NOTE: The fan-tailed griffin is an offshoot of the "Skyhaven" Griffin offered in the Main Adoption Lairs of Skyhaven Keep. Much of the following information is identical to their entry in the Official Guide, but there are a few variations.
NOTE: The fan-tailed griffin is an offshoot of the
"Skyhaven" Griffin offered in the Main Adoption Lairs of Skyhaven
Keep. Much of the following information is identical to their entry in the
Official Guide, but there are a few variations.
The Griffin combines the head, wings and talons of an eagle with the hindquarters and tail of a lion to produce a fearsome fantastic predator of the Mid-East and Asia. They were said to build nests of gold and guard precious stones, especially emeralds. Foolish human trespassers were torn limb from limb, and horses were their favorite meal. Still, some stories tell of people befriending a griffin and receiving a griffin's claw as reward. This was quite valuable, as, if made into a cup, the claw would change color should the beverage within be poisoned. The griffin was a popular heraldic symbol in medieval Europe, displaying the courageous strength of the lion and the nobility of the eagle.
Origins
Griffins are among the oldest magical creatures, possibly as old as dragons,
indiginous to both Tirialle and Zakotansett. Fan-tailed griffins, close
relatives of the "Skyhaven" variety, are somewhat smaller; adults are
only two to two and a half times as high as a Terran lion at the shoulder.
Males and females look similar.
Habitat
Like birds of prey, griffins need thermals (columns of warm air) and wind for
optimal flying. For a creature their size, mountains and cliffs provide
the best of both. A touch of weather magic ensures that there is always a
sufficient breeze for liftoff. Fan-tailed griffins like hills and cliffs,
though they are known to venture into lowlands and plains; it is thought that
the greater surface area of feathers on their tail helps them achieve lift from
weaker thermals and winds.
Feeding
Griffins are entirely carnivorous, preferring live food, and are very effective
hunters of all sizes and shapes of prey but favoring larger mammals. They
refuse to confirm or deny the horsemeat affection. Usually, like raptors,
they soar on thermals or perch on a high place and wait for prey to happen
along, striking in a quick dive and killing with their foretalons.
Generally, griffins hunt alone, but they will cooperate for defense of their
aeries (nesting grounds) or to bring down larger animals than they can handle by
themselves.
Life Cycle
Females lay clutches of 3-5 eggs in spring every five years. Young hatch
in three to four months. Within a year, they are ready to fly. They
reach their full adult size in three years, and leave the nest shortly
thereafter. Griffins are fully mature at ten or twelve, at which time they
typically establish their own nesting grounds. The size and variety of a
hoard helps a griffin win a mate; both males and females check out each other's
gatherings. When they select a mate, the male will move into the female's
aerie, or nesting cave. They become so bonded that, should one of the pair
die or be killed, the survivor will rarely take another mate, often pining away
within a few months. Fan-tailed griffins live for about four centuries,
somewhat longer than their Skyhaven relatives.
Culture
Griffins are usually solitary, except for mated pairs, though they will form
loose associations with neighbors. They live in aeries, most often in
caves (either natural or dug out with their powerful talons), though sometimes
they will nest in sufficiently large trees. Too large and powerful for ordinary
stick nests, griffins use metals and gemstones, notably gold and emeralds, to
line their aeries. Like many birds of prey, they add to the nest year
after year. It is a Tiriallean joke that griffins only build nests to they
have an excuse to collect precious metals and stones. Like dragons, they
have a hoarding instinct, but unlike dragons they appear to able to survive
without a hoard if forced to. Only a fool attempts to take the hoard of a
live griffin. After a griffin dies is the best time to attempt to
take a little griffin gold, but one had best move quickly, as friends and family
will come to claim a portion of the deceased one's wealth. They may not
even notice the fragile human they are trampling if they get into a dispute over
the inheritance.
So long as they know that they have a sanctuary to retreat to, they enjoy
chatting with neighbors, even nongriffin neighbors - sometimes to the point of
tedium. At each season change, griffins gather in groups to celebrate with
song, sport, and story. These gatherings can span miles in areas with high
population density, often attracting dragons, faeries, and other beings in the
area and lasting for upwards of a week. Residents of such areas often
grumble about the noise and incidental property damage, but generally they are
just sore that they weren't invited.
Temperament
Griffin temperament varies by individual, but they tend to be vain and proud.
They are playful, but, like birds, are easily overstimulated and will sometimes
throw tantrums over seemingly insignificant frustrations. Griffins also
tend to be very curious creatures, and once they decide to poke their beak into
something it's very difficult to discourage them. However, their curiosity
is tempered by a generally short attention span, and once they grow bored or
frustrated they are more likely to wander off in a huff than sit down and work
it through. Fan-tailed griffins tend to be more active and playful, but
are also easier to overstimulate. They also have trouble understanding
that there are times when a surprise flying tackle isn't appropriate behavior.
Magical Traits
Oddly enough, there don't seem to be as many practicing griffin magicians as
there are dragon and unicorn magic-workers. Many only have weak magical
powers, more like enhanced senses than true magical abilities, though they are
all very effective at using Mineral and Gemstone magic (the inherent powers in
many raw stones and metals, a derivative of Earth magic.) Scholars speculate
that this gift is the primary purpose of the griffin's hoarding instinct; the
more stones and minerals a griffin has, the more magic at their disposal to
defend their aeries. What magic they do display naturally is usually
linked to Air, such as the weather magic that enables them to summon a breeze to
facilitate flight.
Griffins are preternaturally sensitive to poisons, able to tell from the
slightest touch, whiff, or taste if something is safe. It is possible to
spell a griffin claw to reflect this sensitivity with a color change, but only
if one is a fairly skilled magician. Still, powdered griffin claws and
feathers - taken from shed nail sheaths and feathers, naturally - are the main
ingredients of most poison detection spells.
Other Notes
Griffin feathers make extremely durable writing quills, capable of withstanding
several magical inks and liquids that reduce most feathers to powder.
Common lore says that it is impossible to write a lie with a griffin feather,
but this is thought to be mostly superstition. It is, admittedly, a
difficult thoery to test, as anyone testing it knows that they are writing a lie
with a griffin quill just to test the theory. Anecdotal evidence suggests
that the writer must not only believe wholeheartedly that they are writing the
truth, but be unaware that the quill came from a griffin; considering how
distinctive griffin feathers tend to be in direct comparison to bird, pegasus,
or other feathers, this is a difficult assumption to make for a literate being.
The Skyhaven Adoption Hunt and related text and
images were created by TBW 2007
Only the awards and the adoptable creatures/beings are to be taken
E-mail: tbweber (at) comcast (dot) net or tbweber (at)
brightdreamer (dot) com
(Remove spaces, replace (at) with @ and (dot) with . Please put Skyhaven
Hunt in the Subject line!)