Raptors
Large, bipedal reptiles that live throughout Zarglyf, raptors come in a number of colors and sizes based on their local habitat. Though smaller breeds are used mostly for food or as hunting companions, larger raptors are prized as mounts used by Zarglyf's soldiers, as horses have great difficulty traversing the swamps. Both raptor hunting and breeding are dangerous vocations, and require long hours of effort to track or tame the beasts.
Raptors have very few natural predators, as they are swift runners and swimmers, and generally keep out of the territory of any predator larger than them. Human hunters take great care when tracking them, as raptors are surprisingly intelligent.
Common Breeds
Mountain Raptor - one of the larger raptor breeds, they are characterized by their pebbled gray hide and light blue or brown striping. Mountain raptors are solitary except during mating season, and viciously protect their territory in the foothills of the western mountains.
Highland Raptor - the largest and most common breed used as mounts, highland raptors make their home in the lower hills along the swamp's edge. They have tan to dark-brown hides and spiny crests on their heads. Wild highland raptors travel in small packs of four to ten members, and have a pack mentality similar to that of wolves.
Emerald Raptors - a smaller breed native to the eastern swamps. As their name suggests, they have bright green hides, sometimes striped with red or yellow. Breeders sell them as exotic pets or hunting companions, as they are naturally suited to tracking prey in the marshes. In the wild, they travel in packs ranging between ten and twenty members.
Marsh Stalkers - the rarest and deadliest breed of raptor, marsh stalkers were believed to be some sort of magical creature for a long time due to wild stories told of shadows in the Deep that struck without warning. The truth of their existence was revealed by a group of determined hunters, and their discovery has led to more groups trying to track them down. They have pebbled black hides with dark green stripes, and so far no one has found more than one at a time. Larger even than the highland raptors, they can easily take down a smaller hunting party. Their webbed feet make swimming just as easy as running, and they've been known to strike from under water. Nobility pay handsomely for live marsh stalkers to display in menageries, and warriors who perform great feats of valor are sometimes gifted them as mounts.
Tide Runners - the smallest raptor breed, they make their homes in the salt marshes along the coast, where they primarily hunt fish and marsh birds. They typically have pale blue-green hides and nest in small clusters of three to five, though they generally hunt alone. Their small size and unremarkable coloring makes them less desirable than other breeds, and humans rarely go through the trouble of trapping them. However, their eggs are valued as a delicacy.
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