Vanags

Although, I imagine that would only apply to the "alpha" males. A solitary male would probably be a lot more active and self-reliant, since it has to survive on its own... and is so brightly colored and loud that he would always draw attention. Those that survive being on their own until they find mates would probably be the fittest and strongest, from the constant battles.

Does that work, in your view?

Yeah, that works.

Okay, here we go. On species behavior and young:

Male Vanags are typically described as being "lazy", but don't let that fool you; they are active, intelligent, and very dangerous creatures. Mated males seem to be much less active in the presence of the females, often taking a backseat role while the females hunt. But when the group faces a larger predator or serious threat, it is often the larger male Vanag that is at the forefront of the battle.

Solitary males are much more active in comparison, and can sometimes be encountered wandering outside of the normal regions Vanags inhabit. They are wide-ranging and ferocious, seeming to confront even larger predators without an ounce of fear, but are intelligent enough to withdraw from battles that they cannot win.

Males seem to be fairly disinterested and uninvolved in the lives of fledglings, allowing the females to raise them without interference. However, once they are capable of hunting on their own, the male forces young males to leave the nesting grounds.

This serves the purpose of forcing young males to become self-reliant hunters, and helps in propogating the species; only the strong survive to full adulthood and manage to breed. Female Vanags stay with the pride, learning pack hunting and combat tactics from their elders, although once they reach adulthood, the group of sisters typically leave together to form a new pride.

Solitary males occasionally roam into the territory of a pride to challenge the mated male; these battles are bloody and intense, and often result in the maiming or death of one or more combatants. The winner becomes the new pride leader, while the loser is run off... if he is lucky enough to escape with his life. Older males who have faced many challengers are often heavily scarred- these Vanags are best avoided, as they are extremely dangerous and can pose a serious threat to larger predators even on their own.

Vanags Gryphons always make their nesting grounds on remote and inaccessible cliff faces; these nests are called eyries, and are almost always occupied by at least one full-grown adult female. This sentry rarely ever leaves the eyrie, unless it is to be relieved by another female, or to investigate signs of an intruder nearby; even when she does leave the nest, she doesn't range very far, and is sure to return quickly.

Vanags defend their eggs and young fiercely, and will attack anything that approaches no matter how non-threatening it appears to be. Even male Vanags (other than their mate) will be killed, should they come too close to an eyrie. This makes eggs and Vanag fledgelings extremely difficult to obtain... and also extremely valuable, since the animals can only be trained while young. A fledgeling can fetch an incredible price at auction or on Negav's black market, and a Vanag egg can go for almost double the price of a fledgeling.

It takes excellent planning and execution to be able to collect one, however- one must scale the cliff without being noticed, and then somehow distract or fight one's way past the sentry before it has a chance to alert others; although female Vanags are typically silent, if their young are endangered the sentry will emit a shrill cry that can be heard dozens of miles away.

Upon hearing this sound, a hunting pride will even abandon their kills and immediately rush back to the eyrie to slaughter anything in the area. Those who wish to obtain an egg or fledgeling must do so quickly and escape, which often means that hunters only have time to grab one or two and then run for their lives.

When properly trained, Vanags make excellent companions; they transfer the bonds of loyalty they normally give others of their species to their owners, and are fearsome combatants. Trained Vanags can be ridden, and have been known to defend the body of their fallen rider to their own death. The females are considered more suitable for training than the males, due to the poorer disposition and showy attitude of the male Vanags. In addition, the males are not as agile as the females are, and their tails are just as dangerous to allies who look upon them as they are to enemies.

However, there are persistent rumors of a hidden desert village that makes heavy use of Vanags for warfare, and it is said that their higher-ranked officers and royalty ride trained male Vanags. So far, these rumors are unconfirmed, and mainly gathered from stories told by Rock Harpies, who are not exactly an unbiased source when it comes to Vanags...

(to be continued)

That sounds good and complete.

Sean Okotami wrote:

That sounds good and complete.

Cool. I'm glad you like it. Just one last bit to add...

Rock Harpies (and occaisonally other species of Harpies) and Vanags often clash over territory and food, leading to a bitter rivalry between the two species. Despite the edge in maneuverability and magical ability the Harpies have, female Vanags are agile and capable of fighting Harpies in midair by leaping from cliffside and the ground, as well as performing gliding dives at them; male Vanags use the shockwave produced by their roar to scatter Harpies and knock them out of the air, while their tails can neutralize Harpy spellcasters. It is said among desertfolk that getting caught in the middle of a Harpy-Vanag battle is a special type of hell itself, and between the roars and screamed curses and insults, enough to leave one deafened for hours afterwards.

