Griffon
The Imperial Griffon is one of the three creatures that adorn the flag of Valgarde. Alongside the Stallion and the Bear the Griffon soars along the crest symbolising Valgarde's aerial superiority. An Imperial Griffon paired with a trained rider is truly without equal in airborne warfare.
In the wild Griffons are apex predators who soar over the valleys and plains, their diet consists of small mammals up to an including horses, the larger Imperial Griffons will even attack Black bears and Oxen. Centuries of forces coexistence have taught the Griffons that towns and villages are to be avoided but a lone human or small group can occasionally find themselves in the sights of a hungry Griffon.
Griffon eggs are a highly prized resource throughout the empire for one must bond with a Griffon and train it in the first months of its infancy when it is impressionable, only through this training can the creature be safely used as a mount and companion. Procuring these eggs is a highly dangerous job often contracted to mercenaries or other sellswords as untrained Griffons are feral and deadly to all who approach, those with parental instincts even more so. However, some of the noble houses within the empire require their knights to undertake this mission themselves to weed out the weak and unworthy. Those who return with the most precious bounty are lauded as heroes and often go on to greatness within the Skywarden Knights.
Griffons mate for life and form breeding pairs and though many breeders have tried to coerce them to reproduce in the cities or lowlands (often with deadly consequences) Griffons will only nest in the dangerous high places of Avaria. Thus while Griffons are prized, there is an Imperial edict forbidding their hunting for sport within the Empires borders as there must always be a healthy supply. Several mountains ranged are protected by Imperial law as Griffon breeding sites and only those with a writ of bounty are able to harvest the eggs.
