The main difference between the fauna of Ellenida and our earth is the rarity of mammals. The dominant life-forms are lizards and other reptiles (warm blooded in the north, cold blooded in the southern heat) and birds. While most of the fam iliar mammalian species do exist, they are not very wide spread. Particularly in the Northern realms, birds fill many of the ecological niches.
The basic herd animals all belong to the family of crea tures called the Zwikos, the warm-blooded lizards. All over the Northern hemis phere the main herd beast is the Metakeenos, a herbivore which lives on grass, ferns and the soft lower foliage of trees on the outskirts of the forests. They need a certain amount of open land to graze, so forests are often cleared to allow meadows of high Faliah grasses to grow.
The Metakeenos produces a surprisingly delicately flav oured meat which is widely consumed as one of the sta ples of the Ellenidan diet. The fore-shoulders produce particularly toothsome deli cacies. Its leather is tough, particularly from the back, providing the basic material for boots, belts, saddles and so forth. Its armoured spikes are very tough and are used as scraping tools and can be shaped into daggers. Males are used as beasts of burden for towing wagons as well as being grown just for meat. Being a lizard, it pro duces no milk, but its large eggs can be eaten so long as the females are kept sep arate from the males.
The largest branch of the domestic Zwikos is the Kedros, towering three times as high as a man. It is found in the warm climates of the Southern Continent and has been imported into some of the great river val leys of the North, Its meat is tougher and less digestible than that of the Metakeenos but its eggs are a common staple. Its skin tends to be hard to work, but a good hide will provide several troops with excellent armour if treated correctly. Shields are commonly covered in Kedros-hide, often with sev eral of the smaller neck spines left attached.
These impressive spines can be used as weapons; one Kedros can produce a dozen daggers an size shortswords. These weapons, called Eno plos, are the traditional armament of many of the southern tribes. They have very sharp points but no edges, restricting their use to thrusting attacks. They become fragile after about a year of use. The Kedros can be ridden by particularly intrepid souls, although its neck spines make this a delicate opera tion! In times of war they are often outfitted with howdahs attached behind the spines. Many households have domesticated smaller ani mals consisting of creatures from two different families.
The first of these is the hunt ing bird called the Orthos. These creatures come in sizes ranging from one to four feet high. They are com monly used in hunting, especially within the Northern forests.
Many tribes have their own special breed of Orthos, but not all tribes hunt; many of the agricultural tribes keep Seleekos instead. These creatures are about a foot tall and are valuable hunters of small lizards, insects and other pests. They are mis chievous and get into every thing, so they usually left caged overnight lest one find ones kitchen demolished in the morning.
The Orthos are cousins to the larger Kavala, the great omnivorous riding birds bred by the nomads of the Southern Plains and the basic riding beasts used by tribes throughout the world. Their ill tempers and mas sive appetites are legendary and only the nobility can afford to keep their own stables. Their endurance is also limited, although they are capable of running at speeds up to 50 miles per hour.
Certain of the Southern tribes, particularly the Disci ples of the Snake God Ssfayee and the Spawn of Ohia the Viper, raise and tends several varieties of snakes and smaller lizards, many of whom have poisonous flesh which can only be consumed by those accustomed to it from birth.
Other common sorts of ani mals are lizards ranging from the tiny rat-like Houftia through to the armoured spined and spike- bearing giant Kefala of the forests and wastelands. Cousins of the Seleekos can be found as hunters, ranging in size from the small domestic versions to crea tures that can devour a man.
Birds, flying and flightless, fill many of the niches found among mammals. from the wild cousins of the Orthos that hunt in packs like dogs or hyenas and the wild Kav ala can outrun the fastest man and rend and tear anyone unfortunate enough to encounter one limb from limb.
Insects are also very wide spread, with a wide range of irritating ticks and blood- suckers, with the more fam iliar bees, wasps, and flies being joined by giant dragon flies the whose wings span the same as a tall man's arms.
Ellenida is a lush and fertile place. The huge forests of the North are populated by an assortment of deciduous trees, from the small Kalamee to the towering glades of the mighty Horevo. Hidden glades reveal plants of jewel-like beauty, flowers with beautiful or seductively soporific scent, green and yellow grasses, mosses, mushrooms and other fungi and many flower ing trees.
Cultivated crops include various types of Vromee, or grains, including varieties resembling our own corn, barley and wheat. A soft brown bread is staple of most people in the south; Northerners prefer a darker, harder bread that can be stored over the summer to prepare for winter.
Orchards are kept in many areas, producing apples, oranges, tomatoes, grapes, olives, aubergines, lemons and limes, peaches, plums, quinces, apricots, grapefruits and several other citrus fruit varieties. Olive oil is used in most cooking and also for lighting; grape juice, vine gar, garlic, and fermented tomato sauces are common condiments.
Root vegetables are not grown in the south, but some are cultivated in the North, including the Enalaso, which resembles a sweet potato.
Enalaso stewed with Metakeenos meat and black bread is the characteristic meal of the Northern tribes, while the southern tribes favour a tomato-based stew into which lumps of day-old brown bread have been thrown. This is served on a platter with a side dish con taining a highly-spiced omelette of Metakeenos eggs with mushrooms, herbs and spices.
Other staples include various sorts of fish for those communities near the sea; the communities on the great rivers also catch fish but is sufficiently small quantities for them to be considered delicacies.
Bird meat of various sorts is eaten, although few eat Orthos meat because it tastes rather rotten even if very fresh. Oreeso is a domesticated flightless bird resembling a large turkey that is kept for meat in some agricultural areas that do not have a steady enough rainfall to sustain Faliah grass for Metakeenos graz ing.
In tribes which hunt, the flesh of the wild Zwikos lizards is frequently eaten having been roasted over an open fire. The smaller varie ties are cooked whole, usually stuffed with garlic bulbs and other herbs.
The larger varieties are cooked in haunches or sides. If a very large animal is killed, its meat will be pre served in salted water in a pit lined with pitch, covered over with tree branches and then buried. The forest tribes claim that the flesh of a Zwikos so preserved actually tastes better after six months. Other agree that the flesh is certainly tender but argue that one might as well eat burnt peat, for that is what it tastes of.
The favoured drinks of the north are Vromee beer and fermented Vromee liquor, which is buried in wooden casks and freeze distilled over winter to produce a drink not unlike whisky. The more temperate southern lands favour the growing of grapes and both red and white wines are produced. Most red wine is watered to drink, although semi-fer ment white wines called Kavento are also watered down to produce a remark ably pleasant sweet wine taken during religious ceremonies.
The tribes of the Southern continent favour pungent infusions of plant leaves called Nopta which taste like a very strong tea mixed with ginger. Many people from the south refuse to drink water in its pure state, a religious observation intended to make sure water was boiled before drinking.
Salt is a precious condiment, collected from sea salt and mined from rock salt. Other herbs and spices are traded widely, particularly in the south where heavily spiced food is cooked to conceal the taste of slightly spoiled meat. Northerners prefer to include fresh herb leaves rather than dried spices in their cooking.
Last modified 12 Sept 1998 Comments or Questions to Hywel Phillips.