• Solo • All the Pretty Little Horses

[Lei'lira]

The man glared at Lei'lira. He tried to brush past her, and grab the reins out of her hand, but Lei'lira twisted out of his way before he could.

"That's my horse! She's a worthless excuse of a horse, but she still belongs to me, and I'll give her a good beating like she deserves if I choose!"

Lei'lira glared right back at the man. There was no way she was going to allow him to hurt the filly. And judging from the angry murmurs from the crowd, the people who were watching weren't any happier at the thought of hurting a horse than she was.

"What seems to be the problem here?" a woman asked sternly.

She was wearing the uniform of the Iron Hand, and her no nonsense attitude was a clear warning that she would be more than happy to arrest anyone who was disturbing the peace for no reason.

"That woman is trying to steal my horse!" the man exclaimed furiously.

The crowd protested loudly, and the soldier waved a hand for calm. She asked the man for his side of the story first since he had been the first to speak, but she also gave Lei'lira a chance to explain what had happened from her point of view. The gathered crowd agreed with Lei'lira's version, having seen her stop and calm the panicked filly. After a while, the soldier silenced them as she considered what she had learned.

"Do you deny that the horse belongs to this man?" she asked Lei'lira at last.

Lei'lira frowned, but she shook her head. The soldier turned to the man who had claimed to be the filly's owner.

"It may be true that you own this horse, but you clearly are unable to control it. People were injured when you lost control of the animal. Property was damaged, even destroyed in some cases. So clearly, you have no business taking this horse into a crowded area where it might panic and bolt."

The woman turned back to Lei'lira.

"You, on the other hand seem to know how to control a horse. Are you interested in buying it?"

Lei'lira's eyes widened. She nodded quickly to indicate that she was indeed interested in buying the filly. The filly was a beautiful animal, and she would be proud to own her. But even if that were not the case, she would have wanted to buy her if it would get her away from someone who would abuse her. No animal deserved that.

"Then it's settled. You will buy the animal for a fair price, and you will not bring any more horses into crowded areas." she said, directing her last words towards the man.

They both nodded, and Lei'lira pulled a hundred gold nels from her money pouch. The man glared at her darkly, but he took the nels without further comment, and vanished into the crowd. Having settled the matter, the soldier took her leave as well. Lei'lira was about to return to the trader from the Hotlands with her new filly, and the Neeraja she had borrowed when another woman approached her.

"You seem to know your way around a horse. Can I interest you in a very special breed?" she asked invitingly.

Off Topic

100 GN deducted from my ledger for the filly

[Lei'lira]

Lei'lira raised an eyebrow at the mention of a "very special" breed of horse...but who was she kidding? Of course she was interested! So rather than try to feign disinterest in the hopes of learning more, or possibly getting a better deal should she choose to buy, she simply nodded, and gestured for the woman to show her the way. They didn't have to go far. The trader was set up in an area that held a large corral filled with mares, and second corral that was divided into smaller areas where a number of stallions were housed.
"I would like you to meet the Oakleigh Destrier." the woman said grandly with a big grin on her face.

It was obvious that she was quite proud of the horses that she was selling...and she had good reason to be. The horses that Lei'lira saw averaged in height from 15 to 17 hands at the shoulder. Most were either black, or grey, but there were a few other colors as well. Some of the black and grey horses had coats that had more of a bluer tone to them that the others did. And several of the horses had a dapple pattern over their backs and haunches.

The Oakleigh Destriers were powerfully built. At a guess, Lei'lira thought they might be used more as war mounts, or possibly work horses than as pleasure riding mounts. But she had been surprised more than once by the desert horse breeds she had learned about this trial, so Lei'lira kept an open mind about them. Although war mounts didn't interest her much, a good breed of work horse did; both for her own personal use, and to sell if she ever managed to bring her dream of a breeding farm to reality.

And these were certainly beautiful animals. Powerfully built, yes. But they were also compact, and elegant creatures. They had long, thick necks, massive chests, short, broad backs, and well defined withers. They also had strong looking hindquarters, and a well rounded croup. Their heads were medium length, and they had broad noses. Their manes and tails were long, and thick; luxurious looking. The ones that Lei'lira saw here all had their manes and tails braided back. She guessed that that was a necessity for this breed. That, or trimming them instead.

