Post by Andunare on Jul 7, 2007 12:07:37 GMT -5
Classification: The griffon is also known as the gryphon or griffin. Griffons are beasts of an intelligent and magical nature.
Size: Griffons vary greatly in size. The smallest varieties stand between 3 and 4 feet high at the shoulder and weigh between 250 and 400 lbs. with wingspans of 18 to 20 feet in length. The most common breed of griffon measures about 5 feet high at the shoulder and weighs 300 to 450 lbs. with wingspans as wide as 25 feet. Larger griffons are rare, though legends speak of some whose wingspans rival those of giant rocs.
Appearance: Griffons are part giant raptor, part wild cat. A griffon’s head, chest, wings, and front feet are those of a large bird of prey, while their torsos, hind feet, and tails are those of a lion or other large feline. A griffon’s plumage may be black, grey, brown, russet, tawny, tan, gold, cream, white, or even silver in color, and may have stripes, speckles, or other distinctive markings, especially around the eyes and on the griffon’s crest and wings. Griffons have sharp, hooked beaks and long, curved talons. On their forelegs, they have three forward facing toes and one rear facing toe, which is opposable and allows the griffon to effectively grip and carry prey. A griffon’s ears are upright, with a distinctly curved and pointed shape, and are covered in soft downy feathers. Their eyes are large and vary in color from amber, to orange, to deep brown, to hazel or even green or red. When on the ground, a griffon moves on four legs with feline grace and agility. They are surprisingly swift runners and have been recorded moving overland at speeds upwards of 20 miles an hour. On the wing, griffons fly with precision and strength. A griffon’s soaring and diving speed varies depending on its size and build.
Anatomy: Griffons are adapted for two purposes: flight and predatory skill. A griffon’s bones are hollow and light to allow the griffon to become airborne. Air sacs attached to the lungs and a powerful, fast beating heart allow for maximum oxygen intake and distribution during flight. Powerful flight muscles supported by a strong sternum propel the griffon through the air. A griffon’s sharp beak and talons are designed to kill swiftly and tear food into small pieces before it is ingested. Griffons do not have teeth, so food is ground in the gizzard before being digested. A griffon’s keen senses help it find and hunt its prey.
Development: Griffons are egg laying creatures. A griffon egg is about ¾ of a foot in diameter and weighs about 4 lbs. A female griffon lays between 3 and 7 eggs, which she incubates for about five months. Often, a male griffon will incubate his mate’s eggs while she goes to hunt for them both. When the chicks hatch, they are small and scrawny, covered with soft downy feathers and lacking flight feathers on their stubby wings. Chicks develop feathers at about a year of age, at which time their parents teach them how to fly. Chicks continue to be fed and cared for by their parents until they are two to two and a half years of age or are able to hunt for themselves. Griffons reach sexual maturity around age five, at which time many males leave their birth flock to find mates. Griffons can live for as long as 50 to 60 years, but many, especially males, do not live past 30 years of age.
Abilities: Griffons are highly intelligent creatures, despite their bestial appearance. The average griffon’s intelligence and problem solving capabilities rival those of most humans. Griffons do not amass knowledge or occupy themselves with study, however. Instead, they delight in riddles and contests of wit, which are sometimes held to determine a griffon’s standing within the flock. Most griffons converse in their own tongue, a confusing mixture of guttural growls and shrill squawks. A few, however, have been known to speak a heavily accented form of Sradan or the common tongue, which they use to communicate with other creatures capable of speech, such as sphinxes (though they rarely speak with humans). Though it is little known, griffons are also capable of singing and do so to calm their young and woo their mates.
Griffon’s have extremely keen senses of sight, hearing, and smell, which they use to track and hunt their prey, as well as to defend their nests and young against predators. A griffon can spot a lone antelope from thousands of feet in the air. Their large eyes are well suited for seeing in the dark and give them heightened depth perception and clarity of sight, especially in strong light. A griffon’s large ears are also extremely sensitive. Most incredible of all, however, is the griffon’s sense of smell, which some scholars argue is not a physical trait at all, but a magical ability.
Griffons are skilled and deadly fighters. When angered, a griffon will often attack while on the ground, charging, pouncing, and raking a target with its sharp talons and claws. When hunting or stalking prey, however, griffons prefer to attack from the air, diving and raking their target, or even lifting it into the air and dropping it from a great height.
