Riding Kuro

Luca the Thief

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Riding Kuro

« on: 13 July 2009, 09:13:44 »

Greets.

Before I start an entry, just readjusting myself to the dev board. It's been a few... years. As some of you know, I did work on the Rhulrans and have had lots of ideas surrounding them since their creation, with no energy to work on them. But, it's summer and I need to do some writing to occupy myself, so here I am. Just wondering, are there any bans/restrictions on the Aeruillin region right now? I don't want to step on any toes but that is where I based myself last time. This will be a riding beast for Aeruillin, specifically the Nashrhul Oasis. Should I work on the oasis before I do the animal? Thanks guys

...

Note: I mention Shifters. I'll say right off the bat that they are not magical Big Grin

. They're my Rhulran answer to the ranger and act mostly as guides for traders. Will write a people entry on that later.

Overview
The domesticated riding kuro, named for its purr-like call, is a medium sized beast used for fast travel over the harsh desert lands of southwestern Aeruillin. Their large feet, tough hide and low water consumption make them a highly valuable travel companion but are rarely used as work animals. The kuro is exclusively bred and deeply coveted by the Rhulran people, particularly by the mysterious Rhulran Sand Shifters.

   Appearance
The kuro, mistakenly identified by some foreigners as a gigantic bird, stands just under two peds tall at the head and struts about on a pair of hind legs. The kuro’s haunch is heavily muscled and the animal’s torso makes up the majority of its mass since the trunk narrows into a long flexible neck on one end and a thick tail on the other. The kuro trunk is shaped roughly like that of a horse though riding one unsaddled is virtually impossible due to the incline of one’s spine when standing straight.

The kuro does have a pair of forelegs, or arms, which aid in getting into and out of a laying position as well as grooming. Otherwise, the small limbs ending in stubbed, clawed paws are useless. The kuro’s feet, on the other hand, have been known to range from one to two fores in length. While the Rhulran people sometimes refer to a person who cannot dance as being kuro-footed, kuro are in fact as agile as they are fast. The pads of the kuro feet are a dark brown-black, extremely tough and cracked, and while they do have claws, the black nails often chip off in adulthood with no pain to the creature.

The kuro is covered in a thick, coarse beige or light brown fur, though they have been known to have white, brown, black and even red markings on the ears, nose and back. The fur is relatively short though males often grow a sort of mane from the bottom of their chin down the length of their neck in the first years of adolescence, known as drapery. While all males do develop some form of drapery and it serves no practical purpose, keepers and females alike look kindly upon kuro with drapery that is lush, full and a well maintained as a sign of health and fecundity. A domesticated male with tangled drapery is sad sight and to braid or adorn it would be a disgrace.

The head of the kuro is just smaller than that of a horse and takes a sharp, sleek shape like that of a fox or dog. The muzzle is long and narrow, used to burrow in the sand in search of food and water, tipped with a dark black nose. Kuro have teardrop upright ears about the size of a human hand and small black eyes sunken into the skull and protected by long lashes in defense of sand and wind. Kuro have sharp teeth and long tongues for pulling out rough desert grasses.

While standing, the kuro is not quite upright like a person and will often dip its shoulders and neck when moving or interacting with another. In a run, the kuro will drop its head and raise its tail to become almost horizontal, the tail swaying sideways and the forearms slack for balance.


   Special Abilities
Kuro have several natural defenses that allow them to survive in the desert in addition to their already primed physical traits. The saliva of the kuro is a thick mucus that they use to groom themselves and one another. As it dries, the coarse fur interlocks together and acts as a shield against the hot sun and piercing sand storm winds, as well trapping water lost from perspiration. While some handlers have used saliva to fortify their own cloaks on the worst days, most say that the smell is enough to not bother trying. Kuro need very little food or water to sustain themselves but still devote most of their time in the wild to finding sustenance due to its general scarcity. Kuro are quite adept at digging shallow holes very quickly with their powerful legs and huge feet, and do so to find food or water as well as to make a temporary nest to sleep in. Kuro have very poor eyesight but an excellent sense of smell which can detect food and even water under the sand.

