Storm aurochs
Storm aurochs1 are magical beasts who resemble aurochs-shaped thunderstorms that wander across the land.2
Appearance
A storm aurochs is twice the size of a mundane aurochs, at a height of 15 feet at its shoulder and weighing between five and seven tons. While females are smaller and less bulky, both male and female storm aurochs bear electrically charged horns.2
Abilities
Despite their magical nature, storm aurochs are similar in behavior to their mundane relatives. Their electrical nature distinguishes them by infusing many of the things they do; their horns and hooves can shock on impact, and a stampede of storm aurochs is accompanied by a powerfully loud thunder. A stampede during a storm only intensifies their electrical nature.2
Stampedes of storm aurochs can also shape the weather, a result known as a skyshaping stampede. These stampedes can change the weather, create powerful winds or blistering siroccos, form dense fog, or bring about a storm of sleet.2
Ecology
Storm aurochs are herbivores who behave as mundane nomadic herd animals, migrating with the weather when untamed and territorial in nature. Conflicts between wild herds spawn storms that can be mundane or magical in nature.2
The beasts can also graze on clouds, though it is unclear whether they derive any nutritional benefit from it or simply enjoy consuming them. Extended cloud grazing can deprive a region of rain; affected communities must either relocate such herds, or risk the dangers inherent in combating them directly as well as the consequences of upsetting their cloud or storm giant owners.2
In giant culture
Storm aurochs can be domesticated, and their size and ranges make them ideal meat and hide animals for cloud and storm giants. While they can be tamed, storm aurochs cannot be yoked into work, a trait storm giants in particular use to test or deter outsiders by issuing them this typically impossible task.2
Both types of giant also consider storm aurochs to be spiritually important. Both consider aurochs to be gifts of their respective aspects of Gozreh: Ioz'om for cloud giants and Hyjarth for storm giants. Some storm giant mystery cults go so far as to believe Hyjarth created Golarion from the parts of a sacrificed storm aurochs and ritually recreate this sacrifice.2
Cloud giants also employ storm aurochs for the coming-of-age pastime of bull-leaping, in which young cloud giants attempt to impress each other by acrobatically jumping over a charging storm aurochs. The practice has become less prevalent with cloud giants in more densely populated settlements but remains common in rural settings.2