Quetzals - Prompt #4 A Species of Animals (ket-zal)
Prompt #4 A Species of Animals – Quetzals
These creatures were once called the Spirits or Guardians of the Forest on Ancient Aetheria and were taken with the refugees who escaped the Cataclysm War to Terrearth. The fiercely loyal creatures remained the allies of those who served the Light during the Twin Lords Wars and were found to have survived the Cataclysm War when the Aetherians returned home. Often considered the Protectors of the Pools of Destiny and the sacred forests. They have modified feathers, almost like scales, and four wings with claws at the joints. Their wings are more suitable for gliding than actual flying. They often fold their wings and burrow using their claws. The Quetzal have a specialized sack in their abdomen which secretes a flammable liquid chemically similar to biofuel that ignites on contact with air. They can belch or spit flames or when necessary, they will gulp air into the sack and turn themselves into an incendiary bomb. They are amazing creatures however they are not without problems. A lightning struck Quetzal will explode like a fuel-air bomb. It is well known that if a person crosses or attempts to harm a Quetzal that the entire Quetzal species would seek to harm them if they leave the cities and enter the forest or mountains.
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Excepts from Relic of Time:
“I can feel your brother’s evil from here.” Lord Verde said as he joined Karstien. The nine-hundred-year-old warrior ruler was half-Aetherian and possessed the lost forest magic of their people, meaning he controlled the entire Quetzal forest-guardian nation. The strange-winged creatures could belch fire and even explode violently. The Foresters were the best archers in the kingdoms. It was also rumored that the foresters were trained by the last Aetherian Huntsman. The Forester huntsmen of the Greenvale stood shoulder to wing-claw with the Quetzal guardians of the forest.
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At midnight, the storm began. Necromanced humans and undead hounds overran the city as lightning fell from the sky. Damien strode through the chaos unafraid. Looking up he could see the feathered serpent Quetzals had surrounded the castle destroying all who came near. He grinned as the lightning struck them and caused them to detonate in giant gaseous explosions exactly as his experiments had shown. The Quetzal were accidentally destroying the city as they tried to protect their mistress, Lady Cupa. The resulting devastation was burning the city and creating chaos among the defending forces. “Mother, what is happening?” Cupa demanded as her mother cast shield glyph after shield glyph over the city trying to protect their people and Quetzals from the lightning. “Call your protectors from the sky, Daughter. Profane magic has made this storm and is turning them into weapons against us. Send them to the forest and away from the storm.” “Yes, Mother.” Lady Cupa rushed out into the mayhem. Her eyes glowed green, summoning the flying serpents of all sizes to listen to her. “My Quetzals, flee to the safety of the forest.” But the loyal creatures refused to leave her, so she ordered them to stop flying in the sky and to burrow underground instead. The Quetzal burrowed paths to the escape tunnels for those cut off by the lightning. Standing in the high courtyard, Cupa let her magic spread out to the city. ‘My people, go underground. Our serpent friends are making a way for our escape.’ Everywhere in the ground, the vibration of the burrowing serpents could be felt, and many began to escape under the walls of the city and to the forest beyond the storm.
<^><^><^>
Except from resettlement of Aetheria
Asha loved the forest, it was like a friend. She could feel its life. She carefully looked up at the city through the trees and then to the mountains to get her bearings before she started determinedly toward her meadow. The red flowers should be blooming, she loved red. It was her favorite color. She was almost there when she heard a sound. A small Quetzal was caught in a tangling vine, it was hurt and so scared. “Is okay, I’m friend.” She glowed and healed it. When it wasn’t afraid anymore, she untangled its wing claw from the briar and folded the wing against its body. Carefully extracting the creature, the way, she had seen her mother changing components on the starships. “Do you want to come to my meadow?” Asha asked and it made a strange trilling sound she took to mean yes, so she picked up the little green serpent, careful not to hurt its tiny wings, and carried it the rest of the way to the meadow where she put it down in the short grass and patted its head. “We are here, Greenie.” ‘Greenie’ followed her around the meadow as she picked red flowers. A very old Quetzal came into the meadow, it had an arrow in it. Asha healed it, and the two other injured Quetzals that followed it. She had to glow extra bright as the old Quetzal pulled the arrows out of the last. It hissed and groaned as the wounds closed then it laid still and slept. The old one bowed its head and Asha rubbed the ridges around its eyes. “Who hurt you?” She didn’t understand who would want to hurt the Quetzals, they were nice. She knew from her grandmother’s ghost, they had once been called the guardians of the forest and only blew up if they were scared or protecting. Slit golden eyes like a cat seemed to shimmer and Asha felt what it wanted to tell her. It wasn’t like when she heard her parents in her mind, it was more like an impression. “I happy you escaped.” Asha went back to picking flowers as the Quetzals laid in the sun, she hummed as she glowed. She felt stronger in her meadow than in the city, but the child didn’t wonder why. Suddenly, the eldest Quetzal hissed for her and Greenie to hide, with the impression that danger was coming to the meadow. Clouds covered the sun, and it became darker. Asha hid in the tall grass, clutching Greenie as the others reared at the abominations. Five skeleton-like Necrorriors entered the meadow. Asha was terrified because they were shooting arrows at her friends. One Quetzal blew fire destroying a Necrorrior as it sliced the serpent’s head off, but the other Necrorriors kept shooting at the eldest who had its four wings spread wide to shield the child and hatchling. “NO!” Asha cried out as the old Quetzal was slain. She and Greenie were exposed. The last big Quetzal tried to save them, it gulped air then launched its arrow-impaled body at the enemy. It trumpeted a distress call then tackled the lead Necrorrior to the ground and exploded, but it failed to take out the other two. Asha held Greenie behind her as the undead creatures approached. Shouting the words, Mine had practiced with her, she glowed gold and her power created a bubble around them the way Mine had taught her. Golden shield glyphs covered the surface. The arrows couldn’t reach them. More Quetzals came to help, then suddenly Mine was there and killed all the skeletal dead with his black sword. “MINE!” She cried. She watched him fall down as the sun began to shine again. The remaining Quetzals formed a protective ring around the glowing golden child and the wounded warrior.