The most impressive ability of the kuro is its speed. Compared to a horse or some dogs, the kuro may win no races on firm land; it is on the shifting, sweeping sand dunes of the desert instead where most sink that the kuro can maintain a steady run for hours as easily as on paving. The long feet of the kuro travel both back and outwards in a full run, pushing into the sand with the broadest pads and effectively keeping the animal and its rider ‘afloat’.

   Territory
The Rhulran people, specifically Shifters, have been domesticating and breeding kuro for many generations in the area south of the Nashrhul Oasis and, due to their skittish nature in the wild, this is where they are most often spotted by travelers. Naturally, Kuro breed on the northern crest of the Desert of Ysthalinth though rarely approach the coast to the west. They travel in small family groups, anywhere from three to six adults, and migrate year round as needed in search of food, water and other groupings.

   Habitat/Behavior
Wild kuro are skittish and are more likely to flee than challenge an active stranger in broad daylight; coupled with their excellent sense of smell and camouflaged coloring, wild kuro are a rare sight for an untrained eye. Within their family groups, kuro are highly social and spend a lot of their time grooming and playing. Pups are groomed by their mothers and mates groom one another, licking, pawing and rubbing one another with their necks. Otherwise, kuro use their powerful hind legs to dig for water and food, or chase each other across the dunes.

Domesticated kuro become very attached to their handler, so much so that they may only have one from childhood or risk becoming confused and unmanageable. Because of this strong bond, it is difficult for a handler to have more than two animals at any given time without permanent assistance. Young kuro are playful and energetic, fond of rubbing their necks against people and then biting them. As they age, many become highly involved in whatever their work their handler has assigned to them, making adult kuro somewhat aloof during down times. While kuro will happily eat when fed from a trough or feeding muzzle, it is generally believed that this dulls the senses and weakens the spirit. Riders therefore prefer to allow their beasts to find food as they would naturally, raising and training young kuro on the outskirts of civilization.

   Diet
Kuro eat mostly vegetation, but also insects and small snakes or lizards. They find food not unlike a chicken, scratching at the sand with their large feet to reveal whatever morsel they may find. The kuro’s sense of smell is strong enough to detect water and uses this to locate cacti or shallow water deposits in the sand.

   Mating
Kuro live to be about fifteen years old and come into adolescence at three. Family groups are loosely defined by the females while males will switch up to five family groups in their lifetime. When one grouping comes into contact with another in the wild, they will mingle for several days and then part ways rearranged based on any new pairings. Should there be fewer females than males, the latter will fight by scratching one another with their feet and hitting necks. Females tend to choose males that show both physical health and social aptitude, the latter determined through grooming habits.

Kuro have only one pup at a time and it spends most of its first year within arm’s reach of its mother. Pups look much like smaller versions of their parents, though are covered in a softer, longer ‘down’ fur which sheds once the bottom coat has thickened out.

Because of the difficulty of raising kuro and the subsequent scarcity of breeders, most handlers are not overly picky about pairing for looks, but rather for health and general strength. Handlers make agreements with other riders they meet on their travels to arrange breeding dates in advance.

Myth/Lore (I will leave this blank for now and add a myth to go along with my Shifters entry that includes both a rider and kuro)

   Usages
Kuro are used for their speed and endurance in the harsh desert, and rarely for any sort of heavy labor. A kuro pulling a cart or a plow is considered an abused one and the handler risks scorn and even persecution from the community for doing so. Messengers, scouts, caravan escorts and even rescue efforts are the most common uses for kuro and their riders. Some social circles of riders will congregate during a communal Festival of Celebration and hold unofficial races, bringing both immense excitement and pride to the chosen village. These races, depending on the discretion of the riders participating, can vary from short sprints and challenge courses to grueling five day marathons.

