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A golden ring hovers around a horn that has poked out of this egg.
Hatchling description:
Spoiler
Newly hatched temple rhinos are adorably wobbly and surprisingly tiny considering how large they will be one day. However, they grow in size very quickly, rivaling the size of a large foal within a month. Temple rhino hatchlings always hover closely around their parent or magi. They do not yet have the tough, nearly impenetrable skin that adult rhinos rely on for defense, and so will dive behind their parent at any sign of danger. It is an amusing sight to see a creature the size of a small elephant attempt to disappear behind a magi because it was spooked by a bee. Even at a young age, they are already excellent at commanding metal, though a magi raising a temple rhinoceros hatchling may find this rather vexing when beloved jewelry and important instruments get bent into strange new shapes for the hatchling’s amusement.
Adult description:
Spoiler
Temple rhinos are born with a ring around their horn and summon a new one approximately every five years, and are considered fully grown when they have three or more. If a temple rhino is being raised by a magi who doesn't specialize in metals, it is common for it to find either an adult temple rhino or a human metalworker to study under between its second and third rings. Otherwise, it learns the finer points of the art from its mother, allowing magi to trace families matrilineally through the distinct metalworking styles passed down. As temple rhinos do not tend to leave Etain, aspiring metalworkers from all around the world will sometimes make the journey into the desert to seek one out and learn from it before returning home.
Spoiler
Found mostly in the harsh, scrubby savannas on the edges of the Etain desert, temple rhinoceroses are large, sturdy creatures, only slightly smaller than elephants, but their great size belies their grace and speed. In addition to their light movement, they are most easily distinguished from other rhinos by their swirling filigree markings and the gold bands hovering around their horns. These bands are bound to their souls, and disappear upon death. Masters over fire and metal, with an artistic flair, they have long been favored companions for metalworkers and jewelers of the Etain desert. Temple rhinoceros workings are generally for the benefit of humans, who feed and protect them in turn, and magi at the Keep are still unsure as to how such a specialized relationship developed. However, a well-loved legend in the Etain region describes their origin: Once, a magi found a wounded rhinoceros and took it in, nursing it back to health. One day, the magi’s home caught fire, and out of desperation to save the magi, the rhinoceros appealed to the sun for power to help. The sun, moved by its pleas, granted the rhinoceros power over flame and metal, to extinguish the fire and brace the home against collapse, and thus the first temple rhino came into being.
Description: Kestrad
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Creature 1337: Cosmic Nightjar Gryphlet - Donation Shop 3
Small feathery tufts have emerged from this dark egg.
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Creature 1338: Stellar Nightjar Gryphlet - Donation Shop 5
Small feathery tufts have emerged from this dark egg.
Hatchling Description:
Spoiler
Newly hatched nightjar gryphlet hatchlings are small, sleepy creatures, not much larger than normal kittens. They spend all day and most of the night asleep, chirping softly until they are fed for the few hours they are awake. After a few weeks, they spend more time awake, playing with their siblings, winged kittens, or their magi, learning to stalk insects and slowly gaining use of their wings by pouncing on unfortunate flies and moths. As young nightjar gryphlets at the Keep grow older and come into their powers properly, one common favorite pastime is to blend into their surroundings and surprise tackle unsuspecting magi passing by. Fortunately, they usually grow out of this habit while still merely the size of a huge house cat, as at that size the behavior is merely cute, whereas being suddenly tackled by an adult-sized gryphlet tends to be far more alarming.
Spoiler
Varieties of nightjar gryphlets are found all around the known world, wherever there are magical creatures. Magi keep them mainly for companionship, but if one is willing to farm the absurdly large number of insects needed to keep one fed, they make adequate guard creatures during the night. As they are undetectable to intruders, they are not great deterrents, but are excellent for catching anything that has evaded all other protections. Adult nightjar gryphlets court by bringing each other tasty insects, and mate for life, working together to raise their offspring. They are highly affectionate, unjealous creatures, though, and if one or both in a pair are bonded to a magi, will bring their hatchlings to their magi companion to show off. It is also not uncommon for a pair of sleeping gryphlets to make room between them during the day so their magi friend can nap between them.
Spoiler
Nightjar gryphlets are about two-thirds the size of their common gryphon cousins, and unlike most other gryphons, are nocturnal. They spend most of the night foraging, for they subsist mostly on bugs, which is no small feat for creatures of their size. However, when times are lean, they have been known to hunt and eat meat, though nightjar gryphlets that feed only on meat slowly grow thin and listless. Nightjar gryphlets travel quietly and are capable of great stealth at night, becoming all but invisible when they wish to by blending into their surroundings. Because they must devote so much time to foraging, despite being large enough to ride, nightjar gryphlets do not make great mounts for long journeys. However, they are far more affectionate than the average gryphon, and are beloved companions for their sweet nature.
Description: Kestrad
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❖ Malo mori quam fodari ❖ 
