Anya Venari
Star Queen Tirathana VII
http://vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/warhammeronline/images/5/5c/De_armor_coldone_heavy.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20080529154608
Source: Warhammer, Dark Elf Armybook
Name: Yazgid – translated literally this means ‘Great Mouth’, which is understandable!
Designation: Semi-Sentient
Homeworld: Tygara
Language: Pheromones, roars, grunts.
Average height of adults: 1.8 metres tall, but over 3 metres long including tail.
Skin color: Various shades of green, with older and male specimens having darker colouring.
Hair color: N/A
Breathes: Type I
Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Distinctions: The Yazgid is a large lizard creature which walks on two legs. It is longer than it is tall, and can run with great swiftness. The head contains a mouth full of sharp teeth and a crushing jaw which can break bones even inside armour. The front ‘arms’ of the Yazgid are quite small, but can be useful for gripping its prey so it can bite.
Male Yazgid are larger than the females and are even more independent minded and stubborn. Thus, the females are usually ridden into battle except for special elite units or leaders riding males.
Average Lifespan: Typically a lifespan of 20 years is considered above average. Those used for war or hunting usually wear out long before this. Ones kept for ceremonial or execution duties can live up to 30 years.
Races: The wild Yazgid still live in the jungles and plains, and these creatures are slightly smaller and less pack orientated than the tamed ones. Thus tame and wild species have diverged somewhat not unlike horses on Earth.
Estimated Population: Unknown, but likely in the hundreds of thousands to millions. The wild Yazgid are endangered and perhaps have less than 25,000 adults.
Diet: Yazgid are carnivorous and will eat fresh meat in preference, but will eat carrion too if needed. Since they require a lot of meat it often places a rather unique strain on the logistics system. Fortunately a battlefield often provides useful for provisions, and after gouging the Yazgid can go for a week without much food. One very useful thing discovered is that they can also eat salted meat, allowing for armies to carry enough meat with them.
Communication: Male Yazgids offer defiant roars and bellows when challenging each other. The females have lower, more hissing roars. The babies make adorable squeaking sounds, but since they are born with teeth petting is ill-advised!
Culture: N/A
Technology level: N/A
General behaviour: As pack carnivores, the Yazgid lends itself well to military uses. Though difficult to control and stubborn, they do have a pack mentality which allows their aggression to be channelled productively. Driven by instinct, the Yazgid are formidable hunters and efficient killers.
Female Yazgid are somewhat less stubborn than the males, but are still dangerous to their handlers and riders. Quite what the creatures think of the Qadiri is unknown, but they do not hate being ridden by them.
In the wild the packs were led by an alpha, and this has battlefield applications too. By having the leader of a squadron mounted on an alpha male, it keeps the others in the ‘pack’ more docile. Of course, if this leader falls other males can start to squabble for dominance.
Whilst the alpha male gets his choice of females, every pack has other males who take the other females and mate with them.
Females lay clutches of 3-6 eggs a year in large dome-like mounds under the trees. The babies born from this are quick to grow, but many in the wild are killed and eaten by their siblings. Often battles between the young of various mothers lead to more deaths. On average only 1-2 of the young each year survive their first birthday. This high mortality is exacerbated by infighting and hunting dangerous creatures. Estimates are that only 10% of young born survive to their 5th birthday. However, in the large packs of 10-20 this is perhaps a good thing.
History: A native of the jungles and plains of Khajwar, far from Amikaron, the Yazgid was first domesticated, or at least tamed, some 5-6,000 years ago. From there eggs and trainers were imported to the modern areas of Amikaron.
From earliest days the Yazgid have been something of a conundrum for various Qadiri rulers. The Horned Ghoush, a more placid herbivore, has always been the alternative, and is still used for scouting and skirmishing.
However although the Yazgid are a cantankerous species their skills on the battlefield are the main reason they have remained in such general usage for so long. A single charge by a force of Yazgid riders can shatter an unprepared formation, and the vicious teeth and claws can overpower all but the best warriors. On the pursuit they are terrifying in their effectiveness, able to pick up a fleeing warrior and tear out their throat in seconds.
