Appendix A.3: The Geobhin

Common name: Geobhin (gɔ-vɪn)

Individual: Geobh (gɔv)

Plural: Geobhin

Species: Geobh

Classification: Mammalian

Number of sexes: 2 (male and female)

Adult size: Large; lengths generally range from 7’2” to 9’4” snout to tail for males, 8’5” to 11’3” for females

Longevity: Mortal; average lifespan is approximately ninety years

Preferred habitat: Plains, grasslands, or mountains

Range: Routhian continent, mostly in the north; Larinfólde, northern Galtaria
Associated languages: Commercial Standard, Seofmiothebh

Debut: Sonnet (2018)

Physiology:

Described by many as sapient, talking canines, the Geobhin are large wolf-like creatures with prominent snouts and widespread front paws arranged eerily like a humanoid hand. Most have grey or brown fur, although black or white coloring is not uncommon. One of their more noteworthy features is the human-like look of their eyes, with wide sclera and distinct irises in a variety of colors (though Geobh irises tend toward the red-orange-yellow range). Oddly enough, the nerves of their seemingly fully-formed hind legs are almost non-functioning, rendering the limbs useless and leaving the Geobhin to drag themselves about with their forelegs. Scientists are baffled as to the evolutionary reason behind this.

Senses:

While their eyesight is sub-par at best, the Geobhin have acute hearing and highly developed olfaction, particularly in regards to metallic smells; this makes them rather excellent treasure hunters. Their sense of touch is more or less reasonable, but the lack of feeling in their hind legs drags it down to a below-average level. For hunting and defense purposes, the Geobhin body compensates for its lack of mobility by means of a cocktail of allomones to which almost all creatures are susceptible; these chemical signals trigger a state of intense drowsiness, often to the point of near-instant sleep.

Magical abilities:

As is the case with all non-humanoid mammals, the Geobhin are incapable of manipulating essence on their own. However, they can use magic by means of various talismans.

Social behavior:

Most Geobhin live in small to medium-sized groups called dheaghin, comprised of a handful of males and one dominant female. As they lack both the dexterity to build permanent structures and the mobility to pursue a nomadic lifestyle, dheaghin make their homes in natural shelters such as caves. As they often trade found treasure for meat, they must be sure to settle near human outposts. They are typically distrustful of others, but are not unwilling to deal with them should the need arise. They also tend to be codependent; if a Geobh is exiled from a dheagh, he (as it is almost unheard of for a dheagh to expel its alpha female) will often seek the companionship of a social unit of another sentient species.

Reproduction and life cycle:

While uninterested in sex for the majority of the natural year, Geobhin typically go into heat for a couple weeks around midwinter. During this time, the alpha female will make her rounds through the males in her dheagh until she becomes pregnant. She gestates for about five months before birthing a small litter (usually two to six offspring, although litters as large as eleven have been recorded and single births also occur on occasion). Geobhin are as mobile as they ever get at twelve weeks and verbal at twenty-six weeks. Adolescence begins at about age eight and adulthood at fifteen, but a Geobh’s prime may last well into his or her seventies.

Family units:

Young Geobhin are raised communally by their mother and the males of her dheagh, their biological paternity being unquestioned and socially irrelevant. They remain with the dheagh until they come of age, after which they are expected (or forced) to leave, either to join other dheaghin or to find other lone individuals with which to form their own.