Renanin

The Renanin is a giant flying creature that patrols the skies of The Darklands. Whilst human colonists of Yi'riila have seen the creature flying in the distance, only drow are known to have seen it up close.
The Renanin closely resembles a Roc, a species of large birds that live in The Darklands, albeit the Renanin is even larger. It is so large that when it spreads its wings, it blots out the Sun. The bird is known to fly most often when the sky is cloudy. It is one of the Three Primordial Beasts of The Darklands and more specifically, it is the Air Aspect.
The Renanin has brightly colored feathers that shimmer with an unnatural light, making its underside seem well-lit all the time. This makes its distance hard to determine and often looks as if it flew above the Sun itself. It has a long, hooked bill similar to an eagle's. The Renanin is a bird of prey, hunting large animals and even humanoid groups and caravans for food. Before it attacks, the Renanin lulls its prey with its beautiful song, incapacitating them while it descends. Its song can be heard for kilometers , but only those directly below the massive creature are subject to its magical effect. Those further away only hear the song as a beautiful, heavenly choir. Once its prey is disabled, it enters a dive and reaches extraordinary speed. Just before the Renanin impacts the ground, a deafening boom emanates from it, allowing its prey just enough time to look up at its death before it reaches it. Upon reaching its target, the Renanin smashes into the ground with immense force, usually pulverizing its target and anything unfortunate enough to remain in the vicinity. The Renanin then flies out of the resulting cloud after it consumes its prey. Understandably nobody known exactly how the bird eats its prey so quickly as none had survived who was close enough to see. The only creature safe from this beast is the Behemoth which is too large and too powerful for it to hunt.

Renanin in Drow Belief

Besides the elven gods of Solcritoel and Volublectyth, many dark elves revere the Three Aspects of the Darklands, also known as the Three Primordial Beasts. These are large creatures created by Volublectyth that roam the landmass and its surroundings. One of these is the Renanin, which is thought to be the avatar of the skies above The Darklands. The Renanin is the ruler of the skies and commands the birds and airborn creatures of The Darklands. The bird watches over the lands of the drow.

I had been traveling through the Darklands for several months, searching for rare herbs and minerals that could be sold for a high price in the human colonies. As I trekked through the rugged terrain, I occasionally caught glimpses of the Renanin flying overhead. The giant bird fascinated and frightened me at the same time, with its bright feathers and haunting song. One day, I set up camp near a large rock formation, hoping to find some valuable minerals there. I had just started to set up my mining equipment when I heard a sound that made my blood run cold. It was the Renanin's song, and it was coming from directly above me.

I froze in terror, knowing that I was too far from cover to avoid the attack. The song seemed to get louder and more intense, and I felt my mind slipping away as the Renanin's magic took hold. Just as I was about to lose consciousness, there was a sudden explosion that shook the ground beneath me.

I opened my eyes to see a massive cloud of dust and debris rising into the air. I scrambled to my feet and looked up, expecting to see the Renanin descending from the sky. But instead, I saw a group of animals stampeding away from the scene.

I realized that the Renanin must have attacked them, and that I had been far enough away to avoid the worst of the impact. I cautiously approached the site of the attack and saw the remains, scattered across the ground. I searched for any valuable materials I could salvage, but I couldn't bring myself to stay for long.
From that day on, I made sure to keep my distance from the Renanin whenever I saw it flying overhead. I know that I had been lucky to survive the attack, and I don't want to push my luck any further.

- Johann Melurden

Current Location

The Darklands