A rider or handler must be utterly devoted to his trade to succeed, since kuro require a lot of attention, training, patience and riding expertise to be put to good use. Due to the high demand of the job, handlers are few and far between, well respected and well paid by clients. Kuro breeding and riding is almost never a family business due to the constant movement and devotion required. It is said that a child gifted with handling kuro is both a treasure and a curse for they will become as scarce a person as they are great. Breeders and riders tend to socialize within their own groups, the most extreme example being the secretive and evasive Shifters. Riders therefore hold a double standard amongst the general community; they are respected and awed for their skill and devotion but equally distanced and even distrusted due to their vagrant nature. Kuro riders and many common Rhulrans consider horses to be an utterly inferior species to be used only for labor, often sparking tensions with the Azhorhrians. While there has been some limited communication between Rhulran riders and the Aj’Nuvic-riding Shendar of Sarvonia, each generally regard rumors of the other as odd and backward and the descriptions of their beasts to be outrageous and silly.

The kuro saddle, made of either traditional wicker or leather, is raised at the rear to account for the sloped posture of the animal, allowing the rider to be upright when his kuro is. When riding, the rider must tuck in his elbows and lean as the kuro does as well as curl his legs up to rest out of the way of the creature’s haunches. Reins are secured at the head and directed by pulling down either left or right.


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Ta`lia of the Seven Jewels

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Re: Riding Kuro

« Reply #1 on: 13 July 2009, 17:00:40 »

Hi Luca,

newbies are encouraged to work in other areas (and the East of Aeruillin should better not be touched before not the West is developed some more), but as you have already your foot in it, go ahead and add to the people you have created. I would have no problems if you start with the animal instead of the oasis. You have both in your head and so the beast will surely fit in this area. Just do what is more fun for you creating right now.


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"For me there is only the traveling on paths that have heart, on any path that may have heart. There I travel, and the only worthwhile challenge is to traverse its full length. And there I travel looking, breathlessly. ~Don Juan"
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Drasil Razorfang

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Re: Riding Kuro

« Reply #2 on: 14 July 2009, 01:58:17 »

What she said

Its quite clear that you know the area well enough to continue working on it(since there haven't been many changes to it anyways) so I see no problem.


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Nsikigan Ho´Tonanese Yourth

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Re: Riding Kuro

« Reply #3 on: 15 July 2009, 04:35:29 »

Kuro - Animal, Domestic - Riding Beast

Overview
The domesticated Nashrhul riding kuro, named for its purr-like call, is a medium sized beast used for fast travel over the harsh desert lands of southwestern Aeruillin. Their large feet, tough hide and low water consumption make them a highly valuable travel companion but are rarely used as work animals. The kuro is exclusively bred and deeply coveted by the Rhulran people, particularly by the mysterious Rhulran Sand Shifters.

Appearance
The kuro, mistakenly identified by some foreigners as a gigantic bird, stands just under two peds tall at the head and struts about on a pair of hind legs. The kuro’s haunch is heavily muscled and the animal’s torso makes up the majority of its mass since the trunk narrows into a long flexible neck on one end and a thick tail on the other. The kuro trunk is shaped roughly like that of a horse though riding one unsaddled is virtually impossible due to the incline of one’s spine when standing straight.

The kuro does have a pair of forelegs, or arms, which aid in getting into and out of a laying position as well as grooming. Otherwise, the small limbs ending in stubbed, clawed paws are useless. The kuro’s feet, on the other hand, have been known to range from one to two fores in length. While the Rhulran people sometimes refer to a person who cannot dance as being kuro-footed, Kuro's are in fact as agile as they are fast. The pads of the kuro feet are a dark brown-black, extremely tough and cracked, and while they do have claws, the black nails often chip off in adulthood with no pain to the creature.

The kuro is covered in a thick, coarse beige or light brown fur, though they have been known to have white, brown, black and even red markings. Any certain patterns in the markings, like a horse has? E.g., stockings, star on the forehead, etc. The fur is relatively short though males often grow a sort of mane from the bottom of their chin down the length of their neck in the first years of adolescence, known as drapery. I'd love to see an illustration of this..

The head of the kuro is just smaller than that of a horse and takes a sharp, sleek shape like that of a fox or dog. The muzzle is long and narrow, used to burrow in the sand in search of food and water, tipped with a dark black nose. Kuro have teardrop upright ears about the size of a human hand and small black eyes sunken into the skull and protected by long lashes in defense of sand and wind. Kuro have sharp teeth and long tongues for pulling out rough desert grasses.

