Kureto

Flightless saurian giant bird mounts that can go invisible. They are expensive to maintain and require respect. Kureto can be trained in combat however, and unlike the more willful gryphons they are easily taught and take well to any rider willing to be kind and good to them. They are indispensable as mounts for military, security, and travelers going through territory with especially dangerous wildlife.

Ranchers that raise Kureto tend to do so in mass and move them much like cattle drivers, crossing several biomes and going back again to simulate ancestral routes typically taken before courtship begins while also making sure females that will breed that year get a varied wild diet. The kureto then nest in the home acreage. Ranchers must maintain an exceptional relationship with the flock. Kureto raise their young communally, allowing the chicks to be penned and socialized without too much fuss from their mothers provided those rearing them are "part of the flock." Despite being flightless they have impressively large flight feathers, which have a very stiff texture and tight zip. These seem bland on the exterior, but the underside has bright colors. Kureto surround multiple prey items at once and flash these colorful undersides to bunch their targets in the middle. Individual Kureto ranches tend to breed for specific patterns, to the extent that a knowledgeable auctioneer or trainer can recognize lineage based on patterns alone. Mixing many lineages with no selection tends to lead back to wild-type patterns and duller colors which is often called a "shod wing" instead of a "Ranch Name Goes Here wing." "Muddy as a shod wing" is a derogatory term to call something ugly and of poor breeding.

Basic Information

Anatomy

These are large and are purportedly able to gut a full grown man with one kick using their powerful feathered legs. Their thick beaks are used as bludgeons against prey, so they have powerful, stout necks. Sickle feathers cover the rump for both males and females and can be shaken against each other rapidly to create stridulation.

Ecology and Habitats

Because of their travels Kureto are suited to a multitude of habitats. The snood on the face unfolds in to a larger flap of skin to deal with heat, and the feathered legs protect against cold. The stiff feathers are water-proof allowing them to cross rivers and deal with swamps and heavy rains. They can be found practically anywhere but the Underdark, though some flocks do have routes recorded as going through cavern passages to get to the other side of mountains.
They even adapted to urban life much to the disdain of humanoids, who treat them as pests and seek to drive away or destroy entire flocks on their way through. This isn't without warrant- a wild Kureto will happily hunt and devour a small enough humanoid.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Kureto will snack upon nuts and fruit but are primarily carnivores. They do not produce thymine on their own, so too long without meat and they will die of a deficiency or a disease that takes advantage of their suppressed immune systems. Breeding females are especially interested in feasting upon bone. Studies have shown that up to 90% of a breeding female's diet may be bone and marrow during nesting season.

Additional Information

Domestication

Domestic kureto are not true domesticated animals. They still act very much like their wild brethren. They tend to be a bit larger and their colors are much more brilliant, as well as having more endurance as invisibility casters.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Kureto have the ability to go invisible for up to a minute at a time. This is more primitive than the spell Invisibility, done through magically bending light, so occasionally a shudder in their illusion happens on the edges. They spend a great deal of energy on this so much like a creature with venom prefers to dry bite they do not typically use this in self-defense unless feeling extremely threatened.

Conservation Status

Kureto fare well in captivity but are nearly extinct in the wild since caravan roads and towns disrupt their ancestral migration routes, leading them in to conflict with humanoids. There is an ongoing effort to conserve the wild kureto by driving them along new routes until they are adopted, but so far this has had limited success. Many heritage varieties of domestic kureto are in danger of slipping away as hobby breeders are few and far between and ranches trend toward raising only their own strains beyond bringing in new blood.

Geographic Distribution

• Central Province
• Northern Province