Reindeer

Reindeer or caribou (also called klantars in the Realms ) were a larger variety of deer.

Description
The variety of caribou in Angalpuk on the Great Glacier weighed upwards of and were about  from the ground to the tops of their heads when upright. They had arching antlers, thick coats, long snouts, and wide hooves. They were brown or gray. White-furred caribou herds lived near the southern mountains of the Angsaas Chain.

Reindeer had good stamina and a good sense of smell.

Some reindeer native to Icewind Dale possessed the rare characteristic of having antlers that glowed in the dark. This effect was believed to have been magical in nature.

Behavior
Reindeer were migratory herd animals with typical groups numbering between eleven and twenty heads. In Angalpuk and Nakvaligach, the herds could be larger, but rarely were as large as 100 heads.

Combat
Reindeer usually fled from potential threats, but if cornered or if their young were threatened, they would use their antlers as weapons.

Ecology
Reindeer lived in regions of tundra and taiga. They were the second-most common land animals of the North. Only deer were more plentiful there. They also lived on the Great Glacier and in the forests and tundra of the Endless Waste.

Reindeer ate lichen and shrubs that they could extract from beneath snow and ice.

Uses
Reindeer were often hunted for food, both by humanoids and by predators such as wolves, white dragons, or tirichik. The nomadic Reghedmen of Icewind Dale were known for tracking herds of reindeer along their migratory paths across the icy tundra.

Reindeer could be trained to pull loads or bear a rider, but they were not strong enough to carry heavier humanoids, being able to carry at most. A single reindeer could drag about. In the country of Hartsvale, reindeer were used to pull sleds called pulkka.

The Angulutiuns of the Great Glacier had a culture that entirely revolved around caribou. They kept herds of thousands of the animals, and the majority of the tribes' food and clothing came from the beasts. Ulutiuns of any tribes ate caribou meat, however, and the hides of the animals were also used to make parkas, sleds, and tents.

Reindeer herds were also crucial to the survival of the northern tribes of the Hordelands. A rare type of guardian creature known as a shatjan protected reindeer herds far to the north.

History
Around the, the reindeer population of Icewind Dale was nearly eradicated by gnolls, until the Reghedmen barbarians interceded.

Appearances

 * Adventures
 * The Accursed Tower • Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden