Frontier Addak

”The desert elves adapted quickly to the introduction of horses. Despite this, there is still a clear preference for their ancestral beast of burden. The addak is smaller than most horses, more lithe and compact. One would think it had been built for speed – yet they can carry a deceptive load for their size. A single addak can carry all the worldly possessions of their master or mistress elf. Of course, that may speak more to the lack of materialism of the Sharesessi than the strength of the addak.” – Pesne Cicani, Canaiberl Naturalist

Basic Information

Anatomy

The Frontier Addak ranges from two to four feet tall at the shoulders, and three to four feet long from tail to nose. Males of the species are more slender than females and possess a slight ‘beard’, but both exhibit long, twirled horns that can extend up to a foot from the top of their heads. Some tribes have taken to selective breeding for both horn shape and beard length. Their legs are longer, proportionally, than those of a horse. Unlike their Sulerian cousins, the Frontier Addak is not particularly fast. They can easily keep up with a humanoid at a walking pace, but struggle to maintain more than a brisk jog for extended periods.

Genetics and Reproduction

While domesticated addaks can be bred year round, they will naturally breed in the late autumn months. Gestation is relatively short at only five months, leading to a very early spring fawning. Most addaks produce only one fawn per term, but twins are not unheard of.

Growth Rate & Stages

Addaks go through three distinct stages. Fawns remain close to their mothers, from birth through their first years. They rely almost entirely on milk during this time. Adolescents will begin subsisting on grass, some brush plants and insects as they can find them. During the adolescent stage, the addak will not exhibit any horns and may continue to show some spotted patterning.
At two years of age, addaks are considered ‘adult’ and lose any semblance of their fawning spots. At this point, their coloring lightens to a tawny yellow. Their horns will emerge, obsidian in color at first, slowly changing to white over their lifetime. Addak horn ornaments are prized among the desert elves, and the artisans that work with them are highly valued within the tribes.

Additional Information

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Wild addaks are both skittish and perceptive. Even an experienced hunter will have trouble securing an addak kill. However, years of domestication by the Sharesessi have produced a placid herd of addaks that are willing to entrust their protection to their shepherds.

Scientific Name

Addak Avistatus

Origin/Ancestry

Avistat

Conservation Status

Wild addaks are by no means common in the Sharesessi. There are several known herds that travel along the southern edge of the desert, but all other addaks are domesticated. The domestic population is considered healthy, as all five desert elf tribes maintain a large breeding population.