Paraa Falcon

Considered by local cultures to be the greatest hunter of the desert, this medium bird of prey resides in northern Alkelbulan. They prefer wide open spaces, mainly hunting other birds and bats. The Masryeen of Kemet revere the Paraa, associating it with both Ra and Horus. Especially as it is a favorite beast of Lithmor herself. She was known to manifest the wings of this falcon, admiring these birds and granting them her ultimate blessing! Paraa falcon were already highly successful predators, swift and clever, but their kaithur has made them all the more potent! Kalitho's Eye grants them the most advanced and adaptable sight among the Eye manifestations, capable of seeing in infrared, x-ray and ultraviolet or perceive any other kind of visible light! It is essential for picking out camouflaged prey or those buried beneath the sand, no creature escaping their sight. Far more frightful is Rithaldis's Body, making them both horrifically dangerous and breathtakingly mobile. Whether transforming their body into solar plasma, scorching and melting foes, or transforming into sunlight and travelling along the sunny rays of the Shamsi Desert, these falcons dominate the skies of northern Alkelbulan! Diurnal Apex Predator Territorial Vision Flight Fast

Kaithur

Kalitho's Eye Those with Kalitho's Eye are able to see and see using every kind of light on the electromagnetic spectrum and are unbothered by bright lights. They can switch between different electromagnetic waves, using everything from infrared and x-ray to even radiowaves, microwaves and ultraviolet. Ultraviolet in particular is useful for spotting scorpions burrowed beneath the sand! Rithaldis' Body With Rithaldis' Body, these falcons can convert any and every part of their body into radiant energy! This includes sunlight, photons, solar plasma and ionizing radiation. This manifestation considered the ultimate expression of radiant magic. They can maintain their natural shape or merge with existing radiant energy in their environment (like sunlight), travel along it and reform elsewhere--all at the speed of light! They cannot be harmed by radiant energy either, magical or natural. It isn't uncommon for these falcon to transform their talons into solar plasma, searing into flesh and inflicting radioactive burns!

Anatomy

Original Ancestor Lifespan Falco biarmicus Lanner Falcon 15 years Length Weight Wingspan 16-20 inches (43-50 cm) 25-32 oz (700-900 g) 37-41 inches (95-105 cm) Coloration The underparts of a Paraa Falcon are slate to brown-grey with a paler bluegray on top. They have streaks along their breast and reddish brown on the back of their head. Their call is strident, sounding something like wray-e, and their have a hearing range of 5,000 Hz. In their magic form, all of their body goes stark white and their eyes take on a silvery, mirror like appearance.

Life Cycle

Oviparous Monogamous Biparental Subsocial From April to June, Paraa can be seen flying together with synchronized movements and may even power-dive together, trying to impress potential mates. They nest on sheer cliffs, desert rocks, old crow nests and occasionally in trees. Clutches contain two to four eggs lain some time in July, incubating for 32 days and hatchlings nesting for 44 days. They rely entirely on their parents for food and protection, their mother staying with them during this time while their father will take over when she needs to hunt. Fledgelings spend up to ten weeks near the nest once becoming juveniles, their parents even teaching them how to hunt, avoid predators and care for themselves! They become fully mature and able to breed at two to three years old.

Habitat

Desert Semi-Desert Grassland Shrubland Savannah Steppe Rural Urban Montane Temperate Forest Paraa falcons prefer wide open habitats, living at altitudes of up to 7,500 ft. With a surprisingly wide range, they soar over the skies of Sesli Plato, Flumen Pontem, the Shamsi Desert, Kemet, Birit Narim, Kna'an, Parsa, the Arabiyyan Desert and Balkurtiz. Some smaller populations or cousin species can also be found in Hellas, Nyasi za Rangi, Kasar Wuta, KwaZulu, Skaney and both the east coast and western edges of the Eluzian Valley. Adults are not migratory and instead stick to a set territory but they may adjust their movements according to seasonal rains and the breeding seasons of their prey.

Diet

Carnivore Avivore Mammalivore Herpetovore Invertivore These falcons are potent hunters, occasionally raised in captivity for falconry. They prefer preying on other birds but will also eat small mammals, reptiles and invertebrates. These can include Ramil Lark, Marqat Sandgrouse, Impangele Hen, Qafz Jerboa, Mul'ataa Agama, Isk Viper, Khepri Scarab and al-Mawt Scorpion. Other birds can include doves, ducks, pigeons and domestic chickens. Paraa falcons are powerful and fast with long talons and a special beak, having something called a tomial tooth. This is a triangular shaped ridge on their upper beak useful for killing prey. Like their original ancestors, when they catch prey in their talons, Paraa finish them off by biting into their neck, severing their vertebrae to kill them instantly. These already lethal assets become all the more deadly thanks to their kaithur, converting their talons and beak into solar plasma! They can even inflict radiation poisoing on prey without radiant immunity or evade any bold enough to attack them by transforming completely into sunlight. Yet one of their strongest adaptions is their excellent vision, perching and watching for passing prey. They soar at great heights in search of their meal, most at home in and unperturbed by the intense sunlight of the Shamsi Desert. Unlike most birds of prey, Paraa hunt in pairs or in small family groups a nd might even gather in larger numbers in Kasar Wuta amid wildfires when their prey is most vulnerable. Quite clever predators, there have been a variety of hunting techniques they are known to employ. Sometimes they capture prey after a direct pursuit, others might fly above the prey and make a dramatic stoop to make the catch and sometimes they even fly low to the ground or parallel to cliffs, plucking up prey with deft claws. Most often they hunt in pairs, one flushing out the prey while the other grabs them and they have even learned to trail after humans to grab anything they may scare out of hiding!

Mythology Humans have admired Paraa Falcons throughout history and given them respectable positions in their folklore! They are often associated with gods and heroes in their myths, especially within Hellenes and Masriyyin mythologies like Netjer Pesedjet. Throughout Alkelbulan they are seen as symbols of power, courage, war and wisdom and are beleived to be messengers between spiritual realms, strongly associated with Lithmor. The Quiris and Hellenes associate them with Apollo, Circe (whose name means falcon), Athena and Hermes. In Ostmen lore, falcons represent glory, freedom and royalty, admiring their strength and speed. They could also represent death, fertility, love and travel between worlds. They believe falcons transport spirits between the realms, a cousin species local to Skaney. An Ostmen god associated with falcons includes Hermod (god of communication and bravery) whose spirit animal is the gyrfalcon. And of course, the Masriyyin revered this bird as the kings of the air, an animal which represents and incarnates Ra and Horus, both possessing the head of a falcon!