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Description

Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if most folk thought this creature wasn't real. Not saying it is too outlandish to exist, or that it is a beast of myth. It is just that its name sounds so much like an insult, that I think most people think it is only that. You say "Flab Rat," and they think you are just making fun of someone. How could that possibly be a serious name? Well, it is! You can find them in the volcanic deserts, which is probably another reason people wouldn't know about them!

The "rat" part of the name may seem like an answer to what they are, but that is only partially correct. They are not true rats, but they are indeed rodents! They have those huge incisors that never stop growing, the classic tell! I am sure some folk may think them different, what with their strange hide, but they are certainly mammals and definitely rodents! They roam the obsidian fields and black dunes in search of food, and their strange bodies is what helps them do that! In a land of razor stone, endless storms and lightning wielding creatures, one needs a lot of protection to survive! Their answer to these problems is their signature hides, which are surprisingly thick and hang loose in folds. If you were to feel this skin, you would find it similar to rubber! It is made of special layers of skin and blubber, making it sturdy and flexible. Its loose connections to the body cause it to look wrinkled and rolled, making it quite "flabby" looking! It probably looks quite awful to some, but it is incredibly useful! These thick rubbery layers cause most blades to bounce off it or fail to bite in. Short nerve endings mean that they feel no pain in this skin, so the irritating sands and sharp stones hardly bother it. And such a thick skin is also good with insulating from nasty shocks, cutting down the power of some lightening wielding predators! Some say it could run through a tunnel of swords and not come out with a single scratch, and I believe it! Honestly, they live with much worse!

These strange rodents scour the volcanic desert for food, which is usually anything they can eat. They are omnivores and opportunistic ones at that. They will pretty much eat anything they can find, as the land is harsh and unforgiving. Have to take whatever meal you can find! A major staple of their diet is the variety of fungi that can be found growing all across the desert and lava rivers, their incisors gnawing through tough rinds and dense shells. Side note, this also means they are quite inedible to most outsiders, as who knows what their flesh collects from these meals! They also go after small critters like Elmis Spires, whose shocking defenses have little impact against their flabby hide. A strong nose helps them sniff out prey, and tough claws allow them to dig them up. Flab Rats can either hunt in packs or may hunt alone, this is usually dependent on food availability. On their off time, they tend to hang around their dens, which are made from old lava tubes or sheltering rocks. When caught out in the open during sandstorms or violent lightning, Flab Rats may bury themselves in the sand and wait it out, relying on their tough hides to protect them. It isn't a foolproof situation, but it is better than nothing!

While some may not think much of them due to their appearance, they are quite clever creatures! When hunting in packs, they have a variety of strategies for surrounding prey and baiting out their defenses. Some packs have been seen chasing after storms, as they want to scour the wake for any prey that has been exposed. They are known for collecting excess food and burying them in hoards for later use, and they even set up temporary dens for when their hunts take them far from home! They have smarts that would make any rat proud! And yes, rats are smart! However, this thinking has also caused them to become quite the problem for any towns around these violent regions. Flab Rats desire food and, once they find a good source, they are rare to let it go. After individuals found tasty treats in villages and houses, they have started to associate the local populace with dinner. Packs of them have been known to raid homes and markets, going after any morsel they can get. While it may seem easy just to shoo them away, these Flab Rats have been getting wiser. Some packs send decoys out to catch the attention of guards, while the others sneak in. Some have intentionally wounded pets, livestock or even children to lure folk away so they can swoop in and steal the goods. And when they aren't stealing, they are bringing more trouble! While the hide of Flab Rats protect them from a lot of things, it does little good against the power of the infamous "Lightning Wyrms" of the volcanic deserts. Sadly, it seems these hides make it worse for them, as these vicious dragons enjoy devouring the rats that would dare ignore their power. With no real way to combat these menaces, the Flab Rats have realized that locals have come up with ways of repelling these beasts. So when threatened by one, they lure it to town so that the people can deal with them! Good for the rats, but terrible for the population that now has to battle with these crackling monstrosities! It is a smart trick, but it makes them absolutely despised by any locals who have ever had to deal with them!

