Thundergull

Written by Yerran

Originally seen as an omen of change or danger, the warbles of the thundergulls ring out before the coming of a storm. The booms of their calls mimicking the coming thunder and alerting those to take cover before what looms. Those of Stormheld Bastion see the creatures as spiritual beings soaring before the storm, but any that have had an interaction with one would find it less than pleasant, and many a Stormrider or resident of the outer islands see them as pests.

Anatomy

Thundergulls average out at about 75cm when perched. Their bodies are thick for birds and they possess two sets of wide, powerful wings for fighting against the strength of the storms and wind of The Shattered Shelf. Their beaks are narrow and sharp for plucking fish from the ocean and they possess claws of stone that they grind against rocks and reefs to sharpen.

Habitat

Thought to be altered by the The Rage of Castellian and the magic of the Maelstrom, thundergulls live far out in The Shattered Shelf, making nests for themselves atop the jagged cliffs and broken rock faces where few predators can ever reach them.

Diet

Oftentimes they eat fish and other sea creatures, though have been known to swarm anything that seeks to climb to their nests and attack with their sharp beaks and claws. Those that fly before the storms and arrive at the inner Shattered Shelf have begun to scavenge, whether it be the corpses of shipwrecked, food left out for the night or within trash bins and dog dishes.

Personalities and Pests

The more that the creatures have become accustomed to the presence of humanoids and their passing, the more bold they have grown. Now they regularly sift through rubbish and loiter around human settlements, seeking an easy meal. They will use their thunderous caws to scare animals and humans into dropping their food before they swoop down and scoop it up themselves. Many have been duped by the thundergull's wily ways and it seems the creatures are adept at learning too, for they have managed to concoct several schemes to achieve their goals of thievery and teach it to others of their kind.

It is for this reason that many now ignore the 'spiritualness' of the creatures, instead labelling them as pests. Some towns and settlements have imported a surplus of flash-cats to deal with the problem, while others have taken matters into their own hands, shooting the creatures from the skies themselves.

Luckily for most of Lenwir, it is only on the outskirts of The Shattered Shelf where thundergulls have appeared in recent years, though many fear their migration might take them further inland, cursing Samudir, the Creator God of the sea for the creation of this accursed pest.

Juvenile Thundergulls

Hatched from eggs marked with trails of blue lightning upon black, Juvenile Thundergulls can't fly immediately and actually spend the first three months of their lives amongst the ocean's waves. They swim and dive for their fish, breathing through gills that stay open throughout their lives. While within the ocean they are extremely vulnerable to other predators and if they don't learn to fly quickly they will likely perish young. They move through the ocean using their wings which develops strong muscles that eventually lead them to fly and escape their watery prison.

Long Drop and a Splash

Parents of baby thundergulls will feed their offspring for the first few weeks until they are certain the creatures will survive, then they will kindly kick them over the ledge, usually to plummet far into the waters below. This style of harsh parenting is unsurprising to any that have ever faced down the viscious creatures distant relatives, the seagull.