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Appearance
To quote literally everyone I've asked, wargs look like "really big wolves". To build upon that brilliant insight, at their largest, shoulder height on a warg is roughly equivalent to shoulder height on a human, and they usually have a wiry build. Fur colors can include white, gray, black, brown, or rarely orange in a variety of patterns. Fur textures vary by environment, and seem to not be in their blood; this texturing develops as they age, however, and adult wargs will not usually have further alterations.
Additionally, at the risk of undermining the serious work I am doing, warg pups are adorable. Their fur is especially fluffy, and they are sociable, playful, and affectionate from the moment they meet you. They are, however, rather noisy.
Lifespan
Potentially up to 50 years, but usually less in the wild.
Habitat
Wargs seem to favor cooler forest or taiga environments, but can be found in grasslands and temperate forests. While I cannot yet personally verify, there are stories of them showing up in subpolar climates, and I have encountered at least two distinct packs in Larkspur, high in the Whitecrown Mountains. They show a marked distaste for hot climates, especially hot and humid; there are packs at the borders of the Anauroc desert, but none have ever been reported in the Talthor Jungle. My pack grows uncomfortable even in an unusually warm summer; I'd not push them into anything hotter.
Behavior
Wargs, like their smaller cousins, are pack animals, working together as a whole for the good of the pack. Juvenile wargs will practice hunting with help from pack elders, young adults will hunt for their own food, and mature adults hunt for the pack as a whole. Elders, in addition to teaching the young, are generally the ones who care for the young outside of feeding pups, which is left to the mothers.
They understand planning ahead and the concept of delaying something for a greater reward later. In my own experience, I have offered them an especially good meal if they restrain themselves from eating food I intentionally left out, and they were able to maintain this behavior for half a moon before they began getting impatient.
On that note, with time they can approximately understand human speech. They are known to have a stronger spiritual sense than common wolves, and this may be how they understand our intentions; I've certainly never been able to deceive them, at the least.
Diet
Wargs are primarily carnivorous. They may eat fruits, vegetables, and berries that happen to be available, but do not go out in search of them. They prefer fresh meat, but like most animals will scavenge if necessary.
Human Interaction
Wargs are intelligent, pack-oriented, and adaptable. This makes working with them both easier and more challenging. They are intelligent enough to learn, but also intelligent enough that you must convince them, and their pack mentality means that if they don't accept you as part of the pack, they won't obey without good reason. Additionally, because of the importance of the pack, you cannot under normal circumstances simply raise one warg. You must work with the whole pack or you get none of them.
They are not, as a rule, working beasts; you cannot expect them to plow your fields, pull your carts, or carry heavy burdens. Instead, they can serve as guards, assist in hunting, and should they trust you enough, they can serve as mounts.
Wargs can sometimes conflict with human herders and hunters, but recognize our communities as if they were a pack, and strive to avoid competing with our territory just as they do with other warg packs.
They are not aggressive, and should only attack defensively if they are wounded or if you approach their young. All known warg attacks have been preceded by a loud warning growl, and to my knowledge, all who have backed away in response to that growl have been left in peace.
If a pack allows you to approach and handle their young, there is no greater sign of trust. It took several years for me to reach that point with my pack. It is worth the effort.
To quote literally everyone I've asked, wargs look like "really big wolves". To build upon that brilliant insight, at their largest, shoulder height on a warg is roughly equivalent to shoulder height on a human, and they usually have a wiry build. Fur colors can include white, gray, black, brown, or rarely orange in a variety of patterns. Fur textures vary by environment, and seem to not be in their blood; this texturing develops as they age, however, and adult wargs will not usually have further alterations.
Additionally, at the risk of undermining the serious work I am doing, warg pups are adorable. Their fur is especially fluffy, and they are sociable, playful, and affectionate from the moment they meet you. They are, however, rather noisy.
Lifespan
Potentially up to 50 years, but usually less in the wild.
Habitat
Wargs seem to favor cooler forest or taiga environments, but can be found in grasslands and temperate forests. While I cannot yet personally verify, there are stories of them showing up in subpolar climates, and I have encountered at least two distinct packs in Larkspur, high in the Whitecrown Mountains. They show a marked distaste for hot climates, especially hot and humid; there are packs at the borders of the Anauroc desert, but none have ever been reported in the Talthor Jungle. My pack grows uncomfortable even in an unusually warm summer; I'd not push them into anything hotter.
Behavior
Wargs, like their smaller cousins, are pack animals, working together as a whole for the good of the pack. Juvenile wargs will practice hunting with help from pack elders, young adults will hunt for their own food, and mature adults hunt for the pack as a whole. Elders, in addition to teaching the young, are generally the ones who care for the young outside of feeding pups, which is left to the mothers.
They understand planning ahead and the concept of delaying something for a greater reward later. In my own experience, I have offered them an especially good meal if they restrain themselves from eating food I intentionally left out, and they were able to maintain this behavior for half a moon before they began getting impatient.
On that note, with time they can approximately understand human speech. They are known to have a stronger spiritual sense than common wolves, and this may be how they understand our intentions; I've certainly never been able to deceive them, at the least.
Diet
Wargs are primarily carnivorous. They may eat fruits, vegetables, and berries that happen to be available, but do not go out in search of them. They prefer fresh meat, but like most animals will scavenge if necessary.
Human Interaction
Wargs are intelligent, pack-oriented, and adaptable. This makes working with them both easier and more challenging. They are intelligent enough to learn, but also intelligent enough that you must convince them, and their pack mentality means that if they don't accept you as part of the pack, they won't obey without good reason. Additionally, because of the importance of the pack, you cannot under normal circumstances simply raise one warg. You must work with the whole pack or you get none of them.
They are not, as a rule, working beasts; you cannot expect them to plow your fields, pull your carts, or carry heavy burdens. Instead, they can serve as guards, assist in hunting, and should they trust you enough, they can serve as mounts.
Wargs can sometimes conflict with human herders and hunters, but recognize our communities as if they were a pack, and strive to avoid competing with our territory just as they do with other warg packs.
They are not aggressive, and should only attack defensively if they are wounded or if you approach their young. All known warg attacks have been preceded by a loud warning growl, and to my knowledge, all who have backed away in response to that growl have been left in peace.
If a pack allows you to approach and handle their young, there is no greater sign of trust. It took several years for me to reach that point with my pack. It is worth the effort.
