Lore24 Feb 29: Melinkar

Melinkars are small, six-legged carnivores, usually between 30 and 50 cm long. They have long, dog-like snouts and almost no ears. Their head is almost naked, as are their legs, but their bodies have long, shaggy fur. Their tails can either be naked, scaly or furry, depending on the exact subspecies. While mostly carrion eaters, they keep themselves very clean. A domesticated melinkar almost doesn’t smell at all.

They are popular pets both amongst the nobility and the working class, as they can and will eat almost anything, nearly fully eliminating domestic food waste. They are also quite intelligent, and when motivated properly can be taught simple tricks, like standing on their hind legs, doing a jumping backflip, or fetching small objects.

Melinkars also make good familiars to sorcerers and priests, as they can be used to discreetly spy on people. Most settlements have a rather large population of half-domesticated melinkars running around, eating trash, and generally being a nuisance, so most people don’t think twice about seeing one milling about their house.

According to some myths, when a person enters the Underworld, a giant white melinkar named Kuti smells their souls, and if she can smell the stink of sins, she eats the soul, forever destroying it.

Image from Walking with Dinosaurs

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