Oakleigh... she mused.

Isn't that in the Eastern Settlements? I knew that there was some good horse country out there, but I hadn't realized that they had created their own breed...

Lei'lira wondered if the Oakleigh Destrier was the only unique breed that had been developed in the Eastern Settlements, or if there were others. Perhaps it would be a good idea to try and take a trim into the Eastern Settlements some time and find out. It wouldn't happen any time soon, of course. She had been away from her farm for too long as it was. But some trial.

"You like what you see, don't you?"

Lei'lira glanced at the trader. The woman sounded so confidant in her belief that Lei'lira liked what she saw. But Lei'lira knew that she was easy to read; she always had been.So she didn't even bother to try and deny her interest in what she was seeing. Instead, she smiled, and nodded in agreement.

"They are beautiful horses. What can you tell me about the breed?"

[Lei'lira]

The trader smiled, clearly anticipating a sale.

"Well, there is, of course the obvious; they are beautiful creatures."

Lei'lira nodded; there was no denying that.

"The Oakleigh Desrtier started out as a breed of wild horses that are native to the Eastern Settlements. They were domesticated, and used as both a battle steed, and a work horse for many generations. During that time, they were selectively bred to other breeds in order to reach the recognized standards of the breed in its current form."

It was interesting to learn about the history of the breed, and it was important to know the origins of a breed. The ancestors of a breed might have flaws that have mostly been bred out, but that may crop up from time to time. Understanding the history of a breed would allow a breeder to be aware of those potential flaws. But Lei'lira was more interested in knowing more about the breed in its current form. What its qualities were, how easy or difficult it was to handle...things like that.

"These horses have an average weight of 550kg. This is important to keep in mind because they need to eat at least 2% of their body weight in forage per trial. By forage, I mean the usual feed for horses; fresh grass, hay, and grains. If used as pack mounts, they can carry up to 20% of their weight, or 110kg on average. And they can pull up to 1.5 times their weight, or 825kg on average."

"So they can be used as pack horses as well as war mounts, and work horses?"

That would open up a new market to a breeder, if so. War mounts were only of use to soldiers, and mercs. Work horses were useful to farmers, and traders who had heavy wagons that needed to be pulled. There was no denying that there was a need for both. But pack horses had a much wider use. Merchants used them. So did anyone who was traveling for any reason. The military used them. So did farmers. Pack horses had a much wider use than either war mounts, or work horses. And if they made good riding mounts, too...

"Yes. They can also be used for riding. These horses have an average speed of 45km per break, and a top speed of 60km per break."

"What would say the strong points of this breed were?" Lei'lira asked curiously.

"The Oakleigh Destriers are known for their robust health, and their incredible strength. They have a hardy nature, and a calm disposition that lends well to any type of hard work. They are easy to train because they are quite intelligent, and they have a sensitive, docile personality. As long as you treat them with respect, they are responsive and cooperative. And their intelligence allows them to learn quickly. They are difficult to spook, and perhaps most importantly, they are extremely loyal to their rider."

The Oakleigh Destriers had several very admiral qualities. She wanted a number of them for herself, and if she ever did manage to create her own breed of horses, she wanted them to have some of the qualities that this breed had; namely their intelligence, and their loyalty to their riders.

"Is there anything else I should know about them?" she asked at last.

"Breeding Oakleigh Destriers is a little different than other horses. A typical pregnancy lasts five and a half seasons. So they don't breed as quickly as other horses do. Some may see that as a disadvantage, but it really isn't that big of one. The other thing is that while most colors are available in this breed, bluer toned coats tend to be more rare than the other colors, and as such, are prized, and are worth more."

"Can I have a little time to think about this? I am interested in buying some, but I need to decide how many I wish to buy."

"Of course."

[Lei'lira]

Lei'lira's first impulse was to buy a whole bunch of them right now. But she was also planning to buy several of the desert breeds she had learned about earlier. She might never get another chance to buy them, while the Oakleigh Destriers were a breed native to the Eastern Settlements. That meant she would have other opportunities to buy them.

