Thunderbird
The Thunderbird was a powerful creature used to reside near the Blasted Hills. It was slain by members of the Pentaghast family
Summary
Described as a supernatural being, this flying snake was a symbol of power and strength that resided in the regions around northern Orlais and Western Nevarra.
It was called the Thunderbird because the flapping of its powerful wings sounded like thunder, and lightning would shoot out of its eyes. The Thunderbird brought rain and storm to Nevarra's land, which could be both good or bad. It was good when the rain was needed, but plenty of times it was bad because it came with destructive strong winds, floods, and fires caused by lightning. Supposedly, it was also powerful enough to carry a whale from the Amaranthine Ocean all the way to its home.
The Blasted Hills were given their name because they have been so frequently struck by lightning because of this creature. This is obviously apparent if one visits the region, particularly with all the black lightning marks scarring the land.
Terrifyingly, even across long distances the creature was able to sneak into the dreams of children and convince them to run away to a "better place". These children would wake up, grab all their things while their parents were asleep and none the wiser, and never been seen from again. It became common for parents to keep a warm kettle near a child's bed at night so that if they were to "wake up" and grab the kettle, they'd shake off this beast's trance and wouldn't run off. This worked wonders.
Eventually, the Thunderbird overstepped its grounds and during a great flood tried to sneak into the dreams of Jamesina Pentaghast, the youngest daughter of the Pentaghast family. She ran off late at night and was gone for many eves. The family members were sent out all over Nevarra in an attempt to find her. Eventually, an oracle using tarot cards and pointed her older sister to the Blasted Hills. There, she was to find the Thunderbird, slay the creature, and rescue her sister from the monster. She and her mother did exactly that. After approximately two weeks of being missing, Jamesina was returned safely home and the Thunderbird murdered.
Historical Basis
Spoiler: Campaign 1
Dematrigon Enginn was given ownership of the "Thunderbird" as an offering of peace between him and the Pentaghast family. He learned that most of the myths surrounding the creature were falsehoods. It did not steal children out of malice, instead it occasionally inspired kids to leave their abusive parents. It also was not a bird made of thunder. Instead, it was a soft-scaled dragon. It did not create lightning and thunder as others believed. Rather, the Blasted Hills has been a location that often saw lightning and storms due in part from natural reasons, not a mythical dragon creating such things.
Spread
After Nevarran children started going missing, the legend grew in a lot of popularity. It became common place for families to put steaming kettles in their children's rooms late at night to prevent their children from running off due to the Thunderbird's influence. Despite being killed by the Pentaghast family, some families still use the steaming kettle as a "just in case".
Cultural Reception
Many modern scholars and draconologists claim that this creature, despite its popularity, was merely a dragon. They claim that it makes sense that despite being such a powerful creature, two dragon hunters would be able to best such a supposedly supernatural being.
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