Griffin

### Average size

The smallest that has been spotted, that of a large dog but most grow up to the size of horses. With some exceptions that have grown even larger.

> *"If you hear the screeches, start running. It might prolong your life with a few more seconds."*
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On the eastern continent, atop many large cliffs and mountains, there are large nests. These are usually the home of griffins and one would do well to stay away from these dangerous beasts. While they are most of the year solitary, due to their territorial drift and needs, griffins aren't as vicious and aggressive as bazelgeuses.

## Region of Appearance

The griffin is a creature that lives on the eastern continent. Making its home atop almost unreachable cliffs and mountains, they soar through the air over valleys that they mark as their hunting grounds. The beasts tend to live far east, past the rivers and hills of Sevudia and Lagyre.

## Lifestyle

Griffin are most of the year solitary. Only during mating season, which is mid-summer, is when they seek each other company. At the end of winter, griffins head back to their own hunting grounds. Interesting enough, males often take the chicks with them - which is usually one or two.

The griffin hunts on large mammals for food but doesn't shy away from feasting upon carcasses. When a lake or river is nearby, griffins can be spotted fishing. If the water is deep, the griffin usually dives briefly into the water in order to catch a prey, much like they do when hunting mammals on land. Before they dive, a griffin lets out a loud shriek. It isn't entirely certain if the beasts do that to petrify their victim or because of some instinct. Some people believe that the griffin does it out of its honorable nature, wanting to give its prey a fair warning before it will have to face a tough fight.

## Strong Points

* *Nimble in the air:* Fast and agile in the air, the griffin is a foe that can be hard to take down. With their sharp vision, akin to many birds of prey, they are able to deliver fast and precise attacks in seconds during their dive.
* *Cunning*: They are a cunning bunch. Able to determine what kind of foe they can prey on, griffins don't attack groups of humans for example. Only when a possible victim is too far from any sense of protection, the beast dives down for a kill or grab. Many children that played too far from their villages have fallen prey to the talons of a griffin.
* *Endurable Savages:* These beasts are strong enough to compete with many other predators and animals, both their size and slightly bigger than them. Their savage nature allows them to overwhelm opponents that aren't ready for the flurry of claws or their strong beaks.

## Weak Points

* *Appetite*: These beasts tend to have a large appetite. And with being omnivorous, it is no surprise that many unexperienced handlers have lost a finger or even a limb to an adult and hungry griffin.
* *Stubborn*: While strong and terrifying beasts, griffins are hard to train for the likes of battle and war. They need to be trained from nearly birth before they will accept a human rider. And they need to be nearly trained constantly for several years before willing to dive into the fray of a battle. Only the beastmasers of Ulalic have been able to properly train these creatures into capable war-mounts.