Kur'och fey Mologh / Northern Sarvonia / Horse

Okay, here it is. My comments/corrections in orange

KOR’OCH fey MOLOGH (Mount of Kor’och), Remusian Horse

OVERVIEW: The Kor’och fey Mologh, or the Mount of Kor’och, is the youngest of all the horse breeds, having only been in existence for the last 300 years. They are all descendants of the progenitor stallion, Forsaken Blade. It is uncertain which exact breeds were used to breed Forsaken Blade, see Myth/Lore, however, it is generally assumed that the Centoraurian Horse was used, probably the Rusik and the Tirpan, as well as possibly the Santharian Draught Pony, also known as the Hobbithorse. Indeed, the Kor’och fey Mologh seems to have many characteristics of each of these breeds. .

APPEARANCE: The Kor’och fey Mologh, sometimes simply known as the Mologh, is usually found to be a deep eophran brown in colour (a shade which the Ice tribes call "pinnipeye" after the dark-eyed seals that live there) but can range in colour from black to bay. They may have small white markings on their face, and sometimes they may have white socks, but anything more than that and they are considered culls. This is a colour breed as much as anything, so breeders are particular in their assessment of these animals.

They have large, intelligent eyes, a dish shaped face, high withers and in the males, a thick crested neck. During winter months they develop a heavier coat that protects them from the elements, but this coat is softer and less coarse in the warmer months, though still heavy.Their manes and tail are usually long and thick, tails often reaching to the ground. They have slightly larger hooves than most horses, and this helps them navigate through the snow better. As well, they have an unusually thick tuft of hair on their fetlocks, called Kor’och’s Boot (Kor’och fey Beyout). The Kor’och fey Mologh is one of the smaller of the horse breeds, standing from 14 to 15 hands high, though some horses do occasionally fall outside these parameters.

SPECIAL ABILITIES: This horse is considered a good utilitarian breed as both a great riding horse, and a good work horse. It has a smooth gait that is very easy to take under saddle, and it has great strength and exceptional endurance for work as a draught horse.

The Kor’och fey Mologh usually gives birth to a single foal; however, in about 10% of cases, a mare will give birth to two foals. This is not a joyous occasion, however, as more often than not it results in a difficult delivery, and underweight foals. In many cases one or both of the foals die, and often so do the dams.

A note must be made that these horses are particularly adept at conserving body heat during the coldest weather of the ice lands. Much like wolves, these horses will lie down and curl their legs up under their bodies, while burying their muzzles under their flanks. Often, groups of horses will do this together; their bodies huddled, thereby conserving that much more heat. Interestingly, one horse will usually not join in this huddled group and will act as a sentry, looking out for danger. Should a storm last long enough, this sentry horse will change places with one of the other horses, and a new sentry horse will protect the group.

TERRITORY: This horse is almost exclusively found in the north, as it is bred by the Ice Tribes, mainly the Remusians. It is not a breed that developed in nature, and so it has no natural environment. The main breeders of the horse are found in Remusiat, though occasionally, some of the more northern tribes will breed them as well. In recent years, however, it has begun to be exported to almost all regions of Santharia, often fetching large sums of money.

HABITAT/BEHAVIOR: The mares of the Kor’och fey Mologh are very docile, and make excellent riding horses and pets. Children are often trained to ride on mares. The stallions of this breed are more aggressive, however, especially toward each other. It is because of this that they are not usually wanted as war horses, as two stallions will fight each other as often as they fight the enemy. Instead, geldings are often used as war horses, though they have to be proud cut. This entails that part of a testicle be left when they are gelded, which happens when the horse is 4-5 years old instead of the usual 2 years old. This is done so the horse will have the musculature and the spirit of a stallion, but not the aggression towards other male horses.

The Kor’och fey Mologh have a life expectancy of 25-30 years. These horses have a close knit herd mentality, and the mares and geldings will often be found “talking” to one another and grooming each other. Stallions are kept separate for the most part. Foals that are orphaned due to a tragic birth are quickly adopted by another mare with a foal, as mares produce enough milk for two. If twins are orphaned, they will be adopted by two different mares.

DIET: The diet of these horses consists mostly of Hrugchuk grass, although some of the wealthier breeders supplement this with a bit of grain to build a better layer of fat to help them survive the frigid winters. It is worth noting that this must be carefully regulated, as too much grain will cause the horse to get sick. Many a horse has been lost to this grain poisoning. Still, as owning this horse is tantamount to owning a piece of divinity, many breeders are happy to pay the price to make sure they have this grain. As stated, the bulk of their diet is Hrugchuk grass, and the horses are often herded by the nomadic Icemen in large areas so that enough of the Hrugchuk grass is available. Their hooves are sufficiently sharp enough and large enough to enable them to dig through the ice and snow to get at the hearty grass. They also eat lichens and the small shrubs that grow here.

