Sweet, soft, and fluffy — that’s Wolbys. They’re neither cats nor raccoons, and in fact they’re hard to compare to any animals known outside Isdraia. So what exactly are they? How do they live, and what role do they play in Silberheim? We’re getting to the bottom of these questions, taking a close look at Wolbys, and bringing in our in-house Wolby art expert to help.

The chances of an average person ever having met a Wolby are admittedly quite low — after all, Wolbys are creatures that exist almost exclusively within Silberheim. Still, it’s not entirely impossible! These little fluffballs have already made several appearances.

During the recent alpha test phase, Wolbys played a more or less important role in three different ways. First, they exist as creatures within Silberheim ECG, represented by fragments such as the adorable Wolby or the peaceful Wolby family. Second, they served as a communication link between our testers and the IT office, swiftly delivering bug reports. And finally, testers may also remember Wolbys through Piwie, who, together with Zongi, carried Foddo’s messages and challenges to the alpha community.

Beyond their digital form, these fluffy creatures have also found their way into print. They make a few appearances in our first novel, Daemonion, where one passage introduces them with the following description:

This passage already offers a good first glimpse into the nature of Wolbys — but it’s far from everything there is to know about these little creatures…

To dig deeper into the world of Wolbys, I briefly left the fenntastic realm of Isdraia and opened the door to the room next door. That’s where Wolby expert Fiona can be found — not only responsible for Wolbys themselves, but also for countless other concepts, designs, and lore within Silberheim. You might already know her from our article about the Arak.

We’re setting off on a journey to Isdraia. The place we’re visiting today is known as the Twilight Forest. Its ecosystem is home not only to Fenn, Raubbears, and others — but also to Wolbys. “In fact, the largest known Wolby populations live primarily in the Twilight Forest,” Fiona explains. I ask about other habitats and notice her expression suddenly darken. “Further north, they seem to exist as well,” she begins softly, “but I don’t even want to imagine what’s happening to them there.”

We brought a pair of binoculars and start our search. “Usually, you’ll see Wolbys darting through the undergrowth — occasionally you might even come across one of their burrows,” Fiona says.

I ask her how she would describe a Wolby to someone who’s never seen one before. “I’d say they look like a mix between a raccoon, a cat, and a Chinese giant flying squirrel,” she replies. I pause for a moment, wondering what exactly a Chinese giant flying squirrel is. “Wolbys are a bit larger than a hare — maybe about the size of a medicine ball — with dark eye rings and small ears that can vary in size. Their fur isn’t always the same either: most are grayish-brown with lighter faces. Some have pompom tails, others long, bushy, or even fan-shaped ones.”

We have to wait and search for quite a while before we finally spot a peaceful Wolby family. “You won’t find a cuter creature within 500 kilometers,” whispers Fiona — and I can only nod in agreement. Wolbys are extremely shy, so we have to be careful not to startle them. They’re harmless, though — at least to us.

“Wolbys eat just about anything they can find — grains, fruit, worms, caterpillars, all kinds of insects,” Fiona explains. Among the local Fenn, there’s also a tradition of feeding Wolbys with pieces of sweet bread. The treats are buried in the ground, and the Wolbys have to dig them up again.

Whether a Fenn and a Wolby form a bond depends largely on the individual creature. “If a Wolby already has a mate and a family, it won’t attach itself to a Fenn,” says Fiona. “When they do, it’s always out of their own free will — and only if they have no one else.” Wolbys that have lost their families or haven’t found one yet sometimes choose a Fenn companion. If the bond is strong enough, a Wolby will even enjoy being petted.

“Wolbys are quite clever — you can teach them a lot,” Fiona continues. “They’re real all-rounders: they can climb, swim, move quickly, and are incredibly resilient.” It’s no surprise, then, that skilled Fenn train Wolbys as messengers, carrying notes from one Fenn to another — a task they perform exceptionally well.

Only in the worst cases does a Wolby ever go missing on the way. “Wolbys may be small predators themselves, but they’re also prey,” Fiona explains, handing me the binoculars. As I watch the young Wolbys play, she adds, “Raubbears, for example, are a major threat to them. It makes me sad, but that’s nature.” I nod, then ask, “But Fenn wouldn’t ever think of eating Wolbys, would they?” Fiona hesitates — “No… I don’t think so?” I’m not entirely convinced.

Armed with the impressions and insights gathered in the Twilight Forest, we return to the office — and back to our own world… (yes, we’re disappointed too).

Not long ago, Silberheim Evolving Card Game welcomed a new addition among its illustrated fragments: The Peaceful Wolby Family — the very same family Fiona and I (definitely) observed in the Twilight Forest. Fiona tells me more about the creation process behind this piece and shares some insight into how it came to life.

The origins of the Wolbys go so far back that at the time, the project was still called Dystopia instead of Silberheim. You could say: in the beginning, there was Wolby. Even in the earliest days of our company, one thing was clear — these little creatures had to be cute!

Back then, it was Nathalie who first brought the adorable animals to life. “Many thanks to Nathalie for laying the groundwork,” Fiona emphasizes. Those early sketches and versions later served as the foundation for Fiona to develop the first finalized Wolby concept.

The main challenge, she recalls, was finding the right level of cuteness. “It was hard to hit that point where everyone would say, ‘Yes, that’s cute,’” she explains. “It had to be so cute it hurts.”

For inspiration, Fiona collected photos of all kinds of cute animals. At first, the Wolby looked a bit fox-like — then fluffier, rounder. From there, she started experimenting with different elements: swapping ears, adjusting proportions, adding or removing fluff. “In the end, Wolbys have roughly the facial proportions of a cat. Their colors were inspired by the Chinese giant flying squirrel — yes, that one again — while the body leans more toward a tanuki or raccoon.”

The “Peaceful Wolby Family” was illustrated by Hannah Baker, who has already created quite a number of artworks for us. “She’s done a lot of our pieces by now — and she always executes them wonderfully,” Fiona notes.

For this particular artwork, Hannah received thumbnails (rough sketches and early drafts) as well as background information and lore context. That’s possible because Wolby development is already well advanced; there’s a wealth of visual and textual reference material to draw from.

Our illustrators generally have about three months to complete an artwork — “though most finish earlier,” Fiona adds. The timeframe mainly depends on how smoothly our feedback process goes — and with Hannah, that always works perfectly. So, the Peaceful Wolby Family was completed rather quickly.

I ask Fiona how it feels to see the finished illustration based on her finalized concept. “Cool,” she says with a confirming nod. “It’s great to see it as a proper illustration — it shows that my concept actually works, that others can use it. Hannah said she thought it was really cute, and that made me really happy.”

But the Wolby concept isn’t entirely finished yet. In the future, Fiona wants to continue refining their facial expressions and emotional intelligence — because even for creatures as soft and fluffy as Wolbys, there’s always room to grow.