Vikara

Not much is known about Vikari and where the creatures came from. They appear to be from another reality or another dimension, and have a lot of strange eldritch abilities and energy about them. They can be described as a force of nature. They are powerful, sturdy, and very hard to kill. While they have a connection to life energy or soul energy, they are not inherently magical creatures. Aside from the ability to create a terrible roar laced with a shattering sonic boom and their ability to cast an effect known as Darkened, they have no noticeable magical abilities.

Some theorize that Vikari once had an alliance with early humans when they were hiding underground from a strange dangerous cateclysm alluded to in old tales. This theory is reinforced by the ruins of ancient cities that can often be found deep underground. They have what appear to be shrines and statues in honor of the Vikari, and some old folklore call them the Wardens of the Deep Cities, and many still have a vikara or a pride of vikari still dwelling there.

One individual of note is a vikara known as the Phantom of the Deep. This unique warden is seen as a bit of a local cryptid by those living above its ancient city. Locals tell tales of a unique pale warden who is unusually large. The Phantom is said to be calm and quiet, and some have even described this vikara as almost friendly, even if standoffish and not fond of touch. The ruins this vikara is said to dwell in are extensive, denoting a city that was once huge and thriving.

The Phantom is ancient and many vikari trace their lineage back to her. Her descendants are notable in that they are generally friendlier towards humans and similar races, less likely to attack unless heavily provoked and capable of understanding several human and other race's languages.

While vikari have a fearsome reputation and many people are terrified of these deadly Eldritch cave monsters, they are not carnivores, not predatory, and don't hunt. They completely lack any hunting instinct and are unable to eat meat without getting sick. They will not go out of their way to hunt you down unless provoked. They are extremely territorial, so some are provoked by something as simple as you being close enough to their territory for them to detect.

Vikari are rumored to carry souls souls in their belly/chest, and draw power from this. Some theorize that vikari use these souls to power their sonic shriek ability.  This is only partially true;  It is a form of energy that is present all throughout the world, and is commonly referred to as Soul, or Soul Energy. Every living thing has some of this soul energy, with those who are aware and conscious having the most. Vikari gather this soul energy, making use of it, and storing it away in their skolek. This energy, having imprinted with the souls of those it was once connected to, carries with it echoes of those it once inhabited.

The swirling energy, which can sometimes resemble faces, aisn't actually souls of fallen people, but rather echoes. Memories. Reflections of those who once lived, their energy being stored in the skolek.  The actual soul moves on, with the energy that once powered it left behind.

While extremely rare, it is possible to experience some of the memories vikari have stored within, meaning they are historically very valuable.... If you can approach and they trust you enough to let you have direct contact with their very heart.

Vikari take in energy from many sources, geothermal heat, eating deadwood and decaying organic matter.... And Gathering life energy, or, soul energy.

This is present naturally everywhere in the world, but is the most concentrated in self aware, conscious beings, forming a proper soul. The vikari gather this energy, though the person themself moves on to the afterlife.... But, their memory, their echo, remains. And it's these echoes and memories that form the eerie blue glow within a vikara's heart.

In short, some vikari carry memories and reflections of times long past, civilizations that fell in ages past.

If you can get close enough to one, and gain its trust enough to open its very heart, you can catch glimpses of these reflected memories.

Some vikari were around people who died horribly, or were around death caused by a terrible tragedy. The echoes can effect their mental health and temperament…. And makes some vikari incredibly hostile and dangerous. The echoes of it stick with them.

A vikara can share this energy with others, restoring their life and youth.  Power hungry people figured this out. They killed numerous people, for various reasons, then lured a vikara to the city center, drained away the energy and used it for themselves. This, of course, packed the vikara with tragic, painful echoes. Making it increasingly aggressive and dangerous.

An individual named Yugoth was one of the vikari used for that very purpose. Taken from its mother when it was quite young, packed full of energy from fallen enemies and executed criminals, its heart kept pried open and the high priest stealing the energy.

This eventually caused the young vikara to snap. What pushed Yugoth over the edge was when the mother of a child it grew very attached to was put to death for theft. She stole to provide for her family, and her energy was poured into the bound and captive vikara, and then ripped away. All the while, its core was locked away in the structure at the center of the city... Causing it to be in a constantly vulnerable state and in constant pain, but also unable to leave. The kid ended up blaming Yugoth. It managed to kill the high priest, but its rampage also ended up killing most of the city dwellers with the rest fleeing.

