Name: The Horned Carowa
Quick Facts: The Horned Carowa is one of the largest bird species and is often considered one of the most dangerous. An aggressive nature that can become even more so when attacked, and combined with their large and dangerous legs and horns makes them both pests and menaces to those who have to live nearby. They are a common cause of death for the unprepared traveler when in Central or West Idalos and their Northern variant is even more vicious. The only benefit for humanoids is the fact that their meat is incredibly rich in nutrients and they lack tough muscle in their upper body. There is no size difference between the North and the West/Central variant. Horned Carowa are completely flightless. The core of their horns can be ground into an "Alchemical Primer".
Height: They range from 10 to 20 feet, though usually most don't get bigger than 12. It is rare for the birds to reach full size in nature, and often a Carowa of that size is killed as quickly as possible to reduce menace to travelers and towns in its area.
Width: The Carowa has a body width of about 3-5 feet across, depending on its height. It's wing span is a different matter entirely, often being equal to or larger than the height of the bird itself.
Weight: Anywhere from 3,000 to 6,000 lbs
Native to: Open plains areas though it has been known to adapt to more forested areas.
Locations: Central, West, and remote parts of North Idalos.
Appearance:
The Horned Carowa comes in two different appearances. Central and Western Carowa are known to have long, muscle-covered legs which lead up to a large and rather plump body. The best thing to compare them to is a cassowary. Their upper bodies are usually covered in soft, exotic looking plumage that comes in a variety of colours. Both genders flaunt vivid colors to attract each other. The males are known to have much stronger horns protruding from the top of their head, while the females have smaller horns on the top of their beaks. The legs of the female are more powerful. They're the ones in charge of digging up the nest, and are often left in charge of protecting the nest while the male goes out to hunt. Their stronger legs give them the ability to better protect chicks.The males are the hunters and foragers, likely the evolutionary cause of the large horns.
Northern Carowa, however, usually come in colors more camouflaged to their environment. It isn’t to protect them from predators as much as it is to hide them from prey. They are vicious and savage creatures who have adapted to the more dangerous parts of the world. As such they are far more muscular on the upper half, their feathers are more brittle, and are far more violent.
The reason for color differentiation between the two variants is rather simple. When they were imported out of the mountains, there were several breeders who strove to create the most beautiful birds, seeking to create the newest exotic pet. Needless to say their attempts failed, but the coloured birds escaped. Several generations later, the brightly coloured animals had replaced their duller, northern compatriots.
Habitat: Originally the Horned Carowa were only native to Northern Idalos. They were unappetizing, but considered to be one of the better food sources due to the high nutrition content. Someone came up with the idea to try to breed them in Central Idalos to be more docile and better tasting. That idea didn’t work and several escaped animals led to an explosion of their population. Without the harsher conditions the birds were used to they were able to thrive very quickly and cause chaos in the area. They are easily adaptable, unchecked they can cause a lot of problems. Those of the West and Central however are much weaker meaning they're easier to deal with. Their position as apex predator in nearly every place they're found means that the only threats come from two sources: their natural enemies, the Zelroux, and hunting parties.
The Carowa was confined to the Northern parts mainly due to the fact that the Zelroux lived primarily in West and Central Idalos. The other reason has to do with their population. The Carowa is a terrible parent during the egg stage- they care little for the eggs and if too much attention is required to protect them, the parents will often eat the eggs rather than spend the time to keep them safe. This rare survival rate of eggs keeps the population in low numbers. If the Carowa moved too far away from each other it would be impossible for young Carowa to find mates during the proper season.
A Carowa will try to remain close to where it hatched often going so far as to drive its parents out once it's strong enough. The territory of a Carowa can vary anywhere from 200-1000 acres depending on just how strong the Carowa is. Males tend to have larger territory while the females have more resource rich territory.
Lifespan and Development: Typically a Carowa will be born in a small nest of 3-5 eggs, usually a shallow hole with a bedding of leaves and grasses. At most, one of those eggs will survive. Carowa tend to have little time or energy for their young until after they have hatched. Female Carowas dig holes in the ground that function as nests. The female Carowa will remain in the area and cover the nest with leaves during the day time. If she leaves to hunt the father may remain in the area, though it's unlikely. At night the female Carowa will sit on the nest, however that is the extent of the attention the eggs recieve. Parents will rear their one child that hatches with great care and patience. The child will be fiercely protected by both parents at this point, however that is not to say that it will be coddled.The baby Carowa will be taught how to hunt and fight until the age of 2 years old when it is officially mature.
Territory is usually stolen from an older Carowa by a younger Carowa. The Carowa are a ruthless species that focus on little more than survival, and have no bonds to other Carowa. As such Carowa will often fight with each other over territory, the old giving way to the young. At the age of 2 a Carowa usually forces its parents out of their territory. When a Carowa reaches 3 years of age they will be old enough to breed. When mating season comes, all mature Carowa gravitate towards each other. They vie for attention by stomping the ground to make large vibrations and emit ear shattering screams. Once they've gathered they choose a mate (males often fighting over females for both variants) and the mates choose one territory to go to, often the female's.