These creatures were once called the Spirits or Guardians of the Forest on Ancient Aetheria and were taken with the refugees who escaped the Cataclysm War to Terrearth. The fiercely loyal creatures remained the allies of those who served the Light during the Twin Lords Wars and were found to have survived the Cataclysm War when the Aetherians returned home. Often considered the Protectors of the Pools of Destiny and the sacred forests. They have modified feathers, almost like scales, and four wings with claws at the joints. Their wings are more suitable for gliding than actual flying. They often fold their wings and burrow using their claws. The Quetzal have a specialized sack in their abdomen which secretes a flammable liquid chemically similar to biofuel that ignites on contact with air. They can belch or spit flames or when necessary, they will gulp air into the sack and turn themselves into an incendiary bomb. They are amazing creatures however they are not without problems. A lightning struck Quetzal will explode like a fuel-air bomb. It is well known that if a person crosses or attempts to harm a Quetzal that the entire Quetzal species would seek to harm them if they leave the cities and enter the forest or mountains.
<^><^><^>
Excepts from Relic of Time:
“I can feel your brother’s evil from here.” Lord Verde said as he joined Karstien. The nine-hundred-year-old warrior ruler was half-Aetherian and possessed the lost forest magic of their people, meaning he controlled the entire Quetzal forest-guardian nation. The strange-winged creatures could belch fire and even explode violently. The Foresters were the best archers in the kingdoms. It was also rumored that the foresters were trained by the last Aetherian Huntsman. The Forester huntsmen of the Greenvale stood shoulder to wing-claw with the Quetzal guardians of the forest.
<^><^><^>
At midnight, the storm began. Necromanced humans and undead hounds overran the city as lightning fell from the sky. Damien strode through the chaos unafraid. Looking up he could see the feathered serpent Quetzals had surrounded the castle destroying all who came near. He grinned as the lightning struck them and caused them to detonate in giant gaseous explosions exactly as his experiments had shown. The Quetzal were accidentally destroying the city as they tried to protect their mistress, Lady Cupa. The resulting devastation was burning the city and creating chaos among the defending forces. “Mother, what is happening?” Cupa demanded as her mother cast shield glyph after shield glyph over the city trying to protect their people and Quetzals from the lightning. “Call your protectors from the sky, Daughter. Profane magic has made this storm and is turning them into weapons against us. Send them to the forest and away from the storm.” “Yes, Mother.” Lady Cupa rushed out into the mayhem. Her eyes glowed green, summoning the flying serpents of all sizes to listen to her. “My Quetzals, flee to the safety of the forest.” But the loyal creatures refused to leave her, so she ordered them to stop flying in the sky and to burrow underground instead. The Quetzal burrowed paths to the escape tunnels for those cut off by the lightning. Standing in the high courtyard, Cupa let her magic spread out to the city. ‘My people, go underground. Our serpent friends are making a way for our escape.’ Everywhere in the ground, the vibration of the burrowing serpents could be felt, and many began to escape under the walls of the city and to the forest beyond the storm.
