Giant Eagle

A giant eagle was an intelligent avian that dwelled in high mountains. Creatures of unvarnished good, giant eagles possessed a culture and customs that were nonetheless utterly alien to the creatures they sought to protect.

Appearance

Apart from their tremendous size, giant eagles otherwise resembled their ordinary kin. On average, they stood approximately 10 feet tall and boasted a staggering 20 foot wingspan, large enough to carry a humanoid into the air without difficulty. Their plumage came in all manner of colors – brown, black, white and gold. They would sometimes fashion simple jewelry into their feathers, usually made from animal bones and sinew.

Behavior

Such as it was, giant eagle culture was essentially impenetrable to the people of Ondûn. They spoke their own language but, even with magical means, it was completely unintelligible to any other intelligent being. To a limited degree, giant eagles understood Common and a number of other regional languages – Elven, Dwarven and Qorhvan – but the cultural gap between the eagles and the rest of the world was so wide, it made communication always a troublesome thing.
They were known to dwell in mountaintop eyries, mating for life and raising chicks with one another. While essentially solitary, giant eagles often roosts in loose family groups called flights, their nests never more than an hour's flight from one another. Eaglemoots – the great winged beasts gathering in large numbers – were rare but not unheard of and some even speak of "crowned" leaders, called lords, that rule these eyries.
Giant eagles were known to be honor-bound creatures. It's been suggested that their culture, alien as it appeared, was highly chivalric, involving many rituals and honorifics. In many instances throughout Ondûn's history, flights of giant eagles inexplicably came to the aid of beleaguered peoples – offering them aerial assistance, slain animals for sustenance or even reinforcement in battle. What could have possibly motivated the eagles to do this remained a mystery.

Eyries

• The Roofbeams: A flight of eagles were known to dwell in the high passes of the Roofbeam mountains in northern Khûm. They were staunch allies of the dwarven clans, coming to their aid at countless junctures. 

Campaign

The Menagerie

• Khûm: When seeking a means onto Snowperch, a giant eagle appeared regularly in the Menagerie's camp, offering transport. Only the Commander's Tent was able to decipher this code and thus only they were deposited on the stronghold's roof (10 – 11).

Creature Type: Beast
Size: Huge
Alignment: Neutral Good
Challenge Rating: 1
Diet: Carnivore
Terrain: Mountains
Features: Keen vision, talon and beak attacks