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Shergan
NOTE: Shergan must live on either Aitsua or Lucerula!
The lyte / user owning them does not have to have originated from that faction, but the owner lytes must canonically live on either of those two islands to regularly interact with their shergan. They cannot traverse other islands well and keep off of them.
Shergan
[sherr-gan]
Plural: Shergan
Young: Nerp
Group: Tower
Surprisingly, Shergan are a fairly common mount despite being the biggest creature Astrolytes have been able to tame. Still, they can only be found on Aitsua and occasionally Lucerula because of it.
Looks & Anatomy
These avians are another domestic species, but do tend to have softer, sandy palettes to match their desert surroundings! It’s rarer to find shergan with very bright or dark colors due to this, but some lytes may breed to create odd varieties.
Shergan are massive birds, towering over most other species with powerful, three-toed legs. Four wings cover their sides, each composed of rows of feathers leading into a webbed exterior. Despite having these, their sheer size prevents them from being able to fly.
They have a long neck that leads up to a small, pointed head that resembles a beak. Two horns sprout from the top of their head, and a row of spikes lines the top of their tail. Their mouth is not visible when closed, but when open, they do have teeth designed to tear and grind through tough plants. They are incredibly heat resistant and are thought to have some level of inherent Burn magic, though they do not seem to be able to actively perform abilities at will.
Behavior & Diet
Despite their intimidating size, shergan are actually quite gentle giants. It’d take a massive effort to provoke them to the point of attack, and even then it’d mostly just be a defensive reaction rather than them actually having malicious intent. Shergan are fairly intelligent, being able to learn basic commands and such quickly, and they’re surprisingly careful about where they step to ensure they don’t accidentally flatten someone.
They are actually more common than jaowls in some parts of Aitsua, and it isn’t uncommon to see a Draco using one of these mounts to travel long distances across the desert.
Shergan make sharp-soundings trills or shorter "pio pio pio" or "rrp" noises. They are surprisingly higher-pitched for their size, and towers of shergan may come together to create what sounds like a chorus of calls under certain circumstances.
Shergan are omnivores and typically eat whatever they can find in their environments. They find it especially easy to eat various cacti, and use it as a way to stay hydrated in the Aitsuan heat. They do not need to eat very often and digest meal very slowly, though some may grow used to having a more constant food source with an owner.
Reproduction & Offspring
Shergan don’t reproduce very often, and only put out clutches of 1-3 eggs each time they breed. They often mate for life, but it is possible to have different breedings.
Their babies are referred to as nerps due to the noise they can often be heard making, and are about a third of the size of an adult! They mostly just resemble a mini Shergan, having a shorter neck and tail and smaller legs and horns. A ring of feathers puffs up around their face, resulting in a mane-like appearance.
Traits
An Ordinary shergan can have up to TWO Ordinary traits and no Unique traits.
A Peculiar shergan can have up to TWO Ordinary traits and up to ONE Unique trait.
A Unique shergan can have up to TWO Ordinary traits and up to THREE Unique traits.
An Exclusive shergan can have any amount of Ordinary, Unique, and Exclusive traits.
Going above the stated trait limits counts as a Unique trait (i.e. If a shergan had three Ordinary traits, they would still be considered a Peculiar shergan despite having no blatant Unique traits.)
Ordinary
Nerp Poof*
Shaped Iris
Dual-Colored Wings
Shaped Tail Tip
Tail Spines
No Tail Spikes
Long Tail
Talons
Unique
Piñata Poof
Four Claws
Extended Spikes
Single Wings
Split Wings
Feathered Tail
An asterisk (*) means that the trait is dormant and will not change the appearance of a nerp until they are grown.
Colors
A shergan's main color can be anything!
They typically have 1 base color, up to 2 secondaries, and up to 1 accent color. The secondaries must visibly be similar to the base in hue — it does not have to be exact. The accent can be any color.
More than 2 secondaries or more than 1 accent are considered Unique traits.
Secondary colors that don’t correlate with the base is considered a Unique trait.
For specific markings (e.g. stripes), up to one marking may be picked for Ordinary shergan. Two or more markings counts as a Unique trait.
Shergan Saddles
Shergan Saddles are items in the group! If you have obtained a Shergan Saddles, that means you are permitted to either request a custom shergan to be designed by an admin / helper or design your own shergan!
Every saddle has a rarity attached which must be followed using the trait guidelines above.
To order a custom shergan, reply on the Item Usage forum with the form below!
Proof of Item:
Species:
Rarity:
Desired Color/s:
Desired Marking Type/s:
Desired Trait/s:
Desired colors/markings/traits do not have to follow the exact trait limit rules when requesting a custom - you can be vague, explain your exact preferences, or give a range of specific traits for the designer to pick from!
To design your own shergan, draw your desired companion and submit them to the Companion Approvals forum! An admin or helper will assist from there.
Companion designs can be checked in our Discord channel, #the_bakery, before submitting to the forums as well!