Across the shard of Megalos, there are many different types of riding animals, horses are far and above the most common of these, but across the cultures there are quite a few other creatures for getting from here to there.
Horses
The most common riding beast, horses play a major role in the fabric of Megalos society. Not only are there the basic types of horses described in the basic book, but also a few rare breeds can be found; from the Butter ponies of the Halflings, to the Claymore horses of house Piradost.
Butter ponies: These are small, stout ponies raised by Halflings, and preferred by them over all other mounts. They are quite strong for their small size, and almost tireless. Speed is not a strong trait among them, but intelligence is. they tend to be a yellow white in color, hence their name.
Amcathra pepper horses: Noted for their spotted coloring and spirited disposition, pepper horses have a good reputation as light war horses. The Amcathra Barony pride themselves on the loyalty of their horses, and tell many stories of one of them saving the day for their masters. The strongest trait of these horses tends to be agility.
Ilzimmer Quicks: Famous for their speed, the house Ilzimmer has been breeding and racing horses for centuries. An Ilzimmer tends to be of solid colors, with patches of red and yellow. It is easy to find lesser breeds that resemble an Ilzimmer, until a race settles matters. Many of the other houses have paid large prices for breeding rights with an Ilzimmer.
Piradost Claymores: These horses are quite simply, huge. Big enough for a Tejas giant to ride, the Claymores make incredible heavy war horses. The duke of house Piradost is very proud of his horses, and always makes a point of buying any offspring of a Claymore back from whoever he sold the horse to. The Knights prefer Claymores over any other, feeling it a matter of honor not to ride an orc bred mount. Jhansczil Darks are as good as Claymores, ask any orc.
Others Mounts
Besides horses, there are Camels, Mules, Bison, Griffins, Hippogriffs, Impenya, Boars, Tanngrisner, Tugoliths, and Swiftrunners.
Griffins and Hippogriffs: These are bred by Houses Belabranta, Gundwynd, and Ilvastarr... These nobles work together a great deal to build up the relatively small stock of griffins in Megalos. All Griffins become mounts for the Aerial Knights of Megalos, they cannot be purchased. Hippogriffs tend to become the mounts of kings and high nobles, as they can be trained to more than one rider. Once a griffin has been impressed, they cannot be ridden by any other and adults cannot be trained at all, so the emperor will pay high prices for unhatched wild griffin eggs.
Boars: The great Boars are the near exclusive steeds of the Orcs, few other races would even want to ride one. These creatures are vile, smelly, bad tempered, disgusting and very unsociable, so naturally orcs dearly love them. They are dense creatures, with a lot of muscle in their barrel body frame and therefore make excellent work animals. They are also not particularly afraid of anything, and nasty when angry, so boars make good war steeds.
Tugoliths: These creatures look and act very much like omnivorous rhinoceroses. They are very strong, thick skinned, and hard working. They are also able to talk and carry on a conversation. Tugoliths don't seem to mind being beasts of burden at all, as long as you feed them, but they are not very bright. If you really want to ride a Tugolith, you will have a true powerhouse as a steed... you will also have to answer stupid questions, deal with bruised egos, and feed a bottomless pit. The biggest problem with a Tugolith, is it's tendency to eat anything it can... such as small dogs that stray too close, and people who mistreat them. Goblins and Orcs breed Tugoliths extensively. Tanngrisner: Goat like creatures raised by the northern mountain tribes and cold races. They are wonderful mounts for difficult terrain, so surefooted it is said they could walk along a line drawn onto a sheer vertical wall. They are small, but carry great weights, and they can survive in truly brutal conditions, apparently able to regenerate damage to some extent. A Tanner (for short) can travel hard for several days straight. It's a pity they despise hot weather, or they would be common across the shard as pack animals. If a dwarf has to climb onto the back of something... rather than ride in a sensible cart... A Tanner would do.