Yugoth has been alone in the ruins of the city it was bound to since, heart exposed and living with the trauma of all the deaths used to feed it and its own traumatic experiences. In constant pain, due to its constantly alert state. Vulnerable, with its heart exposed.

Phantom had a much more pleasant experience, she willingly shared her energy with those she cared about, and gently held onto the energy of those who passed naturally. In a sense, giving them peace and keeping their memories alive within her core.

Vikari are generally solitary and highly territorial, and tend to chase off things they do not want in their territories. Despite this, they do have some social instincts. Sometimes, they can be seen in small family groups called prides due to how some people describe them as reminding them of cave lions. Prides consist of an elder who is a large and powerful dominant individual who is the pride leader, and up to three smaller, less dominant individuals and any young they may have. Young vikari still instinctively leave their dam’s territory when they reach maturity, so these small groups are generally unrelated individuals. The instinct for young to leave the territory and settle far away helps with genetic diversity, and keeps Vikari populations diverse and healthy. They breed so rarely that genetic issues from inbreeding could be detrimental to their population. Additionally,  they can recognize the scent of one who is related too closely to produce healthy offspring, which further helps avoid accidentally inbreeding.

These family groups will usually only have one cub among them at a time, though sometimes two if their territory is established enough. The cub is usually sired by the pride leader.  While most Vikari contentedly live a solitary life outside of mating and cub rearing, these family groups aren’t unheard of in larger skolek patches in the Depths. The best way to know if there’s more than one is the size of the skolek patch. Smaller skolek patches are most likely to only host a single vikara, and probably fairly young. Much larger skolek patches can sustain more Vikari, and thus are more likely to host one of these small prides, though are still more likely to host a single well established adult. Large skolek patches usually only have a single older individual, but only large skolek patches can host a Vikari pride.

The dominant elder, who is the leader of the pride, has a scent that can actually be calming to the territorial instincts in younger Vikari. Vikari prides always have one larger more dominant individual among them, because without them the younger Vikari are far more likely to fight eachother over territory. The bigger Vikari has a calming influence on the younger smaller ones.

Sometimes, a vikara will pair bond with another. When this happens, this pair bond will last for life. Occasionally, for very well established pairs, their young will stay with them even after maturity for a time. They will always eventually go off to found their own territory, but if the territory is established enough they may help care for any cubs born to their parents for a time. Vikari are long lived and powerful creatures, and don’t breed often. Because of this, they pour all their resources into insuring their cub reaches adulthood safely. The case of pair bonding is the only time a Vokari pride will have two large older Vikari, as they are too territorial otherwise.

Being eldritch fungi, Vikari do not follow the same genders/gender identities as humans and other flesh and blood creatures. They are all capable of siring and bearing young.  They do have a form of sexual dimorphism. While humans may see more submissive, smaller individuals as “feminine” and larger more dominant individual as more “masculine”, Vikari are actually the opposite. Females still have male reproductive organs that are fully functional, but they are larger and more territorial and thus more likely to become receptive and bear a cub.  Males still have female reproductive organs that are capable of bearing cubs, but they are smaller, less territorial, and tend to wander. Some male vikari can act almost docile in certain situations. Many others sit somewhere between male and female and they may even change from male to female during their lives. They generally don’t understand gender, and don’t really care. Their Deep Eldritch language does not have gendered pronouns.  They may see themselves as more feminine or more masculine if they decide to, but otherwise don’t really care. A biological female who uses male pronouns and has a masculine name and vice versa is so normal among vikari that they don't think twice about it. An example is an individual named Ophelion. Biologically, he is female. But he goes by he/him and has a view masculine name. He is a pride leader. A pride member, Seraphis, is also biologically a female. But he also prefers to be seen as male. Voryth, the youngest in the pride, is biologically male and switches between he and they pronouns. 

Vikari are very territorial, but if you stay out of their territory and don’t bother them, they’ll usually leave you alone. Younger, more aggressive vikari are far more likely to attack. The best way to avoid getting killed is to sneak past, stay out of their territory, and don’t provoke them. Sometimes the best way to avoid provoking one is to just not be detected by it. Once they decide to give chase, you are very unlikely to escape. They are fast, and have a deadly ranged attack as well that can send you flying even from a distance.

