The ahlmrie are large, thick-hided animals with an extremely diverse diet. Commonly domesticated, they are willing workers or pack animals, particularly when a favorable snack is given as a reward. This Makes them a frequent sight in many civilized lands.
They are tall, sturdy looking, four legged animals. With thick, hard skin that varies in color from pinkish to dark gray. Some species have a beard, or thin mane, from the top of the neck to the middle of the back. They are otherwise thought of as hairless, having only an extremely sparse covering of short wiry hair. With exception of the tail which has a brush-like tuft which is used to casually swat away annoyances.
They have long, heavy legs with small feet positioned directly below them. Each foot has four, front facing, stubby toes with thick nails. On its front feet are two more toes high up in the back. These only touch the ground when standing still, but add considerable balance when grazing or standing their ground.
They have a thick body with high shoulders that slope downward to powerful haunches and a strong neck. Their head is broad and flat with small eyes and leaf-shaped ears. Its long snout is broad and tipped with a poseable ridge often used for digging. On either side of the snout are two nostrils. A small nostril often mistaken for folds in the skin, as well as a long nostril just to the outside.
The ahlmrie has a heavy, muscular jaw and long mouth with strong lips for manipulating food. In their mouth is a row of large, flat grinding teeth. To the front is a second row of flat cutting teeth. These extra teeth seem to grow as needed and in off conditions an ahlmrie may end up with up to three rows of teeth.
Some species, but not all, have anywhere from two to six tusks hooking up from the mouth. These seem to be for digging, pulling food to them, or attracting mates to the herd rather than hunting or fighting.
Their habits are often thought of as slow and steady, paying little attention to anything they don’t wish to eat. They often use their heads or chests to remove obstacles too big to be knocked out of the way, without slowing much even in dense forest. It has even been suggested that they would rather topple a large tree than go around it.
An ahlmrie’s only perceivable interest in life is food. It seems to have been built simply for the purpose of eating. Its snout is shaped for digging and rooting. They are able to smell favorable food at great distance or even when it has been buried by a predator, making them excellent scavengers.
They enjoy meat, dairy, grain, and vegetables with apparent disinterest as to preference. They eat with little to no concern for any of the products of decay. Once introduced to the great City of Grifclaw it was said that,”if they got access to a grain store they seemed to consider the vermin a fast moving spice.” That is not to say they don’t have interest in flavor. In fact, sweet fruits and even honey sweets are often used in training or as a reward for their efforts.
In the wild they keep their herds on the small side. Often numbering no more than ten and shrinking the number when food starts to become scarce. At this time it is often the males that get pushed out. This process of eviction does not often reach the level of violence. Instead, either a male or female, but not a female with a calf, will crowd a male until it feels it is far enough from the grazing area. This can at times be some distance. In these cases the ahlmrie doing the driving off will often stay with the exiled male. Through mating, or finding other lost or driven off strays, new herds can be formed shaping new territories.
Although it can be hard to see, it does seem as though they enjoy each others company. This is only really witnessed by the fact that they tend to stand together when not obstructed. However, if an ahlmrie wanders from its confinements, the first place to look is a neighbor’s herd. Often they will be found standing with them, even if a fence is between them.
Their mating habits are nonchalant. They mate often and freely within a herd without the need for politics. The males use any available female, who seems to stay disinterested often continuing to graze. There is however a relatively low rate of pregnancy, and of these, few make it to term. When they do give birth it is to only one off spring or on a very rare occasion two. It has been observed by some rangers that,”It’s a good thing too, or there would be nothing for the rest of us to eat.”
The new born is nursed only briefly. Then it eats either tender leaves and grass or food smashed to pulp by the mother. During this time the calf is under the protection of the mother, not that she is an extremely aggressive protector. If a predator is foolhardy enough to get in range of the calf she will most often kick or stomp it, as one would swat an annoying bug, at which time it has become food.
If a calf is lost the mother will often show signs of distress for the rest of the day or maybe the next. Then, she acts as though it was never there to begin with. Despite this apparent lack of remorse, cannibalism of any sort does seem to be where the animals draw the line in their diet. Even avoiding eating grass from any spot a body decayed or bled on until long after any trace of the animal is gone.
At the time a calf’s diet reaches adolescence (at about a year) the mother and the calf will take no more interest in each other. This can seem to happen abruptly. In the morning the mother is protecting the calf, then by noon they simply go where their grazing takes them.
These animals are docile and pay little mind to labor or long travel. They are often kept for work or riding, bred for a variety of sizes to fit various tasks. As a pack animal they are unparalleled. Some breeds are able to carry fifteen days worth of provisions for themselves and one person. While larger animals can be big enough to be used for clearing forest and hauling in construction, smaller ones are often used for pulling plows or carts.
In warfare the larger animals can also be used for moving siege and artillery equipment. Many armies will also use them as heavily armored, but slow moving cavalry. The Bhamog of Blackskull have a history of dressing them in horrible decorations of war, including many spears and weapons to drive them through enemy encampments.
The ahlmrie is most commonly thought of as inhabiting the grasslands of Blackskull, where the largest breeds are iconic in their history. However, they are most abundant in some of the southern regions of West Ironhorse. Smaller populations are found in other locations such as Grifclaw and Ironhorse. These populations are most likely due to escapees from domestication. Their diverse diet and hardy nature has allowed that they may take up in any area where domestication has given them the opportunity to escape or otherwise stray. Only failing to thrive in the most inhospitable climates showing this to be a beast of remarkable importance, interest, and fortitude.
Kodek Kenastog, Master of Beastrealm Studies
Dragon Peaks Royal Academy of IronHorse