Owlbear

Truly strange yet magnificent specimens, naturalized to Valerick now, but likely born of a mutative wave of dark and wild arcane energy during the Sundering like so many other species within the family and various lineages of Monsteralis, more commonly known to most as Monstrosties. These and Worgs are perhaps the two best known and are two of the most common. Towering beasts of muscle, feather and fur, with such a unique and interesting anatomy, they were very interesting creatures to learn about, and I have a great deal to transcribe in regards to these creatures. Sadly, they have a feral and vicious reputation, and one that I cannot necessarily, from my research, dispell or do much of anything to rehabilitate, as much as I would like to, as they are fascinating creatures.

An excerpt from the research notes of An'tanil Thei'an'ket, a specialist in the field of Monstrosties.

Basic Information

Anatomy

These creatures are towering specimens as full adults, however what immediately stands out is the odd proportioning of their bodies. Their abdomen, lower back and legs are that of a bear, but with the necessary muscular structure and skeletal structure to maintain constant upright posture, however the raw muscle mass and thick brown (or black or white if one goes far enough north) fur coats are very visible. From this solid core, legs, and torso, the shoulders, arms and head give way to the less thick and hefty build of what is an oversized horned owl like structure for the arms and head, with the massive saucer sized eyes of an owl, the hooked beak sharp as a razor, capable of cutting and slicing through even the thickest of hides and flesh. The feathered arms, with the plummage as if wings though the creature is incapable of flight, end with hooked claw that have the vicious hooked points of bird talons, but the robus shovel like nature of bear claws. A strange, nightmarish almost nonsensical combination of traits that to the uninformed can seem unwieldy and sluggish, however in truth make for a deadly and extremely dangerous terrestrial predator.

Biological Traits

It is a challenge to get a read on the average natural lifespan of an owlbear even with field research, because of how often and heavily hunted such creatures truly are. Prolonged observation of them in deeper wilderness, further from civilization or even the edges thereof, is an extremely dangerous and difficult task and sadly, not enough information exists to give a confident or accurate estimate.

Genetics and Reproduction

Owlbears, contrary to many species in most of the kingdoms of fauna, mate for life. In the field research we were able to do safely. Strictly territorial creatures they may be, but they partner for life. Another oddity, for in spite of the feathers and bird like beak, much of their anatomy, behavior (including in more temperate and frigid climates, hibernation!) would suggest they were mammals. But yet in spite of this fact, they actually lay eggs. A typical clutch of owlbear eggs will be two or three, though as low as one and as high as four have been documented in the field, which is worthy of note though seemingly quite rare. Owlbear eggs are massive by any standard for eggs, being even a bit larger than ostrich eggs. These eggs require pretty constant attention it would seem, but both parents take part in watching over them and caring for them, alternating hunting trips. The incubation time seems to be some 3 months for owlbear eggs from all given research observations, though admittedly such information is amongst the most dangerous field research to try and achieve.

Growth Rate & Stages

Hatchlings are able to eat raw food more or less immediately, though only if ripped and torn into small bits by the parents, and so during those initial three or four months, owlbears will hunt voraciously, but often taking smaller or midsize prey items separately to double their efficiency, and ranging further and farther, and more often. By about the four month period the hatchlings are still to small to leave the cave or den the mated pair call home safely but they are ready to start experimenting and learning how and where to strike and attack to kill prey items. For the next six to eight months the parents will again take smaller prey than they normally would, and hunt separately, but they will actually attempt to not kill their prey, and to drag them back barely alive, seeking to allow their young to learn on a living creature.

After the first nine months to a year, the hatchlings will be big enough to be out and about with the parents. The young naturally decrease the likelihood of successful hunts and because of this, the parents will alternate, it would seem every two or three days, each having chances to hunt alone and more successfully to keep themselves well fed. But over time the young will learn, they will grow, they will adapt. By year two the parents will have passed on all they can and the young will be fully grown, and at this point they will be chased off swiftly, without warning and viciously by the two parents, tossed into the world to seek their own territory and eventually their own mates.

