Yeaken

Full Description
The Yeaken is a large beast of burden similar to an ox. Their shoulder stands at about eight feet in height and they can weight close to seven hundred pounds if they are healthy. They have leather skin closely resembling that of a rhino or elephant and a broad curled horn in the middle of their head.

This horn is half as wide as their skull but can measure up to 2' long if straightened. In use, it is ideally similar to a ram's horn in that they can butt with it. It does have a small opening in the base near the skull that the Yeaken can produce sound from. They have a tuba sounding blast when they are angered or mating. The sound is a long and deep blart and is deep, similar to a tuba sound. Very clear and resonant, not hollow sounding. It is extremely hard and is colored brown and tan. Their eyesight is normal as well as their hearing, but they have a great sense of smell. Males tend to have a facial beard that is white that hangs close to the ground.

Their front legs are longer than their back, giving them a sloped appearance and making them slow runners. They can not attack with their front legs, instead use either their frontal ram horn, or their back legs. Their back feet have wicked claws on each to protect them in the wild. It is common for domesticated Yeaken to have these removed for safety.

They are social animals and are very peaceful in the wild as well as domestication. In the wild they very seldom do they travel alone, but tend stay in family groups of herds. They always travel with the weaker and smallest of the family inside and have the larger and stronger Yeaken toward the outside forming a circle as they travel. They are very trusting which makes domestication extremely easy and makes them easy prey for predators that can take something as large as them down. They can sense hostile intentions with their acute sense of smell and keep a long memory of things that hurt them.

They are used as large pack animals. They rarely get tired pulling the usual cargo in wagons and one can pull a wagon where it would take two or three oxen. Because of their intelligence it takes little guiding from a teamster as well.

They have been known to be used in battle pulling siege equipment but they are only useful if they are not near the actual battle, as the smell of blood frightens them. There has been rumor of an elite group of soldiers who use a pack of these in battle though. Their back talons tearing plated armor like parchment. But this is only a rumor and has never been seen.