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# 4. Mounts

After the first settlements were founded, the beastfolk quickly realized that altered animals could be domesticated.

Some proved too wild. Others were too dangerous. But certain species responded well to breeding and training. They became essential for transportation, hunting, scouting, military campaigns, and food.

Different lands use different kinds of mounts.

In the dry steppes and deserts near the No Man's Lands, swift horned runners are bred.

In the Silent Marshes, broad-footed draft lizards are used.

In the mountain regions, sturdy hoofed beasts with thick fur known as Roundhorns are common.

The Children of Light use horses, much like humans once did, according to old treatises and scientific texts. The Children of Light found the first unchanged horses in the north, in the Arlu Valley, protected by high hills. These animals were barely affected by Flur or the Catastrophe. They became slightly larger than their ancestors and more resilient.

It was later discovered that the Arlu Valley is rich in Quark deposits. Quark shielded the area from Flur radiation and absorbed it, thereby reducing mutations and changes in the local flora and fauna.

The Servants of Decay have long domesticated giant boars, and for the past hundred years have actively bred them. The animals are reinforced with black metal plates and trained as war mounts for their cavalry.

Many animals were also subjected to experiments in Technopolis, and later in Baobab Village, aimed at enhancing their bodies with steam-powered mechanisms.

In old records, all such creatures are sometimes referred to as “horses,” but this is more of a general term for a mount than the name of a single species.

The true mounts of the present-day world vary greatly. Some resemble enormous boars, others lizards, others horned hoofed beasts, while still others are strange hybrids that emerged after many generations of Flur-induced changes.

The main distinction between a mount and a beastfolk is simple: it does not possess higher intelligence or speech, but it can be strong, loyal, and well trained.