abstract
| - The battlesteed is a type of horse specially bred and trained by the Shin'a'in clans for as long as they have lived on the Dhorisha Plains. Bred primarily for intelligence, agility, strength and endurance were also highly prized characteristics. In description: "They had thick necks and huge, ugly heads with broad foreheads. They looked like unpolished statues of rough granite, and were nearly as tough. They could live very handily on forage even a mule would reject; they could travel sunrise to sunset at a ground-devouring lope that was something like a wolf's tireless tracking-pace. They could be trusted with an infant, but would kill on signal or on a perceived threat. They were more intelligent... than a mule, even. In their ability to obey and to reason they more resembled a highly trained dog than a horse, for they could actually work out a simple problem on their own." (Oathbound)The high level of intelligence and skill in a battlesteed is much of the reason the Dhorisha Plains have never been conquered. However, the mares do not breed frequently, making the breed somewhat rare. For that reason, no battlesteed has ever left the clans. They cannot be purchased at any price, and the horses themselves are too intelligent and well-trained to allow themselves to be stolen. No stallions are ever allowed to leave the Plains for any reason. Only the mares go out with adventuring clansmen.
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