Mice of the Territories

House Mouse Mus Musculus

These are the mice of David Petersen's Mouse Guard, and the primary inhabitants of the Known Territories.  These mice as just as Denizens (p.191) and Recruitment (p.297) describes in every way.






Creeping Vole Microtus Oregoni

While voles are called Field Mice or Meadow Mice and do indeed resemble mice in many respects; they are actually a distant relation rather than close kin.  However, they have long been a founding member of the Known Territories and though their populations are significantly smaller than the mice, they are represented in Lockhaven and within the Guard.
Voles are roughly the same size as mice, with a stouter body and shorter legs and tail.  Their ears are very small and tucked in close to their heads and their snouts more rounded than a mouse.  They are outstanding burrowers, and create elaborate networks of tunnels and runs with which to move around.  When travelling above ground, they prefer to move under the forest floor litter than atop it.  Voles are also nocturnal which combined with their preference for under-movement provides a marked degree of safety from the abundant predators that hunt the night.
Voles are primarily fungus eaters, and are well known and respected throughout the Known Territories for their extensive fungus farms; which provide nutrients to settlement trees, and alternate food source, and ingredients for the sciencemice of Sprucetuck.
Fur color ranges from medium brown to almost black, but their underside is always greyish white.
To create a vole character, follow the Recruitment (p.297) rules as normal.  However, Vole Nature has the following descriptors:  Escaping, Burrowing, Hiding, Foraging.  And all Vole characters must select Nocturnal (p.267) as the Trait for the Quality They Were Born With (p.308).

Jumping Mouse Zapus Princeps

Another distant relative of the mouse, jumping mice are also a founding member of the Known Territories.  Like the vole, the jumping mouse population is small compared to mice, but they too are represented in Lockhaven and within the Guard.
Jumping mice are a little smaller than a mouse over all, however their tails are two to three times the length of a mouse's tail, and their feet are twice as big.  They use their big feet to make spectacular leaps up to three meters in length and their long tail to guide themselves while they jump.  If multiple jumps are made in succession, the jumping mouse is often left hungry (p.123) or tired (p.123) as a result.  However, they also have cheek pockets that allow them to carry an abundance of food with them for use as fuel when circumstances arise that necessitate rapid jumping (consider a +1D for recovery tests made against a hungry condition).
Fur color is often tri-shaded, being darker brown on top, lighter brown on the sides, and white or grey on the belly. 
To create a jumping mouse character, follow the Recruitment (p.297) rules as normal.  However, Jumping Mouse Nature has the following descriptors:  Escaping, Jumping, Hiding, Foraging.  And all Jumping Mouse characters must select Short (p.268) as the Trait for the Quality They Were Born With (p.308).