Magic: Though it is rare for griffons to become magic users, griffons do have several inborn magical talents which they use to aid them while hunting and defending their families. A griffon’s eyes are so keen that, on occasion, a griffon may concentrate and discern a creature’s aura for a limited amount of time. From this aura, a griffon can determine (roughly) whether or not a subject is telling the truth or has evil or harmful intentions toward the griffon. Griffons often hone and develop this ability over time, so that older griffons can more accurately read a subject’s aura than younger griffons can.
Griffons also have the ability to track their young, family members, and other members of their flock by their “scent.” This scent is not an actual discernable odor, but a magical residue which the griffons leave wherever they go. Young griffons, especially chicks, and griffons who are injured or in distress leave greater amounts of this scent, which other griffons can track using their keen olfactory senses. While a griffon’s scent trail does fade over time, it is not affected by the elements and can not be dispelled by any physical means. Humans who capture griffon chicks to train or sell are often slain by the chicks’ irate parents, who follow their young using this ability. Parents whose chicks have been stolen show no mercy to their tormenters and are feared and renowned for this tracking skill.
Weaknesses: Griffons have few weaknesses outside of the obvious: they are mortal and can be killed, with difficulty, just as any other creature of flesh and blood. Aside from that, griffons avoid immersion in water (a preference most likely originating from their feline side) and dislike the cold.
Habitat: Griffons roost on secluded mountain peaks and often prefer arid environments to fertile lands. Furthermore, the spread of humankind has forced many griffons into increasingly isolated and inhospitable environments and has severely decreased their populations. Griffon flocks dwell mostly in the Inkomba Mountains of Srada and the jagged peaks of Bruman, but sightings have also been reported in Quamnis and other far reaches of the world.
Society: Griffon society is centered around family groups, which are organized into flocks. Flocks may range in size from a single family with as few as ten members to large groups containing more than fifty members. A flock consists of one or more families which interbreed and work together for mutual defense and survival. Female griffons usually stay in the flock in which they are born, but males often leave and seek mates or even start their own flocks when they reach maturity. Therefore, griffon families are usually made up of mostly females, which may include mothers, sisters, cousins, aunts, and grandmothers. Griffons mate for life, and often raise several groups of chicks. Bachelors may roam in bands of their own until they find mates, at which time they join the female’s flock and family group. Occasionally, a male griffon will take a female from another family group in his flock as his mate. Within the flock, one male holds dominance and has a leadership of sorts. Younger males may challenge the head of the flock for his position through physical combat or by a contest of riddles, in which the griffons take turns solving complicated riddles until one answers wrongly three times. While physical strength is admired in griffon society, skill at the riddle game is considered even more praiseworthy, and young griffons often journey far in order to find adversaries on which to test their ingenuity. Within the flock, female griffons are in charge of hunting, while males guard the nests and young ones. Griffon parents are extremely protective of their chicks and will slay anything that threatens them. Griffon flocks have even been known to ward off attacks from fully grown blue dragons with their fierceness.
Outlook/ Alignment: Griffons may be of any alignment, but most are chaotic neutral, due to their wild nature. Griffons care about little outside of their flocks. They kill to eat and to protect their chicks. While griffons do enjoy sharpening their wit for sport, they do not seek knowledge as dragons or other creatures do. A griffon’s main concern is the safety of its offspring, which it will defend even at the cost of its own life.
Lore: Griffons have little lore of their own, but they are popular figures in the lore of other races. In human lore, the griffon is a fierce guardian and strong fighter. Griffons are often portrayed as the guardians of the celestial realms, and statues of griffons are placed in front of many temples in order to keep out intruders and evil spirits. The griffon’s devotion to its offspring is legendary, and human children are often given talismans bearing the images of griffons to protect them from harm. In some myths, griffons pull the chariot of the sun across the sky, and aid the charioteer in his nightly battle against Ghuarill, the giant shark-like creature who swallows the sun each night and drags it to the depths of the ocean. (For more information on Ghuarill, the Shark Father, please see the entry on the Aughmar.)
Significance: Griffons are proud and wild creatures and can not be domesticated for any purpose without crushing the griffon’s spirit and will to live. Contact between griffons and humanoids is rare, but griffons have been known to steal herd animals from nomadic flocks and attack travelers who stray too close to their nests. Occasionally, a griffon will be captured alive and sent to the Talmas for battle, but such griffons are treated as animals rather than the intelligent beings they truly are and are never kept as full time gladiator slaves.
A note to readers: Please, feel free to PM me with any questions, suggestions, or objections you may have concerning any of my entries! I will attempt to read all comments with an open mind.
