We’ve done a few of these bestiary entries, and so far we haven’t done any creatures from the terraformed part of the planet. Except maybe for the Towers of Knowledge, but that isn’t quite the same. My first thought was to do an entry on Humans, but I still haven’t settled on some important details. I figured the next best thing to write about would be the favourite mounts of the Humans in the World of Black and Green. And yes, they are inspired by the moblin’s mounts in Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

Name: Megeasus
World: Green
Material: Flesh
Thought Type: Constrained
Species Type: Large Mammal
Habitat: Domestic and Grasslands

Pigs are a varied form of domestic mammal, with the megeasus being the largest and most important to Humankind. It is said that when Humans and their animals came from the stars, the gods gave them a majestic mount called a horse, which provided transportation and farm labour. During the Chaos Era though, all the horses were killed, and in the years that followed Human towns became isolated and the farm fields went untilled. Humankind faced extinction, but then it is said that some loyal asus pigs – a species that rival dogs as companions and hunters – grew in size, so that they could pull the ploughs and carry their Humans from town to town. Most Human Cargos have some form of his legend regarding their Megeasus.

Like regular asus, megeasus are omnivores who can eat almost anything. Whilst grain is preferred, they differ from the ‘classical’ pigs by being more carnivorous in nature and hunting down small animals. This predator instinct makes megeasus well adapted to warfare, and they have fought alongside Humankind for thousands of years. A trained war-megeasus breed, such as a battleboar, can learn simple manoeuvres and perform them even when their rider is incapacitated, and they are able to recognize the uniform of their owner’s army. This ability makes it difficult for victorious armies to use the war-megeasus of their fallen foes, so defeated war-megeasus are often turned lose, resulting in a wild population throughout the Prime Continent. Even this is risky though, as some particularly loyal battleboar have been known to chase after and attack the victorious soldiers after their riders have been killed.

The impact feral megeasus have had on the Green World ecosystem is unknown. Those who follow the Terraformer’s Code religiously revile these ferals, claiming that they are not part of the ‘Great Ecological Plan’. However, megeasus grind down Black World plans with their hooves and seem somewhat resistant to Black World toxicity. More importantly, megeasus are too valuable in most Human cultures for any major extermination plans to be enacted, except in cases where the ferals have began damaging crops.

Even when faced with crop destruction, some cultures are reluctant to kill wild megeasus. The animals were so revered during the Ramparossan Halantha Dynasty, that it became a capital crime to kill them except for ritual sacrifice. It is said that a quarter of the kingdom was in famine due to the destruction caused by the herds of ferals. It wasn’t until the merchant Rui Anthanalow hired Drid sky-dominator experts to drop dozens of megeasus corpses into the temple of the king’s winter palace for a so-called mass sacrifice* that the policy was revised.

Whilst megeasus are hunters, they are not naturally violent, and only those bred for war pose a danger to toddlers and small farm animals. Most domestic megeasus are used on farms or courier stables. Like war-bred megeasus, the different types of farming breeds tend to be loyal to their humans, but most are friendly. The largest megeasus, the titanboar, are known to be particularly fond of playing with Human children, though they cannot maintain energetic action for too long.

 A popular game amongst Elsini youths involves jumping over a titanboar’s lowered head and rolling into the saddle. Due to the titanboar’s temperament and lethargy, the game is usually safe, provided no-one disturbs the animal. Unfortunately, malicious or overeager boys sometimes smack the titanboar while their rivals are jumping, leading to the jumper clinging onto the titanboar’s back as it rampages. Many Elsini lords tell improvable stories about discovering prodigious riding abilities during jumps gone wrong, usually ending in them calming the titanboar themselves.

The most well known megeasus breed is the Common Megeasus. His breed is just large enough for two Humans to ride on, is content to eat hay while usually leaving the smaller farm animals alone, and has a docile nature. For commoners throughout the Green World, owning a common megeasus can mean the difference between struggling to survive, and running profitable farms. In small villages, having a well-bred megeasus of an uncommon breed is a sign of status.

Whilst it is rare to slaughter working megeasus for meat, it is customary to butcher and eat megeasus when they become unable to work. Due to both the high regard these creatures are held in and the huge amount of meat they provide, the butchering of a megeasus is a huge occasion in small villages. It is common for a bonfire to be lit in the town square, and a feast is held. Details of these megeasus feasts vary greatly across cultures, but they typically involve singing and dancing until late in the night, and a day of drying and salting afterwards. Amongst the Vynik, who use more megeasus than any other Human culture, butchers who specialize in serving megeasus are held in high regard, and funeral rites are given.

Whilst most Human cultures regard megeasus highly, they are not universally renowned. Some Kyborg kingdoms in mountainous regions use megegoats instead as their main mounts, and the aquatic Occi Cargo do not look fondly on them either. Dridkind’s view on megeasus is also complex. On one hand, the tendency of megeasus to pulverize Black World plants and their tendency to attempt to eat Black World life despite the toxicity and their inability to digest them makes them a dangerous pest. Numerous conflicts have broken out between Humankind and Dridkind over megeasus. On the other hand, the megeasus’s high tolerance to Black World poison makes them a valuable companion to Humans who have been invited into Black Forests.

Megeasus will continue to be one of the most important animals to Humankind, and will always play a role in diplomacy between the two Worlds.                  

*It is worth noting that the Ramparrosan Golden Age began shortly after this massive sacrifice.