In temperament, Vikari can actually be compared to huge and dangerous cats, or tigers. They prefer to be left alone, only want interaction on their own terms, and tend to bond very closely with one or two people if they bond with anybody at all. Unlike a tiger, however, wardens are sapient, so one does not have to worry about a random attack if they do manage to befriend one. They are intelligent enough to hold back their wild instincts if needed. Vikari are also not hunters or predators, so they have no prey drive or desire to hunt or chase. Their aggression is purely territorial and defensive in nature.

Despite being massive, powerful, and dangerous eldritch monsters, they are sensitive creatures, easily overwhelmed and overstimulated, which leads to aggression. While many Vikari are highly territorial and attack anything deem as a threat or invader, others will simply observe and only attack if provoked.

When not aggressive, vikari can actually be fairly curious. They are safer to interact with outside of their territory, as their territorial instincts are less apparent. While they don't like physical contact unless they trust you, a vikara can become incredibly affectionate when they do bond with somebody. They will do a feline head bump, purr, or simply follow you around and settle nearby. A very closely bonded vikara may lay curled around the person they've bonded with.

They become very protective of their chosen Favorite Person, and can be incredibly possessive and territorial.

Vikari have a form of ancestral memory, through special spores passed from parent to cub. These spores carry with them knowledge and some nebulous memories. The memories are more like  feelings that come up when encountering something and can serve to warn if dangerous or feel comforted if familiar and safe. The reason some Vikari are able to understand the languages of other races is because of Vikari in their lineage that knew this and passed this through these special spores to their offspring. The spores are given to the cub when it's quite young. They are inhaled by the cub. They are passed through what appears like a gentle nuzzle between mother and cub. They are carried in the mother's breath. Passing the spores to the cub is instinctive. They must do it on purpose, the spores are not present unless the Vikara intends them to be.

These spores can be shared with humans and other races as well. While not as effective, it can pass enough knowledge for the human to communicate with the Vikara. The Vikara must use very simple words and concepts, due to humans not being able to hear infrasound, but it can allow conversing, where the Vikara understands you, responds, and you are able to understand it. The Vikara must keep the words simple, but it's much better than no communication at all.

The spores do have side effects, however. They make you feel lethargic, feverish, itchy, give you a runny nose and make you sneeze. They also produce a euphoric feeling, producing something like a mild high. This lasts until the immune system fights off the spores, which varies depending on the strength of the immune system. The spores are not dangerous, but the body reacts to them as if they are so it's technically a sort of allergy.

A Vikara's sonic roar is used in territorial displays and battles. They are able to lay their ears back and shut out sound while unleashing this ability. It disorients their opponant and shows their strength and power.

Vikari are fungal creatures, but they have a lot of similarities to flesh and blood creatures in how their bodies function, though also numerous differences. The bone growths down their backs, on their upper arms, and around their sides are actually a form of chitin strengthened by the minerals they extract from the stone with their skolek growth, as is their internal skeletal structure. This makes their bones incredibly tough and surprisingly flexible.  

They are covered in thick, shaggy fur. This fur can be compared to touching the cap of a mushroom, but the mushroom cap is made of fur. It feels cool and almost damp, but is actually dry.  Vikari claws are so hard and sharp they can dig through solid stone with surprising efficiency and speed. This also makes their attacks deadly, able to slash through even strong armor in a hit or two. Coupled with their impressive upper body strength, their attacks are efficient and deadly.

Like any fungi, Vikari function in the nutrient cycling in whatever ecosystem they end up in. They will often venture to the surface to gather deadwood and leaf litter, but also anything that has died and begun to decay. They seem to prefer old growth forest, and will also eat driftwood, or water plants that have washed ashore and started to decay. They also extract nutrients from the stone with their skolek growth. Their skolek growth produces special buds, which the Vikara will eat. They are rich in vitamins and minerals, and even simple proteins. They are actually safe for other creatures to eat, and have an earthy taste with a subtle sweetness which isn't unpleasant. Vikari tend to do best in areas with geothermal heat. Their skolek growth thrives on geothermal heat, which helps it break down and metabolize nutrients from the stone it or other material it has broken down. It also draws in life energy, or soul energy, or just simply magical energy found around, which they use to power their abilities.

