The Tholat: A Creature of the Deserts

Tholat
No. Appearing: 20-60
Alignment: Neutral
Size: Large (8’ at shoulders)
Armour Class/Defense: 2/+1 to attacks from Medium foes
Move: 60’
Hit Dice: 3 HD (12 HP)
Attacks: 2 Bite +2 (Sword) OR 1 +2 Trample (Large Club); -1 vs. Medium foes
Modes: --
Disciplines: --
Special: Trample (Tiny)
Moral: +2
Treasure: --
XP: 20+3/HP (56)

Tholat are large, herbivorous lizards, growing up to 15’ in length with a tail half again as long. They have dull emerald skin and a ridged dorsal fin that filters moisture out of the air. Tholat are well-adapted to life in the sandy deserts—besides their remarkable dorsal ridge, they can eat virtually anything, and can survive extend periods of starvation. This makes them an excellent choice as the preferred herds of the Desert Men. Those Men keep largish herds and are able to use the entirety of the tholat for their needs—Desert Men make a beautiful, green leather from tholat flesh, they eat the meat, they burn tholat excrement, and they even make a fermented drink from tholat blood, which they extract in small quantities from the living beasts.

Tholat are, however, incredibly ill-tempered beasts. They think nothing of biting a person who annoys them and are careless in the extreme of walking right over or sitting down upon other living creatures. Unlike most pack herbivores, tholat are not easily affrighted and will as likely fight predators as run away (perhaps because they do not move particularly quickly) They also smell horrendous as they emit a near-constant stream of flatulence. Desert Men tend to take the behaviour (and stench) of their ornery beasts in stride, but most other Men cannot stand them, even if they do rather enjoy tholat steaks.