Aa-hemet Donkey
Stalwart, reliable but stubborn, the aa-hemet donkey is a dependable work animal essential for trade in the Shamsi and Arabiyyan Deserts. As a domestic animal, they are much easier to feed and care for than Shamsi Camels, far less demanding. While slow to breed and slow to trust, there is no more loyal and steadfast a companion than an aa-hemet donkey... once you have earned that loyalty.
I would like to clarify a little something. Donkeys are not jackasses, the idiot who decided to call them that was.
Racial Magic
First Ability
Elbixur's Binding
Able to bind specific emotions, thoughts or memories related to Elbixur to their own or another's mind. This means they can either restrict a target's access to them or they can bind the memory so it cannot be forgotten or misremembered. They use this specifically to bind memories of or repetituon of habits, rituals and traditions, used to find their way along the routes in the desert they always take, even in a storm.
Second Ability
Rithaldis's Diet
They are able to consume or absorb radiant energy as sustenance, to heal or to replenish their magic energy. They cannot be harmed by radiant energy, absorbing it instead. This includes radiation. In their magic form, these donkey have white fur around their muzzles and in the cross pattern on their back.
Ilnid's Shield
Immune to negative effects and/or damage from all sand magic and naturally occurring glass and sand, even sandstorms. In their magic form, they have glassy and transparent fur spread about their whole body.
Aasaru's Diet
They are able to safely consume or absorb any desert plant as food, to heal or to replenish their magic energy. They cannot be harmed by these plants or by Aasaru magic, absorbing them instead. In their magic form, these donkey tend to manifest thorns around their mouths and the cross pattern on their back.
Anatomy
As an equine, donkeys resemble horses in many ways but have much larger ears. These are an adaption which helps keep them cool and gives them excellent hearing. Wild asses are solitary, braying loudly to each other over large distances. Even these domesticated species are audible for miles, especially in the desert. They also have a tough digestive system, an "iron stomach", eating fibers too tough for other species and retaining more water from their food. Males are called jacks or jackasses while females are called jennys.
Original Ancestor
Lifespan
Size
Weight: 400-500 lbs (182-227 kg)
Length: 4.8-6.3 ft (1.5-2 m)
Coloration
Domestication
Donkeys were domesticated after goats and sheep but before camels. Aa-hemet donkeys have improved the mobility of pastorial societies as a steadfast pack or work animal. Alongside the Shamsi Camel, they are essential for long distance trade in the desert but are far easier to feed. Extremely habitual and steadfast, they know their trade routes perfectly by using their mental magic, able to navigate even amid sandstorms. So long as they stick to the same routes, they are never lost. However, it's also considerably difficult to coerce them into taking a different path!
Wealthy Masryeen are known to own more than 1,000 donkeys for agriculture, dairy, meat and as pack animals. They are generally bred in Arabiyyah and Arya for these purposes and are the cheapest form of agricultural labor after humans. They can be ridden, used for threshing, raising water and milling, can guard sheep or horses, can carry supplies or injured soldiers even on the battlefield.
Their milk is edible and even nutritious, used as formula and in cosmetics. The milk of Shamsi breeds is useful for making creams for healing sunburns or even radiation burns when mixed with the right ingredients, usually Lux Thyme and aloe. The Masryeen even consider their milk an "elixer of long life", the wealthiest among them bathing in donkey milk to preserve their youth. (Strange, yes, and one does not smell the nicest afterwards, but it does do wonders on the skin.)
These are grazing and foraging herbivores. Donkeys can survive on poor quality scrub, aren't prone to colic and need less food than horses of the same size (1.2% of their body weight a day vs 2-2.5%). They get most of their energy from roughage (fiber) and richer foliage of temperate climates can actually be harmful to them, easily becoming obese.
They prefer eating grasses, hay, straw, bark, leaves, haylage, chaff, stems, herbs, legumes and grain. Wheat and barley are the optimal hay for them while they prefer to graze on live Jari Tamal and Maliha Tamarisk, needing a source of salt in their diet. While they can go some time without water, they still need to drink every three days when food is dry. Despite this, they are capable of drinking salty or brackish water.
Most donkeys are notoriously stubborn but Aa-hemet Donkeys take this quality into extremes. It is unwise to try and force them into anything they view as dangerous and it takes time to earn their trust. Yet once you do, they are amenable companions and infinitely dependable. While there are those who think them dense and idiotic, most aa-hemet donkey are intelligent, cautious, friendly, playful and eager to learn—once you win them over that is. Even amid the most severe sandstorm or under the harshest sunlight, these steadfast beasts trek forward steadily and lead their masters along the path familiar to them. These qualities and their role in history has endeared Ylithuum to them, the source of their first Racial Magic.
While donkeys are used to guard herds of sheep or even horses, they are still preyed upon themselves. Yet unlike most cattle, they don't immediately flee from danger. They first investigate the threat before deciding how dangerous it is, often confusing predators. They will also put up a fight, kicking with front and back legs or even biting. When they need to run, they can run 20-30 mph on average or 40 mph in emergencies. They are surprisingly nimble too, even on rocky terrain. Species who might hunt and kill them are usually larger predators, since they are likely to put up a fight. These include wolves, lions, ǁKo Wild Dog and Manid Hyena.
aa-hemet donkeys are long lived with a slow reproductive cycle. A jenny can have a foal every two years on average, her pregnancies lasting 11-14 months. She is far less fertile after giving birth as well, usually capable of breeding again after two oestrus cycles. Jennys are extremely protective of their foal and might not go into heat while caring for them. Donkeys are capable of breeding with other equines like horses and zebra but these offspring are sterile.
