Jázga

Jázgai (singular Jázga) are powerful, black and brown-furred scavenger-predators native to the deserts, scrublands, and open plains of Haradwaith. Known for their harsh calls, immense jaws, and tireless endurance, they are among the most adaptable and persistent carnivores of the southern lands, thriving wherever death and scarcity are common.

Jázgai live and hunt in loosely organized clans, ranging widely in search of carrion or vulnerable prey. Though often encountered scavenging, they are capable hunters in their own right, harassing larger animals until exhaustion or overwhelming smaller foes through numbers and coordination. Their powerful jaws can crush bone with ease, allowing them to consume remains left behind by lions or other predators. Their predominantly black coats set them apart from other southern beasts, making them difficult to spot in twilight or night raids.

Among the peoples of Haradwaith, the cries of the jázgai are regarded as ill omens, signaling hunger, death, or the aftermath of battle. They are feared not for sudden ambush, but for their persistence, gathering in the wake of conflict and lingering long after other predators have withdrawn. Patient, resilient, and unyielding, the jázgai embody the harsh truth of the southern wilds: that nothing is wasted, and nothing escapes the cycle of hunger.