[ ART CREDIT - Elz ]
- GRYPHON -
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"Gryphons are social animals that hunt in pairs, that combine aspects of birds of prey and social large cats, such as eagles and lions, respectively. They are capable of flying at terrifying speed, and perform maneuvers that seem impossible for creatures of their size. While they possess little sense of smell or hearing, they possess eyesight that far surpasses any other known animal."
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[ Limited to Event Staff ]
H A B I T A T
The Common Gryphon
These gryphons are found in more temperate climates and are usually the ones found in the heart of the mainland.
The Southern Gryphon
These are suited to warmer climates and have feathers that reflect more muted, desert colors. They blend in with the rocky cliffs and sandy dunes.
The Northern Gryphon
The Northern Gryphons have a grayish coloration to blend in with
P H Y S I O L O G Y
There are major differences between the female and male gryphons.
- Female -
Female skeletal structure resembles much more closely that of a bird: The bones are hollow, thinner, and as a result quite fragile, as well as having less of them overall. They also possess much more lean muscle, and almost no fat to their frame. Their hearts are like those of birds. They are smaller overall than male gryphons, but possess an out-of-proportionally larger wingspan. The colors of their feathers are dependent on the color of their parents’ feathers. They always take the colors of one or the other, though, never possessing a mix of the two.
- Male -
Male skeletal structure resembles something more alike a dog than anything else. Their bones are denser, harder, and shorter. They possess more fat than their female counterparts. Furthermore, they possess a significantly wider, and overall larger, build. This makes them less skilled flyers than their female counterparts, but a much harder fight, and physically intimidating. While female gryphons are capable of flying like how you might expect a normal bird to, male gryphons fly in different fashion: They take to the air, ascend as quickly as possible (mostly through thermals), and then begin slowly gliding around until they see what they’re after. Their lungs are larger and more powerful than their female counterparts, enabling them to fly at higher altitudes.
- Shared Traits -
Both genders have extremely large, complex eyes. Gryphons can see hundreds of times better than we can. The amount of detail we are capable of processing from something at arm’s length, they can process from hundreds of feet away, and this sort of rough idea of how good their eyesight is stays at this sort of ratio (arm’s length:200 feet away, so two arm’s length away worth of detail for us would be visible to gryphons at 400 feet away). The eyes are about the size of a baseball, varying in proportion to the size of their skull (female’s are smaller on average, while males may grow much larger than usual).
Both genders also possess sharp, powerful, and deadly claws. They are able to transition from having their claws wide open, to clenched shut, in less than a second. They also possess enough grip strength to snap bone in the process. Their wrists, fingers, and hands are all very complex anatomically. This also makes them somewhat prone to injury, as any one of the many bones making them up could be broken accidentally; as a result, until they’re healed, gryphons who are wounded don’t go out hunting, and male gryphons who are provoked will often surrender the fight rather than engage in a battle they will likely lose.
Their beaks are sharp, sturdy, and difficult to break. Like their claws, gryphons are capable of an almost impossibly swift jab with their pointed beaks, and hit with enough force to bypass most, if not all, sorts of armor. Both natural, like the impressive layer of fat and dense bone bears have; as well as unnatural, such as chain armor. The beaks have a sharp, pointed portion that extends for about two inches past the rest of their beak. The point of their beaks are significantly more durable, harder, and thicker than they might seem to be.
Diet: They're omnivores- able to eat both plants and animals.
Lifespan: -
B E H A V I O U R
Additionally, gryphons are territorial creatures that predominately stick to their own regions. As a result, many gryphons display slight variations in color and size, depending on where they are encountered. This is done to blend in appropriately with their environment, such as the Northern Gryphon having a grayish coloration to blend in with cloudy skies and snowy ground.
The creatures have been noted to be frighteningly smart, but Alterans have not yet figured out the extent of their intelligence. It is not even known if there are other, undocumented varieties. In fact, little else is known about these enigmatic denizens of the new world. One thing can be said for certain, though. They are fast, they are smart, and we have taken over their hunting grounds.
A B I L I T I E S
[Flight] Straight forward- they can leap and fly
[Grapple]
[Bite]
[Claw Attack]
W E A K N E S S E S
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Y I E L D S
[Gryphon Feathers] Due to the extreme speeds that a creature of a Gryphon's weight must endure, their wing feathers are surprisingly sturdy and difficult to break. However, they are still as light as a feather is expected to be: Skilled weavers can layer gryphon feathers over one another, similar to scale-mail, or lamellar. Not only do the feathers act as padding, but the durable 'rachis' of the feathers run parallel to one another, and acts in a way similar to wearing armor made of sturdy, narrow, padded 'sticks'. Gryphon feather garments are lightweight, well-padded, and provide mild protection against light cuts and chops, all while remaining impeccably fashionable.
Original Writeup: blargtheawesome
Southern Variant || Northern Variant
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