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Zik

i wanted more oceanic animals.

Art Credit: herlovelyface

- S T A R R Y   S H E A R B I R D -
"The Guiding Star"

H A B I T A T

The Starry Shearbird nests on the rocky cliffs of the Sunken Lands' smaller islands, sharing the space with various other common seabirds. Though some domesticated  Starry Shearbirds actually live alongside people.

P H Y S I O L O G Y

Though most Starry Shearbirds are around 1.5ft/45cm in height, they can be as tall as 2ft/60cm in height. Outstretched, they have a wingspan of approximately 7 to 8 feet/2 to 2.5 meters. Their body and wings are not too different from most Seabirds, aerodynamic, made for long journeys. A wild Starry Shearbird's plumage is sleek, colored in light greys with white blotches. Dark blue accents the tips of their wing and tail feathers, as well as around their yellow eyes. Their beaks are slim and hooked, similar in shape and color to a seagull. Their feet are webbed and just as amber as their beak. Most domesticated Starry Shearbirds have been bred to have a colored plumage. Some are white, brown, blue, or black, though always with the same dark blue accents. Their eggs are a light blue with black specs, and their Shearchicks are colored in greys that camouflage them against the rocks.

At night, however, the Starry Shearbird reveals its secret. Hidden beneath their grey plumage are bioluminescent down feathers called "Stars", and by puffing up slightly, they reveal these Stars as white glowing dots spanning their entire body, including their wings. When they stop puffing up, the Stars are hidden again.  The Stars of some domesticated Starry Shearbirds can be a light yellow, turquoise, or blue so that their owners can distinguish them from any other Shearbird. 

ㅤDiet: Piscivores, they eat primarily marine animals

ㅤLifespan: 30 years

[Mating] Every adult Starry Shearbird mates in late spring on the rock cliffs they call their home; quite the busy spectacle. Even domesticated Starry Shearbirds will leave their owners for 4 to 5 months to mate and raise their Shearchick; afterwards, they'll return. Preventing a domesticated Starry Shearbird from mating will permanently aggravate it towards you. The Starry Shearbird's egg takes about 2 months to hatch, and the Shearchick is raised for 2 to 3 months.

H I S T O R Y

They were once domesticated for their sense of direction and smell. Seafarers who owned a Starry Shearbird would follow their starry glow at night as they led them through the darkness. Though most still used the normal navigation methods, alongside Starry Shearbirds, just to be safe. As for their sense of smell, they were also used as scent hounds of the seas, able to locate scents kilometers away. There are some tall tales of them leading their ship into its demise. Some saw them as alluring bad omens, while others saw them as guiding stars. But, as the old civilizations crumbled, the Starry Shearbird acclimated back to the wilderness. Until the refugees of the Eastern Kingdom arrived, triggering the remnants of their domestication. Presently, only a few are pets, while a vast majority live as wild animals.

B E H A V I O U R 
 
Starry Shearbirds vary greatly in personality. Some are skittish, some sassy, some goofy, but all of them are as intelligent as a crow and sometimes just as petty. Wronging one will cause all Starry Shearbirds to harass you, steal from you, and peck at you. Meanwhile, doing good to a Starry Shearbird will result in them giving you gifts of fish and shiny trinkets. They sleep in several short naps both day and night, even while flying. They fly long distances and lock their wings to do so. In the wild, they use their Stars to attract mates and to guide a flock at night. They evolved a comforting reaction to things that glow in the dark, since it means they're near their flock. That also means they're comforted by candlelight, fireflies, and other glows. Domesticated Starry Shearbirds can also learn various tricks, such as fetching, rolling, sitting, and even stealing.

A B I L I T I E S

[Flight] They can fly great distances and can lock their wings in place, making them look like they're effortlessly shearing through the air.

[Sense of Smell] They have a great sense of smell, but they must be trained to use it. Holding an object to a trained Starry Shearbird will either have them do nothing, or they'll lead you to where they can pick up the same smell in a radius of three kilometers.

[Stars] They possess a hidden layer of bioluminescent down feathers called "Stars", which they can reveal in little spots by puffing up. From a distance, it looks like a bunch of glowing stars soaring through the skies. If they're fast enough, it can appear as if they leave behind glowing trails like a shooting star.

