Gypsocuta
Gypsocutas, also known as Carrion griffons, were creatures similar but unrelated to griffons.
A gypsocuta was an unusually intelligent beast with the muscular body of a hyena and the head, forelegs, and wings of a giant vulture, a gypsocuta’s reputation for ferocity and aggression makes it one of the most feared carnivores of the desert and savanna.
Basic Information
Anatomy
A gypsocuta had the body of a hyena with the head and wings of a vulture. The forelimbs of the gypsocuta were often like those of a vulture, ending in sharp talons, but this was not always the case. Just as hyenas and vultures had varying physical characteristics based on where in the world they are found, so too did gypsocutas. An adult gypsocuta was about 8 feet long, with a wingspan of 25 feet. The average gypsocuta weighed about 500 pounds
Art by Hillary Luetkemeyer
Art by Hillary Luetkemeyer
Genetics and Reproduction
While some seemed to be of the opinion that female gypsocuta gave live birth, the majority of accounts of their ecology gave mention specifically about their eggs. A female gypsocuta could lay up to four eggs at a time. The eggs were incubated over two months until they hatched. A young gypsocuta could fly at four months of age.
Ecology and Habitats
In the wild, they live in open caverns set in temperate and arid hills, in areas where it is particularly flat and barren, allowing them quick and easy access to the skies.
Dietary Needs and Habits
Gypsocuta were carrion eaters and have developed the ability to consume infected, poisoned or rotting meat safely.However, they would hunt on live prey if other sources of food were sparce.
Additional Information
Social Structure
Gypsocuta were social creatures, living in flocks. A typical flock included one to three males, an equal number of females and Chubs.
Domestication
Gypsocuta were highly prized as aerial steeds. Due to the fact that these beasts were intelligent, a friendly attitude from the gypsocuta to the rider or tamer was not only preferable but required. They require a specialized saddle and appropriate training. The easiest way to tame a gypsocuta was to steal an egg and raise it from birth, but these were not easy to obtain, due to the ferocity of their defenders.
A gypsocuta egg could fetch 1,000 gp, 2000 gp by some accounts, while young gypsocuta would sell for two to three times that price.
The gholdahar of the raihun wastes used to hunt down these monstrosities, taking every opportunity to do so in order to protect their livestock and caravans. and on occasion, capture wild g to use them as mounts and pets.
Facial characteristics
Their faces combined the features of both vultures and condors. They had serrated, gray-black beaks and black eyes.
Average Intelligence
A gypsocuta was a clever creature that understood speech in the Common tongue (with proper training and/or exposure).
Lifespan
30-years
Average Weight
500 lbs.
Average Length
8 ft (2.4 m)
Body Tint, Colouring and Marking
Their hides would be covered in spotted or striped fur. Gypsocuta fur color ranged from russet to hickory brown. Plumage color varied, but males generally had black, white, and a variety of browns with differently shaded feathers, while females tended towards light brown, golden brown, white and gray in.
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