This is something that was approved in the newbie forum. I was hoping to develop a bird, and found a lot of things bright and beautiful, but not much dull and ugly and almost no scavengers. I'm trying to fill that niche in Santharia's Bestiary, and am anxious to get feedback.
Great Stink Bird
Overview – The Great Stink Bird is a large vulture, renowned for its offensive odor, which resembles a battlefield of rotting corpses after a couple of weeks in intense summer heat. Multiplied by ten.It is large and powerful, with a beak capable of breaking bones, and its primary means of defense is its foul smell and ability to spew its toxic stomach contents. Appearance - Observers are reluctant to get too close to a Stink Bird, which makes reliable details hard to come by. Females are estimated to be similar in length to an eagle (70-90 nailsbreadths), with a magnificent wingspan of about 2 ped. Its feather’s are black, with a pronounced ruff around the base of the neck. The head is bare and red, as is its neck, which is about 1 fore, 1 palmspan in length. I"Its appearance is accented by sickly yellow colouring its large, hooked bill, as well as its legs and feet. The latter are equipped with curved, black talons that help it rend carcasses or perch upon an idle branch. Its eyes are orange, and glow eerily day and night. Males are identical, but smaller, approximately 50-70 nailsreadths in length with a wingspan of about 1 ped, 12 nailsbreadths. Special Abilities: The Great Stink Bird can soar for hours at a time without a single wing flap. Its eyesight is remarkable, able to detect a carcass from over a stral in the air. They perform an important service, because there are few scavengers that can devour a large, rotting carcass as quickly as a flock of Stink Birds. Its most unique characteristic, however, may be its ability to vomit foul smelling digestive fluid at its enemy’s eyes, causing temporary blindness and an irremovable odor which lasts for weeks. If it is killed, this odor spreads over a large area, and is likely to contaminate any creature that tries to touch it. Few living things will voluntarily get near a Giant Stink Bird, let alone attack it, from closer than the distance of a bowshot. When dead, the carcass is consumed by other Stink Birds, the only scavenger that will eat it. Its stench disappears when the carcass is consumed, or completely decomposed. Territory – The Great Stink Bird is native to South Sarvonia. An unpopular neighbor and difficult to exterminate or drive away (see special abilities); it has fallen to wizards, with their ability to drive creatures away without killing them, to rid the countryside of them. Stink Birds now remain only in remote areas with few human inhabitants, notably the Tandala Highlands, Shivering Woods, and Narfost Plain.
Habitat/Behavior – Stink Birds are adaptable, and inhabit a wide variety of climates and terrain – from the freezing cold Tandala Mountains, to the Narfost Plain.
They soar for hours, searching for carrion, and keep a close eye on each other, as well their fellow scavengers. When one descends to a carcass, they all descend and feast – in many cases until there is no meat left. They are the dominant scavengers at a kill, and eat first unless there are large mammals vying for a share.
With each other, the hungriest bird is usually the most aggressive and claims the choice cuts of rotten meat. Their sharp, powerful beaks enable them to open all parts of the carcass, including the bones, and the Stink Birds’ long necks allow them to reach deep inside to the internal organs. After feeding, they retire to the nearest source of water to bathe and groom. They are often so full after feeding that flying is a challenge. Large numbers gather, after mating season, in trees and on cliffs for the night.
Diet – Stink Birds are meat eaters exclusively. No one has ever seen them kill live prey, but many farmers suspect that they take livestock since they are often seen feeding on sheep, goats, and cattle. It seems likely, however, that they merely consume farm animals that have died of other causes.
Mating Behavior - Stink Birds are highly devoted to their mates, and remain together for life. Courting males soar over available females at incredible heights, gradually circling lower and closer. If interested, the female issues a croaking call, which he returns, and then lands by the object of his desire. The lovers entwine their long, naked necks, and clack their razor sharp bills together, oblivious to the reeking breath and body odor that makes brave men run in terror. Perhaps - to a Stink Bird – it’s sweet perfume. They then “dance” in front of each other with their enormous wings extended, marching in place with high steps and croaking a Stink Bird love song. At that point, they’re a couple, and nesting begins.
Stink Birds nest in defensible positions that have a good view of the surrounding countryside, such as high cliffs or the upper branches of trees. Nest building is shared between the pair, with a separate job for each: Males bring sticks to the nest, and females build it. . There is no question that the female is in charge. When a male has the audacity to place a stick in her creation, she promptly removes or replaces it.
Two eggs are usually laid in the spring, and the male and female take turns incubating them. Chicks are covered in purple down, and both parents feed them when they hatch. Young Stink birds often remain with their parents for a year or two – learning the skills they need and helping their parents raise the next clutch of babies.
Thanks Alyr and Shabakuk. I love your names! All this ongoing encouragement really makes me want to stick with this. Alyr, I'd be especially interested in any insights on Santhatharian magic you'd like to share. I hope to do further research on this subject soon.
Thank-you, Seth and Artimidor, for your kind encouragement. I haven't had the opportunity to work on this lately, but looked over the template today and began work on a creature called the Giant Stink Bird.
I'll check out the wyrnrot spire entry, if I can find it. What's a wymrot spire (and how do you guys keep track of all this)? Or I already have some ideas for a vulture of my own.
I wanted to create a new companion bird, but that area is way overdeveloped. I only found one true carrion eater, however, and would like to develop a nice, stinky, disgusting vulture. What do you think?
I researched the 20 members of the perching bird family, and found that 9 of them are kept as pets - 11 if you count the Quwish, which is trained and used by entertainers, and the Wynd Racer, a 2 headed dove used for carrying messages. It doesn't look like Caelreth needs more pet birds. I think there has been too much emphasis on things bright and beautiful, and too little on the dull and ugly. A quick look didn't turn up any serious scavengers, except the corbie crow. This is an important niche that needs to be filled, unless I've overlooked them. I've only given the birds of prey a cursory look, so far, but am thinking seriously about developing a Santharian vulture.
I'm having trouble getting this reply to post. Guess I'll just keep trying. I saw the birds in the Bestiary on my second look. Don't know how I missed them. Didn't see many companion animals, though, so I'll see what I can come up with. Will also try to come up with new songbirds, which would work as prey species.
I look forward to the process. I like writing and am an avid fantasy reader, so this seems like a good fit for me. I noticed that the Bestiary is short on birds, so I'll probably start there. "Companion animal" birds could be interesting. I realize I'd have to work up to the student mage's journal, and that it will take time and a lot of research before I'm ready for it. I'd also like to enter a detailed profile of Jacob asap.
Thanks, seeker. I have great respect for fire mages, but feel that wind magic is more suited to my particular interests and talents - such as healing and telepathy. I appreciate the warm welcome, and look forward to learning from those who have walked the path before me, such as yourself.
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