THE
KOR'OCH
FEY MOLOGH
("KOR'OCH'S
MOUNT",
"REMUSIAN
HORSE") |
The Kor’och
fey Mologh, or the "Mount of Kor’och" (or simply "Mologh"), is the youngest of
all the horse breeds, having only been in existence for
the last 300 years. They are all descendants of the progenitor stallion, named
Forsaken Blade. It is uncertain which exact breeds were used to breed Forsaken
Blade, see Myth/Lore, however, it is generally assumed
that the Centoraurian Horse was used,
probably the Rusik and the
Tirpan, as well as possibly the
Sarvonian Draught Pony, also known as the
Hobbithorse. Indeed, the Kor’och fey
Mologh seems to have many characteristics of each of these breeds.
Appearance.
The Kor’och fey Mologh is usually found to be a deep
eophran brown in colour (a
shade which the Ice Tribes call
"pinnipeye" after the dark-eyed seals that live there) but can range in colour
from black to bay. They may have small white markings on their face, and
sometimes they may have white socks, but anything more than that and they are
considered culls. This is a colour breed as much as anything, so breeders are
particular in their assessment of these animals.
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They have large, intelligent eyes, a dish shaped face, high withers and in the
males, a thick crested neck. During winter months they develop a heavier coat
that protects them from the elements, but this coat is softer and less coarse in
the warmer months, though still heavy. Their manes and tails are usually long
and thick, tails often reaching to the ground. They have slightly larger hooves
than most horses, and this helps them navigate through
the snow better. As well, they have an unusually thick tuft of hair on their
fetlocks, called "Kor’och’s Boot" ("Kor’och fey Beyout"). The Mologh is one of
the smaller of the horse breeds, standing from 14 to 15
hands high, though some horses do occasionally fall outside these parameters.
Special Abilities.
This
horse
is considered a good utilitarian breed as both a great riding
horse,
and a good work
horse.
It has a smooth gait that is very easy to take under saddle, and it has great
strength and exceptional endurance for work as a draught
horse.
The Kor’och fey Mologh usually gives birth to a single foal; however, in about
one out of ten cases, a mare will give birth to two foals. This is not a joyous
occasion, however, as more often than not it results in a difficult delivery,
and underweight foals. In many cases one or both of the foals die, and often so
do the dams.
A note must be made that these
horses
are particularly adept at conserving body heat during the coldest weather of the
ice lands. Much like wolves, these
horses
will lie down and curl their legs up under their bodies, while burying their
muzzles under their flanks. Often, groups of
horses
will do this together; their bodies huddled, thereby conserving that much more
heat. Interestingly, one
horse
will usually not join in this huddled group and will act as a sentry, looking
out for danger. Should a storm last long enough, this sentry
horse
will change places with one of the other
horses,
and a new sentry
horse
will protect the group.
Territory.
This
horse
is almost exclusively found in the north, as it is bred by the
Ice Tribes, mainly the
Remusians. It is not a breed that
developed in nature, and so it has no natural environment. The main breeders of
the horse are found in Remusiat, though occasionally,
some of the more northern tribes will breed them as well. In recent years,
however, it has begun to be exported to almost all regions of
Santharia, often fetching large sums of
money.
Habitat/Behaviour.
The mares of the Kor’och fey Mologh are very docile, and make excellent riding
horses and pets. Children are often trained to ride on
mares. The stallions of this breed are more aggressive, however, especially
toward each other. It is because of this that they are not usually wanted as war
horses, as two stallions will fight each other as often
as they fight the enemy. Instead, geldings are often used as war
horses, though they have to be proud cut. This entails
that part of a testicle be left when they are gelded, which happens when the
horse is 4-5 years old instead of the usual 2 years old. This is done so the
horse will have the musculature and the spirit of a
stallion, but not the aggression towards other male horses.
The Kor’och fey Mologh have a life expectancy of 25-30 years. These
horses have a close knit herd mentality, and the mares
and geldings will often be found “talking” to one another and grooming each
other. Stallions are kept separate for the most part. Foals that are orphaned
due to a tragic birth are quickly adopted by another mare with a foal, as mares
produce enough milk for two. If twins are orphaned, they will be adopted by two
different mares.
Diet.
