The Veyra (Velocis cervidion) is a sleek, quadruped herbivore native to the grasslands and open steppes of the Asari Region in the Eastern Equatorial Section of the Habitual Belt on VOI 700 D.

Unlike the heavy Hoo, which serves as a beast of burden, the Veyra is prized for its speed, agility, endurance, and strong bond with trusted riders. Revered by the Senti Tribe as a sacred animal, the Veyra has played an important role in steppe culture for centuries before the arrival of the Exohumans.

By the Beta Age, a small number of Veyras had entered human service through agreements with the Senti. In the Gamma Age, Veyras remain exceptionally rare among Exohumans despite the successful establishment of captive breeding programs at the Federal Breeding & Training Station for Veyras.

• Shoulder Height: Up to 1.5 meters
• Body Length: Up to 2.3 meters
• Weight: 350–500 kg
• Fur Colors: Short glossy fur in gray, rust-red, or deep brown, often with faint glowing stripes that blur when the animal runs.
• Head: Sleek, mammal-like skull with swept-back ears, wide nostrils, and large expressive eyes.
• Legs: Long and muscular, built for explosive acceleration and long-distance strides.
• Eyes: Shimmer like polished glass, adapted to perpetual twilight; give riders a sense of direction even in dim conditions.
• Speed: Capable of 70 km/h (approx. 45 mph) sprinting speed.

• Endurance Runner: Exceptional stamina over long distances, capable of maintaining a steady pace for hours.
• Explosive Acceleration: Can leap into full speed within seconds, making it ideal for couriers or getaways.
• Sensitive Ears: Detects sounds at great distance; advantage on Perception checks related to hearing.

• Armor Class (AC): 14
• Hit Points (HP): 60
• Speed: 70 ft. (running)

• Kick: 1d6+2 bludgeoning damage.
• Rear Strike: If attacked while fleeing, can deal 1d8+2 bludgeoning damage and knock the opponent prone (DC 12 Strength save).

• Burst Dash: Once per short rest, the Veyra may double its speed for 1d4 rounds.
• Surefooted: Advantage on checks or saves against being knocked prone while moving.
• Bonded Mount: With proper training, forms deep loyalty to a single rider, granting the rider advantage on Animal Handling checks.

• Diet: Herbivorous (grasses, reeds, steppe shrubs).
• Social Structure: Naturally found in herds ranging from a dozen to more than fifty animals.
• Temperament: Alert, intelligent, and highly social. Veyras form strong emotional bonds both with members of their herd and with trusted riders.

• Flight First: Veyras rely on speed rather than defense, fleeing predators in explosive bursts.
• Camouflage Stripes: In twilight environments, their faint glowing flank streaks confuse predators when the herd flees.
• Collective Awareness: Herds rely on constant visual and auditory communication to detect threats early.

Among the Senti, the Veyra is regarded as a sacred symbol of freedom, endurance, and harmony with the natural world. The tribe believes that Veyras are not meant to be owned, but rather accompanied.

Hunting Veyras for food is rare and generally discouraged. Hunting them for fur is considered deeply disrespectful by most Senti communities and has become a recurring source of tension between some Senti groups and frontier hunters.

Many Senti stories describe the Veyra as a creature that chooses its own path and cannot be truly controlled by force.

The Senti distinguish between ordinary herd animals and a special category known as Nara-Vey (“Walkers of the Second Path”).

Nara-Vey are typically foals that are unlikely to survive within the herd due to injury, weakness, or social disadvantage. Rather than abandoning these animals to their fate, the Senti raise them among their own communities.

According to Senti belief, these animals are destined for a different life than the rest of the herd. Over generations, the Nara-Vey developed an unusual willingness to bond with intelligent riders and became the preferred mounts of Senti scouts, messengers, and hunters.

Following first contact, some Senti communities agreed to entrust selected Nara-Vey to Exohumans. These agreements laid the foundation for the use of Veyras among human settlements.

Contrary to popular belief, Exohumans never successfully domesticated the Veyra.

