Aomian Warhorse
Colonel Aotta Nabulla pictured the imaginary string tugging her spine upward from the nape of her neck. A newly appointed Colonel should look tall and stately on her horse, leadership had cajoled. The stamping hooves of Aileta, her warhorse, formed the beat with which the horses of her Sergeants marched to, and the beat to which the privates walked. In this, Nabulla felt like the beating heart of her company-- and the driver of the Crusade. --The Ink Shores, 432No other animal, besides eusocial ants, wasps, and bees, perhaps demonstrates and embodies the Aomian League's idea of total unity and group-trust as the Aomian Warhorse. The Aomian Warhorse can be found on the Aomian League's official state seal where it is depicted tall and courageous while bearing a rider upon its back. The horse makes up the main animal component of the Singularity Crusade, that of course being the Aomian cavalry. There, the horse is prized for its strength, loyalty, speed, and ability to perform complex maneuvers with other trained members of its species. The horse has played a key role in the conquering on the lands immediately around the city of Holy Aom. It is frequently used in parades and other celebratory events in the capital. The current High Confessor of the Singularity Crusade, Dario of the One, has his own personal Aomian Warhorse stables and training arena. Even the community-focused Aomia has stories of legendary Aomian Warhorses, like Andy the Horse, who shocked the army when he led an entire group of the horses into the burning city of Judge after a set-up and betrayal of elements of the Singularty Crusade posted inside. Members of that element included Andy's rider, and upon seeing the flames lick the horizon the horses unquestioningly charged into the blaze, with many, including Andy himself, succumbing to burn wounds and smoke inhalation in the process. However, not a single human life was lost due to the horses charging the burning barricades the Judgites constructed. Andy now has a statue in Holy Aom and Judge.
Basic Information
Anatomy
The Aomian Warhorse is easily distinguishable as a variety of horse. The build of the horse is meant for speed. It measures about 5 feet tall to the withers and commonly weighs around 900-1000 lbs. Aomian Warhorses (hereby referred to as simply an "Aomian") are fantastically strong for their size and use this strength to blast across the middle interior of Aomia, with most of their developed muscle being located at the creature's chest and core.
Aomian Warhorses can be admired in a variety of patterns and colors; however most common is a white coat with 1-3 black diagonal stripes extending down from the main across the creature's flanks.
Genetics and Reproduction
Prized studs are bred in specialized Aomian facilities. Gestation occurs through sexual reproduction and typically takes around 10 months.
Growth Rate & Stages
Aomians are born as foals. Male Aomians are then referred to as colts in their first 3 years of life, then stallions whereas female Aomians are fillies in their first 3 years, and then mares. Castrated male horses are known as Geldings.
A special classification is given to wild-born Aomian Warhorses. Wild horses of either sex aged 1-2 years old are referred to as yearlings. They are given this classification due to the increased effort it takes to train them.
Ecology and Habitats
Aomian Warhorses are found in the plains of middle Aomia all the way to the southern Savannah of Horsh. Aomians feed on the flowering bushes and shrubs found around Aomia's numerous streams. The highest concentration of Aomians is located around the Plumpsun Forest in the Aomian heartland. They tend to struggle in the swampy northern regions of Aomia and are also ill-suited to traverse elevated terrain such as mountains (or even foothills).
Dietary Needs and Habits
The Aomian is primarily a vegetarian that subsidizes its diet on the occasional bug. Their preferred foods are the flowering azaleas that can be found along Aomia's streams and riverbanks. The horse is also known to be a voracious consumer of sugarcane, which has caused problems for farmers located around the northern Bay of Aom. Like most horses, they go absolutely nuts for apples and carrots. And, of course, they feed on the grasses and cereal grains of the Aomian plane, such as farro.
Biological Cycle
The lifespan of an Aomian is about 25-30 years naturally. The horse is considered to be in prime breeding age from around 8-15 years old. Mares, however, can produce young safely until around the age of 20-- often producing more offspring as they get older. Stallions are generally castrated on their 20th birthday and turned into Geldings, where they are then used as training horses for Aomian cavalry recruits, or used in honorific parades and events.
Behaviour
The most distinctive aspect of the Aomian is its ability to synchronize its gait with other members of its species. This synchronizing ability is so profound and pronounced that even an entire cavalry unit galloping at full speed sounds like just one very heavy-footed horse.
The Aomian is also keenly affected by the surrounding attitude of its fellow members. Groups are easy to spook and when one is spooked, the rest quickly follow its lead. The opposite is also true. It only takes a single Aomian Warhorse launching into a charge to excite the others to do the same. This gives cause to devastating coordinated cavalry charges.
The Aomian is also one of only exceedingly few horse breeds to not fight for dominance among its members. There is no alpha stallion among Aomian herds, and when a new foal is born it is more-or-less 'adopted' by the entire herd and cared for by all its members. This type of behavior more closely resembles the herding techniques of huge wildebeest groups.
The drawback of the species not having a dominant member in a group is that if the herd erupts into chaos (say a Fogrunner Hyena appears in their midst) the Aomians are not quick to recover. If different members decide to run at different paces, for example, it is almost the same as two different languages being screamed out at once.
This leads to frequent herd movements, dissolutions, and reformations. Sometimes "mega-herds" will form totaling over 2000 members. Othertimes a lone Aomian Warhorse will wander for months once its been split from the group-- often to a fatal effect.
Aomian soldiers and breeders have found ways to subtly influence this mentality. By using specialized devices known as "Tappers," a rider can click a gait-pattern for the horse to follow, and the horse will comply. More advanced riders and breeders have used this system of communication to train all sorts of advanced maneuvers into the Aomian. Entire manuals have been published on Tapper training.
Additional Information
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
The Aomian receives much of its information through sight. Its eyesight is slightly worse than the average human's and it mainly relies on herd-communication or the efforts of its handler to navigate and take in information.
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