Gryphon

Across the area of the Sea of Inx from the great plains of Chentor , the Dawnwood, The wyldlands, the Downs, the Trackless Marshes and the Immortal city of Glarag, the Isle of Kharaz and even to the eastern shores and Lyr, few things are more impressive for ferocity, regal bearing and symbolic representation as messengers and couriers of the great, powerful and wealthy than the Gryphon and the Gryphon Riders.  It is a glorious sight to see these daring knights riding their mounts wheeling above the cities or flying across the skies! Rare in most places except their home castle atop the plateau in the city of Incaras. Truely breath taking to see dozens of them launch into the skies!

The travel journal of Bolon Stills

The gryphon is an aggressive carnivore species of the high rocky mountain regions. They nest in remote crags and favor precipitous cliffsides.  Each pride will defend a nesting and hunting territory. The pride is composed of related females and one or two males, who are typically brothers of a different origin pride.

Basic Information

Anatomy

The gryphon has a white or cream feathered raptoral bird-like head with feather tufted ears. The beak is yellow in youth but darkens to violet, black or maroon in adulthood. Brown, coppery, black or golden feathers cover the back of the head, down the neck and to the shoulders and the wings. The forelegs are scaled with yellow or turquoise color, and four clawed forward toes and a fifth back/ side facing claw. They are able to manipulate things well with these feet but do not use tools. The body is lion-like in the back-half with a tufted tail that is slightly flattened when viewed on side. The tail color typically matches the forebody feather color.  The fully grown specimen is three meters long from beak tip to rump, with another 1.5 to 2 meters of tail.

Gryphon by Mutterwolf

Growth Rate & Stages

The young are live born with eyes and ears closed but instantly hungry and crying for food.  They grow rapidly for the first several months and fledge within 4 months.  These young are over a meter in length and will accompany the adults in hunting but hold themselves away until prey is downed and they are called in by a feeding cry from adults.  These fledgelings may practice hunting small prey.  
Gryphons reach maturity in their third or fourth year, when males will disperse to seek to take places in other prides.  Females will stay in their birth prides most frequently but may disperse on occasion.

Dietary Needs and Habits

The gryphon is a predatory carnivorous species. They eat whatever they can catch but particularly favor horse meat.  The flesh of centaurs doesn't seem to hold the same attraction.

Additional Information

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Vision is excellent and is the primary hunting tool. They sight prey when in the air and swoop down to strike prey with all four legs, carrying away things upto half their own size. Larger prey may be impacted and bashed to the ground while the gryphon pounces upon the prey and the pride surges in to attack on all sides.
Hearing is comparable to humans, extending a bit into sounds dogs can hear but humans can't.