I can attest to their cunning and vicious cleverness because I had the unintended "honor" of a close encounter with one of these rats. Obviously I was on a research expedition in a volcanic desert, but I was not alone in this situation! I was with a team of researchers looking into the shock-producing capabilities of native species like the Shockscale Urchin and Elmis Spire. We were hunting for specimens, which required us to be out in the open desert. This posed a danger to us, as we would be exposed to the violent storms that frequently tore through, but we had the luck of finding an empty lava tube nearby that could be used as shelter. As we were searching the sands, we spotted a lone Flab Rat amongst the dunes, no doubt hunting like we were. Knowing it could prove to be a danger, we stuck close together and made attempts to drive it away. Noise and thrown objects succeeded in keeping it at bay, and eventually it retreated. We continued our work but were soon stopped by the arrival of a nasty storm. We ducked into our tube and waited it out. When it passed, we emerged and scoured the swept dunes for any new clues. We spotted the Flab Rat again, who must have sheltered nearby. It kept its distance from us and soon scurried out of sight, so we believed we finally proved to be an bothersome target. Work went along quickly, especially since we knew we were on a timer. Alas, that time was used up and another storm roared across the desert. We grabbed our stuff and dived back into our shelter. As we collected ourselves, I realized we had been rushed with packing up our equipment. I was worried that our haste had meant some of our more delicate pieces may not be properly packed, so I decided to double check them as we waited out the storm. I moved myself further back into the tube for some more space and started to get into the gear. Away from the group with my back turned and head buried in my pack, I made myself the perfect target for our unknown guest.

What we figured is that it saw us hide in the lava tube when the first storm came, so it picked that as an ideal place for an ambush. When we were busy hunting for samples, it slipped past us and crept into the hole. It hid far back in the tube, hoping we would miss its presence. Maybe it was hoping one of us would run blindly into the depths, too scared of the storm to expect danger. What it was offered instead was a separated dryad who was lost in equipment checks. Meat or plant, it didn't care and it probably didn't even know what I was. In the end, I was just another meal for it. In that moment, it attacked and I was oblivious to the threat. The first sensation I felt was a powerful pressure on my leg, and then a violent pull that dropped me onto my stomach. Pain blossomed in my leg, as I realized its teeth were sunk in deep. Trapped in its jaws, I was dragged back farther into the tube, no doubt trying to get me further away from my companions. My screams caught their attention and they scrambled to save me, but the rat was not ready to lose its meal. It dropped my leg and readied to finish the job, perhaps thinking they would abandon a corpse. That brief second of release allowed me to flip onto my back and witness it launch itself at my face. I seized what I could with my arms and pushed it back, keeping those snapping incisors away from my head. It clawed and hissed as it tried to move in for the kill, but I did not relent. My friends came and started wailing on it, but its rubbery hide and fierce determination allowed it to ignore these attempts.

They did provide a momentary opening, where I could drop my hand and find my knife. When it pushed back again, I was ready. Its maw opened for a savage bite and I thrust my blade into it. Its protective hide kept its outsides safe, but not its insides. I jammed my knife into the roof of its mouth, stabbing right into its brain. In an instant, the rat fell dead, its body toppling onto me. The threat was slain but I did not come out unscathed. My leg had been ravaged, and my arms were torn up from fending it off. In a kinder ecosystem, I could have hung around camp as my injuries healed, but volcanic deserts offer little mercy. I was in no shape to survive such a brutal land, so they patched me up and sent me and a coworker home. I felt terrible for being such a weight upon the expedition, as they had to lose days of time fixing me and getting me back to civilization. To top it off, they were losing another worker because I couldn't be sent off alone. It was a miserable feeling, but a part of me was relieved. It is no secret that I despise this ecosystem, as it is a nightmare to work in. Being sent home felt like getting sick leave from school, where I could return to the comforts as I tended to my wounds. I know Vera was delighted to have me back early, maybe more so when she learned my injury would keep me home for a few weeks. We cracked some jokes about it then, but now I feel a pang of guilt when I think about it. Only when I was mangled or bedridden did my daughter get the chance to have her mother. What must it be like, to hope for some trouble or injury so that you could even have a moment? I really wish I had listened to you sooner, Eucella. If I could have just found the courage...

But, the rat that mangled me did provide me with something else. It served as a specimen for dissection and study, and when they were done with it, they presented me its hide. At first I thought it was just a tacky trophy, but then got the idea to put it to use. Its rubbery skin made for good protection, and I was able convert it into a fine pair of leggings! Durable and strong! They turned out to be so good for field work, I sought out some other Flab Rat hides to make a whole outfit! One of the best bits of gear I ever got! I still have them to this day, though I admit it doesn't look all that flattering! Flabby hide isn't the most visually appealing material!

Chlora Myron

Dryad Historian

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

Naked mole rats made of rubber! Kind of cool but kind of hideous!

