Praxian herds of non-Herdbeasts ?

[g33k]

So, as per the title.

I had understood Prax & the Wastes to be hostile-enough that most herd animals (e.g. herds of cattle, herds of horses) cannot live there; only those who were taught survival by Waha, who are part of the Compact.  That ONLY these blessed herds could eat enough of the forage, drink from enough of the waters; that much of the food & drink would sicken the non-Compact'ed herds.

Is this understanding... obsolete, of a Gregged (or otherwise modernized) Glorantha?  Flat-out incorrect, wrong from the beginning?  Or ... ?

 

[Joerg]

Pentan-bred cattle will and does thrive on the plains. Derek Pol Joni made a point of stealing a Pentan bull frpm the Opili nation, affiliates of Sheng who ruled over parts of Saird and the Arcos Valley at the time, to start his nomadic herds.

Goats prosper about anywhere. They might even succeed in southern Pamaltela.

Goats, sheep and pigs are not really suited for mounted herders, though, getting where your mounts don't. They are slow, but so are herdmen, so they may very well last a while as snacks on legs.

Ragtag raided herds are rarely bred by their beast rider owners - it would take ownership of slaves from appropriate tribes (or foreigners) to provide the fertility magic for them to breed under Eiritha's domain (there are hints towards this in Biturian's story). It would take a very odd raider to manage this, some sort of Beast Rider equivalent to Gringle.

Horses are a cultural problem more than a cult problem. As non-ruminants, they are at a disadvantage, but so are herdmen. I wonder whether donkeys would be a problem. Mules aren't (but they don't breed, reducing the impact).

Tusker boars are another type of foreign mount which might be abducted into Prax. These mean-spirited beasts probably are just food on legs, nobody would want them to thrive.

 

Troll insect herds should be able to support invading darkmen, and could be raided. Morokanth might be able to stick with them, mixing them into their herdman herds.

 

Then there are dinosaurs. The Dragon Pass/Nomad Gods rules state quite clearly that Brontosaurs are capable of supporting a huge army in the chaparral. The other types of dinos might require support, but then Bolo Lizards don't.

[David Scott]

2 hours ago, g33k said:

So, as per the title.

I had understood Prax & the Wastes to be hostile-enough that most herd animals (e.g. herds of cattle, herds of horses) cannot live there; only those who were taught survival by Waha, who are part of the Compact.  That ONLY these blessed herds could eat enough of the forage, drink from enough of the waters; that much of the food & drink would sicken the non-Compact'ed herds.

Generally you are correct. Overall Prax and the Wastes are a patchwork of grazing qualities:

Only the Covenant herds thrive, but other herds could be maintained in the settled river valleys. The cattle of the Pol-Joni thrive as they are part of the Covenant and are in a much wetter part of the Wastes. Other herds can’t thrive due to the magical nature of the damage to the region in the Great Darkness, the fertility of the land is greatly diminished. So the effect on non-native herds and animals would one of not enough quality feed, reduced fertility, and lack of magical integration in the region. I’d certainly allow other herds as part of a story or adventure hook.