MATING: Because these horses were never found in the wild, they have never really developed a mating ritual. However, when a stallion is placed in a pen with a mare that is in heat, he will follow her, nipping at her flanks until she submits to him, which is signaled by the mare's lowering her head and nickering softly. This can be dangerous, as the mare will sometimes kick when the stallion goes to mount her, risking injury and, in rare circumstances, death. To avoid this, most mares are tied into a breeding stall, that is too narrow for them to move, and their rear legs are hobbled to prevent the mares from kicking and injuring the stallions.

The mares usually go into heat during the last half of the month of the Changing Winds, and gestation lasts until the month of Molten Ice. Mares that have given birth to twins, regardless of whether or not the foals survived, are usually not bred that same season, the breeders preferring to give them a year of rest due to the trauma of giving birth to twins. Stallions are usually not capable of breeding before their second year, though most breeders wait until the third season to start using them. Mares are left until they are in their fourth season before they are bred, as younger mares tend to have more twins. Conversely, mares are rarely used for breeding after their 15th year, as these older horses almost never survive a twin birth. Stallions may breed far into their 20’s.

USAGES: The Kor’och fey Mologh is used mainly for riding while many are used as farm work horses. Merchants like to use teams of them to pull heavily laden wagons, as they have great endurance. The Remusian Cavalry uses this breed to a large extent, as having the warhorse of Kor’och under them gives them a sense of invincibility. Most of the Ice Tribes use these beasts simply to pull sleds and travois that are laden with supplies or the fruits of a hunt, as their endurance makes them quite adept at this.

Some tribes have what is known as Stallion Fights, where two stallions are placed in a pen and are allowed to fight. It is a barbarous sport, as anyone who has watched two stallions fight can attest to. Heavy bets are often made, and family and tribe honour are always at stake. These fights are rarely to the death, as these animals are far too valuable. The fight is allowed to continue until one owner surrenders. Although considered a loss of honour to lose, it is still preferable to losing an animal as valuable as a stallion.

A Kor’och fey Mologh mare can be used to create an alcoholic drink known as Yuritz. As the mares produce enough milk for two foals, those that are nursing only one can be milked of their excess. The milk is allowed to ferment, with tiny pieces of Hrugchuk grass root mixed in, for a period of four days in a sealed container, traditionally made of clay, but wooden containers have been used as well.

The last use that the Kor’och fey Mologh is mostly utilized in the furthest reaches of the north. These tribes will sometimes use the culls as food. The Remusian's are known to consider this barbaric among the other tribes, and they look down on the other's for it. However, the northern tribes would consider starving to death a worse act.

MYTH/LORE: The Kor’och fey Mologh was introduced by a Remusian horse breeder, Kelleroch, who took several horses of different breeds with the desired traits and through careful selective breeding, developed what he considered to be the perfect horse. It is not known exactly which breeds he used, as Kelleroch was very protective of his secrets and left no written record, and therefore it can only be guessed at. It took him years to finally achieve his goal, and when he had bred the perfect horse, which he named Forsaken Blade, it is said that he ascended to the abode of the gods, invited by none other than Kor'och to breed the horses of the gods. The large black horse that legends say Kor’och rides is now considered by many to be this breed.

Every once in 1000 or so births, a blue coloured foal is born. Called a Berg Pony, it is seen as a great omen. These horses are raised until their first birthday, then slaughtered in a great ceremony that includes a feast afterward. This is usually the only time a Remusian will voluntarily eat horse meat when not in a life or death situation. The hide is then tanned and used to create a robe. This robe, called Kelleroch's Cloak, is then given as a gift. This gift can be made as a dowry, to the head of a clan, or to a noble. It is said that the owner of a Berg Pony will receive good luck for the first year of the horses life, a gift from Kor'och to his people. After a year, the gift must then be given away (in the form of the robe) or the person will incur the god's wrath, as Kor'och would see that as taking advantage of his good grace.

This is great! Most of the corrections are minor, simple things like phrasing a sentence differently or some such thing. It's a treat to uricheck something so well written. With a couple of minor changes, this can go up this update as far as I'm concerned. Congrats to you, Altario!