Welcome to Gaia! ::

So what is a Companion, exactly?
Put simply, a Companion is to a Sentinel what a dog, horse, or chicken is to a human. They're pets, working animals, and food. A companion has been specifically bred to serve a purpose - it is not found in the wild. A Sentinel would be just as likely to try to 'make friends' with a wild kingfisher (Alcyon) as a human would be to walk up to a wolf and try to put a leash on it.

Since there has been a lot of ongoing confusion about this, we're going to reiterate in big, bright red text. There is no such thing as a 'wild' Companion. They are specifically bred and raised by the Keepers; you would not be able to randomly find a Waral or a Skurri in the forest and take it as your companion. Instead, you'd find a monitor lizard or a squirrel that would flee in terror because they don't want to be eaten. The non-Companion animals do not speak, aren't as big, and just look and act like normal, everyday animals. The only possible exception are Mus, since there's been a lot of interbreeding between wild mice and the Mus - and in that case, nobody would bother with taking a Mus that wasn't Keeper-raised since it wouldn't be as potentially smart and/or useful. It'd just be a snack.

To that end, we ask that you all try to recognize that not all mice are Mus, and not all songbirds are Parus. There are still normal bats in Noctua too! The names given to the companions are specific to the 'domesticated' versions of their wild counterparts. A Mus is noticeably larger than a mouse, on top of being quite a bit smarter and capable of speech. Normal mice do not talk. There is no Mus language. This isn't a forest full of speaking critters! The only residents of the forest who are capable of speech (currently) are the Sentinels and their companions.

Just as humans did during their evolution, it's only natural that the Sentinels would start to enlist the aid of other critters. A pair of hands is always convenient, and a smaller critter that can fly really fast to deliver a message, or catch bugs needed to make beautiful feather dyes... well, you get the idea. Some Sentinels collect companions the way crazy human women collect shoes, even going so far as to dye the fur and feathers of their little friends to create a spectacular multicoloured menagerie. Other are attracted to the more intelligent companions, and still others use them as merely a convenient tool for a particular job. And of course, some Sentinels look on them as nothing more than a particularly colourful and intelligent snack. It's very popular among the Sentinels to have their companions dyed to match, and it's a matter of practicality as well - if a Parus is dyed with a distinctive pattern then it probably belongs to someone, and a responsible Sentinel would not eat it (if they were being watched, at least). What this means is that in general, we will dye your companion to match your Sentinel. If you want something specific, then let us know!

Most Companions are capable of speech, but this ability comes in a wide range of skill levels. Speech ability can be considered on a scale of one to five:
1 - Very limited vocabulary, speech is limited to one word at a time which may not be in context at all - mimickry is common.
2 - Decent vocabulary, with one or two words strung together and used in context.
3 - Pidgin language, capable of communicating more complex concepts, thoughts, and desires.
4 - Communicates on a child-like level, with basic sentence structure.
5 - Much more fluent, speech is used in context.

It is interesting to note that the intelligence of the Companion seems to be independent of speech. Many Companions are quite smart indeed, yet are incapable of communicating effectively - they can understand the needs of their Sentinel rather well and will follow orders just as effectively as a more speech-enabled Companion would. It is theorized that low-speech/high-intelligence Companions have been selectively bred, to minimize 'accidental' Companion deaths due to annoyed Sentinels.
Intelligence can also be considered on a scale of one to five:
1 – Smart enough to follow orders (usually) and not get eaten (usually).
2 – Smart enough to decide to not follow orders, if it suits them.
3 – Can be trusted to understand a task well enough to work independently.
4 – Child-like intelligence and grasp of concepts, reasonable problem-solving.
5 – Not nearly as smart as an adult Sentinel, but definitely capable of understanding and solving complex problems

And here's another big important thing to take note of: No Companion, no matter how smart it is, will ever be as smart as even the stupidest of Sentinels. And the most verbose of Companions will still only speak in short, simple sentences. Usually with words of no more than two syllables. They will tend to generalize and simplify - an Apothecary would become "Plant-crusher" or something to that effect.

So how do you get a Companion for your Sentinel? It's easy! You just have to ask for one, if the type you want is currently available. Chicks (and obviously eggs) are not considered to be responsible enough to care for a Companion of their own, but most parents consider a fledgling to be mature enough to provide adequate care (for one common Companion). You may purchase a Companion at any point in the development of your Sentinel, but it will only be shown on the Fledgling and Adult certificates. A re-certing fee may apply, PM for details.

