A dry land with few edible plants proves a poor home for most creatures, so the Lone-lands are comparatively bare even of the humblest animals. However, it also means those that are present are more hardy, more dangerous, and sometimes more desperate than what those from softer lands may be accustomed to.
Predators
Wolf: Not that numerous, but easily the most dangerous animal to be found in the Lone-lands, wolves are far more common in Talath Gaun than other regions, but can be found anywhere in the Lone-lands. Wolves hunt in packs which are led by the strongest male and female (if you see a lone wolf, you are probably being set up and trapped, as the rest of the pack is probably nearby but out of sight). A wolf pack that has enough to eat will usually avoid people. Which makes sense if you think about it: nothing else in the Lone-lands poses any significant threat to a wolf, save men and goblins, with their spears and bows, so naturally wolves will avoid them. But the Lone-lands are harsh and food can be sparse, and a desperately hungry wolf-pack will pursue men or goblins, especially those who travel alone, and who don't pay attention to their surroundings. Like most creatures, wolves will defend their dens, and their young, with ferocity that can be impressive (briefly, then fatal), so it is best to avoid those dens when their locations are known. One notable den is in the southern reaches of Talath Gaun, tucked amongst some ruins that sit against the hillside; there is nothing there but death, and it is best avoided. While the meat of a wolf, like that of most meat-eaters, is a poor meal, it is better than no meal at all. The furs, however, are very valuable as they keep dry and warm more than those of any other creature of the Lone-lands. Still, the risk entailed in angering a wolf-pack is rarely worth it, unless you're a very capable hunter who is very sure of the situation and able to separate one from the pack. Wolves eat virtually any prey animal they can find, save small birds, but those of Talath Gaun subsist primarily on boar; their claws cannot penetrate the tough hide, but they dig in enough to pin the boar in place, where their powerful jaws can easily rip through the hide.
Lynx: Mostly found in Nain Enidh, the lynx is much less fearsome than the wolf, especially since they are solitary hunters (that’s why the Eglain hunt them for furs). Though they are small and light, they are incredibly swift and agile, so they are best hunted at great distance using a spear. (A capable archer can make do with arrows, but it will take several, so measure the distance carefully and keep in mind the speed of an angry lynx.) They primarily eat birds, particularly the sage-grouse, which they can detect in sagebrush by scent and approach unseen and unheard.
Fox: The red fox of the Lone-lands is small, scarcely larger than a rabbit, and typically hides within the grasses. They produce little fur due to their size, but it is a fine fur, and valuable as a trade item (so the Eglain rarely wear it themselves). Foxes will eat almost anything, primarily hunting rabbits but also willing to eat snakes, birds, and insects. While a fox-bite can be quite painful, they pose little threat to people and avoid them whenever possible.
Craban: While most of the birds of the Lone-lands are plant-eaters, subsisting on the seeds and blooms of its abundant grasses, the crebain are far more vicious, and primarily eat insects and snakes. Generally they keep their distance and watch people (many tales are told of the ill omens they can represent), but if startled, a craban will not hesitate to attack a person, despite it having little hope of doing serious injury (perhaps because it knows it can fly away when the attack is turned back on it). The feathers of the craban are coarse and offer little warmth, and the meat is bitter, so crebain are rarely hunted.
Snake: Countless snakes dwell in the grasses, usually burrowing into loose soil to make nests. None are known to be venomous, or dangerous to men, though they can certainly startle. They are most noteworthy for the fact that most horses are frightened by them and will spook, so the scout must watch for snakes in the grass when leading or riding a horse away from the road. It's not known why horses are so afraid of snakes, since snakes (at least those of the Lone-lands) never attack horses. If anything, snakes should be terrified of horses (who often kill them by trampling them and breaking their bones). Snake-meat should be carefully cleaned and thoroughly cooked.
Biting Insects: Though the ill-aspected waters of Haragmar do not breed insects in quantity (save the nerbyg, described below), those of Harloeg produce vast swarms of biting flies and other insects in the heat of summer. Mostly an annoyance (albeit a grave one), these swarms can be dangerous or even life-threatening during longer exposure, as their bites sometimes grow hot and red, leading to illness. Anyone who intends to spend a summer's day in Harloeg should bring some dried sweet vernal (see the Flora chapter), which tends to keep them away.
Prey
Boar: Herds of boar are found in scattered locations around the Lone-lands, though they are most prominent near the slopes of Talath Gaun, and in the scrublands near Minas Eriol. There is no animal in the Lone-lands that produces more, or finer, meat, but despite this, the boar is not the primary food source of the Eglain. Why? Because there is no prey animal that is more dangerous; in fact, an angry boar is second only to the wolf in danger. The boar has such thick, hard hide that many weapons, notably a hunter's arrows, will rarely penetrate it (hunters can make special arrows with pointed, not bladed, metal tips as narrow as possible to counter this, but even so, many will bounce off and it will take quite a few shots to bring down a boar, more than the hunter has time for before the boar reaches him). The best weapon, perhaps the only weapon, to use is a long-hafted, metal-tipped spear, whose point is barbed and kept as sharp as possible (and it must be wielded by someone of unusual strength). The spear can drive through the hide and pin the boar to the ground, where it will, over time, die, while the hunter keeps at a safe distance. Should the spear not penetrate or not pin the boar, the hunter's next option is to run (preferably to something it can climb like a sturdy tree), because an angry boar (even injured) can easily kill its hunter, and will not stop until it has. Nearly every part of a boar can be used, so a coordinated group hunt, driving or luring boars into a trap, is worth the risk, but it must be planned carefully, not taken up by a hungry, lone hunter.