In modern warfare the aristocracy of the Amikarese ride the Yazgid. Rearing and controlling one well is a mark of excellence and martial prowess. Like all parts of Qadiri warfare, the use of the Yazgid all comes down to timing, control and skill. The right charge at the right moment can break an enemy army, but if timed poorly the enemy can erect counters. These counters include blocks of spearmen which the Yazgid cannot penetrate, Garsh (liquid fire) or concentrated artillery or musketry. When faced by combinations of these, the Yazgid are easy prey themselves, and a charge can be reduced to a chaotic rout.
Notable Player-Characters: Unlikely.
Intent: To create a unique mount for the Qadiri. This subverts the trends one has which usually places herbivores as mounts. The Yazgid is a powerful creature, but is difficult to control and vulnerable to modern weaponry. In short the Yazgid is a powerful beast, but its aggressive power is its greatest weakness.
Source: Warhammer, Dark Elf Armybook
Name: Yazgid – translated literally this means ‘Great Mouth’, which is understandable!
Designation: Semi-Sentient
Homeworld: Tygara
Language: Pheromones, roars, grunts.
Average height of adults: 1.8 metres tall, but over 3 metres long including tail.
Skin color: Various shades of green, with older and male specimens having darker colouring.
Hair color: N/A
Breathes: Type I
Strengths:
- My Little Dinosaur. The Yazgid is a ferocious predator quite as dangerous as the rider mounted on it. With a mouth full of wicked teeth, claws on its feet, and a bony crest for head-butting, the Yazgid is a terrible mount to face.
- Scaly Skin. The Yazgid has touch scaly skin akin to armour class 4. This provides resistance against conventional melee and archaic ranged weapons. It offers no defence against modern weapons.
- Predator. Unlike the herbivores used as mounts on other worlds, the Yazgid loves to fight, and when goaded will tear apart anything in its path.
- Death Charge. The Yazgid can briefly reach speeds of 40km/h, amazing for their size. They can also maintain speeds of 20km/h for up to half an hour. This allows them to charge an enemy and then pursue them, savaging any who survive.
Weaknesses:
- Difficult. Yazgid are notoriously fractious and difficult to control. One rider might gain mastery over his mount, but will have trouble taking another in the heat of battle. Thus, a dismounted rider is effectively out of the battle. Training a Yazgid is a long and dangerous process, and many Qadiri riders have lost a hand or worse to their irate mounts.
- Cold Blooded. Yazgid are cold blooded, and thus can be quite sluggish in the morning or in cooler conditions. On the flip-side they can get very ill if exposed to the sun for the entire day and be useless by the evening.
- Underbelly. Though protected by tough skin, the underbelly and eyes are vulnerable to damage and offer no effective resistance.
- Bloodgreed. If a Yazgid manages to kill an enemy it will often stop to feast and can be very hard to goad onwards. It does make disposing of the dead somewhat easier however!
- Dim. Yazgid are not very smart…and are really quite stupid. They are not difficult to trick, usually slabs of meat work as distractions. For this reason they are not great sentries. When fighting other Yazgid they are often impossible to pull away, making retreat difficult.
- Sensible. Despite being ferocious lizard monsters…Yazgid are not completely stupid. They will not charge a wall of spears or a solid barrier, and will not jump from cliffs or other such feats of suicidal bravado.
Distinctions: The Yazgid is a large lizard creature which walks on two legs. It is longer than it is tall, and can run with great swiftness. The head contains a mouth full of sharp teeth and a crushing jaw which can break bones even inside armour. The front ‘arms’ of the Yazgid are quite small, but can be useful for gripping its prey so it can bite.
Male Yazgid are larger than the females and are even more independent minded and stubborn. Thus, the females are usually ridden into battle except for special elite units or leaders riding males.
