Stormraven

Basic Information

Anatomy

With a six meters tall wingspan of densly woven hollow bones and the body a size of a larger wolf, the Stormraven is an avian creature with almost just as many bones and muscles as a normal raven, but everything has been grown to a size of giantism. Hence why there's a few more muscles and bones within to make up for their massively different shapes, lest they might risk breaking off their wings during flight.

Ecology and Habitats

Stormravens prefer a bit warmer climates for their roosters and offspring. These peculiar warmer climates also offers more flora and in turn more fauna for them to hunt. Which for their amount of mass is incredibly important to keep the hunger sated.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Though they are omnivores, this avian prefer to hunt meat and often go after creatures such as goats, elk, deer and even livestock at times. Sometimes it happens that a group of Stormcrows will group up to hunt boars or even bears to share a larger meal. In case of meat being scarce they can survive for months only nutrients from nuts, fruits and certain edible herbs. If they are desperate, they can also eat bugs to get everything they need which the vegetarian diet lacks.

Biological Cycle

Stormravens are capable of growing more feathers or shedding old ones as temperature rise and fall. Normally they have more feathers during autumn and spring, though shed feathers during winters in case of already having migrated to warmer lands, or during the late spring to prepare for the summer warmth.

Additional Information

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Stormravens have incredible sight, to where they could easily catch the glimpse of a needle in a haystack from several hundered meters range up into the sky. They also see perfectly in the dark, nor are hindered by elements such as fog and clouds, thanks to an excelent sense of smell and sense for sounds wired to their brains. They also have a strong sense of magnetoreception, almost as powerfull as that of pidgeons, which allow them to read magnetic fields like a compass. During the winters, many Stormravens utilize this ability to migrate from the Crows Mountains and back to Arzawak, though return in spring.

Intelligence and Linguistics

This terrorbird is known to have the intelligence of a fourteen year old, but replace angst and awkwardness with an aura of wisdom and empathy. The bird itself while competent in Ravenspeech can also be taught other languages and thus some extra intelligent specimen have been found capable of learning mortal speech.
There are also reports in the heat of combat, that Stormravens utilized by the Ravenknights sometimes realize they know better than their stressed out companions and have taken direct self-thought actions against command, which have resulted in the preserved life of their rider or fellow Stormraven in need. Actions which, minding that these birds can never be tamed, have been awarded with tutelage and medals. It is even said that Ophelia herself has titled at least one Stormraven Handmaid for their brave service in the field.

Scientific Name

Gigantus Corvidae

Origin/Ancestry

Arzawak

Geographic Distribution

• Crows Mountain

Related Ethnicities

• Morstein

Discovered by

Doorlord