Navaar
The Navaar is a massive quadruped standing 230 to 260 cm at the withers, heavy-bodied and broad-shouldered, with blunted horns curving low to the skull and a thick coat of bristle-textured pillow feather layered over weather-hardened skin. Wild herds roam the open fern-plains and horsetail marshes of Northland's broad valleys, moving seasonally with water levels and fresh growth. Domesticated Navaar are the primary draft animals for ploughing and heavy hauling, and the slaughter of a single animal is enough to call the whole village into a day of feasting and song.
Key traits
- Wide-tread feet disperse the Navaar's immense weight across swampy or unstable ground, preventing sinking even during the wettest seasons.
- The feather coat sheds slowly in heat to allow ventilation while protecting against biting winds and mist-chill through the cold valley months.
- Domesticated Navaar are reliable under careful, rhythmic handling but respond to sudden pressure or cruelty with explosive, dangerous strength.
- Wild herds are fiercely protective of their young, known to trample large predators if provoked into a herd charge.
- Raised for both draft work and meat, a full-maturity Navaar requires extensive grazing and patient stewardship, making each one a significant village investment.
- The horns of elder Navaar are carved into ceremonial ploughs or offered as sacred gifts during spring planting rites, and village wealth is often measured in how many Navaar herds can be claimed.