Average Lifespan: Typically a lifespan of 20 years is considered above average. Those used for war or hunting usually wear out long before this. Ones kept for ceremonial or execution duties can live up to 30 years.
Races: The wild Yazgid still live in the jungles and plains, and these creatures are slightly smaller and less pack orientated than the tamed ones. Thus tame and wild species have diverged somewhat not unlike horses on Earth.
Estimated Population: Unknown, but likely in the hundreds of thousands to millions. The wild Yazgid are endangered and perhaps have less than 25,000 adults.
Diet: Yazgid are carnivorous and will eat fresh meat in preference, but will eat carrion too if needed. Since they require a lot of meat it often places a rather unique strain on the logistics system. Fortunately a battlefield often provides useful for provisions, and after gouging the Yazgid can go for a week without much food. One very useful thing discovered is that they can also eat salted meat, allowing for armies to carry enough meat with them.
Communication: Male Yazgids offer defiant roars and bellows when challenging each other. The females have lower, more hissing roars. The babies make adorable squeaking sounds, but since they are born with teeth petting is ill-advised!
Culture: N/A
Technology level: N/A
General behaviour: As pack carnivores, the Yazgid lends itself well to military uses. Though difficult to control and stubborn, they do have a pack mentality which allows their aggression to be channelled productively. Driven by instinct, the Yazgid are formidable hunters and efficient killers.
Female Yazgid are somewhat less stubborn than the males, but are still dangerous to their handlers and riders. Quite what the creatures think of the Qadiri is unknown, but they do not hate being ridden by them.
In the wild the packs were led by an alpha, and this has battlefield applications too. By having the leader of a squadron mounted on an alpha male, it keeps the others in the ‘pack’ more docile. Of course, if this leader falls other males can start to squabble for dominance.
Whilst the alpha male gets his choice of females, every pack has other males who take the other females and mate with them.
Females lay clutches of 3-6 eggs a year in large dome-like mounds under the trees. The babies born from this are quick to grow, but many in the wild are killed and eaten by their siblings. Often battles between the young of various mothers lead to more deaths. On average only 1-2 of the young each year survive their first birthday. This high mortality is exacerbated by infighting and hunting dangerous creatures. Estimates are that only 10% of young born survive to their 5th birthday. However, in the large packs of 10-20 this is perhaps a good thing.
History: A native of the jungles and plains of Khajwar, far from Amikaron, the Yazgid was first domesticated, or at least tamed, some 5-6,000 years ago. From there eggs and trainers were imported to the modern areas of Amikaron.
From earliest days the Yazgid have been something of a conundrum for various Qadiri rulers. The Horned Ghoush, a more placid herbivore, has always been the alternative, and is still used for scouting and skirmishing.
However although the Yazgid are a cantankerous species their skills on the battlefield are the main reason they have remained in such general usage for so long. A single charge by a force of Yazgid riders can shatter an unprepared formation, and the vicious teeth and claws can overpower all but the best warriors. On the pursuit they are terrifying in their effectiveness, able to pick up a fleeing warrior and tear out their throat in seconds.
In modern warfare the aristocracy of the Amikarese ride the Yazgid. Rearing and controlling one well is a mark of excellence and martial prowess. Like all parts of Qadiri warfare, the use of the Yazgid all comes down to timing, control and skill. The right charge at the right moment can break an enemy army, but if timed poorly the enemy can erect counters. These counters include blocks of spearmen which the Yazgid cannot penetrate, Garsh (liquid fire) or concentrated artillery or musketry. When faced by combinations of these, the Yazgid are easy prey themselves, and a charge can be reduced to a chaotic rout.
Notable Player-Characters: Unlikely.
Intent: To create a unique mount for the Qadiri. This subverts the trends one has which usually places herbivores as mounts. The Yazgid is a powerful creature, but is difficult to control and vulnerable to modern weaponry. In short the Yazgid is a powerful beast, but its aggressive power is its greatest weakness.
