Isril Elk

Description and Overview

Isril elk are a large, broad-chested species of elk native to the cold northern lands of Isild. They prefer meadows and open woodlands, choosing to stay within the low-lying forests of the nation and away from the treacherous slopes of mountains. They are herbivores who subsist on tough natural grasses year-round, but they supplement their winter diet with dry bark and their summer diet with tree sprouts. Isril elk are the largest species of elk in the known world, standing nearly seven feet tall at the shoulder. Their antlers have been known to span twelve feet from tip to tip. Isril elk produce one to two offspring in a mating cycle, and their gestation period is roughly 260 days. They travel in small to medium sized herds, and their greatest natural threats are direwolves and other ambitious or particularly cunning predators. In recent years poachers wielding firearms have started targeting Isril elk. In the wild they live for ten to fifteen years, but when traveling with an experienced owner their lifespan often stretches to twenty years or more.

Training and Sale

This impressive creature is sometimes used as a mount by Isril travelers and warriors. This is an uncommon practice, however, as the Isril elk is notoriously difficult to tame and train. They are headstrong and skittish, and their great antlers scare away many would-be riders. Only a handful of Isild’s remote villages have taken to training Isril elk as their trade. They travel for miles in the warmer months to bring the enormous beasts to market for sale and barter. These creatures are not truly domesticated, but with enough time and patience they can be tamed and taught.

Many admire the Isril elk for their size and beauty, but they are not a practical mount for the average adventurer. They require great swaths of grass for grazing, and they fare poorly in the world’s warmer nations. The villagers who train Isril elk take pride in their care, and they refuse to sell or trade an elk to a rider they deem unfit. Those who are determined to ride an elk should thoroughly educate themselves before seeking one out, lest they be refused purchase.

Battle

Some of Isild’s fiercest warriors ride into battle upon the backs of Isril elk. When trained for combat these gentle giants are nigh-unstoppable, trampling straight through advancing enemy lines with minimal effort. Their antlers maul and maim flesh with ease, and most lesser armors are useless against the brute force of their hooves.