Ecology and Habitats

Owlbears are well adapted to forests and hilly lands, and favor wooded foothills in more temperate climates. They are most commonly found on the continent of Durol and rarely found in some of the northern and eastern most areas of Gavis-Lune, mostly in the small wooded regions of Rohara, and in the wooded valleys of Valewyr. They require large game, and plentiful prey, and as such they are not common near large towns or cities, and very quickly clash with villages and hamlets and their populace when such settlements begin to grow beyond a certain size, as hunters and trappers begin straining the available prey, and the creature driven by need, hunts closer to those settlements, perhaps taking domesticated animals, pets or even children or full grown adults as prey.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Owlbears are surprisingly not obligate carnivores, though depending on the climate and environment, it is estimated that raw meat makes up at least seventy percent, and as high as eighty-five to ninety percent of their diet. They do not eat greenery however, only supplimenting their diet with rare bits of fruit, nuts or berries they might stumble upon. For their lack of ripping and tearing teeth owlbears are most impressive predators however, and despite that lack of proper teeth or jaw structure between their ripping claws and their raw strength, they can break open bones, shattering them to get at the marrow within. They rip strips off and using the torque of their own neck and shoulders, can tear long and thin strips, flinging them back and swallowing them whole.

Biological Cycle

Owlbears in most climates they are found, hibernate over the winter months. The only exception oddly, are those found in the tiagas and at the edges of tundra biomes, the biggest of their kind, with white fur. Much like polar bears, they do not hibernate and are ravenous predators, driven by the needs of the harsh environment they live in. Most anywhere else however, they hibernate for anything from two to four months, dependent on a host of factors. If a couple has chicks, they likely will hibernate for notably less time than those owlbears whom do not have chicks that have hatched.

Behaviour

Owlbears are viciously territorial, aggressively so. They won't do things like bluff charge or other such things. They will actively attack and force fights to the death with others of their own kind or with any creature they seem to believe is a direct threat or challenger to their territory. They are rare and heavily hunted for this along with many other reasons, which makes them very rare and difficult creatures to study.

Additional Information

Uses, Products & Exploitation

Owlbear feathers are like a mark of status amongst hunters, an though they are quite large they can trimmed in fashion by a skilled fletcher to be used as arrow flights, and they are said to make absolutely excellent flights, flying straight and true.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Owlbears are rare beasts and found only in wooded highlands, in temperate or arctic climates. They are most common on the continent of Durol, in specific in regions like the Ironspine Hill-lands or the Nor'wood Highlands, places that, notably enough, see little to no settlement except for at their outermost edges. More rarely they can be found in other heavily forested areas and even nearer to villages or hamlets or even towns than most would find comfortable, though such situations do not generally last long before there is a bounty out on such a beast and eventually some would be Exemplari like group, or an actual band of adventurers, of Exemplari in need of coin, hunt down and kill the creature. They can also very rarely be found in some of the northern and eastern most regions of Rohara and Valewyr.

Average Intelligence

Owlbears have a predatory sort of brilliance to them, they are excellent hunters, and though predators whom rely on explosive power and sudden violence, they are very capable of calmly and stealthily tracking their prey first and seem to understand the benefits of such behavior. They are not unthinking creatures, though by our measure they lack any true signs of what we would call actual intelligence.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Owlbears have some of the sharpest eyes and ears, much like an owl, of any predator mundane, monster or otherwise. In particular their eyes, like owls on win above, seem able to see even when the moon is gone and the stars are mostly obscured by cloud cover.

Owlbear Base Stat Sheet

Scientific Name

Monsteralis Ursivian Volisen

Average Height

2.45-3.35 meters (8'-11') in height, with males generally being taller.

Average Weight

204-363 kgs (450-800 lbs) with again males being notably heavier.

Geographic Distribution

• Continent of Durol
• Continent of Gavis-Lune