Rhinoxen
Rhinoxen are huge, hairy, horned and especially bad tempered beasts which inhabit mountain regions, particularly the Mountains of Mourn. Most predators and intelligent races give Rhinoxen a wide berth, however they are sometimes used as beasts of burden (such as to pull Ironblasters) and as cavalry mounts by Ogres.
Overview
Large and dangerous horned beast that will lower its head and ram anything in its way, even the most massive of creatures, Rhinoxen can almost always be found living in the mountainous regions of the world, where they roam the snowy slopes and thunder through the passes in small, but formidable, herds that are given a wide berth by all but the most ferocious or desperate of predators.[1a]
A herd of Rhinoxen will never willingly alter its path for anything— be it rockfall, weather, or monstrous predator. Some of this has to do with their own tough nature, as thick skin and shaggy, coarse hair protects the Rhinox from the elements and all but the most horrendous of damage. Doubtless, some of their fearlessness also stems from the creature's obstinate ways. However, the notoriously bad eyesight of the Rhinox certainly factors into its penchant for walking blindly into precarious situations.[1a]
As they live in the extremes of high altitude —with numbing winds, snow squalls and the ever present threat of blizzards, visibility is often limited anyway, so the fact that a Rhino: cannot see more than a few strides ahead is not nearly as debilitating as it would be for a beast of the plains. To compensate for its near-blindness, the lumbering Rhino: has developed a keen sense of smell and has learned to charge anything that doesn't reek like another Rhino:. On occasion, they will charge even if its does smell like a Rhinox, as the creatures are just that hostile, and the smell really is that bad. Powered by thick haunches of purest muscle, a ram from a charging Rhinox is devastating and those lucky enough to avoid being gored or skewered by its horns can still be flung airborne by the force of its impact. Dwarf trappers often say that startling a Rhinox is the fastest way of getting down a mountain. Rhinox are used as beasts of burden by Ogres, especially to carry huge Ironblaster cannons. They are also ridden into battle as mounts (see Rhinox Cavalry).[1a]
Trivia
- Rhinoxen may be based on the real life Elasmotherium - a genus of huge wooly rhinocerus with enormous horns, that lived in Eastern Europe and Siberia up until 26,000 years ago.