As always, your humble servant,
Andunare Selevarren Coranellyarien
Size: Griffons vary greatly in size. The smallest varieties stand between 3 and 4 feet high at the shoulder and weigh between 250 and 400 lbs. with wingspans of 18 to 20 feet in length. The most common breed of griffon measures about 5 feet high at the shoulder and weighs 300 to 450 lbs. with wingspans as wide as 25 feet. Larger griffons are rare, though legends speak of some whose wingspans rival those of giant rocs.
Appearance: Griffons are part giant raptor, part wild cat. A griffon’s head, chest, wings, and front feet are those of a large bird of prey, while their torsos, hind feet, and tails are those of a lion or other large feline. A griffon’s plumage may be black, grey, brown, russet, tawny, tan, gold, cream, white, or even silver in color, and may have stripes, speckles, or other distinctive markings, especially around the eyes and on the griffon’s crest and wings. Griffons have sharp, hooked beaks and long, curved talons. On their forelegs, they have three forward facing toes and one rear facing toe, which is opposable and allows the griffon to effectively grip and carry prey. A griffon’s ears are upright, with a distinctly curved and pointed shape, and are covered in soft downy feathers. Their eyes are large and vary in color from amber, to orange, to deep brown, to hazel or even green or red. When on the ground, a griffon moves on four legs with feline grace and agility. They are surprisingly swift runners and have been recorded moving overland at speeds upwards of 20 miles an hour. On the wing, griffons fly with precision and strength. A griffon’s soaring and diving speed varies depending on its size and build.
Anatomy: Griffons are adapted for two purposes: flight and predatory skill. A griffon’s bones are hollow and light to allow the griffon to become airborne. Air sacs attached to the lungs and a powerful, fast beating heart allow for maximum oxygen intake and distribution during flight. Powerful flight muscles supported by a strong sternum propel the griffon through the air. A griffon’s sharp beak and talons are designed to kill swiftly and tear food into small pieces before it is ingested. Griffons do not have teeth, so food is ground in the gizzard before being digested. A griffon’s keen senses help it find and hunt its prey.
Development: Griffons are egg laying creatures. A griffon egg is about ¾ of a foot in diameter and weighs about 4 lbs. A female griffon lays between 3 and 7 eggs, which she incubates for about five months. Often, a male griffon will incubate his mate’s eggs while she goes to hunt for them both. When the chicks hatch, they are small and scrawny, covered with soft downy feathers and lacking flight feathers on their stubby wings. Chicks develop feathers at about a year of age, at which time their parents teach them how to fly. Chicks continue to be fed and cared for by their parents until they are two to two and a half years of age or are able to hunt for themselves. Griffons reach sexual maturity around age five, at which time many males leave their birth flock to find mates. Griffons can live for as long as 50 to 60 years, but many, especially males, do not live past 30 years of age.
Abilities: Griffons are highly intelligent creatures, despite their bestial appearance. The average griffon’s intelligence and problem solving capabilities rival those of most humans. Griffons do not amass knowledge or occupy themselves with study, however. Instead, they delight in riddles and contests of wit, which are sometimes held to determine a griffon’s standing within the flock. Most griffons converse in their own tongue, a confusing mixture of guttural growls and shrill squawks. A few, however, have been known to speak a heavily accented form of Sradan or the common tongue, which they use to communicate with other creatures capable of speech, such as sphinxes (though they rarely speak with humans). Though it is little known, griffons are also capable of singing and do so to calm their young and woo their mates.
Griffon’s have extremely keen senses of sight, hearing, and smell, which they use to track and hunt their prey, as well as to defend their nests and young against predators. A griffon can spot a lone antelope from thousands of feet in the air. Their large eyes are well suited for seeing in the dark and give them heightened depth perception and clarity of sight, especially in strong light. A griffon’s large ears are also extremely sensitive. Most incredible of all, however, is the griffon’s sense of smell, which some scholars argue is not a physical trait at all, but a magical ability.
Griffons are skilled and deadly fighters. When angered, a griffon will often attack while on the ground, charging, pouncing, and raking a target with its sharp talons and claws. When hunting or stalking prey, however, griffons prefer to attack from the air, diving and raking their target, or even lifting it into the air and dropping it from a great height.
