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THE
CALADRIUS
BIRD |
The Caladrius (the plural form is "Caladrius" as well) is a snow white bird that is usually about one fore tall from head to feet. They are known for their exotic song and stunning beauty. They are one of the more intelligent breeds of birds, even been known to learn several simple voice and sign commands, mostly to amplify their beauty. These birds are originally found in the wild, flying in the areas around the Bolder Forest, but are often kept in captivity by humans, though they are extremly friendly to elves.
Appearance.
From their slender talons to the top of their shining white heads, the Caladrius
are about one
fore
tall, and from their chest to the tip of their fanning tail, about 4
palmspans. The wingspan of
these gentle birds is about 2
fores.
They are smaller than their cousins the Taedrius. These birds are not only
bigger, but also more mysterious. They are also white but it is rumoured that a
black Taedrius has been seen in the Thaelon,
believed to be the "King of the Taedrius ", of course this has never been proven
and is assumed to mere myth.
The plumage of the Caladrius is a brilliant white, kept this way through almost
continuous preening. Their feathers are constantly being moulted and replaced to
keep their familiar ‘glow’. Along with this preening, the Caladrius calls upon
the help of the myrmex. They will lie by a nest, with a
gift of food, and sing. The myrmex will proceed to exit
the nest and climb onto the Caladrius. The myrmex will
then preen the bird themselves. They squirt oil on to the feathers to keep them
shiny and strong. The common myrmex do this, but the
delver myrmex have not been known to do this. This careful care of their
feathers gives the birds a shine worth the effort. To see their feathers
shimmering in the sunlight is said to be a
most beautiful thing. Though they are pleasing to the eye, the Caladrius are not
to the touch. Their feathers are hard and rough, an unusual attribute, but
necessary to keep their luminescent radiance.
The Caladrius has deep, black eyes that gleam in the light. The contrast of this
and their white feathers only furthers their beauty. The colour of their feet
and beaks differ between genders. The males have orange beaks and yellow feet,
radiating like the sun, whereas the beaks and
feet of the females are black.
Special Abilities.
In the wild the Caladrius will find a mate and stay with them for life. Because
of this they acquire a strange, extra sense about their partner. They seem to
respond to their partner’s emotional state. If its partner is in trouble, a
Caladrius will rush to aid. If one is unhappy the other will try to comfort it
by singing. And when they are happy they want to be together to celebrate their
joy.
When held in captivity a Caladrius chooses its keeper as a partner, but since
this bird would always prefer another Caladrius as its partner, they must be
kept away from all other Caladrius birds. If they remain partner to their owner,
they retain the same abilities as they have for another Caladrius, and respond
to the keeper's emotional state similarly.
The Caladrius has an extremely beautiful song. It is rumoured to be most
beautiful when a great sadness is on their heart. Their song is their life. They
sing on all occasions: happiness, sadness, anger, fear and love. Of course these
songs all differ, as does their beauty.
Territory.
Most Caladrius are seen in captivity and are rarely seen in the wild. Though
they are found mostly in the Santharian
province of Vardýnn, they can also be seen
throughout most of the kingdom because they are traded to people who can afford
them for their special ability. During most of the day the Caladrius flies
around a forest, and rests in the forest. When it wishes to sleep it enters the
forest, for a high branch to sleep on.
When kept in captivity, the Caladrius has to be kept in a large aviary, filled
with plants, for exercise and sleep. When the Caladrius is released from its
aviary it instantly flies to its owner, who it stays with for most of the day.
Because of the special ability of the Caladrius, it costs quite a lot of money
and so is usually only owned by people in power such as nobles and successful
mages.
Habitat/Behaviour.
Caladrius love to show off. They are often seen standing in the
sunlight basking in their own magnificence.
Everyday they awake early and sing as the sun
rises. It is the Taedrius that sings when the sun
sets. It is unknown why this is so, but the legend is that they call the
sun to spread light so they may be seen, and
to farewell it to night, so it will grant them the same favour tomorrow. Because
of their obsession with flaunting their beauty, the Caladrius is a friendly
bird, rarely shirking from humans,
elves etc.
When kept in captivity, the Caladrius is often taught one or two tricks, but
these are usually only to show off their beauty in different ways. This is
because they don’t have the desire to do much else.
