Ragehoof

The Ragehoofs, as they are translated in English, were a creature utilised extensively by Dreadfolk and occasionally by Inquisitors and (particularly during the Civil War) Imperial Knights as a mount. Though they came from the Dreadlands, their origin was likely in normal horses, mutated and corrupted into a new creature through magic. No Ragehoofs have been sighted since the connection to the Dreadlands was last severed in the early 1850s.

Ragehoofs resembled horses in their shape, but they had several significant differences. Most obviously, Ragehoofs were significantly larger and more muscular than the average horse, and were covered in slightly lustrous black scales rather than hide. They did not have manes, and their tails were hairless. The eyes of Ragehoofs were narrower and longer and sported feline pupils with blood-red, sometimes purplish irises and black sclerae. The ears of Ragehoofs did not stick up like those of horses, and were instead small openings in the side of the head - though this should have given them worse hearing than normal horses, the hearing of Ragehoofs did not suffer. In place of where the ears would be in horses, they had two black horns. The final difference between Ragehoofs and normal horses was that Ragehoofs - whilst having some flat crushing teeth at the back of their jaw - primarily had sharp teeth designed for tearing through flesh, and their mouths were larger proportional to their skull, able to open much wider. This reflects their diet; Ragehoofs preferred to eat meat and would become ill if they only ate plant matter for sustained periods.

Ragehoofs were larger, stronger and faster than normal horses, and they were essentially fearless and extremely savage in a fight. This made them very useful as mounts for cavalry, as though they were more stubborn and harder to train, they could easily outperform even the strongest of horses in every metric. A Ragehoof itself was a powerful weapon on the battlefield, able to fight and kill enemy soldiers by kicking and biting them, and they appeared to relish violence and take glee in slaughtering the enemies of their master. The mere sight of them was enough to terrify anyone, be they man or animal, but particularly effective for intimidation was their otherworldly screeching roars, which they could be trained to make during a charge.

It is unclear how Ragehoofs grew their numbers, as the owners of Ragehoofs taken into this world were completely incapable of getting them to mate. Scholars have suggested that they were only inclined to mate whilst in the Dreadlands, or perhaps that they did not reproduce at all and were instead normal horses mutated through magic. Ragehoofs, like the majority of creatures from the Dreadlands, were ageless and theoretically could live forever - though this was unlikely given their heavy usage in war.

Some Ragehoofs were acquired by Inquisitors and Imperial Knights, either by stealing them from the Dreadlands or as part of an exchange - invariably with Red Demons, as they were the only Dreadfolk who could be readily approached by mortals without fear of immediately being killed (or worse), and were the only Dreadfolk willing to trade. Red Demons also appeared to use Ragehoofs the most, fielding the largest numbers of them and frequently using them in battle with mortals or (more commonly) against other Dreadfolk. One of the most famous incidences of Ragehoofs being used by Imperial Knights was during the Battle of Karotaga, when two thousand Knights riding these beasts single-handedly broke open the Republican right flank to open an avenue of retreat for the Loyalist army.