Owlbear
A strange mixture of bear and owl, owlbears are ferocious killers whose first instinct is to attack anything they see. Adults stand eight feet tall when rearing up on their hind legs, and weigh up to 1,500 pounds. They are of animal level intelligence.
Origins
The origins of this strange race are a subject of debate amongst scholars. Perhaps the most widely accepted tale is that they were created by strange fey magic or as the twisted experiment of an evil hag. Another theory is that a magical accident occurred when a wizard with an owl familiar summoned a dire bear in an area with strong background transmutation magic. This "arcane dislocation" resulted in the creatures merging to form an owlbear. Obviously this would have had to have happened more than once in order to create a new race, and the theory also has to explain what happened to the rest of the owl and the bear—no one has ever seen a "bearowl" made up from the parts which were not used in the owlbear.Ecology
Owlbears mate for life, and even if one partner dies, the other may retain the body for some time afterwards. They lay eggs, and the hatchlings become adults after two years. The parents become even more ferocious in defence of their young, if such a thing is possible. The vast majority of owlbear encounters are with solitary adults or a mated pair, although they band together in packs of up to eight. This can be due to a particularly powerful owlbear temporarily gathering together a gang of lesser followers. These packs may also form in response to being hunted; this makes the occupation of owlbear hunter even more dangerous than it otherwise would be.Domestication
Eggs and young owlbears are sought after commodities that can fetch a high price. As a result, some hunters specialise in obtaining them. It takes a great deal of courage—or recklessness—to train an owlbear, and not much less to employ one as a guard creature. The beasts are strong-willed, unpredictable, and ferocious, and many an "owner" has been savaged by his "tame" owlbear. These qualities make orcs the best trainers of owlbears, and orcs respect and admire the creatures' savagery. Orcs wear the scars of owlbear attacks as a mark of honour, and owning an owlbear grants high status in the tribe. Some orcs even go so far as to ride owlbears into battle.
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