That still left her with a number of options. Should she buy younger horses, or ones that were ready to be bred now? There were several mares that were clearly pregnant; should she consider them despite the added cost for the unborn foals? If she didn't want the pregnant mares, would it be worth asking about stud fees for the mares she bought? Or if she bought a mix of pregnant, and not pregnant mares, should she ask to breed the ones who weren't?

"How much are you asking for them?" Lei'lira asked at last.

"Fifty gold nels for an untrained horse, or one hundred gold nels for one that is fully trained. The pregnant mares cost an additional twenty gold nels for their unborn foals, and if you are thinking about stud fees, those would be twenty gold nels as well."

Well...that answered that question. Lei'lira was surprised that the Oakleigh Destriers were not more expensive than normal horses were. But she certainly wasn't going to complain! It meant that she could afford to buy more of them than she had previously thought, even with the desert horses she planned to buy. Perhaps it was because the Oakleigh Destriers were a local breed? That would make sense if that were the case. The cost of shipping the horses across the ocean had to be paid for somehow, after all. It was entirely possible that the price of an Oakleigh Destrier would be more expensive in another city than it would be here, just as the desert breeds she had learned about were more expensive than normal horses.

Lei'lira was tempted to ask if she could ride one. It was always a good idea to test ride a horse you were thinking of purchasing as a riding mount when possible, after all. But "when possible" was the key phrase here. If she was riding one of the Oakleigh Destriers around the corral a few times on a test ride, who was going to keep an eye on the Apanie she had borrowed to chase after the run away filly? Or the filly herself for that matter? Even if the trader did agree to watch them for her, Lei'lira had no illusions of the woman sticking to that agreement if another prospective buyer came along.

After giving the matter some more thought, Lei'lira decided that she wanted a stallion, and five mares. She wanted the stallion to be fully trained because she was very leery of introducing an untrained stallion to her farm. And she wanted one of the mares to be fully trained as well so that she would have an example of what a fully trained Oakleigh Destrier should behave like. But since this breed was supposed to be easy to train, and she herself was fairly skilled at training horses, she decided to save some nels and buy four untrained mares as well.

When she asked, she learned that all of the pregnant mares were fully trained. Several of them had blue toned coats. Lei'lira dismissed them since she knew that they would cost her more. It might be something she was interested in in the future, but for now, she wanted to save nels where she could. She chose her mares from the ones who were not pregnant, but she asked if it would be possible to breed them to five different stallions. That would add more diversity to her herd when the foals were old enough to be bred.

Once she had chosen her five mares, and selected the stallions they would be bred to, Lei'lira turned her attention to choosing the stallion she wanted to buy. When asked, the trader was happy to point out which ones had been fully trained already. Then she was left alone to make her choice. As she looked each of the stallions over, one kept demanding her attention. He followed her around the corral, bumping her with his nose in a clear demand to be petted. After a while, Lei'lira gave in to the inevitable. She liked the stallion well enough, and he had clearly chosen her, so her decision was made.

Lei'lira approached the trader, and told her which horses she had decided to buy. After making her purchase, she made arrangements for the horses to be sent to her farm with several others that had been bought earlier in the trial by another farmer who lived in Warrick. Lei'lira thanked the trader, then took her leave.

Off Topic

I didn't see any prices listed for the Oakleigh Destriers, so I am assuming that they cost the same as normal horses in the price list. If I am mistaken, please let me know.

One fully trained stallion - 100 GN
One fully trained mare - 100 GN
Four untrained mares - 200 GN
Stud fees for 5 mares/5 unborn foals to be born in Ashan 718 - 100 GN
A total of 500 GN will be deducted from my ledger for these horses upon completion of this thread

[Lei'lira]

Lei'lira quickly got lost in her own thoughts as she walked back towards the desert trader. She felt somewhat guilty about leaving Eri with the man for so long. There had been little choice in the matter since someone had had to go after the runaway filly that she now owned, but she had spent more time with the trader who was selling Oakleigh Destriers than she had meant to. But Eri seemed to like horses almost as much as she did, so perhaps Eri would be appeased if she gave the younger girl one of the mares she had just bought. Lei'lira would let her choose which one she wanted. With luck, Eri would want one of the untrained mares. Training horses together could be a lot of fun, and it might serve to bring them closer together. Until Lei'lira was allowed to free Eri, the issue of slavery would exist between them. But Lei'lira wanted to make Eri feel like she did; like Eri was part of her family.

