Encyclopaedia Elysia | Creatures / Dashiri

Name: Dashiri

Category: Mounts

Size: Huge

Rarity: Common

Lifespan: 50 to 60 years on average

Appearance

Dashiri are enormous brown beasts, usually standing between fourteen and fifteen feet at the shoulder. Their fur, which is thick, coarse and up to five feet long in places, gives them a shaggy appearance. It also hides the bony nubs, protruding through their tough skin, that follow the length of the dashiri's spine and the short, stubby tail. Twin clusters of these nubs, lengthening into short horns, also protrude through the skin and become visible above the fur of the forward shoulders, these being ideal as anchors for any saddling equipment or mountings used.

The nubby protrusions are also found on the dashiri's face where they are revealed by the shorter fur. Here, they look like stubby horns which outline the dashiri's head. Where they are short at the jawline, the nubs grow longer toward the centre of the head where they meet the main horns, some six feet in total length, which spiral out from the dashiri's head to enlarge its profile by twelve to eighteen inches either side.

Behaviour

Dashiri are herd animals and work better in pairs than they ever would alone. For this reason, and given the space constraints along the river banks where they are put to work pulling river barges, they are most often harnessed one in front of the other to mirror the way mothers lead their young. The fact that they come in pairs also means that merchants who use them can transport much greater quantities of their cargo in a single trip than they could otherwise.

Dashiri males are easily spooked and are rarely put to work, instead kept at pasture to protect the females in his herd while they rest.

Diet: They're herbivores so they eat a lot of grass, leaves, twigs, fruits and other greenery.

Habitat: Dashiri can be found on any flat, grassy land in temperate and warm climates, but have the densest populations in Alexshire, Dardanos, and the occidental region around Lake Cora.

They avoid woodland because they're simply too big to squeeze through the trees (although they could easily knock a tree down if there's enough space, even the giant trees of the rainforest if the herd worked together). However, they are happy enough to live on grassland where there are a few sparse trees, where they will happily use said trees as scratching posts, as long as there's plenty of space for them to get around. They also tend to avoid rocky or steep terrain, finding it difficult to cross, though they can do so if they must.

Breeding: Being herd animals, only the lead male gets to breed with the females during mating season. This is perhaps why the dashiri have such a large profile, as size seems to be an important factor in scaring off rivals and keeping the females in line.

Mating season occurs once a year at the height of summer, with the young being born eight months later.

Special Information

Strengths/Abilities:

Dashiri are incredibly strong. That, and their sheer bulk, makes them capable of pulling a great deal of weight.

Weaknesses:

As herd animals, they are easily spooked into stampedes by the lead male.
They have poor night vision and so are vulnerable to noctivagent predators. Dashiri stablers avoid this problem by keeping the herd in pastures surrounded by high perimeter fencing. Merchants on the road, however, must find a place to stable their team for the night or make provisions for them aboard the barge they're pulling or hire protection.

Uses:

Dashiri females are harnessed one in front of the other to pull merchant barges upriver. Return journeys are usually faster since they no longer need to work against the flow of the water, although some merchants allow them to ride home under power of the river itself.

Origin:

Other Info:

Creator: Emma