W E A K N E S S E S

They're weak to anything a bird would be weak to.

Y I E L D S

Shearbird Stars - Fluffy, down feathers that glow in the dark.

Zik

Art Credit: CloveyBunn

- I R R B I E S T -
pronounced: /ir·beest/

H A B I T A T

Most accounts of the Irrbiest come from expeditions through thickly forested areas, untouched by mankind. They live exclusively in the forests of larger islands, spanning the dark pines up north to the treacherous jungle down south. However, there have been some worrying accounts of Irrbiests prowling the outskirts of civilization, the nightlights presumably luring them in.

P H Y S I O L O G Y

An Irrbiest's true shape is not fully understood; what we do know is that it's a magical black substance that takes the shape of any prey it has killed. This can range from a spider to a rabbit to a bear to a person, though it's limited to the animals native to their habitat. While you can't normally distinguish real creatures from a shapeshifted Irrbiest, there are instances of their shapeshifting having noticeable, even unsettling flaws. Such as a deer with a toothy human smile,  a spider with too many limbs, or  a deeply uncanny "person". Injuring an Irrbiest with a piercing or slashing attack will cause them to bleed a thick, black ichor. Bludgeoning attacks will feel like hitting clay and will dent their shape. Internally, they're just a writhing black ichor which they use to imitate bones and muscles. Once slain, the ichor goes limp, but they maintain their shape for up to an hour before fully dissolving.

ㅤDiet: Carnivorous, no Irrbiest has ever been observed eating plants

ㅤLifespan: Hundreds of years

[Mating] Irrbiests don't mate with each other. They only reproduce with other creatures, using their ability to shapeshift to trick their mate into carrying their offspring. A new Irrbiest is born once they eat their way out of their host parent and take their shape.

B E H A V I O U R

Irrbiests are not animals. They appear as and copy the behavior of animals, but they're not true animals. They don't exist in the natural food chain; they climb it. The most dangerous Irrbiests are those that take the shape of creatures on top of the food chain, even beasts greater than the average bear. 

Irrbiests are nocturnal and seem to vanish into the woods at sunrise. Most Irrbiests are solitary ambush predators and don't engage with groups of people or herds of animals, typically only prowling from afar until a straggler can be safely dragged into the woods. However, there have been accounts of Irrbiests stalking people for hours, just to study their behavior. Irrbiests are not mindless monsters; they're intelligent, patient, and don't always go for the kill. An Irrbiest will attempt to flee if it takes great bodily injury or is outmatched.

Capturing Irrbiests is impossible, since their shapeshifting allows them to escape most confines. One could capture an Irrbiest by nullifying their shapeshifting (see Weaknesses); however, they would die soon after. Additionally, Irrbiests cannot be tamed.

A B I L I T I E S

[Shapeshifting] An Irrbiest can shapeshift into any living creature it has killed and gain any ability that physiology grants (flight, strength, claws, etc). The transformation takes a turn and looks grotesque, violently bulging with black tissue until it settles in its new shape. Irrbiests can also shapeshift into a combination of creatures and add additional parts (limbs, heads, eyes, etc.), which increases their creepiness and allows them to combine or enhance abilities.

[Mimic] They can copy sounds they've heard before. Be it a birdcall or the words of a person, and while they can't use or understand language, they're smart enough to use these sounds with purpose (like using the screams of a wounded person to lure in people or using roars to split up groups in a panic).

W E A K N E S S E S

The Irrbiest's ichor, while organic, is imbued with magic, allowing it to shapeshift. Contact with The Mage's Reward or any other anti-arcane object nullifies that magic, causing their ichor to writhe and bubble painfully. The pain makes them thrash out desperately with powerful black tendrils. Prolonged contact kills it. Their weakness is theorized to hint at arcane origins, perhaps an ancient formistry ritual gone wrong.

Y I E L D S

Irrbiest Ichor - A lifeless, thick black slime imbued with dormant magic. No use yet, perhaps someday.

[I stole this format from Astalgon]