A loud shout coming from nearby startled Lei'lira out of her thoughts. Lei'lira searched for the source of the sound, and found a large man dressed in the uniform of the Iron Hand looming over two children who were dressed in rags. To her surprise, she recognized the children as the ones that she had given a few nels to earlier in the trial. As she listened, the angry soldier threatened to arrest the kids for theft. Another man who appeared to be the owner of the stall they were next to looked uncomfortable as he tried to explain that the children hadn't actually tried to steal anything; they were just making his customers uncomfortable because they looked like they might be pickpockets. The soldier frowned at this, but changed his threat to arresting the kids for "causing a disturbance."

Lei'lira frowned. It didn't seem fair to her that the kids were being accused of "causing a disturbance" just for being there. People were uncomfortable because they looked like they might be pickpockets? How was it their fault that they were too poor to be able to afford better clothes? Did they even have any parents looking out for them, or were they on their own like Eri, and Teirue had been?

What was the punishment for causing a disturbance, anyway? Was it a fine like there was for theft? And if so...what would happen if the kids couldn't pay it? Would they be enslaved the way Eri had been as an alternate punishment? Lei'lira couldn't allow that. Not if there was anything she could do to prevent it, at least. With that thought in mind, she tightened her grip on the reins of the horses she was leading, and moved towards the kids as quickly as she could through the crowd.

"There you are!" she called with a brightness that she did not feel.

"Were you able to deliver my message?"

The kids stared at her in wary confusion for several trills before the older of the two, a boy of about nine arcs seemed to realize what she was trying to do, and shook his head.

"I'm sorry. My little sister stopped to look at the pretty ribbons this trader is selling, and that soldier stopped us before we could." he explained with wary gratitude shining in his eyes.

The soldier frowned.

"Message? What message?" he asked curtly.

"You probably already know this, but a horse panicked, and bolted through the crowd not too long ago. This filly to be exact." she said, gesturing at the filly she'd bought.

"I was with a trader from the Hotlands deciding which horses I wanted to buy when I saw her race past us. I'm...well, I'm good with horses, sir. I thought that if I could catch up with her, I had a chance of calming her down before anyone could get hurt. But in order to catch up with her, I needed a horse; there was no way I could catch up to a runaway horse on foot. So I borrowed this mare from the Hotlands trader." she continued, gesturing at the other mare.

"As you can see, I did manage to catch up with the filly, and calm her down. Her owner arrived soon after that, as did several soldiers. Since her owner clearly couldn't control her, and I had just proven that I could, the soldiers gave me the opportunity to buy the filly at a fair price if I was interested. I was. All of that took time, though, and when everything was settled, another trader approached me, trying to interest me in some horses they were selling; Oakleigh Destriers to be exact. I was interested, but looking at the horses the trader had available for sale was going to take even more time. I didn't want the trader from the Hotlands to think that I had stolen his horse, so I asked these kids to find him and tell him that I had been delayed, but would bring his horse back soon. I was on my way back there now."

It was a bluff, of course. Most of it was true, but if the soldier chose to investigate further, he would find that she had never asked the kids to deliver a message. Fortunately, he seemed satisfied with her story. He apologized to the kids, but warned them not to bother their "betters," making Lei'lira frown again. Then he went back to his duties. The kids thanked her for helping them to get out of trouble. The boy looked as though he wanted to ask her why she had gotten involved, but he didn't quite seem to dare. Instead, he offered to repay her by actually delivering the "message" she had supposedly asked them to deliver. But since she was on her way back anyway, Lei'lira politely declined his offer. The kids thanked her once more before vanishing into the crowd, leaving her to get back to her own business.

[Lei'lira]

When she finally found the area the horse trader from the Hotlands was set up in, she found him anxiously scanning the crowd, clearly trying to see if he could spot her.

"I didn't run off with your horse, sir." she said with a smile.

"Well, I did...but not with the intent of stealing her." she finished as she offered him the reins of the mare she had borrowed.

The man started, and flushed.

"I...I never thought that you had. I..."

Lei'lira smiled again.

"Don't worry about it. I was gone longer than I expected I would be, and we are strangers to each other. You have no reason to trust me."

