Holdfast

A sleek body, large talons, and keen senses make the holdfast an expert hunter, far deadlier than its small size might indicate. It typically approaches prey from below, then pounces in a flurry of teeth and talons, trying to crush the target's windpipe with its powerful jaws. This ambush strategy is further aided by its dappled gray fur, camouflaging it against the rocky terrain of its native habitat. Today, holdfasts have spread far, often because of orc holds adopting them as hunting companions. This has led to tension with other peoples, who often find holdfasts too difficult to work with and consider them an invasive species—even gnomes and druids who can speak with holdfasts find them distractable and murderously energetic.

Although holdfasts watch over their litters very carefully, adults avoid each other outside of their short mating season. Despite this antipathy for others of their kind, holdfasts often trail other species of predators, acting as opportunistic scavengers. This typically ends with the holdfast bullying the other creature and stealing the greater share of any kill, but it can develop into a mutualistic arrangement. Many holdfasts have been observed hunting alongside eagles and other birds of prey, driving underground creatures to the surface for the birds to pick off.

Holdfasts are difficult to contain, sliding through tiny openings and digging under fences, meaning proper enclosures must be made of stone or metal on all sides. Some orc communities instead lay out humane traps when their hunting parties are needed, using favorite treats as bait. In the orc-run nation of Belkzen, overlord Ardax the White-Hair's chief animal handler claims to have a unique and confidential training process that curbs the holdfasts' impulse to escape, but other handlers have yet to uncover or replicate it. In the Gravelands, the major orc communities face the unwelcome intrusion of undead headed by the Whispering Tyrant. While they maintain the original bond with holdfasts as hunting partners, the goal has changed from providing subsistence to eradicating undead.