Vikari do not have eyes. Their skulls don't even have eye sockets. There is a slight indentation where eyes would be. Surprisingly, their brain has a structure that works incredibly similarly to the part of the brains of creatures that process visual input. This is connected to their tendrils, which are attached to their ears. Their tendrils are usually just referred to as ears, though their function is different. They pick up vibrations while the ears pick up sounds. They have incredibly keen hearing. Their echolocation creates a constant driving thrumming which can be compared to the sound of a large, slow and deep heartbeat in its rythm. It picks up pace when the Vikara becomes angry, frightened, or excited, bringing in extra input and making its view of the scene much clearer. The echolocation thrumming carries with it layers of infrasound which is felt in the very bones more than heard/ the heartbeat sound is only a very small part of the actual sound emitted by the Vikara. It makes being in the presence of one of these creatures unsettling and scary. The layers of infrasound combined with this thrumming bounce back to the Vikari's tendrils forming an incredibly clear picture of the world around them with a lot of detail. Things moving very quickly or very small aren't picked up as well, but they can navigate through even twisted and cramped caverns with ease. Surprisingly, they are able to detect light through their tendrilskoleks. While they don't see with it, it can slightly enhance the images formed by the vibrations, though bright light is painful and makes it harder for them to detect what is around them. For this reason, Vikari do not like sunlight or bright light and generally prefer to remain underground unless it is dark outside. A Vikara's unique vision could be compared to a 3D rendered environment, made of a static noise effect without color. Closer would be brighter, further would be darker, making it seem as if the surroundings are shaded and the Vikara is the "light source". Things that move and produce vibrations show up much brighter compared to the surroundings, effectively highlighting things that are moving, causing them to stick out from the background. This is why you can escape detection if you are very quiet, but the Vikara will home in on you in an instant if you produce vibrations it can pick up or move too quickly.

Vikari are incredibly good swimmers, able to spend a lot of time underwater before needing to come up for air. They are also resistant to high heat. Their fur holds their natural moisture against their skin and can prevent them from drying out for a surprising amount of time.

Their internal biological systems work differently than any normal creature. They are eldritch fungal beasts, and they are deeply connected to the strange fungi that grow around their range.

Vikari are cool to the touch, though their metabolism does produce heat within their bodies. Meaning that they are warm inside. Their breath is warm, though their tongue and lips would be cool. Vikari breath, despite them being a creature that generally consumes decaying organic matter, is surprisingly fresh smelling. It smells similar to petrichor, the smell right as it begins to rain, with a fungal undertone.

Vikari can stand on two feet, or move on all fours equally as comfortably. Most individuals prefer to stand on two feet, though they tend to drop down to all fours when charging or running, as it is fast and efficient. Vikari are shockingly fast for their large size, and can get into surprisingly tight spaces. If you manage to escape their claws, they can hit you with a sonic shriek, a powerful ranged attack that does a lot of damage. A terrible shriek that can pass through even solid objects and do damage up to 60 feet away.  It causes pain, disorientation, and can even break bones at close range.

Due to the infrasound Vikari produce, being near them can be incredibly unsettling, causing dizziness and even nausea. Some people report mild hallucinations. It can feel like a pressure strange buzzing thrum in the back of your head, and can be compared in some ways to the Taos Hum some people can detect.

Vikari are herbivores. They are able to eat meat, but it must be well cooked or dried out so it's not full of dangerous bacteria and they can't eat very much if it. They also occasionally eat old bone or antler sheds, though digest this quite slowly.  Any bone they eat gets integrated with the growths on their arms and down their backs, as well as their claws and teeth along with minerals from the stone their fungi grows on. Vikari can't eat fresh meat. It will rot inside their unique digestive system, which makes them incredibly sick. This will cause vomiting and diahrea, which can become so severe it causes permenant damage. 

Being fungal creatures, Vikari need a lot of water. They drink a lot.  It helps them digest, and helps keep them healthy and comfortable.  Vikari wouldn't do well in dry heat, and would need to be around fresh water. Salt water would not work for them, too much salt would make them very sick, or even possibly kill them.

