Hornbeasts

Found all over Lasair in several different varieties, hornbeasts are a common herd animal, often migratory and always quite large. They feature prominently in the lives of Orcs, are used as beasts of burden in the Fertile Lands and City-States, and even travel in small herds across the windblown glacier of the High Ice.

The Hornbeast

A large herd animal, hornbeasts range from 6 to 10 feet in height and 15 to 20 feet in length. They are named for the very prominent horn or horns that form a part of their skull and protrudes another few feet in front of their bodies. Protected from elements by a thick hide, there are several varieties of the animal that have evolved for various habitats. The most common, as found in the Savage Lands and on The Great Plateau have thin, bristly hair covering much of their bodies, while those which tend towards forested areas have a thicker, wiry coat to protect from brambles and branches. The most distinct hornbeasts are those of the High Ice, whose long multi-layer shaggy coats keep them warm in the intense cold of the glacier.
Hornbeasts are prominently muscled, with a pronounced hunch over their shoulders. Their horns are primarily made of bone, growing over the beast's entire lifetime. Hooves and a whip-like tail, commonly seen brushing away insects in warmer or humid climates, finishes off the creature's look.
The animals travel in herds, ranging in size from a half-dozen in the cold of the High Ice, to several dozen in the Savage Lands. The herds will generally travel with the largest and most intimidating members on the outside, with older, younger, or injured members in the center. This defensive arrangement protects them well from predators as few will seek to breach the threatening wall of horns.

Significance to the Orcs

In the Savage Lands, the Orcish tribes have built their society around the migrations of the herds. Their existence is largely nomadic, with camps moving after the herds year after year, hunting occasional hornbeasts for leather, meat, and bone. They have also tamed a small number, using them as mounts for rapid travel. Overall, the orcs consider the hornbeast to be a pillar of their lives, and they treat them with respect and reverence even when hunting them.

In Other Lands

Hornbeasts have been tamed for use as beasts of burden in most civilized lands. They pull wagons in the City-States Region, pull plows in the Fertile Lands, help in pulling barges back upstream, and in pulling down blocks of marble in The Sink. While none of these societies holds the hornbeast in the same regard as the Orcs do, they all recognize the utility of the animal and put it to good use.

Inspiration Notes

The visual inspiration for the Hornbeast is taken primarily from two sources:

• Banthas, in Star Wars
• Krushoks, from the Tarkir setting in Magic the Gathering. Specific card examples can be seen here and here.