Despite being non-sentient, Vanags are still very intelligent and cunning animals, and so fierce that Harpies have a mixed admiration and loathing for them. In the Rock Harpy language, "Vanag" has become a term for someone who is willing to pick a fight with anybody over food (or another sort of prize), and refuses to back down. "She is such a Vanag!" can be both an insult and backhanded compliment, among Harpies.

Rock Harpies also consider Vanag eggs a great delicacy, and have many recipes involving them; but due to the danger and difficulty involved in obtaining them, it is a rare indulgence.

What do you think? I hope you don't mind that last bit, I decided to throw that in there for flavor.

Yeah, that works....

Sean Okotami wrote:

Yeah, that works....

If you don't like the whole idea, or parts of it, feel free to change whatever you want. I'm just offering suggestions and building off your idea, not trying to take it over.

If anything I said gives you ideas on how to make the original concept more detailed and creative, go for it. I don't mind, my only intention is to help generate interest and brainstorming. Part of that community discussion process you wanted.

Honestly, if you hate everything I've written and don't think it captures the feel of what you had in mind, feel free to tell me. I can handle it. I thought I understood the general direction you wanted to go in with this, and tried to elaborate on it; if I was wrong, let me know. Maybe I or someone else can come up with better suggestions.

No, it's really good. I still am worried about my vices.

What kind of race/culture/civilization do you think would be most likely to make heavy use of Vanags? Human nomads, or an isolated Neko village, or what? Have you given that idea much consideration?

Not really, maybe both?

Humans are likely, as there's bound to be at least one stubborn human noble that would demand one as a mount.

Any race that uses a Caste system also would, likely using the lowest caste to acquire the eggs and be forced to pawn them to higher ups.

Malahite wrote:

Humans are likely, as there's bound to be at least one stubborn human noble that would demand one as a mount.

Any race that uses a Caste system also would, likely using the lowest caste to acquire the eggs and be forced to pawn them to higher ups.

Good point, humans definitely have the stubborness and arrogance for something like that.

Damn the Man, always trying to keep the working class down.

Hmm... using these as mounts could lead to some interesting tactics. I was originally thinking of light cavalry, lightly armored and with throwing spears or bows... but you could also have armored cavalry knights with lances, and even dragoons in heavy armor who dismount and fight alongside the Vanags.

Not to mention the potential for mounted magic-users. A little wind magic to create an updraft, and suddenly your beastie is soaring through the sky. Lots of potential there.

Thing is, can you imagine how heavy a lance hit would be with one of those things?

Now, odds are you're going to need either the strongest of your warriors or someone with magical enchantments to carry the best of lances for the job, but one of Vanags could likely be effective against Predators, Cavalry, Heavy Armor, you name it.

Imagine the horror the enemy feels when you charge into their own cavalry with a half-dozen Vanag riders and start piercing both mount and steed with your weapon while the mount tears any attempting to aid their stricken comrades. And then you can jump back to the air (provided you have a mage) and do it again...

Malahite wrote:

Thing is, can you imagine how heavy a lance hit would be with one of those things?

I can picture it close enough to know I do not want to be on the receiving end.

Malahite wrote:

Now, odds are you're going to need either the strongest of your warriors or someone with magical enchantments to carry the best of lances for the job, but one of Vanags could likely be effective against Predators, Cavalry, Heavy Armor, you name it.

Definitely, Vanags-riding Lancers would perform excellently as anti-armor cavalry. I think you're picturing much a much larger lance than I am, but I get the gist of it. Maybe some strength enhancing spells, or magical "powered armor"? Heck, you could even go mechanical, and rig a support arm with a built-in counterbalance to the saddle. If you can build a suspensor for a heavy bolter, you can build one for a heavy lance.

Malahite wrote:

Imagine the horror the enemy feels when you charge into their own cavalry with a half-dozen Vanag riders and start piercing both mount and steed with your weapon while the mount tears any attempting to aid their stricken comrades. And then you can jump back to the air (provided you have a mage) and do it again...

*nod* Truth. Definitely some massacre potential in battles with these guys. It makes for some fascinating tactical considerations.