While standing, the kuro is not quite upright like a person and will often dip its shoulders and neck when moving or interacting with another. In a run, the kuro will drop its head and raise its tail to become almost horizontal, the tail swaying sideways and the forearms slack for balance.

Special Abilities
Kuro have several natural defenses that allow them to survive in the desert in addition to their already primed physical traits. The saliva of the kuro is a thick mucus that they use to groom themselves and one another. As it dries, the coarse fur interlocks together and acts as a shield against the hot sun and piercing sand storm winds, as well as trapping water lost from perspiration. While some handlers have used saliva to fortify their own cloaks on the worst days, most say that the smell is enough to not bother trying. Kuro need very little food or water to sustain themselves but still devote most of their time in the wild to finding sustenance due to its general scarcity. Kuro are quite adept at digging shallow holes very quickly with their powerful legs and huge feet, and do so to find food or water as well as to make a temporary nest to sleep in. Kuro have very poor eyesight but an excellent sense of smell which can detect food and even water under the sand.

The most impressive ability of the kuro is its speed. Compared to a horse or some dogs, the kuro will win no races on firm land (or even better, Terra Firma. Though, as Latin, we probabaly can't use that. Though I love the phrase :p) ; it is on the shifting, sweeping sand dunes of the desert where most sink that the kuro can maintain a steady run for hours as easily as on paving. How do they stay so steady on sand? Are the feet very broad? You say they are long, but you may want to specify further, either here or in the apperance section.

Territory
The Rhulran people, specifically Shifters, have been domesticating and breeding kuros for many generations in the area south of the Nashrhul Oasis and, due to their skittish nature in the wild, this is where they are most often spotted by travelers. Riding kuro are also occasionally seen travelling between all the major cities of Eastern Aeruillin as caravan escorts or messengers. Naturally, Kuro breed on the northern crest of the Desert of Ysthalinth though rarely approach the coast to the west. They travel in small family groups, anywhere from three to six adults, and migrate regularly in search of food, water and other groupings.

Habitat/Behavior
Wild kuro are skittish and are more likely to flee than challenge an active stranger in broad daylight; coupled with their excellent sense of smell and camoflouged coloring, wild kuro are a rare sight for an untrained eye. Within their family groups, kuro are highly social and spend a lot of their time grooming and playing. Pups are groomed by their mothers and mates groom one another, licking, pawing and rubbing one another with their necks. Otherwise, kuro use their powerful hind legs to dig for water and food, or chase each other across the dunes.

Domesticated kuro become very attached to their handler, so much so that they may only have one from childhood or risk becoming confused and unmanageable. Because of this strong bond, it is difficult for a handler to have more than two animals at any given time without permanent assistance. Young kuro are playful and energetic, fond of rubbing their necks against people and then biting them. As they age, many become highly involved in whatever their work their handler has assigned to them, making adult kuro somewhat aloof during down times.

Diet
Kuro eat mostly vegetation, but also insects and small snakes or lizards. They find food not unlike a chicken, scratching at the sand with their large feet to reveal whatever morsel they may find. The kuro’s sense of smell is strong enough to detect water and use this to locate cacti or shallow water deposits in the sand.

Mating
Kuro live to be about fifteen years old and come into adolescence at three. Family groups are loosely defined by the females while males will switch up to five family groups in their lifetime. When one grouping comes into contact with another in the wild, they will mingle for several days and then part ways rearranged based on any new pairings. Should there be fewer females than males, the latter will fight by scratching one another with their feet and hitting necks.

Kuro have only one pup at a time and it spends most of its first year within arm’s reach of its mother. Pups look much like smaller versions of their parents, though are covered in a softer, longer ‘down’ fur which sheds once the bottom coat has thickened out.

Because of the difficulty of raising kuro and the subsequent scarcity of breeders, most handlers are not overly picky about pairing. Handlers make agreements with other riders they meet on their travels to arrange breeding dates in advance and social circles exist throughout the East solely for this purpose. Nice avenue for further Soc. dev! +1 aura for that alone.

