Oslevshi

The deserts and rocky wastes of eastern Draqua is a very inhospitable place. Not many creatures can survive for long in these kinds of lands. When the gnomes of the The Fiery Isle surfaced after the The Cataclysm the first creature they saw was a massive heard of Oslevshi. After years of eating nothing but fungus and rodents, these animals seemed like a godsend. As they set chase they soon found out they would not be as easy prey as the first beilved.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Oslevshi are large flightless birds. Their wings a very short but can be used to make them look larger than they are. They also use their wings to cool themselves in the hot sun. They have a very muscular body with trunk-like legs ending in a taloned three-toe foot. Their long thick neck ends in a large head with a sharp hooked beak.

Biological Traits

The males of the species are slightly larger than their female counterparts. The wings of the male are also almost twice the size as the females. The way their feathers develop and grow they create a natural air barrier keeping the heat away from the body allowing them to stay much cooler than other creatures.

Genetics and Reproduction

As they move pretty frequently after the female lays an egg, the male will roll it onto the female's back. On the back, there is almost like a pocket that the egg will sit. This feature makes it much easier to ride on the back of a female vs. a male. For the next two weeks, the egg will hang there until it is time to hatch. Since most of the time, the egg will not survive that long, the females will lay an egg every week.

Growth Rate & Stages

Within hours of hatching, they can start to run with the herd. By the time they are two years old, they are full-grown and have reached sexual maturity.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Being born in the wasteland, they have adapted to use as little water as possible. Oslevshi will travel as a herd from shelter to shelter in the wild, where they will forage plants and water. They will generally only stay in one area for no more than a day to not attract the attention of predators.

Additional Information

Social Structure

The rudimentary structure of these animals puts the females as the most important and are also the ones generally in charge of a herd.

Domestication

Most of the domesticated stock of Oslevshi is used as a food source.
The remainder is split among the male and females. They train the males to be beasts of burden and the females are trained as mounts. The training process makes them see a humanoid as the most critical member of the herd.

Uses, Products & Exploitation

The Oslevshi, besides being terrific mounts, with bodies that are a bountiful treasure of valuable items. They also have massive eggs that are a welcome meal. Each egg is almost two feet long and over a foot in diameter.
The harvest process starts at the bottom. Each of their six talons is over a foot and length and razor-sharp, making a great knife. The long hollow leg bones of the creature are robust and light, making them very useful in many other wares. The feathers make for very fanciful looks and use them to create a down insulation to develop heat-protective clothing. The meat on them is very lean and tasty. A full-grown Oslevshi can easily provide over 400 lbs of meat. Their beaks have been used for years as a buckler by the gnomes. As we come to an end, the eyes are highly sought after for their water content. Each of their massive 6-inch eyes holds half a gallon of water.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

They can be found in the wild over much of eastern Draqua.

Average Intelligence

Oslevshi have exceptional animal intelligence (4). They are exceptionally canny, easy to train, and very loyal. The females tend to be smarter than the males.

Lifespan

In the wild, they generally only live to about 45 years old. Captive and breed the species can live to over 90 years .

Average Height

The Oslevshi generally stand between 7 to 10 feet tall.

Average Weight

They average well over 800 lbs.

Average Length

Between 3 and 4 feet long.

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Their feathers run from light browns and tans to jet black with various patterns that help distinguish one bird from another. Only their beaks and feet are not covered in some kind of feather.

Discovered by

Bawippar the Historian