The trader nodded, and offered her a sheepish grin in apology for thinking her a horse thief.

"I see that you were successful?" he asked, eying the filly she had bought.

"Yes. And since her previous owner has proven that he couldn't control her, while I could...I was given a chance to buy her for a fair price. I couldn't bear to think of her in the hands of someone who couldn't treat her the way she deserves to be treated, so..."

"She is a fine filly. And it is good to see that you care so much about horses. I like to think that the horses that I sell will go to a good home. They deserve nothing less than that."

Lei'lira nodded in agreement. The trader hesitated before continuing.

"Have you given any thought to...?"

Lei'lira laughed softly, not wanting to startle the horses. A trader was a trader, after all, and this man was definitely a trader. Now that the matter of the runaway filly had been resolved, and he didn't have to worry about the possibility he had loaned one of his horses to a horse thief, he was clearly ready to get down to business. And Lei'lira was happy to let him.

"Some. I have a better idea of how which breeds I want to buy, and how many I want of each of the breeds I am interested in. The Namib you already know about, of course. I also want to buy this wonderful little lady." Lei'lira said as she stroked the nose of the Neeraja mare she had borrowed gently.

"She and I get along quite well, and how could I not love her after the little adventure we've shared?"

The trader grinned.

"That can certainly be arranged. Do you know how many Neeraja you want to buy? What kind of training you want them to have? Things like that?" he asked hopefully.

"Yes. I want to buy seven of them in all; six mares, and one stallion. I would prefer younger animals for all but the mare that you loaned to me. The stallion should be trained, but the five younger mares don't need to be."

The trader took a few trills to calculate the costs in his mind.

"That will be five hundred and fifty eight gold nels for all seven of them; one hundred and eight for the stallion, one hundred eighty for the mare I loaned you, and two hundred seventy for the five younger fillies."

Lei'lira nodded.

"That sounds fair." she agreed as she began looking the Neeraja he had available for sale.

After she made her decision, she pointed out which ones she wanted, and they were separated from the rest of the herd.

"Is there anything else?"

"I would like to buy some Apanie, some Etan ponies, and a couple of Katura. This is in addition to the Namib I chose earlier, of course."

The trader grinned at the prospect of such a large sale.

"I am at your service, then. What are you looking for?" he asked simply.

Lei'lira told the man what she was looking for, and he helped her choose which horses she wanted by telling her a bit about the temperaments of each of the horses she was considering. As she was listening to what the trader had to say, Eri came over to wait beside her. Since she seemed interested, she told the younger girl how she was deciding which horses to buy, as well as some of the pros and cons to buying younger animals rather than ones that were already old enough to breed. And even though she didn't know much about the horses themselves yet, Lei'lira asked her for her opinions on some of the stories the trader told them about the horses in his care. In doing so, Lei'lira hoped that Eri would feel included in the decision making, and that that in turn would foster her interest in these horses.

Off Topic

The following has been deducted from Lei'lira's ledger:
Apanie: 468 GN for 6 young horses; 5 mares, and 1 stallion (65 GN base price with a .6 modifier for young (1-4 arcs old) horses = 78 GN each for young, trained horses)
Etan Ponies: 504 GN for 6 young, trained horses; 5 mares, and 1 stallion (70 GN base price with a .6 modifier for young (1-4 arcs old) horses = 84 GN each for young, trained horses)
Neeraja: 558 GN for 7 horses; 5 young untrained mares, 1 young trained stallion, and 1 trained mare (90 GN base = 180 GN for the adult trained horse, 108 GN for the young trained stallion, and 54 GN each for 5 young untrained mares)
Katura: 288 GN for 2 young, trained horses; 1 stallion, and 1 mare (120 GN base price with a .6 modifier for young (1-4 arcs old) horses = 144 GN each for young, trained horses)
Total: 2001 GN
*This is in addition to the previous deductions in earlier posts

[Lei'lira]

Lei'lira wasn't very good at negotiating, and she knew it. Although she realized it was a valuable skill, and that it could really come in handy at times, it wasn't something that she enjoyed doing. As a result, most of the time she didn't bother to try. If she saw something that she liked, she simply asked what the seller wanted to get for the item she wanted. If she considered it to be a fair price, or if she wanted the item badly enough, she agreed to pay the asking price. Buying things that way was a lot simpler in her opinion.