<^><^><^>
Except from resettlement of Aetheria
Asha loved the forest, it was like a friend. She could feel its life. She carefully looked up at the city through the trees and then to the mountains to get her bearings before she started determinedly toward her meadow. The red flowers should be blooming, she loved red. It was her favorite color. She was almost there when she heard a sound. A small Quetzal was caught in a tangling vine, it was hurt and so scared. “Is okay, I’m friend.” She glowed and healed it. When it wasn’t afraid anymore, she untangled its wing claw from the briar and folded the wing against its body. Carefully extracting the creature, the way, she had seen her mother changing components on the starships. “Do you want to come to my meadow?” Asha asked and it made a strange trilling sound she took to mean yes, so she picked up the little green serpent, careful not to hurt its tiny wings, and carried it the rest of the way to the meadow where she put it down in the short grass and patted its head. “We are here, Greenie.” ‘Greenie’ followed her around the meadow as she picked red flowers. A very old Quetzal came into the meadow, it had an arrow in it. Asha healed it, and the two other injured Quetzals that followed it. She had to glow extra bright as the old Quetzal pulled the arrows out of the last. It hissed and groaned as the wounds closed then it laid still and slept. The old one bowed its head and Asha rubbed the ridges around its eyes. “Who hurt you?” She didn’t understand who would want to hurt the Quetzals, they were nice. She knew from her grandmother’s ghost, they had once been called the guardians of the forest and only blew up if they were scared or protecting. Slit golden eyes like a cat seemed to shimmer and Asha felt what it wanted to tell her. It wasn’t like when she heard her parents in her mind, it was more like an impression. “I happy you escaped.” Asha went back to picking flowers as the Quetzals laid in the sun, she hummed as she glowed. She felt stronger in her meadow than in the city, but the child didn’t wonder why. Suddenly, the eldest Quetzal hissed for her and Greenie to hide, with the impression that danger was coming to the meadow. Clouds covered the sun, and it became darker. Asha hid in the tall grass, clutching Greenie as the others reared at the abominations. Five skeleton-like Necrorriors entered the meadow. Asha was terrified because they were shooting arrows at her friends. One Quetzal blew fire destroying a Necrorrior as it sliced the serpent’s head off, but the other Necrorriors kept shooting at the eldest who had its four wings spread wide to shield the child and hatchling. “NO!” Asha cried out as the old Quetzal was slain. She and Greenie were exposed. The last big Quetzal tried to save them, it gulped air then launched its arrow-impaled body at the enemy. It trumpeted a distress call then tackled the lead Necrorrior to the ground and exploded, but it failed to take out the other two. Asha held Greenie behind her as the undead creatures approached. Shouting the words, Mine had practiced with her, she glowed gold and her power created a bubble around them the way Mine had taught her. Golden shield glyphs covered the surface. The arrows couldn’t reach them. More Quetzals came to help, then suddenly Mine was there and killed all the skeletal dead with his black sword. “MINE!” She cried. She watched him fall down as the sun began to shine again. The remaining Quetzals formed a protective ring around the glowing golden child and the wounded warrior.
Basic Information
Anatomy
They have modified feathers, almost like scales, and four wings with claws at the joints. Their wings are more suitable for gliding than actual flying. They often fold their wings and burrow using their claws. The Quetzal have a specialized sack in their abdomen which secretes a flammable liquid chemically similar to biofuel that ignites on contact with air. They can belch or spit flames or when necessary, they will gulp air into the sack and turn themselves into an incendiary bomb. They are amazing creatures however they are not without problems. A lightning struck Quetzal will explode like a fuel-air bomb.
Genetics and Reproduction
Quetzals are genetically more closely related to Realm Dragons than any other known species.
Growth Rate & Stages
Quetzals have many traits in common with birds, snakes and dragons, they lay a very soft shelled egg and the young hatches soon afterwards. If there is no safe place, a 'male' egg-carrier will hold his eggs until they hatch which led to the misconception that they were ovoviviparous.
Ecology and Habitats
Quetzal can live in any place they can burrow, but they prefer warm moist forest and caves with natural hot springs.
Dietary Needs and Habits
Quetzals are omnivorous predators and will eat anything they can hunt, however they seem to enjoy fish and rodents as a primary proteins which sometimes causes conflicts with other predatory species over resources. Feral forest and coastal felines and Quetzals do not get along and both species have been known to hunt the young of the other when resources dwindle.
Biological Cycle
From Hatchling to juvenile takes about three decades, but they reach full size at ten or eleven decades and then will live for several centuries. Like all animals, Quetzal can be enchanted to live longer but they also suffer the significant decrease of fertility common with enchanted animals. Lady Asha's Quetzal companion Greenie is almost 400 years old and the largest of its species.
Additional Information
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Quetzals can communicate with Aetherians who possess Shepherding or Forestry Magic. How they communicate with each other is unknown beyond verbalized sounds and movements, however Quetzals will respond to the distress call of one of their own from great distances.
Genetic Ancestor(s)
Genetic Descendants
Scientific Name
Alatus Serpus Ignis, Aetheria
Conservation Status
Species was once thought to be very rare, but since the resettlement, Lady Asha discovered there are tens of thousands alive and well on Aetheria.
Geographic Distribution
Related Ethnicities
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