The animals used by human settlements descend almost exclusively from Nara-Vey entrusted by the Senti during the early years of the Beta Age. Since relations between Humans and Native Tribes deteriorated during the years leading up to the Great War, new transfers became increasingly rare. As a result, only a small number of Veyras remained in human service.

Following the Peace Treaty and the establishment of the Federal Breeding & Training Station for Veyras near Hope in 2632, Exohuman researchers and Senti Herdkeepers successfully solved the long-standing captive breeding problem.

Although Veyras remain rare and highly valued animals, the station has steadily increased their numbers within the Federal Confederation during the Gamma Age.

Estimated number of Veyras in Exohuman service:

• Beta Age: Approximately 100–150 animals.
• Gamma Age: 250 animals (in the year 2636)

• Express Couriers: The fastest means of transporting urgent messages across the frontier.
• Sheriffs and Deputies: Used for rapid response in remote territories.
• Explorers and Scouts: Valued for their speed and endurance.
• Prestige Animals: Being entrusted with a Veyra is considered a mark of responsibility, skill, and status.

• Mating Season: Once every two years
• Gestation Period: Approximately 10 months.
• Offspring: Usually a single foal.
• Lifespan: 20–25 years.
• Training Age: Approximately 2 years.

Throughout the Beta Age, one of the greatest biological mysteries facing both Exohuman settlers and the Senti Tribe was the inability to establish successful Veyra breeding programs outside the animal’s native steppe environment.

Numerous attempts by both civilizations failed. Adult Veyras generally remained healthy in captivity and often reproduced successfully. However, foals born outside the open steppes rarely survived beyond their first months of life. Researchers proposed a wide range of explanations, including dietary deficiencies, environmental factors, genetic bottlenecks, and complex social behaviors within wild herds. For years, no definitive explanation could be found.

The mystery was finally solved in the early Gamma Age following the establishment of the Federal Breeding & Training Station for Veyras near Hope in 2632. Working together, Exohuman researchers and Senti Herdkeepers discovered that successful breeding depended on a combination of environmental, nutritional, and social factors.

Pregnant females required access to grazing grounds closely resembling the Asari steppes, while newborn foals needed to develop within stable, multi-generational herd structures similar to those found in the wild. Neither civilization had previously understood the full importance of all these factors. The breakthrough became one of the earliest major successes of Human-Senti cooperation after the Great War and is widely regarded as one of the most important scientific achievements of the early Gamma Age.

Where the Hoo embodies the heavy labor of the frontier, the Veyra represents freedom, speed, and possibility. Its lean frame and glowing stripes give it a ghostly, almost untouchable quality as it races across the twilight steppes. To settlers, the sight of an Express Rider mounted on a Veyra signals urgency and authority. To Outlaws, it represents the possibility of escape. To the Senti, it remains a sacred companion whose spirit cannot be owned.

The Veyra is not built for brute force encounters but plays an important role in fast-moving scenarios:

• Courier Missions: Players may need to escort an express rider or intercept one.
• Chases: Veyras are central to outlaw getaways or sheriff’s pursuits, creating dynamic chase sequences.
• Prestige Mounts: Being entrusted with a Veyra grants status, responsibility, and influence, but may also attract envy or theft.
• Ambush Targets: Outlaws may attempt to capture or kill Veyras to disrupt courier lines.

• Habitual Belt
• Equatorial Sections East and West (Asari)
• Eastern Equatorial Section of the Habitual Belt
• Wildlife of Asari
• Federal Breeding & Training Station for Veyras (Gamma Age only)
• Guarding Troopers (Beta Age only)
• Federal Sheriff (Gamma Age only)
• Local Sheriff (Gamma Age only)
• Outlaws (Gamma Age only)
• New Kourou Courier Service (Beta Age only)
• Firetown Courier Service (Beta Age only)
• Federal Courier Service (Gamma Age only)

Known Predators:

• Arr
• Korozo (attack them as Exohuman riding animals in the Ralar Region)
• Moar
• Zapor (attack them as Exohuman riding animals in the Ralar Region)