels 03 May 2013, 19:31:50 got it! The menu to the left is so convenient, that I nearly forgot the old souce... Ta`lia of the Seven Jewels 03 May 2013, 19:23:01 Artimidooor.. could you please add the Northern Sarvonian Tribe's map to the map menu? As you know, my mouse over does not work I could't find it right now, though I know it does exist somewhere. Ta`lia of the Seven Jewels 30 April 2013, 23:32:56 Huhu, huhu, huhu, ..that was my owl.. Shabakuk Zeborius Anfang 23 April 2013, 01:41:31 Hiho! Altario Shialt-eck-Gorrin 21 April 2013, 09:52:11 Hi, Talia Ta'lia of the Seven Jewels 18 April 2013, 17:54:03 Hello!

[Artimidor Federkiel]

Artimidor Federkiel

[Artimidor Federkiel]

Artimidor Federkiel

[Irid alMenie]

Irid alMenie

[Artimidor Federkiel]

Artimidor Federkiel

[Ta`lia of the Seven Jewels]

Ta`lia of the Seven Jewels

[Ta`lia of the Seven Jewels]

Ta`lia of the Seven Jewels

[Ta`lia of the Seven Jewels]

Ta`lia of the Seven Jewels

[Shabakuk Zeborius Anfang]

Shabakuk Zeborius Anfang

[Altario Shialt-eck-Gorrin]

Altario Shialt-eck-Gorrin

[Ta'lia of the Seven Jewels]

Ta'lia of the Seven Jewels

[Artimidor]

	Powered by SMF 1.1.18 | SMF © 2005, Simple Machines TinyPortal v0.9.8 © Bloc
Theme based on Cerberus with Risen adjustments by Bloc and Krelia Modified By Artimidor for The Santharian Dream