Urd'thin: Physical Description (Patreon)

I'm starting a series of lore/worldbuilding type notes, some of which will be Patrons only. But for now, I'll keep this one public to give people an idea of what will be included. They'll be things like detailed physical descriptions, notes on the various types and breeds of urd'thin, gryphons, dragons, details of locations and places in my worlds, etc. These will likely all be available to all patron tiers. 

So if you like what you see and you'd like to read more as it becomes available, consider a pledge! 

For now, here's a detailed description of my urdt'hin species. Got questions? Feel free to leave a comment and ask! 

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Urd’thin are a short, bipedal race that combines traits of fennecs, coyotes, and rats, among others. Please note they are not actually related to any of those species, they are simply easy visual reference points.

The average urd’thin is around 4’ tall. Some of them are shorter, and a select few may reach nearly 5’. Males are usually taller than females. They have lean builds, are very agile, and can be quite graceful or acrobatic with enough practice. Urd’thin are also very fast. When needed they can squeeze themselves through small spaces. 

Their heads and muzzles are canine-like in the broad details. Urd’thin are omnivous, and have a mixture of sharp and flat teeth. They have large ears, not unlike fennecs, that are very mobile and expressive. An urd’thin’s eyes are usually dark, with little to no whites showing. This makes it seem as if they have very large eyes, like a rat. Continuing those similarities, their noses are akin to a cross between a rat and a canine, with some natural variation.

Urd’thin have small, lightly-ridged horns. The horns begin as nubs in childhood, and grow to be 4-5 inches long by adulthood. Males have larger horns than females. Their horns are located closer to the front of the head than the back, over the eyes and between the ears.

An urd’thin’s hands are as dexterous as human hands, with four fingers and a fully opposable thumb. Urd’thin have small, relatively dull claws that are non-retractable. Their legs and feet are digitigrade, and toes also have little claws. Both their hands and feet have fur on the back side, and soft pads on the palms, fingers, toes, soles, etc. Urd’thin clothing/shoes/etc must be designed to fit digitigrade legs. 

Urd’thin have tails, with very thick fur. Their tails are often described as bushy or fluffy. 

Fur coloration among urd’thin usually varies among earth tones. Shades of brown and gray are the most common, varying from very light to very dark. Black and white are uncommon colors but not unknown. Many urd’thin are a single color such as brown or gray all over. However, multi-toned fur is not unusual. Patches of light and dark brown, sandy tans and pale grays, etc. Darker fur coloration often run along their back, with lighter fur along their front side or the limbs. Other uncommon markings include masks of darker or lighter fur across the face, markings on ear tips or tail tips, or stripes/rings around the tail.

Their fur is usually quite thick, though length and density varies by age, location, etc. Fur may grow thicker for the winter, thinner in the summer. Regional variations also occur. Desert urd’thin have much thinner but highly insulting fur. Helps to keep them cool in the sun, and warm in the cold nights. 

(Art above by The Secret Cave)