Peryton

[shaddragon]

Description - Egg: The mottled shadowy grey of this egg's shell nearly conceals it among a drift of leaves where it has been nestled for warmth. A snugly tucked blue-feathered wing lies close along its side, and the tiny nubs of antlers protrude near its crown.

Description - Hatchling: Wobbly on legs almost too slender to hold even its lean body, this fawnlike creature is slowly beginning to exhibit traces of what may one day be a striking elegance. With a pale silvery coat dappled along the flanks in white, its still too-small cobalt wings flutter as it leaps and kicks about meadows, pawing the air, headbutting imaginary opponents, sometimes going asprawl and sometimes managing to keep aloft for a few frantic beats. Male and female both sport the tiny nubs of velveted antlers. Oddly, the rippling shadow that trails after it does not appear to have the proper outlines.

Description - Adult: A deerlike form with an attenuated build that it carries off with majestic grace, this long-limbed, slender-bodied creature moves like a wraith of silver smoke through forests and plains alike. Vast wings, feathered in deep blue with white bands and highlights at the tips of its primaries, lie most often tightly furled along its powerful shoulders, or spread to catch ripples of sun or mooonlight. Though they will frequently run and glide long distances across flat ground, or drop from higher vantages, they seem unable to achieve proper flight.

Males sport sweeping racks of antlers, gaining points by the year, while females bear only hand-length smaller spans, the very eldest and wisest among them sometimes developing an extra branch or two. The shadows which trail their delicate hooves are mutable, never quite appearing to be the deerlike, winged shapes that suit them; more often they appear to have the shadows of humans.

General: Perytons have an uneasy reputation among men and magi. They are known to be ferocious fighters, and the wild-born among them often become meat-eaters, with the darkest rumors suggesting that many of those feed by preference on humans. They are said to herald the coming of destruction, great wars, the fall of cities and end of empires, and a sighting of a wild peryton - thankfully very rare - sends a chill down any wise magi's spine.

There are gentler rumors about them, however, although many bear the deep tinge of sadness. The most commonly told is that every peryton is the rebirth of a mage who performed terrible deeds during his lifetime and has been returned to the world to make amends. They bear their shadows from their human lives as a kind of penance; it's sometimes said that the only way a peryton ever learns to truly fly - to shed the magical weight of its shadow - is either (in the dark tales) by killing and devouring some person of great importance to their former life, or (in the kinder stories) by succeeding in some deep quest to repair the damage they did.

Regardless of whether the tales are true or false, magi do know for a certainty that perytons acquired and hatched from eggs, raised in the society of other magi, become naturally quiet, wise creatures showing none of the bloodlust of their wild brethren; they seem unable to speak despite their evident intelligence, but many say they see deep sadness in their dark eyes. Despite this preference for peace, however, the creatures have tremendous destructive capability, and those who have seen a peryton fighting on the side of the magi in times of danger often attest to their ferocity in hushed voices. Tamed perytons also show a distinct ability to be present at moments of potential disaster, whether personal or widespread, a knack which has often placed their magi at those same turning points in time to avert death and destruction.

[Googleplaxin]

Wow. I like

[Gooey Kablooie]

VERY awesome idea for a creature entry.

Not to mention it sounds like something we could get by breeding an Ibex with a gryphon.

I also always liked the thought of Perytons being green in colour.

[shaddragon]

Not to mention it sounds like something we could get by breeding an Ibex with a gryphon.

I also always liked the thought of Perytons being green in colour.

Or possibly an ibex with a phoenix....

Mythologically they're usually described as having light blue or dark green feathers. I just had bluejays in my head while I was writing. ;)