In this particular case, she wanted the horses this man was selling enough to pay pretty much anything he asked for them. Fortunately, he seemed like a good man. Although she didn't know the prices that these breeds might fetch in the Hotlands, or how much the prices had been increased to cover the costs of importing them to Rynmere, she did know the price of a good horse. Having bought as many horses as she had from Meadow Farms over the arcs, she couldn't help but understand that much. And by using that as a basis to work from, the prices the trader had mentioned as he described the various breeds to her sounded more than fair. Especially since he was giving her a discounted price for buying younger animals rather than ones that were ready to be ridden or bred now. For the most part, at least. Of course, the discount simply meant that she ended up buying more than she might have had she been asked to pay full price for all of them.

"Is there anything else I can help you with?" the trader asked when he noticed that she had finished picking out the horses she wanted to buy.

"No, I think that's about it. Thank you for asking, though. How much so I owe you for everything?"

Lei'lira watched as the man calculated the costs in his head. She had tried to keep a running total of what she owed in her mind as she was deciding on what to buy, but her attempt had been made more difficult by the fact that she had already bought several horses, and she had to keep what she had spent on them in mind as well. Going back and forth on the number of horses she wanted to buy for each breed certainly didn't help matters any.

Still, the price that the trader gave her wasn't too far off from the rough estimate she had managed to come up with for herself. The man seemed almost hesitant to tell her what she owed, looking as though he thought that she was going to change her mind. Lei'lira couldn't blame him. The total cost was well over two thousand gold nels, after all. Even she knew that few people had that kind of money to spend. But she simply handed over the requested money with a smile.

"It's been a pleasure doing business with you." the trader said with heart felt sincerity.

"If you are certain there is nothing else I can help you with...?"

The trader clearly had a lot of work to do, just as she did. But his final question made her frown in concern. How was she supposed to get all of these horses home? She had no experience in driving a herd of horses! And even if she did, she had two children with her, one of them far too young to be of any help, and the other just as inexperienced at driving horses as she was.

"Well, there is one thing...and I can't believe that I didn't think of this sooner. I live on a farm out in Warrick. It's why I can manage to keep so many horses; I certainly wouldn't be able to keep them here in the city. But the thing is...I have no idea how to drive a herd of horses from here to my farm. I also have a couple of kids who will be traveling with me, and we will need to make a stop in Venora on our way home. Do you know how I might be able to make arrangements to get these horses home?" she asked hopefully.

The trader smiled at her indulgently.

"As a matter of fact, I can do you one better. Earlier this trial, a farmer came to me on behalf of a breeding farm in Warrick. Meadow Farms, I believe he called it? The name is not important. He claimed that rumors of my arrival brought him here to see if there truly were exotic horses for sale in this fine city. Like you, he bought quite a few horses. And since he did, I can help you with the problem you have of getting them to your home. For a fee, I am sure that the farmer who approached me on behalf of Meadow Farms will be willing to drive your horses back to Warrick along with his. And seeing as how you bought so many horses from me, I feel it only fair if I show my appreciation for your business by covering that fee myself. Perhaps in exchange, you will remember me fondly, and be willing to do business with me again should I ever return to your land with more horses to sell?"

Lei'lira thanked the man sincerely, and nodded.

"Yes, if you do ever return to Rynmere with more horses, and I hear of it, I will be happy to buy some more." she agreed with a smile.

With her purchases made, and arrangements agreed upon to get the horses she had just purchased back to Warrick, Lei'lira thanked the trader once more before she and Eri returned to the inn.

[Muse]

Your review is ready!

You have a mind-boggling talent for long, amazing solos. I do not have the endurance, personally, and just reaching 1500 words by myself is always a challenge when it has to do with a job thread. Hahaha. You managed to actually earn the 13 knowledges (6+7 posts after the first page) as a solo thread! I'm ... yeah. And I now know way more about horses than I've ever known in my whole life.

Lei'lira

Points

XP:
10 | These points cannot be used for magic.

Fame:
+3 Stopping theft, +3 General good deeds, +2 Horse spending spree

Loot

N/A

Injuries + Overstepping

Mild concussion. Headaches and dizziness are a risk for the rest of the season.