Vikara digestion is unique, and rather slow. They have two stomachs, to a point. One stomach smaller, where the easier to access nutrients are extracted from their food before passed to their much larger second stomach, and a second stomach, where the rest of their meal will be broken down by enzymes very similar to the enzymes put out by various molds and other fungi. This process is a lot slower, so Vikari will eat the fungal buds from their skolek colonies and easier to digest stuff for quick energy boosts, while eating harder stuff, such as deadwood, bone, and other similar difficult to break down stuff goes to this second stomach to be thoroughly broken down with special enzymes. The food is broken down by enzymes and water and absorbed by the body, which is why Vikari need to drink so much. The solids that remain are then passed into the Vikara's colon.  Extra water is extracted. Once enough builds up in a structure similar to a colon, it is passed just as one would expect. Their body is quite efficient so their sca, despite beeing soft, is actually mostly odorless. It might have an odd fungal or slightly musty or moldy smell, but wouldn't smell like the scat of a normal creature. Comparable, at least somewhat, to a damp old attic overgrown with mildew. This remains true no matter what a vikara eats, unless they are sick. If a vikara's scat smells bad, it means there's something wrong with their health.

Vikari generally love bread if they can get ahold of it, though they will often seek out rotting wood and leaf litter. They can digest fresh wood, but prefer not to as it takes much longer to break down. Vikari saliva actually has a powerful antibiotic property to it. It kills dangerous germs on whatever the Vikara decides to eat. The side effect of this is that their saliva can actually completely get rid of infection, so if you know a Vikara and it doesn't hate you and you get hurt, it can lick your wounds and keep them from getting infected.

While there is little to no odor when they relieve themselves, getting sick is another story entirely. It's rare for a Vikara to vomit, but when they do, they empty both of their stomachs, and the smell is absolutely foul. It can be compared to something that has been spoiling in the back of the fridge combined with stagnant bog water, sour and downright rotten. It looks as horrible as it smells, and there's more than would be expected from a creature their size due to the size of this secondary stomach. Due to the sheer volume held in the larger stomach, when it empties, it does so in a projectile manner. When Vikari get sick, it's nasty and very messy.

Vikari do not have stomach acid like other creatures. Instead, their stomachs contain a blend of potent fungal enzymes that break food down. The enzymes found in the smaller stomach are different in composition than the enzymes in their main large stomach, which slowly breaks down harder to digest materials into their components to extract their nutrients.

Vikari require a lot of water for their size and drink a lot because of its important function to their digestion. Due to drinking so much water, Vikari urinate frequently. It’s clear blue in color, and actually has a glow to it, though this fades within a few hours. It is used in territorial marking and some level of pheromone communication. It has a strong and distinct smell but is very different from an animal's urine. The smell is unique and hard to describe, not particularly pleasant but also not particularly unpleasant. Some may find the strong petrichor-like scent and unique musk pleasant, depending on their personal tastes. It’d be something that you’d easily recognize once you’ve smelled it once. A unique thing about it is there’d be no breaking down into ammonia and other toxic materials. It just breaks down into water and inert minerals which is actually good for soil and plants. Having a Vikara around is actually beneficial if you could get it to not want to sonic shriek you into the stratosphere, because it can eat stuff that would be unsafe, break it down, and basically pass plant fertilizer out the other end. A living composter, in a sense.

Vikari use their urine to mark their territory and, to a point, communicate. The intention behind marking effects the scent and pheromone profile of the urine. A mark to establish territory, for example, is potent and lingers for weeks. While not particularly unpleasant,  a Vikara's territory mark is very distinctive. It can be compared to a strong musk with a fungal undertone. 

Vikari also mark to display their genetic fitness and strength to potential mates. In this case, the scent mark is much milder, and breaks down within a few hours. The smell is surprisingly pleasant if one doesn't know the origin of it.

Vikari will sometimes mark as a form of spite, when angry about something. When they mark out of spite, the scent is heavy and potent, and rather unpleasant. It lingers as long as their territorial mark.

When they go just to relieve themselves, there is no musk or pheromones in it. The scent is subtle, but distinctive.

Vikari are most vulnerable when charging up their sonic shriek ability. The rib growths spread to the side as their energy gathers. During this time, a hit to their chest and stomach does considerably more damage, as the core of their energy and being is exposed to bring in energy and direct it into their roar. Because of this. Vikari only use this ability from a distance.

Vikari breed infrequently, and have, in general, low fertility. They become fertile when their skolek colony is established enough to support a Vikara and their cub, at which point they become receptive and are able to be fertilized and carry an egg. This does not function like a heat or ovulation cycle, though Vikari are more fertile in late summer. They shed their unique shoulder growths in early summer, mate in late summer, and gather resources and materials through autumn, as autumn is when leaf litter is abundant, and winter is when they have a lot of access to deadwood. There is no noticeable change in the Vikara's behavior aside from a slight reduction in their territorial behavior towards others of their kind, though this is a lot more pronounced during their breeding season. While they can mate year round, they are most likely to mate in mid to late summer. While they are effected by their hormones, but they don't become a hormonal mess like some creatures.

