The Peryton

[Guest]

Name: Peryton

Species/Genus: Mythicus, Cervina Avis

Associated Pillar: Nox, Malevolence

Descriptive appearance: The Peryton is a creature of contradiction. A human soul transmogrified by a sacrificial blood rite in the name of Agenda can sometimes be warped, if the victim was unwilling or a prisoner of war, takes the twisted form it is known by. While the Front half of the creature appears as a White Stag, from the front shoulders and back it bears resemblance to a White eagle. Their faces hold beautiful golden hues, and their antlers are as ivory majesty. Its front legs are those of the stag, while its haunches are fur-lined eagle's legs. It is the size of a normal stag, and is completely capable of flight, much like the Pegasus. Its shadow is wherein the contradiction lies; it possesses the shadow of its previous human form. No matter the position of the sun, or the time of day, the Peryton is constantly haunted by the reminder of what it once was.

Illustrative appearance:

The Peryton:

Approximate height/weight: The Peryton weights between three hundred and six hundred pounds, and measures a length of eight to nine and a half feet, including the tail feathers, and a shoulder height between four and four and three-quarter feet.

Place of origin/habitat: Due to the nature of its creature, the Peryton's place of origin is unclear. Though it is clear it originated in the Meditteranean, its exact point of emergeance is not known to mortal men. They reside in dense forests, building their nests in groups of three or four Peryton near or on the highest peaks of nearby mountains.

Known features/adaptations/attributes: The Peryton isn't known for any mystic abilities or supernatural powers. It is, however, known for possessing a large amount of wing and foreward body strength. It is well known that the Peryton will use its human shadow to trick travelers or hunters into a trap, before dive-bombing and kicking its victim to death. This works extraordinarily well since the undercarriage and head/neck regions are impervious to attack unlike its back which is tender. While tales of this seem to be of mixed quality, they all share the detail that the shadow can move independantly of the form of the Peryton so long as it is directly beneath them. Most stories indicate flailing arms, or trickery that makes the shadow appear to belong to someone trapped beneath large stones or trees that have fallen.

It can communicate with other Peryton, and on rare occasions of ancient specimens, they may have regained the ability to speak. However, once a Peryton has made its first human kill and devoured the heart of their victim they shed their human shadow. It is said that this is because of the tormented nature of the human soul trapped within, and that claiming the life of another human is a sacred act of vengeance against the humans who betrayed them in life. Until a Peryton has completed this act, it is extremely volatile and malevolent toward humans. Once their human shadow is shed, they show one of their true form and lose their impervious undercarriages, becoming vulnerable to hunters once more. Additionally, from this point on the Peryton will no longer hunt humans. Instead it will prey on lesser mammals, and can occasionally display an omnivorous diet including foliage and tree nuts.

Parts of the body used as magic ingredients:
The wings, the pelt, the antlers, and the hooves (ground into a fine powder.)