Chapter Text

Janmu's Field Guide to Temtem

A brief summary of the temtem I, Janmu Laney, have observed, and the things I observed about them. Enjoy. I guess. If this is the sort of literature that gets you going. I suppose it might be useful if you've never seen a temtem and then someone tells you a story full of temtem. These are all the temtem I've encountered on my various visits with relatives, hikes, vacations, etc. I figured it'd be a good idea to keep a journal of them. Each sketch or picture I've included is the normal color morph; there are rare "luma" color morphs, but they're rare enough that it felt weird to include them for the ones I've seen and not for the ones I haven't.

I guess the reason I'm making these is because I've always found temtem incredibly fascinating, but until recently, they were just wildlife. And maybe it's because the Grimm make going out into the forest dangerous, but there aren't a lot of books about wildlife. At least, not in Mantle. So I had to learn by going out and finding them. The new Temcards invented by the Schnee Dust Company have however resulted in more people getting interested in temtem, so maybe collecting my observations in one place will help people get excited about them. And who knows? Maybe I'll write a book one day. And then when they introduce me at the open mic nights at the Rusty Screw, they can say, "Janmu Laney, author of the authoritative work on temtem."

Tateru Taterus are the best. They just are. There is nothing you can say that will convince me otherwise. They're technically rodents, but I can assure you my dear Petunia is a person. Smart, loyal, and strong. When on their hind legs, maybe two and a half, three metres tall? The best friend you will ever have. I would literally die for Petunia. They're found everywhere; go make a tateru friend. I promise it's worth it.
Raiber God I want a raiber. Fierce little guys, almost waist-high. Fiercely loyal, and tons of attitude. They have a tendency to set stuff on fire, which makes them less good in cities. Native to Vacuo, also often found in Menagerie.
Tuwai Oh, yeah, Tuwais! These are neat birds. Big--each wing is nearly a metre long. Very intelligent, and while you might think they could repeat speech back at you, I tried telling one a joke once, and it just screamed at me. Oh well. They're found in tropical forests.
Loali Loalis are reasonably common forest critters. You'll see them fluttering from tree to tree; about a metre and a half wide. Generally very peaceful, but if you have something sweet they might swarm you.
Ganki Ugh. I wish I'd never encountered gankis. Imagine a bee, but the size of a cat, and able to generate its own fucking electricity. Yeah. Don't let that fucking smile fool you; these are vindictive monsters that only want to cause you pain and misery. Fuckers.
Nessla These show up occasionally near fishing villages. Nesslas are huge--they can get up to 10 metres long. Biggest I've seen was off the coast of Argus, maybe 6 or 7 metres long. Supposedly they get bigger the colder the water is. Real talk: if local officials tell you one of these is around, don't go swimming. They hunt fish by releasing huge bursts of electricity into the water and eating the stunned fish. Unless you want to get cooked from the inside, stay the fuck away from Nesslas.
Zephyruff Okay, I get that they're cute, and fit in the palm of your hand, but seriously? Zephyruffs are one of the most venomous flying temtems. A single sneeze and you get gassed. Fortunately they're very rare. They nest on cliffs near Argus. On an unrelated note, never visit your aunt in Argus.
Spriole I. Just cannot. These are so fucking cute. They're called sprioles, and they're little bundles of cuteness. They're the size of a grapefruit, incredibly fluffy, and very playful. These are the juvenile form of the deendre. They're found in large deendre herds, and while they're very cute, I have to say that picking them up to play with them will get you in trouble. Mostly found in the Northern forests and on the edges of the tundra.
Deendre This is a deendre. About a metre at the shoulder, leaf-like antlers, relatively harmless. Found in large herds; very social animals. Herbivores. This is the adult form that sprioles grow into. They're also almost always accompanies by a single cerneaf (see next entry). Be cautious when approaching; deendres are reasonably timid and mild, but cerneafs are no joke. Mostly found in the Northern forests and on the edges of the tundra.
Cerneaf This big fella is a cerneaf. It stands about two metres at the shoulder. Giant leaf-like antlers. They seem to spend a lot of time sunbathing. I've only ever seen one at a time; they always accompany a giant herd of deendres and sprioles. If I had to guess, I'd say a deendre develops into a cerneaf when it becomes the leader of the herd. The name "cerneaf" means "guardian". and I have to say, it lives up to the name. Scary, scary things. Do not approach. Mostly found in the Northern forests and on the edges of the tundra.