One of the most important moments in a Caladrius’ life is the choosing of a
mate. When a Caladrius chooses one, it stays with it for the rest of its life.
They then do everything together, hunt together, bask together and sing
together. When the couple's egg hatches, and the young emerges, they then join
this family, until a partner of their own is found. When a mate dies the
Caladrius mourns for days on end, singing a song that brings tears to the eyes
of everyone who hears it. This Caladrius will never again seek out another mate,
choosing to live alone. This companionship makes the Caladrius ideal for
captivity. If caught before a partner is found, the Caladrius will eventually
join with its owner. The relationship isn’t the same as in the wild, it lacks
the strength of true companionship, but the bird is still besotted with its
owner. It is because of this commitment that the old proverb "as loyal as a
Caladrius" is said.
Diet.
The Caladrius is omnivorous. It will hunt for insects, frogs, small lizards and
small rodents, as well as feed on seeds, fruit and nuts. It will usually start
feeding with a hunt and then forage. When working with a partner, the Caladrius'
efficiency is much higher. One, usually the male, will shepherd the target,
while the other, the female, will fly high into the canopy, so not to be seen,
and when almost on top of it, swoop.
When kept in captivity the birds enjoy eating the same things, but it is not
feasible to allow them to hunt all the time, so they are usually fed dead food.
Their favourites are such fruit as the
hearthberry, thought to remind it of the sun,
and the kyck-kyck frog.
Mating.
The Caladrius will only ever mate with its partner in spring. They prefer early
spring, but if food is too scarce they have been known to wait whole months,
until food is plentiful. They start by gathering twigs, bark and leaves, to
build a nest. Only once the nest is finished do the birds proceed to mate. They
have also been known to find a tree hollow, instead of a nest. Once the nest is
made, both of the birds take wing, and soar through the
air, working together to display their beauty.
They then join in the air.
After this, both are exhausted from their aerial
acrobatics, and sleep for the rest of the day. When they wake, beneath the
female is a single egg. They then take turns to lie on it, while the other
hunts. This is the only time when a partnered Caladrius will hunt alone. After
four to five weeks the egg will hatch. The chick has pure black down, the
opposite beauty to its parents. Soon the young Caladrius will do everything the
parents do, singing to the sun, foraging and
hunting, and basking in the light. They will reach full maturity within a year,
but will stay with its parents until a partner is found.
Usages.
The main use of the Caladrius is entertainment. Their beauty, to both eye and
ear, capture the hearts of many. All of the myth shrouding them persuades people
to keep them in captivity. Because of their specific area and high maintenance,
and high cost, the Caladrius tend to be exclusively for the rich.
Myth/Lore.
The union of the Caladrius is like marriage, and it is said that any who breaks
this bond will destroy their own chances for love. Either they will never marry,
or their marriage will break down. The killing or capturing of a partnered
Caladrius is said to carry a great curse. In the event of a killing the penalty
is even worse, the murderer is cursed with a life without beauty, never again
may they look upon anything handsome.
The song of the Caladrius is said to speak to the
sun. When it is unhappy so is the sun,
and when it is joyous the sun shines with a
brighter light. Those that hear it are blessed with a day full of pure
sun, to see the true beauty of everything.
For this reason the rich often keep at least one, so that their life may be full
of beauty.
Researchers. The main researcher of the Caladrius was Alverin
Silaon (631-467 b.S.) of the Meldarhim.
He shirked his tribes herding responsibilities to travel through many forests
studying birds and animals. Mesmerised by their beauty, he decided to further
study them. He first saw them in the
Bolder Forest, but also studied the Taedrius from
Thaelon Forest. His research has made it
possible to keep the Caladrius in captivity successfully. He also provided the
Compendium researchers with
most of the information contained here. He discovered almost all the prior
information. The following is an excerpt from Alverin's journals:
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"After studying the Caladrius in the wild I have
come to respect these birds. I started my research with simply watching
the Caladrius in the Bolder Forest.
Their beauty mesmerized me, leaving me staring for hours. The feathers
were whiter than the purest Cyhalloi. I often heard their song, but never
saw from what it came from, and so I knew not what made this splendour.
This song was always most beautiful at
sunrise at which it seem they always sang. It wasn’t until I had
captured one and actually seen it sing that I truly knew all of their
beauty. |
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