Aquila Leo Aureus - Golden Lion Eagle

By Virgil Shelton

Beast Summary

• Size: Horse with extending wingspan of 30ft
• Motivation/Temperament: Defensive
• Preferred Environment: They can commonly be found from the area north of Alvania, through the wildlands and to the Northern part of the Thundering Sands as well as the Southwestern part of Caliharah
• Prevalence: Few (as a predator there are fewer than prey species, though not rare)
• Danger Level: The average person could find themselves prey of the Aureus but an experienced monster hunter would know exactly how to go about bringing one down. (as an individual). A flock of the beasts would be dangerous enough for a large group or small town
• Attack Description: They hunt by stalking their prey and attacking from above using the element of surprise. Their claws and beak would be used to dispatch their meal.

I hugged the ground close and moved as softly as I could. I could feel cold sweat dripping from my forehead, but I dared not move to wipe my brow lest the sudden movement alert our quarry.

“What in the name of Eos am I doing here?” I silently asked myself for what must have been the hundredth time since we’d left camp. When I’d told my new friend from the Ion’cavar, Elowen, that I wanted to experience the wildlife of the continent first hand this is not at all what I’d had in mind. Perhaps I would have been better off staying in my peaceful study in Rikjosom and left these wild adventures to more capable men. “Well there's no turning back no back now”, I thought to myself, “time to see where your metal really lies.”

The beast moved lazily through a clearing. It walked methodically, I could see its golden feathers contrasted against the dark green of the forest ground. I crotched on a ledge some 20 or so feet above it, Elowen was carefully moving down to cut off the path ahead of it. The plan was simple, Elowen was to frighten the creature and force it to use its wings to escape. The only way out of the clearing was through a break in the foliage that ran just next to my perch. Once the beast was in flight I would use the net Elowen had given me to cut off its escape and entangle all of its limbs. After that, dispatching the creature would be simple work.

I watched as Elowen moved through the tree line to my right, alway taking great care to keep out of sight. Before we had set out he had thoroughly laid out the plan and warned me of the dangers of failing to surprise the Aquila Leo Aureus. When frightened an Aureus will always attempt to flee rather than fight but if it chooses to turn and stand its ground, a single man would be more than easy prey for the predator. If it caught wind of us before we had the chance to spring our trap we’d quickly move from being the hunters to being the hunted.

Now that my nerves had had a chance to settle a bit I studied the Aureus as I waited for Elowen to creep into position. It is a beast both beautiful and terrifying. The winged quadruped stood as tall and as thick as an {ox} but moved with the grace of a leopard. Golden fur and feathers covered its whole body. It took a moment to preen the underside of its left wing and I gawked at the sheer breadth of its wingspan which must have been at least 30 feet across.

As I became mesmerized with the majestic animal, I lost track of myself and without realizing it I had begun to lean out of my hiding spot to get a better vantage of the scene. I suddenly felt the ground beneath my feet give away and I found myself tumbling head over heels down the cliff I had been perched upon. I cried out and desperately tried to grasp hold of anything to break my fall. It was no use. Soon I found myself in a pile at the bottom of the cliff. I must have hit every rock and root in the forest on my way down. But I had no time to take stock of any damages. I heard from mere feet away a harsh screech that set my blood running cold. I managed to get my head up to see the Aureus crouching, ready to pounce. Its black beak was open as it screeched again, I froze as I looked at what could only be death itself beckoning me. I watched as time seemed to move to a crawl as the beast leapt into the air towards me, its powerful hind legs fully extending behind it. I said a quick final prayer to Eos.

Just as I thought the creature was on top of me I heard an audible swish followed by a loud thunk that was oddly similar to a butcher cutting through a leg of {lamb}. The Aureus jerked forcibly to the side and fell motionless to the ground, suddenly quite dead and harmless, a long pole protruding from its side. I managed to sit up, the cold sweat that had been on my forehead earlier now covered my whole body. I panted and stared at the corpse, trying to process what had just happened.

Laughter to my right startled me out of my daze. Elowen emerged from the trees grinning from ear to ear. “Well I said that the only way to slay this beast was to take it by surprise but that wasn’t exactly what I meant,” he said, barely able to control his mirth. I looked from Elowen back to the Aureus and realized that the long pole sticking out of the creature was the Alvan that Elowen told me he carried with him on all of his hunts.

I found myself starting to chuckle at the absurdity of what had just happened and then the chuckles gave way to uncontrollable hysterics. Elowen and I spent the next few minutes in fits of glee.

When we were finally able to right ourselves I watched as Elowen retrieved his Alvan and then broke down the creature's carcass and carefully separated out the valuable bits, taking special caution when removing the small core from the head of the creature.

As I watched I reminisced on my experience. I had been literal inches from death but I had lived thanks to my companion. I’d spent most of my adult life studying the world from the safety of dusty classrooms and libraries. If today had taught me anything it is how little I had actually learned. Before I had been looking forward to returning to Nashriam and my study in Rikjosom, but now I think that perhaps I shouldn’t return just yet. I still have too much to learn.

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Notes for writers
Description

The Aquila Leo Aureus is a creature with the body of a lion and the wings and claws of an eagle. In contrast to the artwork, my vision is that it would have separate forelimbs and wings so a total of 6 appendages. The jaws would be replaced with a power black beak. A full grown Aureus would stand around 4 feet tall at the shoulder and 8 to 10 feet in length with a wing span of up to 30 feet or more. On the ground they move slowly and don’t run unless they have to, but in the air they can fly as swiftly and silently as an eagle. They’d hunt by stalking their prey and attacking from above using the element of surprise. Their claws and beak would be used to dispatch their meal.

Geography and Hunting

They can commonly be found from the area north of Alvania, through the wildlands and to the Northern part of the Thundering Sands as well as the Southwestern part of Caliharah. They generally live as solitary creatures but will group together during mating and birthing season in the spring and early summer season. These packs stay together to protect and provide food for the newborns until they are old enough to start learning to hunt from their mothers. Attacks on settlements from these packs are not common but they have been known to happen.

Surviving an Encounter

Virgil’s perspective of the Aureus would have been heavily influenced by his novice level of experience with the world outside of his study at the time of this encounter. In reality a skilled adventurer or veteran member of the Ion’cavar like Elowen would be well versed in dealing with this creature. The average person could find themselves prey of the Aureus but an experienced monster hunter would know exactly how to go about bringing one down. During the mating and birthing season, when the Aureus group together, they can prove to be an impossible challenge and even the most daring hunter would normally keep their distance. I imagine them filling a similar niche as the American Mountain Lion with the only change being how they’d group together for a time.