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Field Louse — Description

While the land has many strange ecosystems to offer, and places born of ancient corpses, many folk find charming simplicity in the expansive hair fields. Where long wavy strands of keratin arise from the earth's flesh, coming together to create vast swaths that ripple and flow in the breeze. Hair fields come in a variety of colors, with some more rare than others. It would appear that the region and composition of the soil determines the color, so here in the mainland, auburn hair is the most common. These great fields are known for their beauty, but also for the wondrous supply of keratin they provide. These hairs are harvested to make clothes, blankets and braids, vital goods for any village. However, folks are warned about over harvesting and putting too much strain on these fields. Bald spots where the hairs have failed to regrow are signs of people who have damaged these places with their greed. Creating these patches can undermine the entire area, making it easier for disease and weather to damage what remains. One wouldn't want them to go barren, as these fields are important not only for villagers, but also for the variety of life that lives within.
The Field Louse is a species of large insect that calls the hair fields home. It lurks within the thickest parts, feeding upon hair oils, exposed bulbs and even dandruff lichen that forms in these ecosystems. Its long pincers are used to dig around in the dirt and scrape sustenance off of long hairs. The Field Louse's body is colored to match the hair around it, and long strands that extend from their body are used for both sensing their environment and blending in. They hide from predators in the thick tangles of keratin, using their sharp claws only when cornered. While man may hunt these insects for food, what folks really want are their most plentiful resource: eggs.
The Field Louse lays dozens of eggs in a short amount of time, gluing them onto thick strands of hair. Their freshly hatched young are forced to fend for themselves, typically spending their early years burrowed into the earth. Due to high mortality rates, the louse lays an obscene amount of eggs. This suits predators and people just fine, as it is an excellent food source. Thick shell and heavy glue makes these eggs hard to eat or dislodge, but there are ways around these defenses. People have turned to cooking them straight on the strand, letting the heat soften them and make their contents nice and boiled. Cutting or burning the hair can also free the eggs, that way they can be more easily handled or transported. Thus, hair fields are also a place of food for villages, and folk will comb through them in search of eggs. This is why folk are very protective of these ecosystems, as it puts food on the table. And when war reduces many fields to barren ash, both the field louse and villagers are left with nothing.
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A short entry, as not really much here. Just some regular ol fauna!