Description

Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if most folk thought this creature wasn't real. Not saying it is too outlandish to exist, or that it is a beast of myth. It is just that its name sounds so much like an insult, that I think most people think it is only that. You say "Flab Rat," and they think you are just making fun of someone. How could that possibly be a serious name? Well, it is! You can find them in the volcanic deserts, which is probably another reason people wouldn't know about them!

The "rat" part of the name may seem like an answer to what they are, but that is only partially correct. They are not true rats, but they are indeed rodents! They have those huge incisors that never stop growing, the classic tell! I am sure some folk may think them different, what with their strange hide, but they are certainly mammals and definitely rodents! They roam the obsidian fields and black dunes in search of food, and their strange bodies is what helps them do that! In a land of razor stone, endless storms and lightning wielding creatures, one needs a lot of protection to survive! Their answer to these problems is their signature hides, which are surprisingly thick and hang loose in folds. If you were to feel this skin, you would find it similar to rubber! It is made of special layers of skin and blubber, making it sturdy and flexible. Its loose connections to the body cause it to look wrinkled and rolled, making it quite "flabby" looking! It probably looks quite awful to some, but it is incredibly useful! These thick rubbery layers cause most blades to bounce off it or fail to bite in. Short nerve endings mean that they feel no pain in this skin, so the irritating sands and sharp stones hardly bother it. And such a thick skin is also good with insulating from nasty shocks, cutting down the power of some lightening wielding predators! Some say it could run through a tunnel of swords and not come out with a single scratch, and I believe it! Honestly, they live with much worse!

These strange rodents scour the volcanic desert for food, which is usually anything they can eat. They are omnivores and opportunistic ones at that. They will pretty much eat anything they can find, as the land is harsh and unforgiving. Have to take whatever meal you can find! A major staple of their diet is the variety of fungi that can be found growing all across the desert and lava rivers, their incisors gnawing through tough rinds and dense shells. Side note, this also means they are quite inedible to most outsiders, as who knows what their flesh collects from these meals! They also go after small critters like Elmis Spires, whose shocking defenses have little impact against their flabby hide. A strong nose helps them sniff out prey, and tough claws allow them to dig them up. Flab Rats can either hunt in packs or may hunt alone, this is usually dependent on food availability. On their off time, they tend to hang around their dens, which are made from old lava tubes or sheltering rocks. When caught out in the open during sandstorms or violent lightning, Flab Rats may bury themselves in the sand and wait it out, relying on their tough hides to protect them. It isn't a foolproof situation, but it is better than nothing!

While some may not think much of them due to their appearance, they are quite clever creatures! When hunting in packs, they have a variety of strategies for surrounding prey and baiting out their defenses. Some packs have been seen chasing after storms, as they want to scour the wake for any prey that has been exposed. They are known for collecting excess food and burying them in hoards for later use, and they even set up temporary dens for when their hunts take them far from home! They have smarts that would make any rat proud! And yes, rats are smart! However, this thinking has also caused them to become quite the problem for any towns around these violent regions. Flab Rats desire food and, once they find a good source, they are rare to let it go. After individuals found tasty treats in villages and houses, they have started to associate the local populace with dinner. Packs of them have been known to raid homes and markets, going after any morsel they can get. While it may seem easy just to shoo them away, these Flab Rats have been getting wiser. Some packs send decoys out to catch the attention of guards, while the others sneak in. Some have intentionally wounded pets, livestock or even children to lure folk away so they can swoop in and steal the goods. And when they aren't stealing, they are bringing more trouble! While the hide of Flab Rats protect them from a lot of things, it does little good against the power of the infamous "Lightning Wyrms" of the volcanic deserts. Sadly, it seems these hides make it worse for them, as these vicious dragons enjoy devouring the rats that would dare ignore their power. With no real way to combat these menaces, the Flab Rats have realized that locals have come up with ways of repelling these beasts. So when threatened by one, they lure it to town so that the people can deal with them! Good for the rats, but terrible for the population that now has to battle with these crackling monstrosities! It is a smart trick, but it makes them absolutely despised by any locals who have ever had to deal with them!

