The Journals of Josloy/Nalil 2, 5676
Pelmarco’s suggestion of riding a telef must have inspired Rar to try. When we awoke this morning, he was nowhere to be seen. His footprints led away from the campsite, but we lost the trail at a waterhole. After spending all morning unable to find him, we decided to remain camped throughout the day, hoping he would return.
This afternoon, Rar returned riding atop a large telef. As the beast meandered in our direction, it took us awhile to realize he was on top of it. He brought it to a stop by our campsite, and dismounted. We were very surprised that it did not try running away, instead appearing to have developed a bond with Rar. He explained that the beast didn’t mind when he tried to climb onto it, but the only way he could get any control over it was to scratch its head. He thinks they really like having their heads scratched. The rest of the afternoon, Rar took the rest of us for rides on the telef. Riding at such a height from the ground is almost frightening since the animal can walk much faster than a horse.
Because of the potential benefits the telef presents us with, such as transportation, pack animals, and possibly warfare, Pelmarco decided to put the beast through some tests to learn its capabilities. The five of us, with all our gear, can easily ride a single telef. Using it solely as a pack animal, however, requires that it still have a driver to control it, since the uncontrolled telef will either stand still or amble off in its own direction. As for riding a telef into battle, it seems that will never happen. Pelmarco tested this by startling the beast while Rar had it walking at a fast speed. The startled beast reacted as a very skittish animal, knocking Rar off its back, and running away. Rar was unhurt, fortunately, but was unable to retrieve the animal. Unless someone can train the massive beasts not to react when startled, riding them into battle would be more dangerous than using them for transportation and labor.
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