Uncommon Companions

These guys haven’t become quite as widespread and popular as the common companions, and there’s generally a good reason for that. The uncommon companions may be harder to breed, they may be less useful in general, they may be potentially dangerous in the wrong talons, or there may be some other factor that limits their availability. Uncommons haven't been bred for as long as the commons, and tend to be markedly less intelligent and well-spoken. Whatever the reason, these guys aren’t seen around Noctua nearly as often as the common companions, and the Keepers tend to guard their charges jealously. If a Sentinel has an uncommon companion, you can be sure that they have a very good reason!
Pricing: Uncommon companions cost anywhere between 25-150K, with the price varying based on the companion (Waral > Alcyon > Skurri) and how well the companion has been justified.
Availability: Restricted. You must explain why your Sentinel would have an uncommon companion. May be available during Sentinel upgrades - ask for details. May also be offered on a slot system via special custom sales.
Limitations: There is a maximum of two uncommon companions per Sentinel, with some exceptions.
Slots: Currently closed

Alcyon
These beautiful companions are hunters in the water, diving below the surface to capture fish, frogs, insects, and anything else they can grab in their beak. The prey is swiftly and mercilessly beaten to death against a branch or rock before it is eaten – or taken by their Sentinel. The Alcyon are not companions that are taken for show or convenience. They require a firm commitment and a willingness to constantly train, as they have not been bred as companions for as many generations as some others. Some Alcyon are known to be extremely intractable, and they may attempt to escape if their weight is not carefully monitored.
Note: Part of the scarcity of these companions is due to their rather wicked beak. The Alcyon is actually capable of doing significant damage to a Sentinel with such a weapon at its disposal, and as such they are only entrusted to the most reliable and experienced of owners.
Preferred by: Hunters (fish)
Speech ability: 2
Intelligence: 2-3

Skurri
Much like their normal squirrel cousins, the Skurri have great big bushy tails and are extremely agile climbers. They tend to be very social and outgoing, often to a fault, and will happily chatter away given half the chance. They need to be kept pretty firmly in line and nearby for two reasons – first, they have a bad habit of caching too much food away for themselves, and second, they are rather delicious. Skurri are the most preyed-upon variety of companion, which is the main reason they are less common.
Preferred by: Gatherers (nuts, mushrooms, seeds)
Speech ability: 3-5
Intelligence: 4

Waral
These tree monitor-like companions are deceptively intelligent, temperamental, and fierce. The Waral have been kept as companions for a long time, but since they have such a long lifespan there have only been a few generations of Waral in the Keeper records. Waral meat is a delicacy, even among Waral! They also have a certain weakness for carrion, and many Gatherers will find themselves forced to wait nearby if a stubborn Waral finds a nice rotting corpse and decides to gorge itself.
Note: The long and whip-like tail can do a startling amount of damage, and even an experienced Keeper will be nervous about approaching an unhappy Waral. These companions are not distributed to just anyone!
Preferred by: Gatherers (eggs), Hunters (small mammals, reptiles)
Speech ability: 1
Intelligence: 4-5

Special Companions

These companions are only available to members of a certain profession, as they are specifically bred to suit the needs of that group. Special-event companions and other limited releases will fall into this category, as well.
Pricing: Varies, usually follows the rare pricing.
Availability: Task-specific and restricted. These companions are only made available to members of the specified profession. Even then, the companion must be properly justified.
Limitations: There is a limit of one special companion per Sentinel, no exceptions.

Volan
The Volan are very new, very strange, and very rare. Nobody but a Keeper will ever have a Volan, and only a scant few Keepers have them as it is. The breeding program for these odd little critters has just begun, so there's not much to say about them at the moment - other than the fact that they are delicious.
Note: Volan aren't very smart or well-spoken at all, since the Keepers have just begun the breeding process. If a Volan can speak at all then it's a minor miracle, and they're guarded very jealously by the Keepers. A speaking Volan is in high demand, for breeding purposes!
Task: Keepers
Speech ability: 0-1
Intelligence: 1-2

Pica
Without a doubt, the Pica are the most mysterious of the companions. Nobody knows about their origins, nobody knows why some Pica seem to just come from out of nowhere to choose a Sentinel to hang out with, and nobody knows why they will sometimes disappear just as quickly. Well, the Mystics must know, since they are the ones responsible for the Pica, but they certainly aren’t sharing their secrets. The Pica are quite intelligent and capable of speech, and they tend to use their speech ability to its full extent. They can also be among the most willful and stubborn of companions, and aren’t so much ‘used’ as ‘coaxed’.
Note: The Pica are one of the few companions that are not bred to be significantly different from their wild cousins. The Keepers have no part in the raising of a Pica – it seems that the Mystics do all the work. Some Pica do end up in the care of non-Mystic Sentinels, but nobody knows exactly why or how.
Task: Mystic, a few other chosen Sentinels
Speech ability: 5
Intelligence: 5

Lepus
Smart, fast, aggressive, independent… these hare-like companions are like ground-bound Elites in their own right! The Lepus have been bred and trained over many generations to work below the Elites, literally, covering ground while the Elites patrol the forest. As creatures native to the open grasslands, Lepus are actually comfortable out in the Open and are often used to scout out such areas for their partner. All Lepus are extremely intelligent and fully-capable of speech, but they are creatures of few words. The military rank-and-file has been bred into them for countless generations; they take great pride in what they do and will gladly lay down their life for their partner. Without question.
Note: The Lepus are the only companions to be explicitly protected from hunting. There is no excuse for killing a Lepus, and offending Sentinels will be dealt with harshly.
Task: Elite
Speech ability: 5
Intelligence: 5