The roc

The roc is a giant bird of prey that lives primarily in the mountains.  There are several roc territories in the mountain range near the Kingdom of Rocborough, that takes its name from these birds.  Due to their massive size, with a 70 foot wingspan, they have few, if any, natural predators.  And, while their body parts are highly prized among the sentient races of Torandielle, they are so large and dangerous that few people actually try to hunt them, unless one of them becomes a danger to them.  Rocs tend to avoid the sentient races due to the fact that they are some of the few creatures that can kill them.  They are typically solitary hunters, although they do hunt in mated pairs.  During the colder winter months, they migrate south and spend the winter on the slopes of volcanoes.  They always return to the same territory every spring to have more babies with their life mate.

Basic Information

Anatomy

The roc is a giant bird of prey with a 70-foot wingspan and a weight of 600 pounds.  Due to the fact that they frequently nest in areas of high Krystal deposits, some people believe rocs may be a magically mutated version of common eagles, their large size and the ability to fly at that size being caused by prolonged exposure to the magical energy of the Krystals

Biological Traits

The roc has a lifespan of around 70-80 years, and since they're so large, nothing tends to hunt them, so they have a very good life expectancy, unless they make the mistake of eating a humans, since humans tend not to take kindly to that and band together to hunt down and kill the perpetrator, in which case, their life expectancy is between 10 and 20 years, as it's usually just the younger ones that try to hunt humans.  Its wingspan is 60-70 feet, with a body length of 30-40 feet.  Each feather is about 20-30 feet long, and each talon is about 6 feet long.  There haven't been enough studies made on deceased rocs to determine any appreciable size difference between male and female, and no one has dared trying to study live ones.

Genetics and Reproduction

Rocs reproduce in typical bird fashion.  A male and female build a nest in the tops of the mountains and lay 3 to 5 eggs in each clutch.  The female lays the eggs about 20-25 days after mating, and they incubate for another 60.

Growth Rate & Stages

The initial development of the roc takes about 80-90 days from mating to hatching.  Once hatched, the clutch remains in the nest for another 20-30 weeks, and are considered full grown by 5-10 years.

Ecology and Habitats

The roc nests mostly in the mountain tops, and ventures into the lowlands only to hunt.  They are also frequently found nesting in areas of high Krystal deposits

Dietary Needs and Habits

The roc eats raw meat. While inland during the warmer seasons, their diet consists of other birds of prey, such as eagles and hawks, and land animals, such as deer, horses, bears, and the occasional elephant when they come across one, although, they usually eat the elephant on the spot, since they're too heavy to carry easily. When they migrate to southern volcanoes during winter, again, they hunt other birds of prey, as well as dolphins, sharks, and whales, when they come near the surface. They used to hunt humans as well, but they learned long ago that humans tend to gang up on them and hunt them down when one of their own gets eaten, so they leave them alone now. Their hunting methods largely consist of flying really high, and when they spot something to eat, they dive bomb it, just like a peregrine falcon, or a kingfisher, grabbing their prey in either their beak or their talons. Depending on the season, it either flies its kill to an isolated place to eat in peace, or takes it back to the nest to feed the babies. There are never any leftovers. The adults can even eat the bones.

Biological Cycle

Mating season is in the spring, and they fly south for the winter, nesting near the tops of ocean volcanoes.

Additional Information

Social Structure

On the mainland, rocs are mostly solitary creatures, since multiple meat-eaters of that size would depopulate an area of food rather quickly.  They mate for life, and as such, here is usually no more than 2-10 rocs within 50 square miles, with only two of those being the full grown, mated pair of adults, with the rest being their most recent clutch.  Once a roc leaves the nest, it moves on to find its own territory and mate.  Rocs rarely fight each other over established territory, although they may fight if two try to settle in the same area.  If they are the same sex, the loser will leave to find another territory.  If they are a different sex, they loser may still leave, or the fight may turn into a courtship ritual and the two rocs will mate.  During winter, when they migrate south, many rocs can congregate on the same volcano, during which time they live peacefully with each other, even sharing their food .

Domestication

This species is too large and dangerous to domesticate, even when raised from birth, which hasn't been tried very often.

Uses, Products & Exploitation

The only roc byproducts most people can get with any regularity are their feathers and droppings.  The droppings make excellent fertilizer and is highly sought after, while one single feather can be used to stuff an entire mattress.  On the rare occasion that a roc is either found dead or killed by a hunting party, unless it was obviously sick or poisoned or rotted, its body is harvested.  What happens to it next depends on who found or killed it.  If it was commoners, then they will generally divvy the meat and organs out among their own village and use the bones either as construction materials or sell them.  If it was nobles, they'll probably sell the meat, organs, and bones to the highest bidder.  In benevolent kingdoms, the ruler will divvy it out among their subjects.  Roc bones are highly prized as decorative items.  The feathers are typically used for stuffing mattresses and pillows, but frequently as decorative items, as well.

Facial characteristics

They have bird faces, with one yellow eye on either side of their head, giving them nearly 360 degree vision, and a beak about 10 feet long.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

The roc tends to inhabit mountainous regions, such as the mountains near the Kingdom of Rocborough, which is named after them, and during winter, they migrate south to ocean volcanoes.

Average Intelligence

Smarter than your average bird of prey, as they have realized that, while they can hunt and catch humans and other species for food, those beings tend to retaliate and kill them, so they no longer hunt sentient beings

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

The roc has excellent hearing and vision, able to hear and see a mouse from ten miles away.

Symbiotic and Parasitic organisms

They may have ticks, fleas, or lice.

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

None

Major Organizations

None

Beauty Ideals

Unknown

Gender Ideals

Unknown

Courtship Ideals

No one really knows how rocs choose a mate, just that there is a lot of screeching and fighting involved.

Relationship Ideals

Rocs mate for life.

Average Technological Level

None

Major Language Groups and Dialects

Only what you'd normally get from birds.

Common Etiquette Rules

Don't hunt in another roc's territory or try to take their mate.  No fighting at sea.

Common Dress Code

None

Culture and Cultural Heritage

Unknown

Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals

Fighting over mates, territorial nature inland, communal living at sea.

Common Taboos

Fighting at sea.

Historical Figures

Unknown

Common Myths and Legends

Unknown

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

None

Scientific Name

Avian

Origin/Ancestry

Avian

Lifespan

70-80 years

Conservation Status

As the roc is a giant flying bird of prey in a world with swords and magic, there is little being done to ensure its survival. If anything, it's being hunted, if only to prevent them from attacking human (or other) territories.

Average Height

Body length of 30-40 feet

Average Weight

600 pounds

Average Length

60-70 foot wingspan

Average Physique

Lean and muscular, in proportion to their own body, anyway.  It takes a lot of effort to fly that amount of weight around.

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

A roc's feathers are variegated in different shades of brown, darker near the base of the quill, gradually lightening to white at the tip.  The feathers on the head are a bright, almost shimmering gold.  It's eyes, beak, and feet are yellow.

Geographic Distribution

• The Kingdom of Rocborough