Strael

"This's Vrahma. She's th' fastest, strongest, smartest Strael this side of the Fuil. Even them breeders 'nd catchers in Ifrinn couldn't hope for a better one. Served me fer 12 years, Vrahma has, an' she's got the scars to show it! Where'd I get her? Now, that's what we here calls a 'trade secret', if you catch my drift. But what I will tell ye is this: there's precious few like her."
--Clanless Theda, dwarven merchant operating throughout the civilized lands

Workforce of a Bygone Age

Strael are a gentle, crustacean-like herd animal native to the Ifrinn Highlands. Strael have been used in Ravengrin since before the Ashen War. Their placid nature makes them easily domesticated, and their incredible strength makes them extremely useful in all manner of labor. They are used as pack animals, farm animals, and even long-distance transportational creatures.
They are known to be surprisingly intelligent, and extremely devoted to their owners.
Once common throughout all of central Ravengrin, Strael have become increasingly rare in recent years. There are few wild Strael herds left, almost entirely located in Ifrinn. Most concentrated Strael populations are domesticated, and even those are dwindling.

Habitat

In the wild, Strael live in dry, arid climates - mountains, plains, plateaus - but are capable of surviving in nearly any environment, including underwater (at least temporarily).
Strael have very few natural predators, because of how difficult it is to get through their defenses. This, coupled with the fact that their meat is somewhat tasteless and extremely tough, deters most predators.

Anatomy

Morphology and Life Cycle

Strael have a tall, lumpy, roughly symmetrical body shape, composing of three internal body segments, similarly to most creatures. Underneath their carapace, Straels' body segments are hard to distinguish, but the formations of their outer shells denotes them more obviously. Individual Strael's bodies can vary in height and width based on the creature's breeding and environment. The eyestalks, mouthparts, and appendages are all situated nearer the base of the body, giving the creature a crablike look.
Strael are hexapedal, meaning they have six walking appendages. These three sets of of 3-digit limbs are heavily muscled further from the body, and more flexible and nimble near the base. The ends of the legs are adorned with a split claw-like appendage. These claws, while providing little in terms of offensive capability for the Strael, help the creature keep an indomitable stability on its feet.

"Pfah. Stop meken' a fool of yerself, Vlad. You'd sooner catcha Blood Raven than push a Strael over."
--Kathi Zed, Ifrinn farmer, to his friend after a night of drinking

Strael also have a pair of comparatively small, surprisingly dextrous chelipeds, which they sometimes use to aid their feeding process. The awkward positioning of and lumpy carapace adorning these pincers make them of insignificant offensive capability, but it is said that a Strael claw can crush small boulders in a single squeeze. As grazers, Strael rarely have to use their claws for feeding, except for the largest and woodiest bushes, but they do use them as part of the courting and mating process, as well as to fight one another.
Adult Strael are usually between 8 and 10 feet tall from the ground to top of their shell, and anywhere between 7 and 11 feet from mouth to rear. Young Strael are smaller, without the large carapace of their elders. They are far more agile, fast, and dextrous than their parents, and make remarkably good pets when domesticated.
Strael usually live to be at least 30 years old, and it is not uncommon to see them reach 50. They grow relatively quickly for their first 5 years, and then slow until they reach adulthood around the age of 12. Beyond that, growth is minimal, if present at all.

Internal Structure and Carapace

What make Strael so durable is the unique feature of having both an endoskeleton and a pseudo-exoskeleton. This exoskeleton is of similar feel and appearance to comparable substances, such as the shell of turtles or or carapace of crustaceans, but is significantly lighter, allowing the Strael to support its own weight without compromising on its ability to defend itself. Strael carapace is highly valued as simple armor, able to withstand strikes from arrows and lighter weapons.

Sensory and Perceptive Faculties

Strael possess two sets of eyes - one set or larger eyes on two eyestalks above their mouths, and a smaller set at the base of the eyestalks. The larger eyes are used for sight and perception, while the smaller function as some sort of echolocation. Strael also have two sets of long, feathery antennae, which sometimes reach to lengths of 6 feet. They use these antennae to provide smell, balance, and precise touch.

Digestion

Strael have similar mouthparts to that of crabs and crayfish, with four large articulated appendages similar to maxillae, which are used to tear and chew their food before ejecting it into their digestive system, involving two separate stomachs.
Strael use nearly every part of the food they eat, and excrete very little. It is commonly purported that Strael feces is some of the best fertilizer in the land.

Habits and Function

In the wild, Strael are peacable herd animals, grazing mostly off of the larger plantlife of the Ifrinn plains - scrub, bushes, and small trees. Strael also generally consume moderate amounts of insects and other small creatures.
The collective noun for Strael is Scree. These herds can consist of anywhere between 5 and 100 individuals, usually having a rough 2-1 ratio of adults to young. Strael are highly protective of their young, and while they lack many anatomical offensive features, they can charge with surprising speed.