[The yale is sadly obscure, partially because it shares a name with a major university. I pondered for quite some time how to make its moving horns actually mechanically meaningful before hitting on the idea that it could use the like manufactured weapons with iterative attacks.The flavor text of them as eccentric duelists followed suit.]
Yale This antelope-like creature has a long tufted tail,
small tusks growing from its lower jaw, and long curved horns. It turns to look
at you with a gleam in its eye and its horns swivel into a strange approximation
of a duelist’s salute.
The intelligent beasts known
as yales are stalwart crusaders against evil. A yale’s most remarkable features
are its two long horns, capable of swiveling and moving independently and of
rotating to face any direction. A yale is a master swashbuckler using these
horns, and they take the opportunity to prove their martial prowess in vigorous
duels. Any creature that looks capable of defending itself is likely to be challenged
by an itinerant yale. A non-evil opponent that loses a fight with a yale will
be allowed the dignity of a graceful surrender, and if a yale is bested and not
killed by a non-evil foe, it often responds to its opponent’s honor with
friendship. Yales make for valiant (if not entirely stable) companions, capable
of bringing joy and bravery into the hearts of their allies. Their headstrong
natures and constant need to prove their valor often gets them into dangerous
situations.
Due to this devil-may-care
attitude towards mortal danger, long life spans and low fertility rates, yales
are relatively uncommon in the world. Strict vegetarians, they feed on fungi,
roots and tubers that they dig for with their stout tusks and cloven hooves.
Due to their magical horns and intelligence, yale are suspected of being close
relatives of unicorns, but the two species have little regard for each other.
Yales consider unicorns to be priggish and boring; unicorns think that yales
are needlessly irresponsible and violent. Unlike unicorns, yales have a great
fondness for humans and will sometimes directly protect villages in great
peril. Somewhat nosy, yales have even been known to play village matchmaker,
encouraging young couples and giving solace to the broken-hearted.
A yale stands about three
feet high at the shoulder and weighs up to 200 pounds. Their coats can be any
number of colors from white to brown to black. Although most yales have curved,
scimitar-like horns, a few yale bear thin straight horns instead.
Yales are native to Koll, and usually found in savanna terrain. They are valued for their acting against evil creatures like werelions and savanna drakes, but most natives give them a wide berth.
Shores of Swords 