Pegasus

Created by the sky god Alya, the Pegasus is one of Hireath's Equines and is native to Sedo. The plural form of pegasus is pegasi.

## Biology

The pegasus is as varied in form as any of Hireath's equines. Pegasi are born with telekinesis, as are all of Hireath's Equines.

### Attributes

A pegasus is determined by the presence of feathers (if based on an avian species) or frills/fur (if based on pygmy dragons or bats) sprouting from the body. Most pegasi have wings which grant them flight. Chimeras are possible between two trait-giving species. Mixes of different birds are similarly possible for chimeras. Placement of traits generally follows the placement of chimeric in such cases.

Contrary to popular myth, pegasi do not have hollow bones, nor are they any lighter than other Hireath equines. Instead they possess an innate magic, similar to the hippocampi ability to transform, that helps them fly. Essentially, each pegasus has just a touch of Alya’s wind magic in them, propelling them to the sky - and safely down as well, at least for the most part.

Despite this, wingless pegasi, pegasi with heavily damaged wings, or pegasi based on flightless birds are unable to fly. Large wings and proper flying surface are still needed to support flight, although some pegasi may be able to glide even with damaged wings.

Currently, no prosthetics exist in Hireath that would be advanced enough to replace a wing that has been completely removed. Partial prosthetics and augmentations are possible, but quite expensive and mostly seen among wealthy Kawaru or those lucky and wealthy few able to import items from them. Even partial prosthetics will have an adverse effect on the flight capacities of a pegasus, especially in harsher flying conditions (similar to hybridized wings). If a wing has been cut off entirely, it can only be replaced with cosmetic prosthetics that are unable to support flight.

Pegasi born with hybridized wings (ie feathers and bat attributes together) are poor fliers and have to work much harder to keep themselves in the air due to the shape of their wings. This type of wing is generally treated as a minor disability.

### Life Cycle

Most avian based pegasi are born in a state comparable to nestling birds. At birth, their feathered portions are covered in soft down feathers, sometimes not yet covering the entire space that will be covered by feathers in adulthood. Throughout childhood, the flight feathers grow in and the feather coverage can spread up to 75% of the equine body. The rate of maturity can vary from pegasus to pegasus, but most pegasi can not fly before they turn three, and only master flying in their tweens. Avian pegasi do undergo cyclical molting.

Batbased pegasi are born with all features and retain them throughout life, although the fur (if they have it) is likely to grow larger and more full over their lives.

Pygmy dragon based pegasi are born with their wings (if they have them) and their frills which are soft, malleable and small at birth. Over childhood the frills can grow and stiffen.

### Genetic Inheritance

A pegasus breeding with a common horse or a unicorn tends to produce a common horse or unicorn at a greater percentage than producing another pegasus. A pegasus breeding with a hippocampus or a kirin tends to produce another pegasus at a greater percentage than producing a hippocampus or kirin. A pegasus breeding with a pegasus always produces another pegasus.

There are no inherent genetic inheritance to the bird, bat or dragon features a pegasi possesses. A sparrow pegasus breeding with a sparrow pegasus is not more likely to produce another sparrow pegasus than a pegasus of any other avian type. Children with bat or dragon features must have a rarity roll purchased at the time they debut such features. They do not need to have had a parent with those features to bear them. In Hireath, pegasi with bat or dragon features are relatively rare, making up about 10% of all pegasi. At least one strain of the trait seem to be tied to recessive genes, as some Aodhian slave traders have managed to breed entire lineages of dragon pegasi. The exact inheritance is however unknown, as sometimes two dragon pegasi still give birth to a feathered equine.

### Sexual Dimorphism

Sexual dimorphism in the species that a character's traits are based on places no restrictions on the gender or features of a character that can bear those traits. Cis female pegasi can have showy peacock feathers, for instance.

## Creation Rules:

### The Pegasus can:

* Be modeled after any breed or mixture of breeds from real life (This includes other non horse equines such as quaggas and donkeys) .
* Come in any natural color, and may have minor unnatural markings. No geometrical markings and no leopard or giraffe printed ponies, please!
* Have eyes that are any hue, and are permitted to be gradient or bi-colored.
* Have a mane and tail as long or textured as pleases or have a tail made out of or mixed with feathers (avian).
* Be based on alive avian species or mimic the horse's natural coat. This includes birds native to Hireath (such as Terror Bird, Devil Bird, Phoenix)
* Be based on bat or pygmy dragon species (with a rarity roll).
* Have a dragon tail and frills or bat fur (with a rarity roll).
* Have feathers covering up to 75% of the body if based on an avian species.
* Be winged or wingless.

### The Pegasus can **not**:

* Have sharp teeth or fangs (without a blessing that allows them to have such)
* Have antlers.
* Have horns.
* Have feathers exceeding 75% coverage of the body.
* Have frills/fur covering more than 30% of the body if they have purchased the rarity roll.
* Have cloven hooves or a leonine tail.
* Have "claws" on wing knuckles (without a rarity roll.)
* Have more than two wings total.
* Have wings sprouting anywhere other than the general area of the back/withers.
* Fly without wings or with very small/damaged wings
* Have insect wings or wings based on pterosaurs

### **Rarity Rolls**

* Create a pegasus with bat, pygmy dragon or thunderbird features.
* Create a pegasus with "claws" on wing knuckles.

## The Four Wings of the Pegasi

When Alya first created pegasi, they were formed in her image. Each possessed four expansive wings in which to soar through her skies and live freely across her land of Sedo. It is said that each pegasus could fly twice as high and four times as fast as any pegasus can today. It is in this time that our story takes place, when four-winged pegasi roamed the earth.

On a bright sunny day, in a family group much like your own, lived a brother and sister. While they were not yet old enough for their Ceremony of the Rising Wind, the siblings still gladly helped their family out whenever they could. Today they had been told to watch the family's herd of goats, and to alert the adults if anything should happen.

"Now don't you two go chasing off after those goats." Their grandmother said before they left, "If one of the goats wanders too far away from home, you go get an adult. Children like you will get lost in the desert and eaten right up by monsters."

The brother and sister assured their grandmother that they would ask for help if anything went wrong, then trotted off to tend to the herd.

The sun was hot and watching goats was incredibly dull. They were just beginning to nod off in boredom when the sister noticed a fluffy goat tail disappearing over a hill.
"I guess I'll have to find an adult." She said, remembering what their grandmother had told them earlier.
"It's not that far," Her brother argued, "We'll return it home in no time flat!" He was right, it didn't look *too* far, and the sister could still see the goat climbing up the crest of the next hill.
"Fine," She agreed reluctantly, "but we need to be quick."

The goat had walked further away than the pair had thought, and after some time they were beginning to grow weary. The sister also couldn't shake off the feeling like they were being watched.

"Brother..." She said, her voice wavering with fear, "I think there is a monster behind us."
"I don't see anything," He called over his shoulder, "We've almost reached the goat, and then we can go home."

"It has the scales of a rattlesnake," She said, unable to tear her eyes away from it.

"I've just about caught our goat," Her brother replied.

"And the mane of a lion," The sister cried.

"Aha!" her brother said, and looped a rope around the goat's neck, "Now we can go home."

"It has the spines of a lizard," The filly wavered, now frozen in fear.

The brother turned around, and came face-to-face with the beast.

"... and the laugh of a coyote," The monster grinned, baring a mouth full of knives.

The creature lunged, but before it could reach the foals, a great being stepped in its path. It was Alya! She was beautiful, glorious, and full of rage. With a mighty swipe of her hooves she plucked two wings off of each of the foals' backs and threw them at the beast. Only then, while it was distracted, she was able to rescue the foals and return them home to their family.

It is to this day that the extra wings of the pegasi remain scattered throughout Hireath in the guise of birds and bats and other flying creatures. It's wise to treat these beings well and not to wander off, as it is said that the monster is still out there, searching for the pegasi who bested it!

*- A Seroran Folk story about pegasi*

#### Credit

"The Four Wings of the Pegasi" was written Ribbon-Wren for the 2018 Creativity Contest