Grouse: The typical traveler passing through the Lone-lands does not even notice the sage-grouse, since they are generally low to the ground, often hidden amongst the sagebrush (see the Flora chapter), and does not travel far. This is a pity, since the grouse is probably the best meal for a lone hunter or small group to search for. They are swift to flee from the sound of a clumsy hunter (if they're even spotted in the first place), but can usually be felled by a single well-placed arrow or spear-throw, and provide a hearty meal when roasted (the larger birds can feed a small family). Grouse-feathers can be used in pillows and to make clothing. Grouse eggs may be gathered from nests and cooked, though they are smaller and less tasty than chicken eggs.
Antelope: Also rarely seen by those unfamiliar with the ways of the Lone-lands, the shy antelope, known for its pronged horn, typically stays in the highlands. They have exceptionally keen hearing, which makes it hard to sneak up on one (or even get close enough to see it), and they are the swiftest creatures in the land, even able to outpace most birds in flight. By time the average road-walker approaches where one was, it is far, far away. Even the Eglain rarely catch them, and usually only by luck. Merely to see one is considered by many Eglain an omen of good fortune (though probably not good enough to successfully hunt one).
Deer: Very rarely seen in the Lone-lands, so rarely that they may simply have wandered in from the Soft Lands. While the grasses of the Lone-lands suit them, the number of predators, and the lack of wood cover, do not, so they rarely last very long.
Rabbit: Very plentiful, which is fortunate as they comprise the majority of the diet of most of the predators of the Lone-lands, and contribute a great deal even to that of the Eglain. We assume goblins eat a lot of them as well. They dig warrens wherever the soil is loose enough, and generally keep as hidden as they can amongst the grasses. Most are brown in color, but a few are more white-furred.
Other Birds: There are too many types of birds that spend at least some of their time in the Lone-lands to count, though (apart from crebain) few if any are predatory raptors. While the sage-grouse is the most common to be hunted, many other kinds can be part of a small meal.
Fish: Several types of river fish can be pulled from the Hoarwell, but the Eglain do little fishing, as the river's stock is not great, and the time it takes is not worth what it yields. Fish found in the river that can be eaten include trout, dace, perch, rud, and barbel.
People
Goblins: The goblins of the Lone-lands are mostly those which emerge from under the hills, particularly the Weather Hills, though some climb over their peaks instead. Though shy of strong sunlight, they do not hide from it. Some of the ruins (notably Minas Eriol and Naerost) are overrun by them, and will not likely be cleansed of them soon. Otherwise, they emerge from their tunnels, set up camps, and often, are slain and driven back by the Eglain, their camps destroyed, only to reappear somewhere else months, weeks, or even days later. We do not know if the creatures that hold Naerost are some different, stronger, more Man-like breed of goblins, or something else; they behave mostly like goblins, but look more like deformed men. Goblins in the Lone-lands are much as they are in other lands: small, foul, violent, stupid, disgusting, and little more than vermin on two feet, capable of making spears but little more.
Rangers: Men who are said to come from somewhere far to the north, the Rangers are obvious because of their efforts to be mysterious. There are usually two or three of them roaming the wilds at any time, more commonly in the west. They do not speak of what they are doing, and there is a sort of tacit understanding between them and the Eglain, that neither will get in the way of the other, nor will either expect help from the other. What their purpose is in the Lone-lands is unknown, but they are entirely capable of surviving in the wilderness and defending themselves.
Eglain: See the chapter titled The Eglain.
Monsters
Norbog: These creatures dwell in the blood-hued waters of Haragmar, thriving where other creatures dare not visit. At a glance, they look very like the large insects seen on the western end of Midgewater Marsh, sometimes called neek-breeks or fennel-bugs. Like those creatures, they make creaking noises, and dig burrows in the marshy mud. They have been placed under this heading because, while they may originate as relations of those curious insects, there is something very different about them. They show no signs that they eat, seeming somehow to draw sustenance from the tainted water, or something else. They are moderately aggressive, providing yet another reason to avoid these marshes. Tales are sometimes told that their song at night can get into a person's dreams and drive them mad; once the song is in a person's dreams, removing that person to a distance will not free them from the dream. This may be nothing but legend or exaggeration, but there's no question the nerbyg are something more than merely large insects.
Spider: Occasionally, very large spiders, nearly as large as a wolf, are seen in the heights of the Weather Hills, and sometimes fall down into the valley, where they can pose a dire threat to passersby. They are usually dealt with quickly by the Eglain when this happens. Once, many years ago, a queen-spider came over the hills and laid a brood of eggs; fortunately, a sharp-eyed Eglain scout noticed this, and after the queen was killed, she burned the eggs before they could hatch. The threat that a colony of spiders could begin to breed within the Lone-lands is why, whenever a spider is seen and slain, a party of Eglain will sweep the area to be sure no clutch of eggs has been hidden nearby. However, with the loss of Minas Eriol to the goblins (see the Ruins chapter), it is possible spiders could be introduced from the south, where we cannot burn the eggs before they hatch.
The Dead: Tales of shambling wights and ghostly apparitions, though never confirmed, are also never far from the lips of the Eglain. Claims are made of seeing such things from time to time, particularly near to Nan Dhelu and Agamaur, but always under questionable circumstances. It would be easy to dismiss these tales as either the tricks of a mind dwelling in fear or despair, or hallucinations caused by the pestilential air of the marshes of Haragmar and Harloeg (see the chapter on Geography). The persistence of these tales makes it hard to be so casually dismissive.