Vikari, unlike other fungi, reproduce sexually. They all have both male and female organs, and do not really have a concept of gender as we know it, though they do have a form of sexual dimorphism. Vikari are rare creatures, rarely meet, and have low fertility, so they have a very high sex drive. This is more pronounced in mid to late summer months. This can even be turned towards other races depending on the individual Vikara, meaning sexual encounters are entirely possible and not at all unheard of. While most don't believe somebody who tells stories of such an encounter with a Vikara, there's a surprising number of people who have similar stories.

A Vikara's sexual anatomy is very unique. While they do have convergent traits with other creatures, the internal workings are very different. They do have an organ that functions as a womb with a pair of structures that serve the function of ovaries attached. When the Vikara is healthy and well established, the ovaries will release a hormone that causes a unique structure to develop in the womb. The structure carries half of the genetic information needed to grow a new vikara. It remains there for potentially years. If it receives spores from another vikara, it may then begin to develop into a fungal egg. A Vikara's male reproductive organ is usually fairly large and prehensile, helping them find the right spot to deposit their spores. They have a structure resembling testes where the spore-packed fluid is produced. It serves the same function as semen, delivering genetic material to another vikara. A Vikara's reproductive spores can persist for days outside of the body, weeks if kept warm and moist, and can survive for years in optimal temperature and moisture with a source of nutrients. The viability can be determined by the glow, though this is simply a byproduct. The spores glow as long as they are alive. Vikari are capable of producing more than one cub from a single pairing due to how long the spores can survive. 

When catching the scent of a receptive vikara, they will approach their territory, often carrying a peace offering of rotting wood or something else a vikara would enjoy eating. Wandering vikari are usually male, as males tend to be restless and wander frequently and rarely stay in one territory for long. These encounters can be very dangerous with how territorial Vikari are, especially the large and aggressive females. Mating usually takes place on the edge or just outside of their established territory. The sire will often linger near the edge of their mate's territory for a couple weeks. Mating occurs frequently during this time. After that, they return to their own territory or resumes wandering. The sire takes no part in caring for the cubs unless the mating happens within a pride or between a bonded pair. Vikari rarely meet their sires.

Vikari that live near each other will often meet to mate whenever they become receptive. Those who mate more than once will often get used to each other, making subsequent matings a lot more safe and peaceful.

Vikari carry their egg for about a month. During this time, Vikari will eat more than they usually do, drink more water, sleep more, become even more protective of their territory and will begin to increase and add to their nest. The fungal buds their skolek produces increases as the Vikara will eat a lot more while growing the egg and the cub within.

The egg is actually fungal in nature, resembling a puffball mushroom matching their fungal growth in color with little glowing blue specks on it. It will connect to the fungal growth and grow for another six to eight months, depending on how well established the Vikari is.

The cub will chew its way out of the egg when it is ready to hatch. The shell of the egg will become the cub's first meal.

They are very small when they first emerge, and generally remain quiet unless in danger, and prefer to stay near the nest. They can be territorial and aggressive even at a very young age, and will bite and growl if provoked. Vikara cubs are very sensitive to sound, especially in the weeks after hatching, and this can cause them to become distressed if there's a lot of sound around them until they get used to it. This can make them snappy and aggressive, even towards their parent. This can be stressful for a new parent, but more experienced Vikari know how to calm their cub down and calm them calm so they are less aggressive. They will generally calm down after a bit, once they get used to things.

Vikara cubs are very attached to their parent, though they are capable of being comfortable and happy alone in their nest for hours at a time. They do become curious sometimes, and will often wander around their parent's territory. Due to the fierce territorial nature of Vikari, their cubs are very safe if they stay within the territory. Staying within their dam’s skolek patch is instinctive, though they will occasionally wander too far. The parent can find them easily enough, due to their incredibly sensitive noses.

Vikari mature at roughly the same rate as humans, though they are much longer lived. They tend to instinctively leave their parent's territory around 20 years of age to find their own territory.

