Rockers

A Rocker or 'Hopper Goat'.

Look down below! Rockers are about. In Nix and Dwarven folklore it is these mineral-manic beasts which cause the many rock slides on the mountains they inhabit. While these slides can prove deadly and the culprit is (usually) not them, their moniker for manipulation of earth has caused them to fall into endearing light. They’re revered by dwarves and men alike as a symbol of perseverance and hard work. Some do see them as an irritant and hunting of Rockers sometimes occurs, though killing them is often seen as taboo among dwarf culture. They’re kept as both domestic livestock and boasts a wild population across most of southern Amnisica.

#### Physiology and Anatomy

They’re known as ‘Hopper Goats’ in monic for good reason, able to leap vast vertical distances to get to higher ground. Their hooves can find traction in surfaces almost totally vertical like many other goat species. When Rockers wish to escape predators they can simply bounce onto these rock faces and clamber up their sides, only a scant few can follow them once they’ve reached the safety of the cliff face. Unique to Rockers are a series of scutes on their hooves which act like additional rungs. These rungs impede the snowmelt from causing them to lose their grip so as to not plunge down into a snowy demise.

Rockers are able to manipulate the bonds of vitor, specifically in the whims of Terramancy. They can generate new surfaces to hop to or improve the ones already present with relative ease. Their magic is somewhat limited as they cannot control finer sediments like sand or heavier alloys like ore. Rockers often cause small landslides and debris cascades whilst they work which can often prove dangerous for beings beneath them. On occasion this also includes other Rockers so they’ve incorporated parts of the minerals they manipulate into a series of armored plates. These plates can absorb the impact of rocky debris and shrug off small weaponry like daggers. It cannot be manipulated while the Rocker is alive, only after passing can a Terramancer begin to mold it.

Rockers, regardless of if they’re male or female, have ram-like horns. Males have larger ones specifically for jousts between each other but females have more pointed, forward facing horns for protection. Male’s horns are made for ramming and so dully curve behind the head, the impact of which can easily knock a grown man over. Females’ horns are used for defense and stabbing, the impact of which can puncture deep into flesh and muscle. Rockers often have to commit their entire body weight into an impactful attack, choreographed when they rear onto their hind legs to build downward momentum.

Rockers have their kids twice each year at the beginning and end of the spring season. Unlike other goats they usually only have one kid, with twins and triplets being exceptionally rare. Due to their mountainous home they’re born with an existing coat so they do not freeze to death. As they mature into their first year they’ll develop both their horns and rocky armor alongside their mother, the latter of which they will be wholly dependent on for their year-long maturity.

#### Psychology

Rockers are a docile creature who is not bothered by any sapient race. They’re often kept as livestock as their hardy nature in the mountains trumps other conventional livestock. Rockers will not simply lie down and be slain though. They can be deadly fighters if provoked to be so. In conjunction with their horns they may also pelt an aggressor with rocks and debris from above, heckling them away under pain of severe injury. Rockers become incredibly defensive of their kids, only abandoning them if the threat is too mounting. They can be tamed beyond conventional livestock where they can make for an alternative mount. They cannot bear the weight of larger sapient races like man but can cope with smaller ones.