Magic: Though it is rare for griffons to become magic users, griffons do have several inborn magical talents which they use to aid them while hunting and defending their families. A griffon’s eyes are so keen that, on occasion, a griffon may concentrate and discern a creature’s aura for a limited amount of time. From this aura, a griffon can determine (roughly) whether or not a subject is telling the truth or has evil or harmful intentions toward the griffon. Griffons often hone and develop this ability over time, so that older griffons can more accurately read a subject’s aura than younger griffons can.
Griffons also have the ability to track their young, family members, and other members of their flock by their “scent.” This scent is not an actual discernable odor, but a magical residue which the griffons leave wherever they go. Young griffons, especially chicks, and griffons who are injured or in distress leave greater amounts of this scent, which other griffons can track using their keen olfactory senses. While a griffon’s scent trail does fade over time, it is not affected by the elements and can not be dispelled by any physical means. Humans who capture griffon chicks to train or sell are often slain by the chicks’ irate parents, who follow their young using this ability. Parents whose chicks have been stolen show no mercy to their tormenters and are feared and renowned for this tracking skill.
Weaknesses: Griffons have few weaknesses outside of the obvious: they are mortal and can be killed, with difficulty, just as any other creature of flesh and blood. Aside from that, griffons avoid immersion in water (a preference most likely originating from their feline side) and dislike the cold.
Habitat: Griffons roost on secluded mountain peaks and often prefer arid environments to fertile lands. Furthermore, the spread of humankind has forced many griffons into increasingly isolated and inhospitable environments and has severely decreased their populations. Griffon flocks dwell mostly in the Inkomba Mountains of Srada and the jagged peaks of Bruman, but sightings have also been reported in Quamnis and other far reaches of the world.
Society: Griffon society is centered around family groups, which are organized into flocks. Flocks may range in size from a single family with as few as ten members to large groups containing more than fifty members. A flock consists of one or more families which interbreed and work together for mutual defense and survival. Female griffons usually stay in the flock in which they are born, but males often leave and seek mates or even start their own flocks when they reach maturity. Therefore, griffon families are usually made up of mostly females, which may include mothers, sisters, cousins, aunts, and grandmothers. Griffons mate for life, and often raise several groups of chicks. Bachelors may roam in bands of their own until they find mates, at which time they join the female’s flock and family group. Occasionally, a male griffon will take a female from another family group in his flock as his mate. Within the flock, one male holds dominance and has a leadership of sorts. Younger males may challenge the head of the flock for his position through physical combat or by a contest of riddles, in which the griffons take turns solving complicated riddles until one answers wrongly three times. While physical strength is admired in griffon society, skill at the riddle game is considered even more praiseworthy, and young griffons often journey far in order to find adversaries on which to test their ingenuity. Within the flock, female griffons are in charge of hunting, while males guard the nests and young ones. Griffon parents are extremely protective of their chicks and will slay anything that threatens them. Griffon flocks have even been known to ward off attacks from fully grown blue dragons with their fierceness.
Outlook/ Alignment: Griffons may be of any alignment, but most are chaotic neutral, due to their wild nature. Griffons care about little outside of their flocks. They kill to eat and to protect their chicks. While griffons do enjoy sharpening their wit for sport, they do not seek knowledge as dragons or other creatures do. A griffon’s main concern is the safety of its offspring, which it will defend even at the cost of its own life.
Lore: Griffons have little lore of their own, but they are popular figures in the lore of other races. In human lore, the griffon is a fierce guardian and strong fighter. Griffons are often portrayed as the guardians of the celestial realms, and statues of griffons are placed in front of many temples in order to keep out intruders and evil spirits. The griffon’s devotion to its offspring is legendary, and human children are often given talismans bearing the images of griffons to protect them from harm. In some myths, griffons pull the chariot of the sun across the sky, and aid the charioteer in his nightly battle against Ghuarill, the giant shark-like creature who swallows the sun each night and drags it to the depths of the ocean. (For more information on Ghuarill, the Shark Father, please see the entry on the Aughmar.)
Significance: Griffons are proud and wild creatures and can not be domesticated for any purpose without crushing the griffon’s spirit and will to live. Contact between griffons and humanoids is rare, but griffons have been known to steal herd animals from nomadic flocks and attack travelers who stray too close to their nests. Occasionally, a griffon will be captured alive and sent to the Talmas for battle, but such griffons are treated as animals rather than the intelligent beings they truly are and are never kept as full time gladiator slaves.
A note to readers: Please, feel free to PM me with any questions, suggestions, or objections you may have concerning any of my entries! I will attempt to read all comments with an open mind.
As always, your humble servant,
Andunare Selevarren Coranellyarien