The diet of these
horses
consists mostly of hrugchuk grass,
although some of the wealthier breeders supplement this with a bit of grain to
build a better layer of fat to help them survive the frigid winters. It is worth
noting that this must be carefully regulated, as too much grain will cause the
horse
to get sick. Many a
horse
has been lost to this grain poisoning. Still, as owning this
horse
is tantamount to owning a piece of divinity, many breeders are happy to pay the
price to make sure they have this grain. As stated, the bulk of their diet is
hrugchuk grass, and the
horses
are often herded by the nomadic icemen
in large areas so that enough of the
hrugchuk grass is available. Their hooves are sufficiently sharp enough and
large enough to enable them to dig through the ice and snow to get at the hearty
grass. They also eat lichens and the small shrubs that grow here.
Mating.
Because these
horses
were never found in the wild, they have never really developed a mating ritual.
However, when a stallion is placed in a pen with a mare that is in heat, he will
follow her, nipping at her flanks until she submits to him, which is signaled by
the mare's lowering her head and nickering softly. This can be dangerous, as the
mare will sometimes kick when the stallion goes to mount her, risking injury
and, in rare circumstances, death. To avoid this, most mares are tied into a
breeding stall, that is too narrow for them to move, and their rear legs are
hobbled to prevent the mares from kicking and injuring the stallions.
The mares usually go into heat during the last half of the month of the
Changing Winds, and gestation
lasts until the month of Molten Ice.
Mares that have given birth to twins, regardless of whether or not the foals
survived, are usually not bred that same season, the breeders preferring to give
them a year of rest due to the trauma of giving birth to twins. Stallions are
usually not capable of breeding before their second year, though most breeders
wait until the third season to start using them. Mares are left until they are
in their fourth season before they are bred, as younger mares tend to have more
twins. Conversely, mares are rarely used for breeding after their 15th year, as
these older horses almost never survive a twin birth.
Stallions may breed far into their 20’s.
Usages. The Kor’och fey Mologh is used mainly for riding while many are used as farm work horses. Merchants like to use teams of them to pull heavily laden wagons, as they have great endurance. The Remusian cavalry uses this breed to a large extent, as having the warhorse of Kor’och under them gives them a sense of invincibility. Most of the Ice Tribes use these beasts simply to pull sleds and travois that are laden with supplies or the fruits of a hunt, as their endurance makes them quite adept at this.
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Some tribes have what is known as Stallion Fights, where two stallions are
placed in a pen and are allowed to fight. It is a barbarous sport, as anyone who
has watched two stallions fight can attest to. Heavy bets are often made, and
family and tribe honour are always at stake. These fights are rarely to the
death, as these animals are far too valuable. The fight is allowed to continue
until one owner surrenders. Although considered a loss of honour to lose, it is
still preferable to losing an animal as valuable as a stallion.
A Kor’och fey Mologh mare can be used to create an alcoholic drink known as
"Yuritz". As the mares produce enough milk for two foals, those that are nursing
only one can be milked of their excess. The milk is allowed to ferment, with
tiny pieces of hrugchuk grass
root mixed in, for a period of four days in a sealed container, traditionally
made of clay, but wooden containers have been used as well.
The last use that the Kor’och fey Mologh is mostly utilized in the furthest
reaches of the north. These tribes will sometimes use the culls as food. The
Remusians are known to consider
this barbaric among the other tribes, and they look down on the others for it.
However, the northern tribes would consider starving to death a worse act.
Myth/Lore.
The Kor’och fey Mologh was introduced by a
Remusian
horse
breeder, Kelleroch, who took several
horses
of different breeds with the desired traits and through careful selective
breeding, developed what he considered to be the perfect
horse.
It is not known exactly which breeds he used, as Kelleroch was very protective
of his secrets and left no written record, and therefore it can only be guessed
at. It took him years to finally achieve his goal, and when he had bred the
perfect
horse,
which he named Forsaken Blade, it is said that he ascended to the abode of the
gods, invited by none other than Kor'och to breed the
horses
of the gods. The large black
horse
that legends say Kor’och rides is now considered by many to be this breed.
Once or twice in a generation - a human
generation, that is -, a blue coloured foal is born. Called a "Berg
Pony", it is seen as a great omen. These
horses
are raised until their first birthday, then slaughtered in a great ceremony that
includes a feast afterward. This is usually the only time a
Remusian
will voluntarily eat
horse
meat when not in a life or death situation. The hide is then tanned and used to
create a robe. This robe, called Kelleroch's Cloak, is then given as a gift.
This gift can be made as a dowry, to the head of a clan, or to a noble. It is
said that the owner of a Berg Pony will receive good luck for the first year of
the
horse's
life, a gift from Kor'och to his people. After a year, the gift must then be
given away (in the form of the robe) or the person will incur the god's wrath,
as Kor'och would see that as taking advantage of his good grace.
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