Wildlife and Livestock

Animals remain an important part of life in Aurora: Embers of Winter. This catalogue uses broad groups rather than tracking individual species or breeds. Specific animals can vary by region without needing a new category.

The world is in a deep freeze, so cold tolerance matters. Wild animals are adapted to their local environments. Domesticated livestock varies in hardiness: some animals can be kept outdoors in cold regions, while others need reliable shelter and warmth.

Resource rules

Food represents edible animal products.
Soft Materials represents useful animal-derived materials, such as wool, fur, leather, and hides.
Livestock can provide resources when properly cared for and supplied with feed, water, shelter, and space.
Wildlife provides resources through hunting or gathering.
Animal products use the existing Food and Soft Materials resources; they do not create separate inventory counters.

Wild animals

Wild animals are grouped into three broad categories. Their exact presence depends on the local environment.

Small Wildlife

Small animals that live in forests, tundra, sheltered areas, ruins, and suitable waters. Subgroups include:

Small mammals: rabbit-, hare-, and rodent-like animals.
Small birds: ground birds and other cold-adapted birds.
Small aquatic life: fish and other edible life in lakes, rivers, and coastal waters.

Small wildlife generally provides Food, and some types can also provide Soft Materials such as fur.

Large Wildlife

Larger animals that are not primarily predators. Subgroups include:

Herd animals: large grazing or browsing animals that may migrate with food availability.
Solitary herbivores: larger animals that live alone or in small groups.
Marine animals: larger animals living in frozen seas and coastal waters.

Large wildlife can provide Food and, where useful, Soft Materials such as hides.

Predators

Animals that hunt other wildlife. Subgroups include:

Small predators: hunters of small mammals and birds.
Pack predators: cooperative hunters that can pursue larger prey.
Large solitary predators: powerful hunters more likely to be encountered in remote regions.

Predators are part of the ecosystem and may threaten exposed people or livestock. They can provide Food and sometimes Materials, such as fur or hides.

Livestock

Domesticated animals are grouped by their general size and husbandry needs, not by breed.

Small Livestock

Animals that can generally be kept in compact enclosures. Subgroups include:

Poultry: chickens and similar birds.
Small mammals: rabbits and similar animals.
Small grazing animals: goats, sheep, and comparable livestock.

Small livestock can provide Food and, where applicable, Soft Materials such as wool or fur. Their cold tolerance varies. Some types need heated housing during the deep freeze.

Large Livestock

Animals that need more space, feed, and dedicated facilities. Subgroups include:

Large farm animals: cattle and similar animals.
Large herd animals: reindeer and comparable animals, including types suited to cold conditions.
Other large livestock: pigs and similar farm animals.

Large livestock can provide Food and, where applicable, Soft Materials such as hides, wool, or leather.

Cold tolerance and where livestock can live

Not all livestock can survive the world’s outdoor conditions. Cold tolerance is a practical constraint, not a separate animal category.

Cold-hardy livestock can be kept in suitable outdoor enclosures at some settlements, provided feed, water, and basic shelter are available.
Less cold-tolerant livestock needs reliable heated shelter. This generally limits it to heated trains or larger settlements with enough energy, infrastructure, and supplies to maintain warm animal housing.
Small settlements usually rely on cold-hardy livestock because heated barns and consistent fodder are costly to maintain.
Heated trains can carry a wider variety of livestock than small settlements, if they have suitable space, ventilation, feed, water, and heat capacity. Dedicated livestock wagons may be needed for larger animals or larger herds.
Larger settlements may support less hardy livestock through heated barns and managed feed supplies, but this requires additional resources and infrastructure.

Animals kept aboard trains also add to the train’s Food demand and the locomotive’s Water demand, and they require care from the population. Housing livestock should therefore be a deliberate trade-off rather than a free source of resources.

Environmental distribution

Small wildlife, large wildlife, and predators occur according to local habitat, available food, and shelter.
Geothermal hotspots and other sheltered areas may support animals that are rare in exposed regions, but warmth alone does not guarantee enough food to sustain them.
Severe weather can disrupt grazing, migration, and access to forage.
Livestock availability depends on the settlement’s facilities and supply lines, not only on the surrounding climate.

The catalogue intentionally leaves specific species, breeds, exact yields, and detailed animal-care mechanics undecided.

Canon status

Established direction: Animals use broad groups; animal products feed into Food and Soft Materials; and some livestock cannot tolerate the deep freeze without heated housing. Heated trains and larger, well-equipped settlements can support a wider range of livestock than small settlements.

Still open: Exact species and breeds, resource production rates, housing requirements, and which factions specialize in particular livestock.