Kian

Kian
Base Information
Classification	Herbivore/grazer
Terrain	Unknown
Locomotion	Walker
Size	3.0 m
Speed	Unknown
Strength	Unknown
Social Structure	Unknown
Weapons	Unknown
Armor	Unknown
Source
Homeworld	Prilissa (Spinward Marches 3035)
Multi-world	Yes
Canon	Yes
Extinct	Extant
Reference	Journal of the Travellers Aid Society No. 9

The Kian is a large flightless animal that originated on Prilissa (Spinward Marches 3035) and is used on many worlds as a beast of burden or for riding.

Though they resemble Terran ostriches and are often described as a bird, kian are actually bipedal mammals. Kian fill many of the same functions as Terran Horses and have been exported throughout the Marches almost as widely.

Physiology & Ecology

Externally, the Kian is a large bipedal creature with a long neck, short tail, and no other limbs (the remains of an atrophied pair of fore-limbs can be found in some species). Kians are thickly furred, their coats showing distinctive color patterns of brown, gold, lemon-yellow, and black. A kian's legs are powerfully muscled for fast movement over long distances.

Kian's hearing and eyesight are extremely good, reflecting their predator-laden environment of origin.

Life Cycle & Reproduction

No information yet available.

Diet & Trophics

No information yet available.

History & Background (Dossier)

The sturdiness of their overall frames has made them a frequent choice for use as mounts and pack animals on the planets where they occur.

Kian are used as ceremonial mounts for the Imperial Household Cavalry.

References & Contributors (Sources)

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This list of sources was used by the Traveller Wiki Editorial Team and individual contributors to compose this article. Copyrighted material is used under license from Far Future Enterprises or by permission of the author. The page history lists all of the contributions.

• Loren Wiseman. "The Besitary." Journal of the Travellers' Aid Society 09 (1981): 36-43.
• Marc Miller. The Spinward Marches Campaign (Game Designers Workshop, 1985), .
• Martin Dougherty. Behind the Claw (Mongoose Publishing, 2019), .Martin Dougherty, Neil Frier. Behind the Claw (Steve Jackson Games, 1998), .
• Martin Dougherty. The Spinward Marches (Mongoose Publishing, 2008), .
• Gregory P. Lee. Cirque (Greylock Publishing, 2014), .
• Gregory P. Lee. Cirque: The Usual Suspects (Far Future Enterprises, 2019), .
• Roger Moore
• Illustration: