Condor

Among the Pannion Seer's most terrible servants were hundreds of huge demonic Condors which he called his Winged Ones.Memories of Ice, Chapter 22, US SFBC p.788Memories of Ice, Chapter 24, US SFBC p.872 Twice the mass of a Great Raven,Memories of Ice, Chapter 12, US SFBC p.413 their bodies were similar in size to a female Bhederin.Memories of Ice, Chapter 24, US SFBC p.874 They had black, slimy heads atop pale grey snake-like necks ending in a collar on hunched shoulders. They had hooked beaks and nightmare eyes. Their bodies were covered in black, oily feathers and their wings were strong enough to snap tree trunks. Their calls were shrill screams.
Some condors remained close to the Seer to guard against enemiesMemories of Ice, Chapter 12, US SFBC p.413 while others were used to scout Pannion Domin territory and keep out airborne spies and intruders. 
The condors were capable of wielding devastating Chaos sorcery, sending explosive grey lightning bolts against opponents in the air and on the ground.Memories of Ice, Chapter 24, US SFBC p.872 They were also ferocious physical fighters attacking with beak and talon. One condor was more than a match for thirty Black Moranth mounted on Quorls.Memories of Ice, Chapter 24, US SFBC p.872/874
The great birds usually flew only in the daytime and were known to make their giant nests atop guano-streaked towers.Memories of Ice, Chapter 23, US SFBC p.804/806
==In Memories of Ice==
During the Pannion War against the allied forces of Caladan Brood and High Fist Dujek Onearm, the Seer's condors kept Crone and the other Great Ravens from reconnoitering Pannion territory. After lifting the Siege of Capustan, the allies had to move blindly against the Seer's forces at Coral with no knowledge of what awaited them.Memories of Ice, Chapter 23, US SFBC p.844 The Bridgeburners traveled to Coral secretly by night, discovering nests of the sleeping condors atop the towers of Setta along the way.
 
Early in the Siege of Coral, a single condor wreaked havoc on Dujek's defensive lines. It killed a company of heavy-armoured Malazan marines with its sorcery before eliminating an attack wave of Black Moranth atop their quorls. Quick Ben instructed Captain Ganoes Paran to draw a "card" of the beast in the dirt which the Mage used to bring it crashing to earth. Then Paran unsuccessfully attacked it with his pig-sticker knife. When the condor savagely retaliated with its hooked beak, only Paran's surprise transformation into a shadow-woven Hound saved his life. The Hound ultimately broke the unnatural bird's neck.Memories of Ice, Chapter 24, US SFBC p.872-875
The condors also kept Dujek and Whiskeyjack's split forces from communicating with each other, even flying at night to eliminate Moranth messengers. Dujek eventually had to make the decision to launch an all out attack on the city on his own while only being able to guess at Whiskeyjack and Caladan Brood's positions.Memories of Ice, Chapter 24, US SFBC p.878 
The Bridgeburners were secretly inserted into the city to launch a night attack on the Seer's keep. Atop the keep's walls they discovered at least thirty of the birds sleeping and building up their power. Up close, Quick Ben determined that they were normal birds that had been possessed by Chaos-aspected Demons. As a result, they were both bird and demon, although their natural bodies could not quite contain their demonic power. Captain Paran used this knowledge to drive away the birds by exposing them to Spindle's Warren which caused animals to panic.Memories of Ice, Chapter 24, US SFBC p.883-888 
Meanwhile, condors continued attacking the Moranth flying Dujek's troops into the city. In one sorcerous attack, the condors slew a thousand Black Moranth, their quorls, and five companies of Malazan marines. Only massed airborne suicide attacks by the Moranth had minor success.Memories of Ice, Chapter 24, US SFBC p.888-889 When linked together by Chaos magic, the condors even harried Orfantal in his Soletaken Eleint form.Memories of Ice, Chapter 25, US SFBC p.922
As Moon's Spawn began its attack on the keep, the condors fled back to their master chased by Orfantal, Korlat, and tens of thousands of Great Ravens. Many were incinerated by bursts of Kurald Galain coming from the Skykeep. Once Quick Ben took away the defeated Seer, the condors lost their powers and were easily killed.Memories of Ice, Chapter 25, US SFBC p.933/936/946
==Notes and references==
de:Kondor
Category:Creatures
Category:Chaos