Bestiary of the Bladeseekers #13 - Demonbirds

I have hunted plenty of these over the years, often with the orcs. At first, their screams in the night would terrify me, but after a while they excited me more than anything else.

— Tyson MacBogard, Lord Founder.

Demonbirds

It is time to talk about the rite of passage hunts. As is hopefully still tradition by the time you are reading this, as members progress in the ranks of the Bladeseekers, they are tasked with hunting more and more dangerous beasts to ascend. The Demonbirds are especially high on our list and for good reason. Fighting one alone is a death sentence if you are not adequately prepared and trained for it. So treat any Bladeseekers of such a rank with respect, they know what they are talking about.

Appearance

Demonbirds are giant vulturelike birds that reach about three meters in height. They have naked necks and legs, but that is where the similarities with vultures already come to an end. Their feathers are hardened, because Demonbirds are incapable of flight. Instead, they run and climb similar to the way chickens move, and with a similar temperament. The difference is of course that a demon bird can back up the confidence I have seen some roosters display with about 160 kg of mass.
Their skin and feathers are pale as ash and they do not have eyes. Where those should be, the Demonbird only has empty sockets covered in fleshy skin. But dont make the mistake of thinking them blind. Whatever the Demonbird has instead of eyes allows it to track body heat which greatly synergizes with their preferred hunting behaviour (see below). For weapons the Terrorbird has its claws, of which the middle on each foot ends in a curved claw the bird can use to disembowel. Additionally, the beak of the bird is heavy and long. In a fight, it can be raised to its full height and then brought down with enough force to break bones.

Who are Tyson MacBogard and the Bladeseekers?

Tyson MacBogard, was one of the founding members of a adventurers/mercenary guild in a place outside of the world.
He does not exist within the world of Focis at all, but somehow his writings in the form of the Bestiary of the Bladeseekers have found their way to the world.
More strangely, many of his descriptions match beings that exist on Focis and even more so he sometimes accurately described beings that did not exist in the world of his origin, but do exist on Focis.
The existence of the Bestiary is a mystery still unsolved and the book and its many copies are prized curiosities among many civilisations.

Habits

Demonbirds are solitary creatures. Thankfully you will only ever encounter one at a time. The main prey a demonbird hunts are goats and sheep, but occasionally they will descend from the mountain ranges they call home to hunt deer or even horses. Orcs, which share the mountain ranges with them are suprisingly good at avoiding them. The Bird only hunts at night, where it can fully use the advantage of its heat vision.
A Demonbirds hunt is relentless and the first sign that you are being tracked is its cry. Demonbirds are capable of emitting a screech that either immobilises the prey, allowing the demonbird to close the distance or might also cause the prey to flee into the dark at worst directly into the birds path.
The birds can primarily be found in the mountains to the south, but I have also heard reports of sightings on other continents, always in mountains that carry snow for many months of the year.

As I learned during some of my earliest hunts of Demonbirds, their flesh is highly coveted by the orcs, but mainly for the implications of your hunting ability and the prestige to be gained. The meat itself tastes terrible.

— TMB, Lord Founder.

Weaknesses

Heat vision makes for a useful tool at night, but during day, when the sun heats up the rock, it becomes less reliable. Demonbirds are somewhat dormant, when the sun is out, so unless you are trying to hunt one, you can pass through the territory of one by crossing the range in a single day, without detection. Given the ranging distances of even a single bird, this is a challenging endeavor to say the least.
The second weakness I can identify is of course the solitary life the birds lead. They dont have backup or cavalry coming, because they don't tolerate another birds presence outside of their mating season.

Advice

First and foremost, if you have never hunted a Demonbird, do not go alone! You don't know how strongly its shriek will affect you personally until you try and while you can get somewhat used to it via repeated exposure, until you know that you wont panic and make mistakes in the confrontation, it is best to have at least three other sets of eyes to watch your back.
Additionally, if you can somehow injure a birds legs, you have already won. Because of their flighlessness, once they lose a leg, they are helpless. Keep in mind though, that this will put you in harms way, namely their claws. Traps are not a viable option here, because of the home ranges you find the birds in. Instead you need to rely on your own combat ability and the strength of your allies ot take down one of these.
Finally, whatever you do, do not get hit. If you can reliably avoid the beak strikes and claws, you can outlast these birds. They are not used to something putting up a longer fight and will get tired. If necessary, present a target the bird can focus on, like a shield or your arm if you must, to get struck by the claw or beak. It is not ideal, but better than that hitting your vital areas or your means to hurt it back.
Good luck and keep the blades honored, Tyson

I remember the first time we faced one of these quite well. It did cause us some trouble, but by that time, we were well equipped to deal with beasts. And my hammer is just as devastating when it connects as one of their beaks.

— TMB, Lord Founder.