Augdunar

Selectively bred over the course of centuries to be as strong, tough, and grouchy as the dwarves of Highhelm themselves, augdunars are a unique breed of mule favored by the merchants of the Sky Citadel for transporting goods and assisting with manual labor. Unlike mules found elsewhere on Golarion, augdunars are capable of producing offspring—though significantly fewer than ordinary equines. This has led to a steady, but controlled, stock of the creatures, allowing for the population to be selfsustaining. Augdunars are smaller than typical mules to accommodate dwarven height, measuring about four and a half feet tall and weighing between 400 and 600 pounds.

Because of their ability to carry loads beyond that of the traditional mule, in addition to the ability to breed amongst themselves, augdunars are a frequent target of thieves or opportunistic merchants. No Highhelm citizen worth their stone willingly sells an augdunar to outsiders, so attempted thefts on the road are common. Unfortunately for these robbers, the mules are quite loyal to their owners and bray loudly whenever a stranger handles their leads. Combined with a heavy kick to the skull from the animal, any attempts to make off with an augdunar have low odds of succeeding.

While rare, small groups of the augdunar have broken away from dwarven control over the years and created feral colonies in the Five Kings Mountains. These colonies are largely safe from ordinary predators, such as wolves, and graze on mountainside plants. Due to their low birthrate, feral augdunars don't need to have their population controlled, though caravanners do attempt to capture and redomesticate them in an effort to increase profit.

Despite being natural beasts of burden, dwarves don't often use augdunars as mounts. The mules seem to have an instinctive dislike of riders, to which the deep bite marks and hoofprints left in those who try can attest. That's not to say that some haven't succeeded, however. Those who put forth the effort required to create a bond with an augdunar find that their persistence can pay off. Augdunar loyalty is unparalleled and even thieves know to not attempt to steal an augdunar that's carrying a rider.