Aa-hemet donkey originate from Kemet or Arya, their domestication so ancient no one is sure. They are well adapted to arid desert and semi desert with a preference for desert margins, still dependant on a water source. While this domestic species is kept as a work animal across Emynea, they are most adapted to their native range of northern Alkelbulan. This includes Kemet, Parsa Birit Narim, Shamsi Desert, Sesli Plato, Flumen Pontem, Kna'an, Arabiyyan Desert and Balkurtiz.
The aa-hemet donkey and donkeys in general are viewed differently by culture and even by era. The Masryeen had once held them in far higher regard before the introduction of camels, still valued for their labor but are associated with Seth. They are see as beasts who resist the gods, Seth employing 77 of them to keep the sun from rising. Under the influence of Islam al'Rasul, the donkey has taken on a much humbler representation, carrying pious rasul and mala'ik on their backs in folklore.
Donkeys are most poorly viewed by Eluzians, especially the Hellenes, Angli and Italiani. They are often represented as stupid, stubborn, clumsy and even wicked or foolish. They usually represent the lower class, the word "ass" originally used for someone who was stupid or clownish as compared to their view of horses as beautiful and powerful. The Espanol are the exception to this, viewing donkeys as patient, steady and loyal companions. In their eyes, the donkey represented service, suffering, peace, wisdom and humility.
I bought a donkey from a man, because it was the only way he stopped talking, but I don't regret it. The creature is as stubborn as me, and that might be a good thing. If he wasn't he'd probably leave me out in the desert.
Wealthy Masryeen are known to own more than 1,000 donkeys for agriculture, dairy, meat and as pack animals. They are generally bred in Arabiyyah and Arya for these purposes and are the cheapest form of agricultural labor after humans. They can be ridden, used for threshing, raising water and milling, can guard sheep or horses, can carry supplies or injured soldiers even on the battlefield.
Products
Their milk is edible and even nutritious, used as formula and in cosmetics. The milk of Shamsi breeds is useful for making creams for healing sunburns or even radiation burns when mixed with the right ingredients, usually Lux Thyme and aloe. The Masryeen even consider their milk an "elixer of long life", the wealthiest among them bathing in donkey milk to preserve their youth. (Strange, yes, and one does not smell the nicest afterwards, but it does do wonders on the skin.)
Diet
These are grazing and foraging herbivores. Donkeys can survive on poor quality scrub, aren't prone to colic and need less food than horses of the same size (1.2% of their body weight a day vs 2-2.5%). They get most of their energy from roughage (fiber) and richer foliage of temperate climates can actually be harmful to them, easily becoming obese.
They prefer eating grasses, hay, straw, bark, leaves, haylage, chaff, stems, herbs, legumes and grain. Wheat and barley are the optimal hay for them while they prefer to graze on live Jari Tamal and Maliha Tamarisk, needing a source of salt in their diet. While they can go some time without water, they still need to drink every three days when food is dry. Despite this, they are capable of drinking salty or brackish water.
Behavior
While donkeys are used to guard herds of sheep or even horses, they are still preyed upon themselves. Yet unlike most cattle, they don't immediately flee from danger. They first investigate the threat before deciding how dangerous it is, often confusing predators. They will also put up a fight, kicking with front and back legs or even biting. When they need to run, they can run 20-30 mph on average or 40 mph in emergencies. They are surprisingly nimble too, even on rocky terrain. Species who might hunt and kill them are usually larger predators, since they are likely to put up a fight. These include wolves, lions, ǁKo Wild Dog and Manid Hyena.
Remind me to tell you of the story about a donkey so stubborn the thing couldn't die. I'm sure as rainwater that the thing got its heart ripped out by some monstrous beasts out in the mountains. It probably got its cartoroid, or whatever that blood vein is called, got torn out. Why I'm pretty sure the poor donkey was....
Life Cycle
aa-hemet donkeys are long lived with a slow reproductive cycle. A jenny can have a foal every two years on average, her pregnancies lasting 11-14 months. She is far less fertile after giving birth as well, usually capable of breeding again after two oestrus cycles. Jennys are extremely protective of their foal and might not go into heat while caring for them. Donkeys are capable of breeding with other equines like horses and zebra but these offspring are sterile.
Habitat
Aa-hemet donkey originate from Kemet or Arya, their domestication so ancient no one is sure. They are well adapted to arid desert and semi desert with a preference for desert margins, still dependant on a water source. While this domestic species is kept as a work animal across Emynea, they are most adapted to their native range of northern Alkelbulan. This includes Kemet, Parsa Birit Narim, Shamsi Desert, Sesli Plato, Flumen Pontem, Kna'an, Arabiyyan Desert and Balkurtiz.
Mythology
The aa-hemet donkey and donkeys in general are viewed differently by culture and even by era. The Masryeen had once held them in far higher regard before the introduction of camels, still valued for their labor but are associated with Seth. They are see as beasts who resist the gods, Seth employing 77 of them to keep the sun from rising. Under the influence of Islam al'Rasul, the donkey has taken on a much humbler representation, carrying pious rasul and mala'ik on their backs in folklore.
Donkeys are most poorly viewed by Eluzians, especially the Hellenes, Angli and Italiani. They are often represented as stupid, stubborn, clumsy and even wicked or foolish. They usually represent the lower class, the word "ass" originally used for someone who was stupid or clownish as compared to their view of horses as beautiful and powerful. The Espanol are the exception to this, viewing donkeys as patient, steady and loyal companions. In their eyes, the donkey represented service, suffering, peace, wisdom and humility.
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