Animals of the Broken Kingdom

> *"While others sought to twist life into unnatural shapes and forms, the denizens of the Broken kingdom simply looked upon what nature had wrought, took a long drink and collectively said "not bad, but how about a bit bigger" and so it was" -*Travellers guide to Soi- Kingdom animals
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The Truest King, finding the practice of developing biomorphs to be unethical and cruel, refrained from joining the Broken Kingdom into any of the joint bio-lab ventures of the other major nations. In fact, the word biomorph is unknown in the Broken Kingdom. The existence of such creatures is kept present in the culture only as "monsters" in stories that exist outside of the kingdoms. They are things which are to be hunted and fought. Many young Riders participating in Border Patrol duty go out of their way to try to hunt down such creatures, the bodies or heads often brought back to be displayed before they are burned.

In place of the development of biomorphs, the Broken Kingdom have practiced an advanced form of animal husbandry with their domestic animals. Horses, cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, dogs, and cats have all been breed purposefully since the inception of the Stone Kingdom to great effect. The Kingdom and Royals are very careful to guard what some would call their only exclusive and greatest resource. Animals which are sold in trade to outsiders are strictly geldings, with it being the duty of the Armored Riders to inspect each animal at the point of sale and at the border to ensure that no intact males or females are being sold.

## Horses

Horses are the most prized of all the Broken Kingdom animals. The vast tracks of land in the interior of the Kingdom are often left to pasture and meadow for the keeping of these creatures. While an exact count of the number of horses in the Kingdom varies, most estimates place it as up to three times the population of humans. Several distinct breeds can be found within the Kingdom.

### **Heavy Draft**

Sometimes referred to as "mammoths" outside the kingdoms by those who have never seen a real mammoth, these gargantuan creatures boast an incredible strength. The horses stand taller at the withers than most men in the Broken Kingdom. They're capable of dragging nearly three times the load of the lighter draft horses of the Kingdom. This strength comes at a price as the creatures are unable to accomplish more than a sluggish trot even unburdened, becoming quickly winded when moving at more than a slow walk. These creatures are almost strictly kept for quarry and logging work, where the slow pace does not deride from the need for raw strength. These massive creatures normally form the vanguard of any Grand Parade in which the stone for the project is being transported from the Broken Kingdom. This breed is almost exclusively a blue brindle in the coat with cream colored manes, tails, and feathering below the hock and knee. The breed is known for a gentle but stubborn temperament, becoming immovable once they've decided they've gone far enough.

### **Light Draft**

The more reasonable breed of draft animal in the kingdoms, light draft horses boast less than half the pulling power of their cousins. The trade off with light draft horses is that they're able to reach slow gallops for short periods of time when unburdened or lightly burdened. Under normal burdens, these horses are able to move at a trot for extensive periods of time. The light draft is the favored breed for merchant wagons, heavy coaches, and general transport of goods or people when they need to be somewhere faster than they could walk otherwise. This breed typically can be found in in colors ranging from a deep amber to brown and chestnut. The manes, tails, and feathering are universally black. Light draft horses are typical very gentle in temperament and eager to please, to the point that they can easily be led off by strangers with even a few gentle words and pats. As a result these horses are usually kept under a close guard in foreign areas. This breed represents the second most popular to be exported by the Broken Kingdoms, at a cost of 3-5 times that of a light charger.

### **Heavy Charger**

These are the famous war-trained and war-bred horses of the Broken Kingdom. Bred for endurance and strength, these creatures stand almost as large as light draft horses, but are far less stocky. Strong and enduring, heavy chargers can move at a slow gallop for miles even when armored themselves and bearing the weight of an Armored Rider. Chargers are capable of reaching a full run for a cavalry charge, however can only maintain the pace for a few hundred yards at a time. Heavy chargers are typically found in solidly black, solidly bay, or a dappled silver exclusively. The manes, tails, and feathering always share the same color as their coats. Even geldings of this breed are illegal to sell to outsiders, the few of them found in foreigners’ hands usually representing diplomatic gifts granted by the Royals. The breed also sports an incredibly aggressive and violent disposition, tending to bond with their Rider at a young age. Strangers approaching or mounting these horses almost inevitably find themselves bit, kicked, thrown, or crushed and rolled on.

### **Light Charger**

Sometimes referred to as a "casual rider", these are the least specialized of all the horse breeds in the Kingdom, useful as light cart horses or in teams to pull light high-speed coaches as well as mounts for unarmored riders. Slightly smaller in stature, but far lighter in builds than the heavy charger, this breed is smooth-gaited, inquisitive, and gentle. Notorious escape artists, these horses have been known to open latches, untie leads, and in general have inspired much raucous laughter in the kingdoms. Horses of this breed can typically move at a gallop for miles and can even level out and run for significant distances. The breed is found in every color combination except those of the heavy charger. Light chargers represent the cheapest of the horses exported in the Broken Kingdom.

### **Pacing Horses**

Sometimes simply called "racers", pacing horses are too small to bear most men in the Broken Kingdom comfortably. They are however incredibly fast, able to run at break-neck speeds for long distances and gallop tirelessly. The breed is the most agile of the horses produced in the kingdoms, able to leap fences almost as tall as they are and transverse slopes with ease. The most expensive of the breeds exported from the Kingdom (at a cost of 7-10 times the price of a light charger), this breed is almost exclusively white or pale champagne in color and lack the feathering of other Kingdom horses. The breed is highly spirited, rendering them difficult to train and control, not something for an inexperienced rider.