Usages
Kuro are used for their speed and endurance in the harsh desert, and rarely for any sort of heavy labor. A kuro pulling a cart or a plow is considered an abused one and the handler risks scorn from the community for doing so. Messengers, scouts, caravan escorts and even rescue efforts are the most common uses for kuro and their riders. A rider or handler must be utterly devoted to his trade to succeed, since kuro require a lot of attention, training, patience and riding expertise to be put to good use. Due to the high demand of the job, handlers ~~are~~ few and far between, are well respected and well paid by clients.

The kuro saddle, made of either traditional wicker or leather, is raised at the rear to account for the sloped posture of the animal, allowing the rider to be upright when his kuro is. When riding, the rider must tuck in his elbows and lean as the kuro does as well as curl his legs up to rest out of the way of the creature’s haunches. Reins are secured at the head and directed by pulling down either left or right.
Well done! Great concept, well described. Just watch the capitalization of "Kuro", keep it consistent. Any myths?


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Luca the Thief

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Re: Riding Kuro

« Reply #4 on: 15 July 2009, 05:25:33 »

Thanks Nsikigan! I didn't have any myths off the top of my head, but I'll brew on it and see what might come up. I actually do have a very WIP illustration going on this. I'll keep y'all posted if it starts to look dev worthy.


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Nsikigan Ho´Tonanese Yourth

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Re: Riding Kuro

« Reply #5 on: 15 July 2009, 07:01:49 »

I love it Luca! I really like your drawing style, very cool. Hopefully we see more illustrations from you, yes?


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Ta`lia of the Seven Jewels

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Re: Riding Kuro

« Reply #6 on: 15 July 2009, 22:48:17 »

Luca, I knew you can paint, but this sketch is just GREAT! I do see here so much talent! Couldn't you elaborate it? Do a proper pic?


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Luca the Thief

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Re: Riding Kuro

« Reply #7 on: 16 July 2009, 02:55:41 »

I've been thinking about myths, and I think if there is one, it will be more about a rider than the animal itself. Would it be okay if I skipped it for now but incorporated it into my people entry for the Shifters?


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Drasil Razorfang

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Re: Riding Kuro

« Reply #8 on: 20 July 2009, 23:50:26 »

That would be fine with me, but I'd suggest also asking Talia if she was OK with it since she is the reigning expert of the continent while Artemis is away.


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Luca the Thief

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Re: Riding Kuro

« Reply #9 on: 02 August 2009, 09:44:14 »

Call it a bump, but just wondering if there were any more recommended edits. Thanks.


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Ta`lia of the Seven Jewels

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Re: Riding Kuro

« Reply #10 on: 03 August 2009, 19:07:15 »

I think it is mostly complete, Lucca. I will have a look at my new/old maps later concerning territory for the wild ones.

You could mention the similar (not in appearance

) aj'nuvics, for they have a strong bond to their owners as well (even stronger, --> bonding partner) Maybe you add some philosophical thoughts about desert, animals and their humans..

What I thought would be nice is some more decorative elements for the males.

Quote

The fur is relatively short though males often grow a sort of mane from the bottom of their chin down the length of their neck in the first years of adolescence, known as drapery

Why not all males?

Any mating ritual? How decides a female which male to take? No preferences?


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Re: Riding Kuro

« Reply #11 on: 04 August 2009, 23:20:58 »

Answer those few things and I see no reason not to approve this.


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Luca the Thief

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Re: Riding Kuro

« Reply #12 on: 12 August 2009, 09:58:21 »

Made the edits! Thanks for the suggestions

I just noticed the rider/social habits section I added to the Usages section is a tad rambly and tangential. Should I cut it and save it for the Shifters entry, or is it still relevant?

I've already started to do some work on my People entry for the Shifters which I will hopefully have posted very soon. Once I have that completed, I will maybe repost my Rhulran Tribe entry with some appropriate edits to link all three entries. Still open to suggestions on this one, I am in no rush to get it updated. Big Grin


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Riding Kuro