Rukh
Often called 'rocs' by northerners, rukhs are enormous birds of prey that patrol the skies over the Naqut desert and its neighboring lands. Resembling massive vultures with regal crowns of feathers, an adult rukh has a wingspan of almost 25 feet and is capable of carrying off sheep and deer - legend tells of truly monstrous rukhs who prey upon elephants and cattle. While such tales are almost certainly exaggerations, an ordinary rukh is more than large enough to pose a threat to a farmer's livelihood, and Gharu'ndim herdsmen pay good coin for the giant bird's carcass as a result.
Despite the danger it poses to rural populations, the rukh is the subject of many legends and fables, sometimes cast as a figure of wisdom and mercy and other times as a monstrous foe similar to the Aluvian firedrake. Its image often appears on Gharu'ndim heraldry as an icon of battle and endurance.
