flora and fauna
Flora and Fauna
The Storm Raptor (or Storm Reaper, as they are unofficially called) is a large carnivorous avian. Like the Titan Basilisk, they make dragons a part of their diet.
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Storm Raptors have no elemental abilities, but are unmatched fliers. Storm Raptors are either inclined towards Electricity or Wind. The Wind Storm Raptors are the fastest, and can catch any dragon. Electric Storm Raptors can catch any dragon, with the exception of strong Wind dragons. That is to say, if a Storm Raptor makes a dragon its prey, it will catch that dragon—if in the air. In flight, dragon’s chances are low—they must hope to make it to the ground to fight, or flee into a small cave or dense woods.
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Storm Raptors make their homes in mountains and towering stone spires, and they thrive in storms and winds; their edge over competing airborne predators. They can be found in all known lands, and while they may travel to colder areas to hunt, they will not live there. Standard Storm Raptors find Agni Flats too hot, but a slower, fire-aligned cousin has come forth to claim that area for itself; the Volcanic Raptor.​
A wind Storm Raptor and Volcanic Raptor.
Storm Raptors have a number of means to kill their prey. Most notable are their jaws, packed with permanently exposed, bone-crushing, large teeth. Their talons (two in front, two in the back on each leg) can cut through dragon scales with ease. They also have spurs from their wings that they will use to stab, and a similar spur from their tail—though their tails lack the strength to drive this spur deep, unlike their wing spurs.
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​Mature male Storm Raptors also have a long spur from their beak that they use to impale prey, or fight other male Storm Raptors. This is called the sword. The longer the sword, the older the male. Older males are also much larger, stronger, and faster.
Middle aged male with a sword beak compared to a female/young male, and the latter with an open maw.
Mature males will form harems of female Storm Raptors, as many as he can attract. Adolescents all leave—females to find other alpha males, and males to compete with each other. Young male Storm Raptors will not stand a chance at competing with elder males. They either die trying, or they lay low, blending in with an alpha male’s harem and trying to court his females. Sometimes they are successful.
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As young males are most often solitary, they are more likely to die hunting, being hunted, fighting other males, or at the wrath of alpha males. If they make it to older age however, they begin to grow a sword, and will soon be able to compete with alpha males to conquer a harem and/or draw young females to him.
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Storm Raptors hunt in groups. Females of a harem may leave in small groups to hunt, groups consisting of three to six, depending on the size of the harem. But most often, the alpha male starts a hunt, and most of the females will follow him—sans enough females to protect everyone’s nests and chicks.
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The size of an alpha Storm Raptor’s harem is virtually limitless. Storm Raptors have historically hunted in large enough groups to destroy villages and even towns of dragons, and in general Storm Raptors are a threat to any traveler.
Storm Raptors are intelligent enough to avoid large settlements, and to assess when they have the advantage in numbers.
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Much like with Titan Basilisks, another formidable dragon predator, dragons have made efforts to drive them to extinction. Dragons will track nests and attack them at their most vulnerable to kill chicks and smash eggs, as well as attack lone young males and adolescents. But Storm Raptors are hard to kill off, as once they are adult and settled, they are never alone, and they live up high where they have the advantage.
Still, their numbers have dwindled over the years, as professionally hunting them is a path to glory for dragons. Not only does it lead to a status of protecting dragonkind, but the carcasses of Storm Raptors are sought after. While their meat is rarely liked, their beaks, spurs, bones and bone marrow are used by healers, and their feathers may be used for impressive quills, if treated. However, their skin and feathers are rough and smell quite badly, so they are not used for other means such as attire or decoration.
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Every so often, a population of Storm Raptors grows out of control due to an undefeatable alpha male. When dragons manage to kill an alpha, his females will flock to another alpha, making this flock a much bigger threat. Though attempts are made to kill the females before they find another harem, many will get away and make another male stronger.
In recent years, this has occurred—as recently as year 3010. An old, powerful male (dubbed ‘Karnaq’) found himself reigning over around a hundred females on Warfang mainland, along with countless chicks and eggs. To feed this many, he would lead his flock to attack town after town. Houses would be destroyed, farm animals killed, children eaten.
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Due to the size of not only his flock, but his own size and power, Raptor Hunters were helpless to stop him; he had already killed too many of them. As mutterings of the Guard needing to step in began, the most prominent Raptor hunters that remained made a choice; to ask an Elemental for help.
Requesting the help of the Stormbringer heir caused a flurry of debates. The Stormbringer elders, and Army leadership, saw this as too big of a risk to their sole Elemental; who might not just be irreparably injured, but quite possibly killed challenging an animal.
Some voices insisted the Guard step in first, others believed the Stormbringer duty to protect the nation not only meant standing in the way of enemy nations, but anyone and anything threatening their civilians.
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Debates had not concluded before Commander Lynerius left on his own accord with the Raptor hunters. With the little time they had, they imparted their knowledge and tactics to him and recruited as many volunteers as possible to aid, and intercepted Karnaq and his hunting party on their way to the next town.
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While the hunters and volunteers attacked the females, Lynerius faced the beastly elder alpha; a monster that proved capable of withstanding an Elemental’s attacks for an hour before he finally fell from the sky.
Lynerius, despite numerous injuries and several close calls, then assisted in eliminating the remaining Storm Raptors—most who were now fleeing—and destroying the nest.
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Though many volunteers and career hunters perished, the assault was a success and the mainland returned to a safer state.
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Today, the skull of Karnaq is on display in the Stormbringer estate, and Commander Lynerius has expressed interest in hunting dragon predators again.
Size comparison between a 6 meter dragon, a Storm Raptor's egg, chick, adolescent, adult female/young male,
alpha male, and Karnaq, a very old alpha male.
TBA
TBA