Raggoon
| Raggoon | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Mammalia | |
| Official Name | Procyon Thievor |
| Common Nicknames | Raggoon |
| Classification | Mammalia |
| Habitat | Urban areas and forests (Galudon, Holzweald, Fernmourne, Keldwike) |
| Domesticated | Domesticable (Animal Handling Tier 2) |
| Current Status | Common |
Overview
A nightmarish offshoot of their mischievous raccoon cousins, the Raggoons are a wild but intelligent species that has developed their own culture from imitating the civilized races wherever they choose to settle. Raggoons have evolved to capitalize on the resources left behind in these settlements, displaying unique behavior such as thievery, bartering, and basic tinkering to acquire what they want. They are extremely territorial and can be seen in both forests and cities.
History
Raggoons are believed to have existed for millennia, with historical records suggesting their presence in ancient texts. Evolved from the common raccoon, they are said to have originated in Aesox, with scholars pinpointing the Kingdom of Holzweald as their probable birthplace due to their preference for forested habitats. Known for their cunning nature, Raggoons have a history of scavenging makeshift human contraptions and attempting to replicate them..
Nowadays, Raggoons are known to steal firearms and dismantle them to build their own crude and entirely impractical replicas. While their makeshift guns serve no basic function, they enjoy carrying them around to intimidate other forest animals. Researchers have noted that they use these props to barter with productive animals/insects, initiating trade deals where they offer protection in return for goods (such as wood slats from beavers, honey/honeycomb from bees). Unfortunately for them, when the Raggoons inevitably lose sight of their task and lack the ability or awareness to make good on their deal, they promptly relocate.
There can only be a handful of Raggoon gangs in any given forest or city because of their fierce instincts to protect their territory. Raggoon gangs will often go to war if they wish to challenge another’s territory and victory is only achieved by overpowering the rival gang’s leader in combat or outright killing them. Grievances between gangs are forgiven once the rival leader is dead and whatever remains of the losing gang are evicted from their settlements, left to pick a new leader and find new territory for the cycle to continue.
In recent times, many Raggoons have relocated to towns and cities to capitalize on the massive amounts of waste and resources that pass through the streets everyday, namely Ironhurst. Raggoons like to gather on the streets of Rattletrap in particular and have become somewhat of a symbol for those less fortunate.
Anatomy
Raggoons are about 1.5 times bigger than their more primitive cousins, the raccoon. They have similar fur patterns except Raggoons have a different colour palette altogether; consisting of tan, cream and indigo. Raggoons also have more pronounced ‘bandit masks’, complete with purple tufts of fur at the back of their heads that resemble ties on a mask. Raggoons have a second stomach purely used to store small items. They can swallow items no larger than a football and regurgitate them at will without harming themselves. Bigger items can be stored in a skin flap on the front of their stomachs that works like a pouch, though it is mostly used for keepsakes and treasured trinkets. Raggoons also have an additional pair of thumbs located beneath their primary set used to securely hold items while they climb.
Lifespan and Development
Litters of kits commonly come in pairs but on the rare occasion, the twin zygotes can merge and a single kit will be born. The mortality rate is 50/50 for regular twins and shockingly, the survival rate is much higher for single born kits. Raggoons reach full maturity at a year old and can have several litters within their lifetime, as much as 4 times per year, once per season. Raggoons have been known to survive a whopping twenty years in captivity though their life expectancy drops significantly out in the wild mostly due to their penchant for interspecies violence and on the ocassion, skilled hunters.
Additional Information
Albino Raggoon Gang - Perhaps the most infamous Raggoon gang in Ironhurst, The Albino Raggoon Gang is well known for pulling off high stakes heists across the city ranging from estate robberies to carriage hold ups. It exists as a point of contention among scholars as this gang in particular displays incredibly intelligent plots and tactics for a previously assumed non-sentient species. The scientific community is in constant discourse over whether the Albino Raggoons are a unique lineage of Raggoons or if the species is simply taking its next step in evolution. Regardless, their feats are seen as impressive but incredibly concerning to most.
Trivia
- Raggoon gangs, unlike most wild animals, are known to wear clothing. This is done selectively, however, as they’ll use their clothing to denote which gang they belong to.
- Raggoons are known to communicate through chitters and a series of elaborate hand gestures. Researchers theorize that they have invented their own form of sign language and are on the brink of translating a guide for public use.
- Raggoons often confuse Ferox as kin and even go so far as to initiate them into their gangs. The Ferox in question is normally unaware or finds it incredibly offensive.
- Raggoon wrestling is a common albeit unethical sport in the underworld. Essentially, two Raggoons from rival gangs are placed in a ring with a series of mundane objects laid out in front of them. The Raggoons’ natural instinct will compel them to build their own weapons out of the mismatched objects and bludgeon each other to death with them. Naturally, Animal rights activists are appalled by this, particularly the sport’s glorification of animal cruelty but Raggoon wrestling fans argue against it by citing the fact that the Raggoons would do this in the wild regardless of their intervention and actually seem to find enjoyment in participating.
- People often make good owners but Raggoons do not make good pets. Scrappers have been known to recruit Raggoons, sometimes many at a time, to assist them in sifting through scrap yards for materials though this turns out to be quite a risk. If the Raggoon finds something they don’t want, they will be happy to give it up to their employer, however if they find something they /do/ want, they will sever the deal and run away.
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