OVERALL DESCRIPTION
“Little Shenchens are adorable beings but I don't like them. They are pests, living by manipulating humans. It's unreal how cuteness and innocence can get you far in this world.”
Neridian Kaen
Shenhoorlchens are a species of herbivorous rodents whose diet consists primarily of fruits and nuts. They live high up in the trees and often assume a form of hanging fuzzy fruit. Such camouflage protects them from predators and makes them appealing to humans.
They have long arms covered in wool that are suitable for climbing and picking fruit, but their legs are undeveloped and short. The wool is primarily used for protection but also for warmth, especially at night or if they sleep on the ground. They have a structure at the end of their tails resembling a human thumb. They use them to hold onto branches and other delicate things because their paws are very unprecise.
Shenhoorlchens often trick people into taking them home as pets due to their natural cuteness and emotional magic. Once they get into someone’s home, they’ll eat all their food, running away as soon as resources run short.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CONTENTS 1. HISTORY
Throughout the history, Shenhoorlchens were being occasionally hunted for being pests. Those who were aware of their manipulation, like Animal Scryers, hated them and wanted to get rid of them. Other than that, they have no history of being used for anything.
At the beginning of their existence, they were not as humanoid or cute as they are now. Their shape was more blob-like and their bodies completely covered in thick wool. Due to a newfound warmer climate, they reduced the amount of wool to better suit their needs. As they were small and helpless among bigger predators on the ground, they developed longer arms and strong tails so they can climb trees and stay in the treetops for long periods of time.
Being sentient creatures, they purposefully influenced their appearance to look cute and innocent to manipulate people more easily.
2. ANATOMY
2.1. SIZE
Shenhoorlchen are usually have a height of 15 hCH and weight of 1CW.
2.2. MOVEMENT
Shenhoorlchens can use their legs to walk but avoid doing so since their feet are very fragile and could be harmed after extensive usage. Instead, they mostly walk on their arms while on the ground, or swing from branch to branch while in the tree.
2.3. SENSES
Their sense of sight is impaired since they’re nearsighted, only able to see what’s right in front of them. This is another trait that makes them vulnerable to predators. All their other senses are mostly average. However, they posses as special skill of sensing other’s emotions and can enhance or dampen them at will.
2.4. BREEDING
Shenhoorlchen mate once a year and stay pregnant for six weeks before giving birth to a number of offspring between one and six. The young are being born naked, toothless and blind. The female alone looks after her children for one year after which they have fully matured.
3. ECOLOGY
3.1. DIET
Shenhoorlchens are herbivorous. Their diet mainly consists of fruit, vegetables and bugs.
3.2. NATURAL PREDATORS
Being at the bottom of the food chain, they have many natural predators, mainly birds of prey and land carnivorous.
4. BEHAVIOR
4.1. HABITATS
Shenhoorlchens live wherever there are trees, preferably in fruitful areas with abundance of food.
4.2. SOCIAL STRUCTURE
They live in smaller packs for security. They rarely live on their own since they’re weak and use mind-control as the only defense mechanism. As a group, they can use their powers simultaneously on the same target, which makes the result much more effective.
4.3. COMMUNICATION
Shenhoorlchens are sentient beings and they communicate well among themselves, but don’t have any developed language structure. They use emotions for communication rather than sounds.
If they are bound to an Animal Scryer, there’s a chance they’ll learn to understand human language, training their understanding through both the bond they share with a human and natural emotional magic.
4.4. LIFE EXPECTANCY
Life expectancy at birth is one to two years but the average life span of an adult is closer to six years.
5. INTERACTIONS WITH HUMANS
Humans often take them home to keep as pets, but no one keeps them for long willingly. Shenhoorlchens are notorious for mind-controlling their owners into giving them all the food they have, as well as making them work especially hard so they can afford even more food.
Shenhoorlchen will try to live off one owner for as long as possible. If owner doesn’t realize what’s going on in time, they can lose all their money. If they do realize, however, owners will kick them out or even kill them. Overall, they are more of a pest than a pet.
6. MAGIC
Shenhoorlchens use emotional magic. This means they can sense all the emotions from a person or an animal and either increase it or decrease it but can’t make an emotion disappear or add a new one.
They use this magic to influence other’s behavior towards them, especially humans.
7. TRIVIA
Shenhoorlchen – “eichhörnchen” is German for “squirrel” and “schön” is German for “beautiful”, literally means “a beautiful squirrel”
designed to be especially cute<