Knowledge

Skill Knowledge (6+7=13):
Animal Husbandry: Horse; different breeds can have vastly different qualities

Animal Husbandry: Horse Breed; Apanie come in buckskin, palomino, bay, black, chestnut, and grey with a natural metallic sheen to their coat, stand 14.2 to 16 hh, and are used for riding, show jumping, scouting, and hunting. They have a refined head with a predominantly straight or slightly convex profile and long ears, their mane and tail are usually sparse, and their long back is both lightly muscled, and coupled to a flat croup and long, upright neck. Their temperament tends to be excitable and restless, so they can be difficult to control. They are a desert breed that is somewhat common in the Hotlands. But they are most well known for their "sixth-sense" when it comes to detecting predators and enemies. Possible due to their long ears, it is believed that they use vibrations in the air to know when a threat approaches.

Animal Husbandry: Horse Breed; Etan Ponies are usually either chestnut or gray, stand 13 to 13.5 hh, and are used for short burst riding, and packing. They are not the most attractive of creatures, having heavy heads, and short, thick necks. And if ridden, they are quite slow. But they are able to carry heavy weight very well and for long distances. They are a desert breed that is somewhat common in the Hotlands. Their most notable quality is that they can go three trials or longer without water and require virtually no care.

Animal Husbandry: Horse Breed; Neeraja are usually bay, gray, chestnut, black, and roan, stand 14.1 to 15.1 hh, and are used for riding, show jumping, and dressing. They have refined, wedge-shaped heads and a peculiar broad forehead. Most show a distinctive concave, or "dished" profile. They are noted for both their intelligence and a spirited disposition. They are a desert breed that is somewhat rare in the Hotlands. Their most notable quality is an abnormal organ in their foreheads which allows the Neeraja to detect sources of water from as far as 300ft away.

Animal Husbandry: Horse Breed; Namib are usually bay, chestnut or dun, stand 14 to 14.3 hh, and are used for riding, packing, racing, and combative purposes. They are athletic, muscular, have clean limbs, and are strong boned. They are short-backed with oblique shoulders, have good withers and good conformation. The Namib are one of the native wild horse breeds of the Hotlands. As such, they are feral, and spirited. They are incredibly hard to train, but once you do, they become the fiercest of all mounts. They are a desert breed that is quite rare in the Hotlands. Their most notable quality is their coat. It is an odd combination of tough hide and a semi-permeable membrane. Their skin is hard to cut, giving it an asset in combat with members of its own kind, or as a war mount. It is also breathable, allowing the Namib a tremendous resistance to the scorching climates of the Hotlands.

Business Management: buying superior quality that is too young for your immediate needs over lesser quality that can be bred immediately

Business Management: buying superior quality that is too young for your immediate needs over lesser quality that can be bred immediately

Business Management: unless specializing, being able to cater to as wide a market as possible is important

Mount: Horse; it is a good idea to test ride a horse you want to use as a mount before buying it

Mount: Horse; good gaits are important in a mount

Mount: Horse; riding through a crowd

Mount: Horse; in a first mount, speed is not an asset

Mount: Horse; the proper way to introduce yourself to a strange horse

Mount: Horse; trust between horse and rider is of utmost importance

Other Knowledge:
Lei'lira: hopes to create her own breed of horses one trial
Lei'lira: won't tolerate the abuse of an animal
Lei'lira: is easy to read

Common: slang


Language: Common Sign
Common Sign: "spoken" with gestures
Common Sign: useful for street kids, and hunters


Language: Dehasin
Dehasin: one of two languages spoken in Athart
Dehasin: spoken by human slaves in Athart
Dehasin: the only language specifically for slaves
Dehasin: is a hard language to learn; many slavers don't understand it
Dehasin: swears
Dehasin: lullaby


Language: Lorien
Lorien: one of two languages spoken in Athart
Lorien: spoken by the Avriel


Location: Athart
Athart: city of the Avriel
Athart: city of slavery

Location: Eastern Settlements

Location: Oakleigh
Oakleigh: origin of the Oakleigh Destrier

If you've got a question or concern or if I've missed anything, don't hesitate to PM me!

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Reviewed By

Muse

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