Lagac (LAH-GACK)

Beasts of Burden

The Lagac is a marsh/jungle based lizard that is primarly used not only as a food source, but as a riding and cart/carriage pulling beast of burden. It is a generic catch-all name for the giant line of lizards; lagacs can vary extremely in appearance and size and differing species of the lagacs are better suited for varying terrain. One of the most useful, yet terrifying, traits of the lagac is it's near unlimited growth potential. as long as the lagac can eat, the lagac will grow. Many cultures that use the Lagac to ride will rear one from an egg, and raise it to the perfect size to ride. Once their Lagac is the perfect size for the rider they will feed it the BitterBerry , which has the effect of stunting the growth of the lizard. Feeding a lagac is incredibly easy. They eat literally anything that will fit into their mouths, and as the lagac gets increasingly larger this becomes a double edged sword. Most lagacs can eat something close to half of their size! And as opportunistic omnivores, wild lagacs or poorly trained ones can cause alot of problems if left hungry and unattended. Training a lagac becomes increasingly difficult the older the animal becomes; and any bad habits that have been reinforced become nigh impossible to get rid of. For this reason babies and eggs are highly sought after by those who plan to use the lagac for logistical reasons such as carriages and riding. Lagacs can live up to 40 years; but due to their curious disposition, delicious flesh, and openness to cannibalism, wild ones will very rarely live to be 10. The "domestic" raised lagacs average life span is very skewed due to the differing roles they fill. While mounted lagacs can live well into their 20s-30s before slowing down to age, the beast of burdens rarely make it to 20; and the ones harvested for food are harvested before they get too big to be easily cooked and transported.