Fasawan
Majestic hunters of equatorial grasslands and savannahs, fasawan are massive flightless birds that feature heavily in Gharu'ndim art and iconography. Though not as strong as horses, fasawan are just as fast and far more ferocious, making them favored mounts of Gharu'ndim scouts and light cavalry. The effectiveness of fasawan-mounted lightning raids earned them the nickname 'terror birds' among Roulean soldiers long ago, and since then the term has become common outside of Gharu'ndim lands.
A fasawan resembles an ostrich but is more powerfully built, with a large, axe-shaped beak and muscular neck. In the wild, plains-dwelling fasawan bear plumage in shades of gray, brown, and green, while forest fasawan tend to be more brightly colored. However, the birds have been domesticated by the Gharu'ndim for centuries, and hundreds of different breeds have emerged to serve various specialized functions; noble families, in particular, take pride in the unique plumage of their fasawan steeds.
