Arugolaa

The Arugolaa is a large, tortoise-like creature native to the Agras Plain. It stands just over four foot high when fully grown, with a narrow body and long legs. The Arugolaa can run nearly as fast as a horse, and was greatly favored as a steed during the Mage Wars. Entire contingents fought on Arugolaa-back. Though the animal is much shorter than a horse, it can bare more weight, and is extremly agile and easy to train, responding to commands from it's rider with great speed.

Writters in the Golden Age told extensively of Arogulaa's fierceness on the battlefield, but contemporary accounts paint a picture of an animal that is almost criminally indifferent to it's surroundings. In truth, the Arugolla can only see around five to ten feet in front of it and is nearly deaf. They gather most of the sensory data by sensing vibrations in the ground. The Arugolaa were not "fierce in combat" but likely had no idea where they were or what they were doing.

Though nearly as fast as a horse and able to carry more, Arugolaa are not as smart. They know little of loyalty and can scarcely tell one human from another. They are easy to train, but when used as mounts or back animals will take almost no initiative for themselves, and rely entirely on instruction.

Arugolaa are primarily used as steeds, though their small size and heavy load-baring capacity makes them favorites for long-distance pack animals. They cannot be used as draft animals because there is little to no way to direct them. They are completely indifferent to the whip owing to their thick shells and will ignored commands from the reigns if they are too long.