Woolly Rhino

The people of Svellbjargheim always have need for hardy companions. For this purpose no animals seems to have been more well designed than the native woolly rhino. Woolly rhinos are powerful two horned herbivorous which can be used as either beasts of burden or beasts of war. Their heavy low frames give them enough grip to comfortably walk on the snowy mountainsides of Svellbjargheim. Farmers equip their woolly rhinos with large ploughs with which they can turn a bit of the harsh frozen rock into arable land. Others equip their rhinos with large platforms which can either serve to transport goods, people, or in some cases even siege equipment. The most powerful of warbands have a core of armoured rhino riders. These riders have turned their woolly rhinos into ironclad juggernauts and have attached sharpened blades to the side of their horns to make it easier to slice and gore the foe.

Wild woolly rhinos are commonly found living in the valleys of Svellbjargheim where they gather in great herds of up to thirty individuals. They prefer to live in areas with low vegetation as this allows them to see more of their environment and to avoid accidentally charging into a tree.

## Description

The woolly rhino is a large rhinoceros creature covered in a thick layer of brown matted fur. They have two horns on their face, with the front-most horn being larger than the second one. These horns are made of keratin, the same material from which their thick matted hairs are made. Both the males and females have two horns, which are commonly only harvested when a trusty companion has come to the end of its live. Sadly a woolly rhino will die when its horn is removed.

Woolly rhinos primarily eat low growing woody plants, although they are also known to enjoy grasses and hay. The muscles of a woolly rhino require a lot of iron which it primarily gains by licking raw ore veins found in the mountains. Domesticated rhinos often have a chunk of raw metal in their stables to stay healthy. Woolly rhinos have notoriously bad eyesight. They often only perceive rough silhouette of the world around them. When they see silhouette suddenly move the rhino will blindly charge at it. Woolly rhinos used for war are equipped with special helmets which block as much sight as possible to prevent the rhino from suddenly rampaging out of control.

## Behaviour

When asked whatever brain or brawn was better the ancestors of the woolly rhino decided that the right answer was to charge the noisy intruder asking dumb questions instead. Woolly rhinos have brains similar in size to a peach seed, acting almost completely based on stimuli. However they have a strong emotional intelligence. They are keenly aware of the emotional state of their caregivers and are known to care for their master's well being as if they were a herdmember. If their masters are calm the rhinos will be calm as well but when their master becomes angry the woolly rhino will go on a rampage until its masters rage is subdued.

## Horn dust

Grounded up horn of a woolly rhino is a common ingredient for the *Elixir of Health*. Before a horn can be consumed they first have to be grounded up into dust. This is often done by first crushing the horns in mills under a large milling stone. Once the horns are broken up in smaller chunks they are placed in a mortar to be further grounded by hand. One of the few places were woolly rhinos are kept for their horns on a large scale is the town of Glenborg. The grassy landscape, hidden between the mountains, here is ideal for raising large herds of woolly rhino. This has made the town a popular destination for doctors and alchemists, who would love to get their hands on a sack of woolly rhino horns.

### Cultural reception

Northerners see the consumption of woolly rhino horn as a way to show their status and wealth. They consume a finger tip of dust with those they try to impress, even thou it tastes foul and has no discernible effect on them. The Svellbjarg however are more reluctant to consume woolly rhino horn. They acknowledge its medical properties, but still feel a sense of sadness at the noble beast that had to die for it.