Bestiary
The Padwellian Waterhorse
Lore written by Silvercinder8.
2022 Spooky Challenges Entry
Artwork by Silvercinder8.
Appearance
The Padwellian Waterhorse is a rather large species, standing at 7 feet at the shoulder. Notably, they have rather long legs that make up a good deal of their height. Each of their feet are four-toed, with the outer two toes being sharp spikes. The spikes are often used for self-defence, but have also been used to clear vegetation out of the way. They have proportionally large heads, most of which make space for their enormous mouths. Often, the waterhorse is of green, brown, yellow, and red colours. Males will have bright yellow markings.
Abilities
The waterhorse is surprisingly fast. They can easily outrun humans and are often as fast, if not faster, than horses. Their long legs are also excellent for wading through the marshes of Padwell. This makes them uniquely fit for travel. Alongside this, the waterhorse has an anticoagulant in its spit. However, the waterhorse had rather fragile leg bones and it is not advised to ride it on steep terrain.
Intelligence
Waterhorses are surprisingly intelligent. They form deep bonds with their trainers and can learn numerous commands. Some have even been trained to perform in plays.
Diet
Waterhorses feed exclusively on blood. They have sharp teeth built to cut, and their spit helps blood flow. They physically cannot eat solid foods and leave the drained bodies of their prey behind.
Lifespan
When kept and cared for by a human, Waterhorses live for around 50 to 90 years, depending on how well they’re cared for. Left in the marshes, they’ll live around 50 years.
Size
Waterhorses stand at 7 feet at the shoulder. They are large enough to be ridden and often are.
Temperament
The Padwellian Waterhorse, even wild, are remarkably docile. They are often skittish, but rarely hostile. They’re incredibly friendly too and make great companions.
Lifecycle
The waterhorse is a parasite. Adults looking to lay their eggs will bite large prey to keep them still as they lay their incredibly sticky eggs on their hosts. These eggs are incredibly sticky, and the only ways to effectively remove them are with fire or acid. After about two months of incubating, the eggs will hatch. These hatchlings are more often called ‘podlets’. When the podlets hatch, they will attack their host repeatedly as they grow, slowly draining them of blood. When the podlets are four months old, they will secrete a resin and cocoon themselves to moult into their adult forms.
The Waterhorse & Humans
The Padwellian Waterhorse is a sought-after and often beloved mount. They’re incredibly friendly and make loyal companions. Due to their ability to easily traverse the marshes, they are incredibly useful for travel. While not widespread everywhere, they are incredibly popular where they are known.
The Deadwalkers
Due to the Waterhorse’s ability to completely drain a body of blood with minimal damage, they are often the companions of necromancers. This has led to the rumour of ‘deadwalkers’, waterhorses that thirst for human blood and are blood red in coloration, with pitch black eyes.
Raising your Waterhorse
While the waterhorse is a popular mount, they are notoriously dangerous to breed. Due to this, moulting juveniles will often be plucked from the trees they have attached their cocoons to and trained from then on. Ranches that rear Waterhorses from the egg are much rarer than ones that hunt for their cocoons.
The Legend of Aatami
Aatami is a fabled waterhorse of the past. Often told to children as a bedtime story, he was a noble steed that saved the life of his rider and in turn given the body of a man. He’s often depicted in woodcarvings as both his waterhorse and human self, often the latter riding the former. Aatami is a common name for male waterhorses these days.