Vikari have a form of ancestral memory, from special spores a Vikara dam passes on to their cubs. These spores carry with them knowledge the Vikara can use later on as well as some memories, though the memories are more nebulous. An example of the function of these spores is how all of the descendants of a Vikara known as the Phantom are able to understand several human and other race's languages and are generally calmer around humans. Her descendents can even speak a few limited words because of the spores passed down through the generations.  Vikari are rare, and breed extremely slowly so this passage of knowledge from parent to offspring provides a clear advantage in their survival. This means that Vikara grudges will often pass down through the generations. A Vikara that has had a bad experience with humans, will pass on this aggression towards humans to their cubs, and along down the line making Vikari from that lineage more aggressive and dangerous, while those who have had better experiences will pass that down, creating less dangerous and aggressive Vikari.

It is thought to be impossible for Vikari to produce hybrids with other races. It is possible due to their unique eldritch nature, but extremely unlikely. Vikari rarely interact with other races, though they have a very high sex drive so situations that could lead to a hybrid aren't impossible. Despite this, Vikara fertility is incredibly low. The chance of conception is low even between their own kind and usually requires repeated couplings to succeed. Their biology is very different from humans and other races. While conception could happen, the chances are incredibly low.  Hybrids are only possible because of the Vikara's unique eldritch nature. It is so unheard of that even ancient Vikari, including one known as the Phantom who is one of the oldest Vikari alive with a fondness for humans and has had numerous sexual encounters with them in herlife, have never seen a hybrid and don't know it's possible.

Vikari have an effect they can cast on other creatures known as Darkness. One who is effected by this effect is said to be Darkened. Darkness makes everything around you so dark that you can't see anything at all, not even a torch or lantern held in front of you. The ability does not work on other Vikari, due to their lack of eyes, but it works on humans and other species. The origin of this ability is unknown, but the Vikara seems to have some control over it, since some can be approached without the Darkness effect taking hold. It seems to be a defensive ability against creatures that use their eyes to see.

Vikari are capable of burrowing, though it is fairly slow. They claw up the stone to give their skolek a better surface to hold on to, and often hollow out a den and nest, with some tunnels that allow them access to various parts of their territory. As such, they can be observed seemingly rising from the ground when alerted by an intruder, and will simply go back into one of their tunnels once the intruder is gone.

Vikari nests are often lined with anything soft they can get ahold of. Some ancient city ruins show evidence of wool pathways, but a lot of the wool is often missing because the vikara living there gathered it for their nest. Vikari living there often take the wool and take it to their nest and burrows, because it's soft and comfortable, and dampens sounds so squeaking flapping bats and other creatures do not bother them.

They shed their fur from time to time, and this shed fur also ends up lining the nest. There is also a special sort of skolek that grows around the nest that has a thick, soft fluffy texture, forming a cozy bed for the Vikara to sleep in.

Vikari sleep a lot. They aren't very active creatures, though they will often wander their territory. They can be observed wandering to various parts of their territory and picking various favorite spots to lay down and relax. This is another reason they are sometimes compared to eldritch fungal cave lions.

Some people may refer to a Vikara as an "Eldritch mushroom with anger issues"

The skolek colony is a part of the Vikara, symbiotically linked. The skolek grows special fungal buds that the Vikara eats. The skolek extracts minerals and elements from Deepslate, using these resources to form various proteins and nutrients a Vikara needs. Vikari often find dead things, deadwood, leaf litter, and other nutrient sources for the skolek to grow on and some will even set up shop far beneath bat colonies, as their guano also provides a lot of nutritients for the skolek to break down which ends up in the special buds the vikari eat. The bats, of course, die of they make too much noise around the Vikara and anger it, but generally they coexist alright.

The skolek buds are safe to eat for creatures other than Vikari. They have a surprisingly pleasant earthy taste with a mild sweetness, somewhat like jicama. The texture is similar to a potato, both cooked and raw. When raw, they have a crispness to them. When cooked, they can gain an umami flavor. They pick up other flavors quite well, like many mushrooms. They are especially good when pan-fried with butter, with a crisp outside and smooth inside. When deep fried and salted, they are similar to French fries in texture with the earthy sweetness of the skolek bud.

Vikari are able to create sentinels using their skolek, by inoculating corpses with spores, allowing the skolek to overgrow and replace the flesh. Freshly killed things make much better sentinels, and move more fluidly, since the skolek mimics the muscle structure, while skeletons overgrown with skolek move a lot more awkwardly as the skolek connects them and makes them move in its own way.