The main predator of the Horned Carowa is a creature known as the Wild Zelroux. They will avoid areas where they find signs of a Wild Zelroux, or if they cannot avoid it, will clump up in even-numbered bunches. They avoid odd number groups for an unknown reason.
Diet: Carowa tend to eat anything smaller than themselves. This often includes animals, plants, and sentient species of all kinds.
When hunting, the Carowa of the West and Central areas tend to throw any idea of stealth out the window due to their flamboyant coloration. Once they've located their prey they will chase them down in a manner best compared to a cheetah, relying on speed and endurance. They mainly attack by jumping and kicking with their powerful legs, though males are just as likely to head butt an enemy. The males use their horns to both attack foes and prey, impaling anything they can on them.
In the North, however Carowas tend to spend a lot more time stalking their prey, mainly due to their superior camouflage. It's hard to stay silent in areas like thick forests, but the North Carowa is known to patiently sit and wait for prey. Once their unsuspecting meal has gotten close, they'll emerge from their hiding place as suddenly and quickly as possible, relying on surprise. They aren't particularly fast, but they have a lot of endurance and will follow prey for miles.
They need to eat a good amount because they exert a lot of energy catching prey and fighting, but due to their ability to eat nearly anything, it is rare for one to starve to death. Because each Carowa has a very large territory, they don't tend to cause as much damage to the ecosystem as one would expect. They kill a large animal about once every week and the rest of time is spent foraging for whatever they can dig up between kills.
Temperament: The Carowa are extremely vicious creatures, known for their territorial aggressiveness. They avidly hunt anything which enters their territory, be it sentient or beast. They lack a sense of fear in almost all cases, and they don’t understand the concept of pain. They tend to go in a rage when wounded, and will attack anything that causes them pain. They can notice patterns and things that stick out, they know how to outsmart foes like a fox could, but they have no higher level of thinking. Carowa are solitary creatures. Large groups of Carowa, rumored to terrorize towns, only truly occurs with the immediate threat of a large group of Zelroux.
Males are more flamboyant, often including an excess of posturing and threats of aggression, while a clash between females will instantly result in a fight. Carowa tend to avoid fighting with the opposite gender. Sometimes, when a Carowa pushes another Carowa out of its territory, they will allow it to live and keep a small piece of the land, but more often than not one Carowa will kill the other. This decision has numerous factors, such as the gender of each Carowa and if familial ties exist.
Abilities: Giant tree sized muscle legs and a decreased sense of pain.
Credit: Night
Quick Facts: The Horned Carowa is one of the largest bird species and is often considered one of the most dangerous. An aggressive nature that can become even more so when attacked, and combined with their large and dangerous legs and horns makes them both pests and menaces to those who have to live nearby. They are a common cause of death for the unprepared traveler when in Central or West Idalos and their Northern variant is even more vicious. The only benefit for humanoids is the fact that their meat is incredibly rich in nutrients and they lack tough muscle in their upper body. There is no size difference between the North and the West/Central variant. Horned Carowa are completely flightless. The core of their horns can be ground into an "Alchemical Primer".
Height: They range from 10 to 20 feet, though usually most don't get bigger than 12. It is rare for the birds to reach full size in nature, and often a Carowa of that size is killed as quickly as possible to reduce menace to travelers and towns in its area.
Width: The Carowa has a body width of about 3-5 feet across, depending on its height. It's wing span is a different matter entirely, often being equal to or larger than the height of the bird itself.
Weight: Anywhere from 3,000 to 6,000 lbs
Native to: Open plains areas though it has been known to adapt to more forested areas.
Locations: Central, West, and remote parts of North Idalos.
Appearance:
The Horned Carowa comes in two different appearances. Central and Western Carowa are known to have long, muscle-covered legs which lead up to a large and rather plump body. The best thing to compare them to is a cassowary. Their upper bodies are usually covered in soft, exotic looking plumage that comes in a variety of colours. Both genders flaunt vivid colors to attract each other. The males are known to have much stronger horns protruding from the top of their head, while the females have smaller horns on the top of their beaks. The legs of the female are more powerful. They're the ones in charge of digging up the nest, and are often left in charge of protecting the nest while the male goes out to hunt. Their stronger legs give them the ability to better protect chicks.The males are the hunters and foragers, likely the evolutionary cause of the large horns. Northern Carowa, however, usually come in colors more camouflaged to their environment. It isn’t to protect them from predators as much as it is to hide them from prey. They are vicious and savage creatures who have adapted to the more dangerous parts of the world. As such they are far more muscular on the upper half, their feathers are more brittle, and are far more violent.
The reason for color differentiation between the two variants is rather simple. When they were imported out of the mountains, there were several breeders who strove to create the most beautiful birds, seeking to create the newest exotic pet. Needless to say their attempts failed, but the coloured birds escaped. Several generations later, the brightly coloured animals had replaced their duller, northern compatriots.
