Valant

A valant is a majestic and powerful avian carnivore with the head, and body of a wolf and the ears, forelegs, and wings of an owl.

Valants are a majestic and powerful avian carnivore with the head, and body of a wolf and the ears, forelegs, and wings of an owl. When they attack, valants are as swift and deadly as owls, even as they strike with a wolf’s savage lethality and tact.

Apex Predators. Valants can hunt in large packs or in complete solitude, flying high over plains, deserts and, forests near their rocky cliff-side aeries. They are not simply creatures of instinct. They have a hierarchy in a base societal level. Fish and herd animals are the prey they hunt. But favor evil races and creatures above all others, and enjoy to hunt and kill more challenging prey. When it spots a potential meal, a valant hoots to alert it's pack, which descend quickly and quietly toward their prey.

Those that are deemed food by a hungry valant will be unaware of the coming danger due to the predator's silent glide. As it descends upon the unsuspecting target it will put it's talons out in front of it until it tears into flesh, pinning and dismembering it's target, most likely in a very excruciating death.

Sky Rulers. Valants roost in high mountain caves with packs of 30 or more. Making nests out of the bones of evil prey as trophies as a status among other valants in their pack. They typically stay in areas with small settlements because the chances of malicious attacks from foolish bandits or any other being that would harm good folk are higher in these locations.

Clever and calculating, valant enjoy fighting other creatures that share the sky with them and will revel in fights. They have been known to have a rivalry with other large monsters that usually ends up in a bloody and victorious battle. They will kill anything that may pose as a threat to their pups. And will pluck any danger high in the sky and drop them to their death.

Faithful and Mighty Companions. A valant (sometimes called a howln or howler) raised from an egg can be trained to serve as a mount. However, such training is daring and takes trust, aswell as being expensive (mostly for the ample food the creature requires). Expert trainers (mostly dwarves and higherlanders) well versed in the valant's legendary ferocity are typically the only ones able to raise these creatures safely.