Vedrfol
The massive Vedrfol once dominated the advanced society of Jeimr in the Rhyqirja Mountains, a union with Anthrals and Tercaelo. A curse brought about a slow decline that even their magic couldn't stop.
Basic Information
Anatomy
These accipitoid sapioformes were notable for their size and strength, as opposed to the much smaller Tercaelo that outlived them. Towering, broad, and dense with muscle, the Vedrfol had two legs ending in taloned feet and two arms ending in huge, clawed hands. They also possessed enormous wings, spanning as far as fifteen meters at full extension, which possessed enormous power and could be used in battle. The power in these wings was such that, even with the incredible size and weight of the Vedrfol, they could fly easily and even carry significant weight in addition to their own. Their small tails boasted very long articulated tailfeathers, as long as three meters, which for shockingly fast turns while in flight.
Solitary hunters of large game, the Vedrfol evolved to fly out from cliff-side nests, slay large prey in the lowlands, and carry it back to their heights. Their talons were particularly adept at tearing into flesh, with subtly hooked tips that allowed them to effortlessly carry anything they could embed their claws in. Their heads were distinctly accipitoid, with powerful beaks that came to a point, meant for tearing meat, and they evolved to digest raw meat.
Genetics and Reproduction
Vedrfol were naturally territorial with their own kind and mated only once every few years. Before forming a society, solitary Vedrfol would stake out a territory of several kilometers which they expected to have exclusive right to, and may mate with neighboring Vedrfol, but never form long-term bonds with them. The mating rate accelerated when Vedrfol began to live together in settlements, and later in cities. Territorial instincts were still prominent and kept Vedrfol from forming regular romantic or sexual partnerships with one another, but could potentially mate with their own kind on an annual basis. When these sexual pairings involved a male and female, the female could then produce a clutch of one or two eggs. However, it is recorded that only one in ten eggs hatched successfully. Later, magical intervention could boost this to as much as three in ten. Of these, only half of newborn Vedrfol survived their first year.
Growth Rate & Stages
Vedrfol childhood lasted much longer than typical for equivalent sapioformes. Vedrfol eggs could take almost ten years to hatch, during which time they would need to remain in a warm, dry place, and could not be moved. In the wild, Vedrfol would immerse the eggs in an insulating nest concealed in cliffsides and remain within a kilometer of the nest at all times. In the society of Jeimr, they built stone nurseries deep in the mountains and entrusted specially-trained Anthrals to care for their eggs.
After birth, the Vedrfol would remain helpless through a long infancy and childhood for two more decades before their bodies began to grow. In a relatively sudden two year period, they gained the ability to walk upright, fly, and hunt, all the faculties they needed to survive, as well as a territorial instinct that pushed them away from their parents. In the wild, they would set out on their own, beginning an independent life and seeking a territory to claim. Those who encountered a Vedrfol at this stage would have been forgiven for mistaking them for a fully grown acipitoid of some kind, as they would already be just over three meters in height, sharp of wit and energetic at hunt. In Jeimr, these young Vedrfol were expected to contribute to society, but still lived in the nursery, their energy and instincts making them prone to infighting and creating a dangerous environment for their Anthral caregivers.
Within ten years of this time, sometime around the age of 32, the Vedrfol would be proclaimed an adult. Half-grown at this point and still in need of significant maturing relative to their centuries-old teachers, the Vedrfol would nonetheless begin to live with all the expectations, responsibilities, and privileges of an adult. From this time on, the Vedrfol would continue to grow slowly for the next several centuries, gradually increasing in size and strength and maturing emotionally. Vedrfol growth continued usually until the age of 500 years, at which point they were considered full grown.
Dietary Needs and Habits
The Vedrfol were airborne hunters who targeted large, warm-blooded game. They hunted in the foothills and lowlands surrounding the Rhyqirja mountains and carried their kills -- sometimes equal in weight to themselves -- back to their cliffside nests. Vedrfol required significant amounts of meat to eat and could eat half their own weight in a single day. They kept hydrated mostly from the blood of their kills. In Jeimr, they charged their Anthral cohabitants with the significant labor of raising game for slaughter.
Additional Information
Social Structure
Solitary in nature, the limited space in Sof Sator's mountain habitats eventually made it impossible for all Vedrfol to live alone in a claimed territory. Suspicious of one another, the Vedrfol formed a system of contracts that permitted the original claimant of a territory to claim other Vedrfol as thralls in exchange for letting them dwell and hunt in this territory. Over centuries, this became the rudimentary feudalism that would eventually allow the founding of Jeimr and the ascension of a Vedrfol King. The instinct to be very clear and respectful about territorial borders had always manifested at least partially with an appreciation for the legal systems of other sapioformes (in the pre-Jeimr era, solitary Vedrfol would often observe and interact with more systemized societies), and within decades of founding Jeimr, the Vedrfol had formed a government of laws and contracts much more thorough and efficient than those of other nations. Remaining mistrustful and suspicious of one another, the Vedrfol would draft contracts for individual relationships, trusting these commitments more than simple words. A friendship was only as strong as its escape clause.
These territorial instincts only applied to fellow Vedrfol, however, and it can be argued that Jeimr succeeded as a society only because of the presence of anthrals and tercaelo with whom the Vedrfol could form close, authentic relationships. This was only slightly diminished by the relatively short lifespans of these other sapioformes. A Vedrfol could be the patron of an entire bloodline of anthrals or tercaelo during its lifetime.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
While the vedrfol historically made their nests on the edges of the Rhyqirja Mountains and lived in cities cut into the mountains during the age of Jeimr, there was a time when the territorial extent of the vedrfol had them spread thinly across most of Sof Sator.
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
They had the sharp eyes of high hunters, capable of seeing with great accuracy across miles. They could see well in almost any light, and hunted by both day and night.
EXTINCT
Scientific Name
Sapioforme Accipitoid Vedrfol
Lifespan
5000 years
Average Height
4-5 meters
Average Weight
300-450 kg
Body Tint, Colouring and Marking
Unlike the tercaelo with whom they cohabited, the Vedrfol were monochromatic in color. Pale skin beneath their feathers was covered in a layer of white or black down, and much of their bodies were covered in thicker, course feathers that conformed to this color. Largely white, black, or varying shades of gray, the coloration of a vedrfol only varied at its wingtips, where a dappling of other monochromatic shades could be found.
Geographic Distribution
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