Habitat: Originally the Horned Carowa were only native to Northern Idalos. They were unappetizing, but considered to be one of the better food sources due to the high nutrition content. Someone came up with the idea to try to breed them in Central Idalos to be more docile and better tasting. That idea didn’t work and several escaped animals led to an explosion of their population. Without the harsher conditions the birds were used to they were able to thrive very quickly and cause chaos in the area. They are easily adaptable, unchecked they can cause a lot of problems. Those of the West and Central however are much weaker meaning they're easier to deal with. Their position as apex predator in nearly every place they're found means that the only threats come from two sources: their natural enemies, the Zelroux, and hunting parties.
The Carowa was confined to the Northern parts mainly due to the fact that the Zelroux lived primarily in West and Central Idalos. The other reason has to do with their population. The Carowa is a terrible parent during the egg stage- they care little for the eggs and if too much attention is required to protect them, the parents will often eat the eggs rather than spend the time to keep them safe. This rare survival rate of eggs keeps the population in low numbers. If the Carowa moved too far away from each other it would be impossible for young Carowa to find mates during the proper season.
A Carowa will try to remain close to where it hatched often going so far as to drive its parents out once it's strong enough. The territory of a Carowa can vary anywhere from 200-1000 acres depending on just how strong the Carowa is. Males tend to have larger territory while the females have more resource rich territory.
Lifespan and Development: Typically a Carowa will be born in a small nest of 3-5 eggs, usually a shallow hole with a bedding of leaves and grasses. At most, one of those eggs will survive. Carowa tend to have little time or energy for their young until after they have hatched. Female Carowas dig holes in the ground that function as nests. The female Carowa will remain in the area and cover the nest with leaves during the day time. If she leaves to hunt the father may remain in the area, though it's unlikely. At night the female Carowa will sit on the nest, however that is the extent of the attention the eggs recieve. Parents will rear their one child that hatches with great care and patience. The child will be fiercely protected by both parents at this point, however that is not to say that it will be coddled.The baby Carowa will be taught how to hunt and fight until the age of 2 years old when it is officially mature.
Territory is usually stolen from an older Carowa by a younger Carowa. The Carowa are a ruthless species that focus on little more than survival, and have no bonds to other Carowa. As such Carowa will often fight with each other over territory, the old giving way to the young. At the age of 2 a Carowa usually forces its parents out of their territory. When a Carowa reaches 3 years of age they will be old enough to breed. When mating season comes, all mature Carowa gravitate towards each other. They vie for attention by stomping the ground to make large vibrations and emit ear shattering screams. Once they've gathered they choose a mate (males often fighting over females for both variants) and the mates choose one territory to go to, often the female's.
The main predator of the Horned Carowa is a creature known as the Wild Zelroux. They will avoid areas where they find signs of a Wild Zelroux, or if they cannot avoid it, will clump up in even-numbered bunches. They avoid odd number groups for an unknown reason.
Diet: Carowa tend to eat anything smaller than themselves. This often includes animals, plants, and sentient species of all kinds.
When hunting, the Carowa of the West and Central areas tend to throw any idea of stealth out the window due to their flamboyant coloration. Once they've located their prey they will chase them down in a manner best compared to a cheetah, relying on speed and endurance. They mainly attack by jumping and kicking with their powerful legs, though males are just as likely to head butt an enemy. The males use their horns to both attack foes and prey, impaling anything they can on them.
In the North, however Carowas tend to spend a lot more time stalking their prey, mainly due to their superior camouflage. It's hard to stay silent in areas like thick forests, but the North Carowa is known to patiently sit and wait for prey. Once their unsuspecting meal has gotten close, they'll emerge from their hiding place as suddenly and quickly as possible, relying on surprise. They aren't particularly fast, but they have a lot of endurance and will follow prey for miles.
They need to eat a good amount because they exert a lot of energy catching prey and fighting, but due to their ability to eat nearly anything, it is rare for one to starve to death. Because each Carowa has a very large territory, they don't tend to cause as much damage to the ecosystem as one would expect. They kill a large animal about once every week and the rest of time is spent foraging for whatever they can dig up between kills.
Temperament: The Carowa are extremely vicious creatures, known for their territorial aggressiveness. They avidly hunt anything which enters their territory, be it sentient or beast. They lack a sense of fear in almost all cases, and they don’t understand the concept of pain. They tend to go in a rage when wounded, and will attack anything that causes them pain. They can notice patterns and things that stick out, they know how to outsmart foes like a fox could, but they have no higher level of thinking. Carowa are solitary creatures. Large groups of Carowa, rumored to terrorize towns, only truly occurs with the immediate threat of a large group of Zelroux.
Males are more flamboyant, often including an excess of posturing and threats of aggression, while a clash between females will instantly result in a fight. Carowa tend to avoid fighting with the opposite gender. Sometimes, when a Carowa pushes another Carowa out of its territory, they will allow it to live and keep a small piece of the land, but more often than not one Carowa will kill the other. This decision has numerous factors, such as the gender of each Carowa and if familial ties exist.
Abilities: Giant tree sized muscle legs and a decreased sense of pain.
Credit: Night