I can attest to their cunning and vicious cleverness because I had the unintended "honor" of a close encounter with one of these rats. Obviously I was on a research expedition in a volcanic desert, but I was not alone in this situation! I was with a team of researchers looking into the shock-producing capabilities of native species like the Shockscale Urchin and Elmis Spire. We were hunting for specimens, which required us to be out in the open desert. This posed a danger to us, as we would be exposed to the violent storms that frequently tore through, but we had the luck of finding an empty lava tube nearby that could be used as shelter. As we were searching the sands, we spotted a lone Flab Rat amongst the dunes, no doubt hunting like we were. Knowing it could prove to be a danger, we stuck close together and made attempts to drive it away. Noise and thrown objects succeeded in keeping it at bay, and eventually it retreated. We continued our work but were soon stopped by the arrival of a nasty storm. We ducked into our tube and waited it out. When it passed, we emerged and scoured the swept dunes for any new clues. We spotted the Flab Rat again, who must have sheltered nearby. It kept its distance from us and soon scurried out of sight, so we believed we finally proved to be an bothersome target. Work went along quickly, especially since we knew we were on a timer. Alas, that time was used up and another storm roared across the desert. We grabbed our stuff and dived back into our shelter. As we collected ourselves, I realized we had been rushed with packing up our equipment. I was worried that our haste had meant some of our more delicate pieces may not be properly packed, so I decided to double check them as we waited out the storm. I moved myself further back into the tube for some more space and started to get into the gear. Away from the group with my back turned and head buried in my pack, I made myself the perfect target for our unknown guest.

What we figured is that it saw us hide in the lava tube when the first storm came, so it picked that as an ideal place for an ambush. When we were busy hunting for samples, it slipped past us and crept into the hole. It hid far back in the tube, hoping we would miss its presence. Maybe it was hoping one of us would run blindly into the depths, too scared of the storm to expect danger. What it was offered instead was a separated dryad who was lost in equipment checks. Meat or plant, it didn't care and it probably didn't even know what I was. In the end, I was just another meal for it. In that moment, it attacked and I was oblivious to the threat. The first sensation I felt was a powerful pressure on my leg, and then a violent pull that dropped me onto my stomach. Pain blossomed in my leg, as I realized its teeth were sunk in deep. Trapped in its jaws, I was dragged back farther into the tube, no doubt trying to get me further away from my companions. My screams caught their attention and they scrambled to save me, but the rat was not ready to lose its meal. It dropped my leg and readied to finish the job, perhaps thinking they would abandon a corpse. That brief second of release allowed me to flip onto my back and witness it launch itself at my face. I seized what I could with my arms and pushed it back, keeping those snapping incisors away from my head. It clawed and hissed as it tried to move in for the kill, but I did not relent. My friends came and started wailing on it, but its rubbery hide and fierce determination allowed it to ignore these attempts.

They did provide a momentary opening, where I could drop my hand and find my knife. When it pushed back again, I was ready. Its maw opened for a savage bite and I thrust my blade into it. Its protective hide kept its outsides safe, but not its insides. I jammed my knife into the roof of its mouth, stabbing right into its brain. In an instant, the rat fell dead, its body toppling onto me. The threat was slain but I did not come out unscathed. My leg had been ravaged, and my arms were torn up from fending it off. In a kinder ecosystem, I could have hung around camp as my injuries healed, but volcanic deserts offer little mercy. I was in no shape to survive such a brutal land, so they patched me up and sent me and a coworker home. I felt terrible for being such a weight upon the expedition, as they had to lose days of time fixing me and getting me back to civilization. To top it off, they were losing another worker because I couldn't be sent off alone. It was a miserable feeling, but a part of me was relieved. It is no secret that I despise this ecosystem, as it is a nightmare to work in. Being sent home felt like getting sick leave from school, where I could return to the comforts as I tended to my wounds. I know Vera was delighted to have me back early, maybe more so when she learned my injury would keep me home for a few weeks. We cracked some jokes about it then, but now I feel a pang of guilt when I think about it. Only when I was mangled or bedridden did my daughter get the chance to have her mother. What must it be like, to hope for some trouble or injury so that you could even have a moment? I really wish I had listened to you sooner, Eucella. If I could have just found the courage...

But, the rat that mangled me did provide me with something else. It served as a specimen for dissection and study, and when they were done with it, they presented me its hide. At first I thought it was just a tacky trophy, but then got the idea to put it to use. Its rubbery skin made for good protection, and I was able convert it into a fine pair of leggings! Durable and strong! They turned out to be so good for field work, I sought out some other Flab Rat hides to make a whole outfit! One of the best bits of gear I ever got! I still have them to this day, though I admit it doesn't look all that flattering! Flabby hide isn't the most visually appealing material!

Chlora Myron

Dryad Historian

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

Naked mole rats made of rubber! Kind of cool but kind of hideous!