Aganeihat

(ahg-ahn-ei-haht)

Biological Information

Sz: 1.2 m. | 4′ (at head)
Wt: 186 kg. | 410 lbs.
Loc: Parallelium
Tpt: Skittish
Prd: None
Var: Calderic, Grassland

References

Aganeihat have been observed to avoid pori and other Sentient Species with some purpose, though the behavior has evolved over time as pori culture has changed.¹

Zisloomall believed that the species may have predated Poria, though Porrair forbade Quarrnyl from proving the theory in an effort to sharpen the pori’s investigative skills.² Their name translates loosely from a version of early Jibhaga as “fire crystal hoofed animal” and were at one point believed to be immortal.³ The earliest accounts make note that the creatures live for years after their horns grow into their skin.² Omneuttians who farm outside Parallelium’s city-centres reap the benefit of aganeihat softening and stirring up soil generations ago, and some attempt to invite the herds before sowing their field(s).⁴

Aganeihat are most notable for their horns that eventually grow to pierce their skin. In males they loop forward and eventually grow into the ribcage, while in females the horns eventually grow backwards into and sever the spinal cord. The species are mostly herbivores, aganeihat have been observed to have a preference for a particular mineral. These are found in crystals formed in the pores of rocks by gas escaping from vents through the ground above layers of magma.⁴ In all variants, packs are considered normal in formation: an alpha male, females who raise the newborn following a 53 week (~11 month) gestation period, and non-alpha males who compete for the ability to challenge the alpha male.⁵

There are three variants of the species. One is considered the default or normal aganeihat, and a pair that have evolved across Parallelium when and where pori cities moved from being built on and inside volcanos to the plains.¹ Aganeihats, as evidenced by the ecological distribution of the original variants, normally dwell around the base of volcanoes.³ In response to pori cities moving to plains while creating refineries at the base of volcanoes to harvest molten material, aganeihats have moved either further up volcanoes or further out into the plains away from cities. These variants are referred to as Calderic and Grassland respectively.¹