### **Dwarf Horses**

The most specialized of all the draft horses in the Kingdom, dwarf horses boast a strength somewhere between heavy and light draft breeds, but are typically the height of a pony with even the biggest of them barely matching a pacing horse in size. The creatures have a lively spirit, which is somewhat at odds with their short legs and large, beefy bodies. Dwarf horses are used almost exclusively in mining, tunneling, and metalworking operations, where they need to be able to move their tremendous burdens comfortably through doorways and down long tunnels. While sale of dwarf horses isn't outlawed, they're typically fiercely protected by the people of the Kingdom. Often when sales are refused, concerns about the treatment of the animals should they find themselves in different lands are cited. The temperament of the breed is best described as playful, vocal, and intelligent. Many who work for long periods of time with these horses swear that they are almost sentient. Dwarf horses are typically found with "blue-brindle" coats, their manes, tails, and feathering typically white or black.

## Cattle

Cattle in the Broken Kingdom have been bred to be larger than normal, perhaps due to the size of the appetites they feed. Typically half again as large as cattle found elsewhere, the breed simply called "Kingdom cattle" among outsiders are immensely muscled, but gentle in temperament. The cows, which like all female animals are not sold to outsiders, are famously rich in milk production with natives boasting that it tastes better than any other.

## Goats and Pigs

Goats and pigs in the Broken Kingdom suffer essentially the same fate as their cattle. Bred for greater size and muscle mass, these creatures are little more than walking meat-squares to the people of the Kingdom.

## Dogs

There are three breeds of dogs kept in the Broken Kingdom. The breeds are named simply for their appearance and are bred to be working animals though they often double as pets.

### **Spitz**

These dogs are almost indistinguishable from wolves in coloration and build save for their larger ears and deep chests. Fierce fighters, highly intelligent, and generally independent, these dogs typically weigh in between eighty and a hundred pounds. Spitz are normally used as hunting dogs, shepherds, and attack dogs. Spitz typically hunt by simply killing and retrieving small animals or hunting down larger creatures until they are cornered, howling to signal to their human companions that their prey is ready for slaughter. Spitz dogs notoriously do not bark, making them useless as watch and guard dogs as they will quietly attack intruders with little noise, the same way they attack wolves and other predators when protecting herds.

### **Hounds**

The smallest of the dog breeds, hounds are scent dogs. Generally gentle, highly dependent, and considered to be rather dumb, the hound sports large ears, large snouts, and a thick body kept close to the ground for traversing underbrush. Typically only used in hunting on leads, the dogs notoriously will bay at anything that startles them, making them effective if unreliable watch dogs. Hounds typically weigh between fifty and seventy pounds and are found in wide variety of colors, the most common being white and brown spotted, solidly tan, brindle, and grey.

### **Mastiffs**

The largest of the Kingdom breeds, mastiffs in the kingdoms have a wide variety in size ranging between one hundred to two hundred pounds. Mastiffs are very trainable animals and are considered a perfect compromise between the independent intelligence of the spitz and the reliable stupidity of the hound. Normally kept for watch and guard dogs, mastiffs have typically baritone barks. This is useful as they will unfailingly confront intruders like a spitz, but create so much noise that even those in a drunken stupor are awakened. While the use of war-dogs is not wide-spread in the Kingdoms, mastiffs traveling with Grand Parades are often armored to add an extra factor of intimidation to any wound-be thieves in the night. Mastiffs are almost exclusively tan with black faces or entirely black.

## Cats

There are three standard breeds of cats in the Kingdoms, while each has its own unique qualities, nearly all are overly friendly towards people to the point of being nuisances with their begging and attention demands.

### **Mousers**

These are relatively small, short haired cats which can be found in every possible color. Mousers are avid hunters and despite their name are fierce enough to catch rats despite their size. These cats are found in droves around farms and villages, often communally owned rather than answering to any particular owner. They're notorious runaways, never seeming to bond to any person or place.

### **Tigers**

This breed sports stripes and facial characteristics fit for their namesake and bear a very panther-like build. The coat color for tigers is typically a tawny orange which can deepen to an almost red or become so light as to be white. Normally weighing between 20 and 25 pounds, these hunting cats are typically kept to deal with larger vermin such as raccoons, rats, possums, and so forth. Unlike mousers, tigers tend to bond with one or two people and are famously loyal if well treated by their owners.

### **Lap-Cats**

This fluffy breed comes in a variety of sizes and colors, typically ranging between 10 and 30 pounds. The lap cat fills a role typically taken by small dogs in other nations. The creatures are generally considered to serve little purpose other than as pets and as such are normally kept strictly indoors as companion animals. It is not uncommon for a lap cat to go completely limp when lifted by a human, and they'll often remain in place for hours on end unless made uncomfortable.

## Rats

Rats in the Broken Kingdom enjoy the distinguished position of being the only species to be unilaterally hated. The Truest King denounces them formally as the reborn souls of those who doubt his divinity. The People of Stone treat rats with little remorse or empathy, the creatures when lucky are swiftly terminated. More often barbaric entertainment is had at the creatures' expense. These events include rat-races, in which rats are numbered and released in a closed track, and then tiger-cats are released. The last rat to be killed by the cats is considered the winner. More recently rat-tag has become popular near the major cities. Using the new Rat Krakens developed in the Circle, parachuted rats are launched into the sky and then up to a dozen archers compete to be the first to strike the rat before it returns to the ground. These events are considered to be tests of extreme skill and many champions of the events go on to win the title of Master Archer at tournaments. As a further testament to the nation-wide crusade against rats, one can also turn in rat carcasses to the local garrison for payment of one King's Cube per rat. As a result youths often take up rat hunting in the alley ways and sewers to earn spending money, though the relatively low rat population prevents this from being a feasible life-long profession.