The stately grulm is a large, hairless, semi-
aquatic mammal peculiar to the upper reaches of the
Umph. They are wading beasts, most at home in the river. They bear their young on the banks in spring, and shuttle nervously between
bower and stream until the
cubs are old enough to swim. Adult grulm range in size up to eight feet at the shoulder, with a narrow head, lizard-like tail, and thoughtful eyes. The lesser grulm is similar, but it is about half the size, spends far more time on land, and is rarely
domesticated.
The grulm is
omnivorous, dining primarily on
watercress,
trout, and the wild
black pepper that grows on the banks of the upper
Umph. During their time on land in the Spring, they supplement their diet with
vermin,
apricots, and the
autochthonous aubergines and
haws of the uplands.
As recently as
antiquity, the grulm's range extended as far downriver as
Munt. They are moderate creatures who abhor civilization, and so through the ages their range has been steadily reduced.
No one knows when the grulm was first
domesticated, but there are representations in the ruins at
Munt which are believed to predate
the Lonesome Kings. For centuries, the sure-footed grulm has been employed to draw shallow-drafted
barges from Narshroum down the river to Eel, bearing cargoes of
resin,
fleen, hides, and
uuer.