Reindeer or caribou (also called klantars in the Realms[6]) were a larger variety of deer.[3]
Description[]
The variety of caribou in Angalpuk on the Great Glacier weighed upwards of 600 pounds (270 kilograms) and were about 6 feet (1.8 meters) 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.[4]
Reindeer had good stamina and a good sense of smell.[3]
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.[8]
Behavior[]
Reindeer were migratory[7] herd animals with typical groups numbering between eleven and twenty heads.[3] In Angalpuk and Nakvaligach, the herds could be larger, but rarely were as large as 100 heads.[4]
Combat[]
Reindeer usually fled from potential threats, but if cornered or if their young were threatened, they would use their antlers as weapons.[3][4]
Ecology[]
Diet[]
Reindeer typically ate lichen and shrubs that they could extract from beneath snow and ice.[4]
Habitats[]
Reindeer lived in regions of tundra and taiga.[3] They were the second-most common land animals of the North. Only deer were more plentiful there.[6] They also lived on the Great Glacier[4] and in the forests and tundra of the Endless Waste.[7]
Beyond the Prime Material plane, reindeer could be found in the plane of Alfheim.[9]
Usages[]
Reindeer were often hunted for food, both by humanoids[3] and by predators such as wolves, white dragons, or tirichik.[4] The nomadic Reghedmen of Icewind Dale were known for tracking herds of reindeer along their migratory paths across the icy tundra.[10][11]
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 225 lb (102 kg). A single reindeer could drag about 1,125 lb (510.3 kg).[3] In the country of Hartsvale, reindeer were used to pull sleds called pulkka.[12]
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.[4] Both the Angulutiun and the Iulutiun used a technique for hunting caribou called inuksuk.[13]
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.[14]
History[]
Around the Year of the Striking Falcon, 1333 DR, the reindeer population of Icewind Dale was nearly eradicated by gnolls, until the Reghedmen barbarians interceded.[15]
Appendix[]
Appearances[]
Adventures
The Rise of Tiamat
Novels & Short Stories
Video Games
Board Games
Organized Play & Licensed Adventures
Recipe for Retribution
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ Christopher Perkins (September 2020). Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden. Edited by Kim Mohan. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 268. ISBN 978-0786966981.
- ↑ Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford, Christopher Perkins (2014-09-30). Monster Manual 5th edition. Edited by Scott Fitzgerald Gray. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 322. ISBN 978-0786965614.
- ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 Wolfgang Baur, James Jacobs, George Strayton (September 2004). Frostburn. Edited by Greg Collins. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 164–165. ISBN 0-7869-2896-4.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 4.9 Rick Swan (1992). The Great Glacier. (TSR, Inc), pp. 53–55. ISBN 1-56076-324-8.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Gary Gygax (December 1977). Monster Manual, 1st edition. (TSR, Inc), p. 51. ISBN 0-935696-00-8.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Ed Greenwood and Jason Carl (July 2002). Silver Marches. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 41. ISBN 0-7869-2835-2.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 David Cook (August 1990). “Volume I”. In Steve Winter ed. The Horde (TSR, Inc.), pp. 122, 128. ISBN 0-88038-868-4.
- ↑ Christopher Perkins (September 2020). Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden. Edited by Kim Mohan. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 307. ISBN 978-0786966981.
- ↑ Wolfgang Baur and Lester Smith (1994-07-01). “The Book of Chaos”. In Michele Carter ed. Planes of Chaos (TSR, Inc), p. 109. ISBN 1560768746.
- ↑ Christopher Perkins (September 2020). Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden. Edited by Kim Mohan. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 262. ISBN 978-0786966981.
- ↑ Christopher Perkins (September 2020). Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden. Edited by Kim Mohan. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 304. ISBN 978-0786966981.
- ↑ Ray Winninger (September 1995). Giantcraft. Edited by Karen S. Boomgarden. (TSR, Inc.), p. 79. ISBN 0-7869-0163-2.
- ↑ Rick Swan (1992). The Great Glacier. (TSR, Inc), p. 46. ISBN 1-56076-324-8.
- ↑ David Cook (August 1990). “Monstrous Compendium”. In Steve Winter ed. The Horde (TSR, Inc.). ISBN 0-88038-868-4.
- ↑ Christopher Perkins (September 2020). Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden. Edited by Kim Mohan. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 291. ISBN 978-0786966981.