Impenyia: This beautiful animal is the principal riding beast of the elves, It resembles a great deer with antlers and split hooves with opposable thumbs. The hide of an Impenyia can change coloration, much like a chameleon, and coupled with its stillness when not moving, allows an Impenyia to remain very well hidden in certain types of terrain. Also the Impenyia is very swift and agile, allowing it to turn in place, climb and leap with hardly any effort. This makes an Impenyia prized as an agile light war beast. Only the elves have ever been able to successfully breed Impenyia, and they keep their knowledge very secret. One cannot simply buy an Impenyia, they must be befriended. The word Impenyia means many things in elvish... "Swiftly turning", "hidden welcome", and "laughing friend" are all close approximations to elvish meanings... think of a child hiding and yelling "boo!". It requires a high degree of skill to ride one.
Swiftrunners: These are large flightless birds, much like ostriches, that are trained and domesticated by goblins. Goblins like them because they make excellent riding beasts, taste good, can be used for leather, the feathers plucked and sold, the beaks and bones used in crafts, etc... Nothing of a Swiftrunner is wasted, and most of it is profitable. Swiftrunners have viscous kicks in combat, and goblins make great use of that, tying nasty combat spurs on before battle. only the lightest and smallest of goblins can ride them in a fight however... goblins use Tugoliths to pull heavier loads.
Boars: The great Boars are the near exclusive steeds of the Orcs, few other races would even want to ride one. These creatures are vile, smelly, bad tempered, disgusting and very unsociable, so naturally orcs dearly love them. They are dense creatures, with a lot of muscle in their barrel body frame and therefore make excellent work animals. They are also not particularly afraid of anything, and nasty when angry, so boars make good war steeds.
Tugoliths: These creatures look and act very much like omnivorous rhinoceroses. They are very strong, thick skinned, and hard working. They are also able to talk and carry on a conversation. Tugoliths don't seem to mind being beasts of burden at all, as long as you feed them, but they are not very bright. If you really want to ride a Tugolith, you will have a true powerhouse as a steed... you will also have to answer stupid questions, deal with bruised egos, and feed a bottomless pit. The biggest problem with a Tugolith, is it's tendency to eat anything it can... such as small dogs that stray too close, and people who mistreat them. Goblins and Orcs breed Tugoliths extensively. Tanngrisner: Goat like creatures raised by the northern mountain tribes and cold races. They are wonderful mounts for difficult terrain, so surefooted it is said they could walk along a line drawn onto a sheer vertical wall. They are small, but carry great weights, and they can survive in truly brutal conditions, apparently able to regenerate damage to some extent. A Tanner (for short) can travel hard for several days straight. It's a pity they despise hot weather, or they would be common across the shard as pack animals. If a dwarf has to climb onto the back of something... rather than ride in a sensible cart... A Tanner would do.
Impenyia: This beautiful animal is the principal riding beast of the elves, It resembles a great deer with antlers and split hooves with opposable thumbs. The hide of an Impenyia can change coloration, much like a chameleon, and coupled with its stillness when not moving, allows an Impenyia to remain very well hidden in certain types of terrain. Also the Impenyia is very swift and agile, allowing it to turn in place, climb and leap with hardly any effort. This makes an Impenyia prized as an agile light war beast. Only the elves have ever been able to successfully breed Impenyia, and they keep their knowledge very secret. One cannot simply buy an Impenyia, they must be befriended. The word Impenyia means many things in elvish... "Swiftly turning", "hidden welcome", and "laughing friend" are all close approximations to elvish meanings... think of a child hiding and yelling "boo!". It requires a high degree of skill to ride one.
Swiftrunners: These are large flightless birds, much like ostriches, that are trained and domesticated by goblins. Goblins like them because they make excellent riding beasts, taste good, can be used for leather, the feathers plucked and sold, the beaks and bones used in crafts, etc... Nothing of a Swiftrunner is wasted, and most of it is profitable. Swiftrunners have viscous kicks in combat, and goblins make great use of that, tying nasty combat spurs on before battle. only the lightest and smallest of goblins can ride them in a fight however... goblins use Tugoliths to pull heavier loads.
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