Rhinodon
Rhinodons are massive, ill-tempered herbivores that wander the deserts of eastern Immoren. They sport plate-ridged backs and long, clubbed tails, and a formidable pair of horns.[1]
Physical Characteristics
Although able to move as a quadruped, rhinodons more often walk on their two massive hind legs, their weight counterbalanced by a long, heavy tail that ends in a bony club. Their front limbs end in hands with three meaty fingers offset by a large thumb, capable of grasping but not fine manipulation.[1]
A rhinodon’s thick, craggy skin is mostly grey, mottled with patches of brown, rust, and black. A double row of upturned bony plates runs down its back from its head to the base of its tail. These plates help protect the spine and shed excess heat, prolonging the portion of the day the rhinodon can spend grazing. A pair of long, sharp horns adorns the front of its angled head. Rhinodons are incredibly strong and resilient, though their bulk keeps them from being fast.[1]
Behaviour
Rhinodons are dim-witted and naturally cantankerous. Though normally docile, they are easily surprised and react aggressively to any threat by blindly charging their enemies, pummeling them under their massive feet, and smashing whatever remains with their clubbed tails. They fear few creatures and will charge anything other than another rhinodon, including much larger creatures, and sometimes other rhinodons as well.[1][2]
Rhinodons have poor hearing and eyesight. They have little ability to distinguish between threats, always attacking the largest danger to face them. Rhinodons won’t attack stationary targets, mistaking them for part the environment. Their sense of smell, however, is surprisingly good. In spite of their low intelligence, rhinodons can utilise a complex language of nasal blasts and blaring honks to communicate.[1][2]
Rhinodon herds, known as 'crashes', roam the eastern grasslands in constant search for food. Rhinodons require a large amount of food to maintain their massive size. Their diet mostly consists of grass, but standing on two legs allows them to browse taller trees. Adult rhinodons will even tear higher branches from trees and throw them to the ground for their young.[1]
Most crashes consist of a single alpha male, several females, and their young. Few adolescent males might be present, but the alpha often drives away the younger males before they grow large enough to challenge for dominance. Rogue bulls often wander alone but sometimes band together for protection when a significant predator threat is present in the area. When the alpha bull of a crash falls ill or gets very old, rogue males in the area converge to fight for dominance of the leaderless group.[1]
Rhinodons rarely stay in one location for long. Lacking permanent dwellings, a crash will seek out shelter, often dense vegetation and rocky outcroppings, when bad weather looms.[1]
Employment
The skorne favour the more intelligent titans over rhinodons as warbeasts, because the rhinodon does not respond well to the harnesses and pain barbs used on most beasts. They can be managed only by lash and verbal command, which makes training them slow and expensive.[3]
Even well-trained rhinodons often destroy a large number of incidental targets when unleashed, and their nasty habit of indiscriminately shattering buildings and walls can become rather costly. These traits lessen their appeal for inter-house fighting, but the Army of the Western Reaches sees these former drawbacks as assets to skorne conquest, with a far greater number of battles that take place in open areas or enemy fortifications.[3]
