Greymantle Bull
Just as the Greymantle marsh deer have a semi-domesticated counterpart kept by the various peoples of Lockhinge county, the local species of water buffalo is also almost more well-known as a useful beast of burden than as a wild animal.
Most commonly known as the "Greymantle bull," whether referring to males or females of the species, these animals are solely responsible for the vast amount of agriculture found in Lockhinge county to even be possible. Safe and solid land is at a premium in Greymantle Marsh, so only what has not been claimed for building and infrastructure is available to farm. Much of Greymantle's agriculture has to be done at least partially in the water, and even that which is done on dry ground still requires travel through marshland to get to. The marshbucks make fine steeds and can handle some cart and plow work, but a beast of greater strength and stamina is needed for real farmwork.
Greymantle bulls are known to be violent when crossed, but show surprising patience and focus when settled into work. They don't demonstrate the same level of responsiveness and trainability as the deer, but those who breed and raise them claim that they are just as intelligent. They require considerable resources to feed and keep comfortably, and tend to get temperamental in groups, so only a few tend to be kept together at a time. Even when only one or two are employed at a farmstead however, each Greymantle bull is capable of doing the work of many other animals. In addition to plowing and hauling, Greymantle bulls are used as steady beasts of burden, suppliers of meat and milk, as well as guardians against crocodiles and other threats of the swamps. It is not uncommon to spot the big, black, glowering shape of a bull in amongst a herd of deer, keeping an eye out for trouble.
When compared to other buffalo species, Greymantle bulls lack a little size and bulk, but they make up for it in speed, agility, and ferocity. When a crocodile is spotted on the outskirts of a Greymantle farm, it is not uncommon to see a herd of deer fleeing in one direction while a bull charges straight into the water in the opposite direction.
Greymantle bulls are most commonly charcoal black, though older animals can take on a sun-bleached look along their backs, and they have paler markings of varying contrast on their underparts, throat, inner legs, and lower half of the face. Males often have a ridge or mane of longer, bristly hair along the spine. Both males and females have horns that scoop forward and out from the face before hooking upward, though the male's horns are larger and bulkier. Their limbs are relatively long and end in splaying hooves, adapted to a semi-aquatic life in the swamplands.
Geographic Distribution