Horses, donkeys, and mules were never tamed by the people of Highspire. Instead, most ride atop the backs of horse-sized birds, called aearee (or simply 'aea' for short), that are bred to carry most humanoids with ease. Some of its richest members have instead purchased griffons, captured from the wild for the purpose of serving as pets or mounts, though few are truly tame - a few have even perished to their own ‘companions’. In either case, the rider should be sure to keep meat on hand; aearee are descended from the same predatory birds that Highspire’s domesticated raptors originated from, and they won’t last long on fruit or seeds.

STATBLOCKS

• Griffon
• The aearee use modified draft horse (30 ft walk / 40 ft fly), riding horse (30 ft walk / 60 ft fly), warhorse (30 ft walk / 60 ft fly), or mule (30 ft walk / 40 ft fly) statblocks. Their 'hooves' attack is instead a 'talons' or 'beak' attack, which deals an equivalent amount of slashing damage.