|
 |
| Gryphon | |
|---|---|
| |
| skill | 8-10 (Griffin), 12 (War Griffin/Tooki) |
| stamina | 10 (Griffin), 15 (War Griffin/Tooki) |
| Habitat | Hills, Mountains, Wilderness |
| Number Encountered | 1 |
| Type | Monster |
| Reaction | Hostile |
| Intelligence | Average |
The Gryphon or Griffon was a a well-known species of predators found throughout the wildlands of Allansia and the Old World.[1]
Description[]
They had the heads, wings and talons of eagles, but the bodies and legs of lions. Understandably, this made them incredibly proud and fierce creatures, well-deserved of the lordship that was theirs over the heavens, second only to the dragon races.
Gryphon Breeds[]
The Gryphon[]
There were several ways to spell their name, with the most common variants of Griffon and Griffin being used in many lands almost interchangeably. In Allansia, particularly the Moonstone Hills, some barbarians and wild men were known to tame Gryphons and use them as mounts, but this was a very rare occurrence since it was extremely dangerous.
The wizard Xortan Throg used a Gryphon as his personal mount, so presumably he had managed to acquire a Gryphon egg from one of these Barbarian tribes at a heavy price and train the hatchling himself. The price, however, would have definitely been worth it, since a Gryphon trained from hatching was ferociously and unswervingly loyal to its trainer and master.
The Tooki[]
Zharradan Marr was known to have acquired sufficient numbers of Gryphons to be able to selectively breed them over the course of several generations, producing his own aerial cavalry - the Tooki War-Gryphons. Exactly where he got the first eggs - or the facilities to train them effectively - was unknown, but given the fact that his territory extended over much of the Moonstone Hills, it could be safely assumed that several Gryphon eyries were located by his scouts at some stage.[2]
Whilst a Tooki was obviously physically similar to a common Gryphon, the exact changes bred into them by Marr probably included increased size, strength and speed ... and decreased willpower, enabling his Blood Orcs to ride them as they might a warhorse, without needing each of them to train each Tooki individually.[3]
The Gorak Gryphon[]
There was also a race of lion-bodied, dragon-winged beings that breathe fire used by the Xokusai Orcs of Khul during The Chase. Their name was clearly somewhat incongruous with the rest of them, giving rise not only to the question of their origins, but why they apparently dwelt in the underground realms.
It is thought that they were off-shoots of the primary gryphon race, possibly produced as the result of breeding with Dracons, thereby giving them their wings and penchant for fire breathing - presumably a latent characteristic of Dracons that remains dormant until breeding with true Dragons.[4]
Further Information in Canon[]
More information can be found at:Source[5]
Dungeoneer
(pg43-44, pg51, pg59, pg61#, pg67*, pg68*, pg69-72)
Caverns of the Snow Witch
(para217)
Crypt of the Sorcerer
(para178#*, para230, para358)
Midnight Rogue
(para194)
Chasms of Malice
(para64, para67#, para217#, para291#, para301, para372#)
Knights of Doom
(para32, para344, para356)
Howl of the Werewolf
(para217)
Stormslayer
(para378)
Secrets of Salamonis
(para117#, para136, para173, para193, para245*, para351, para460, para466)
The Sorcery Spell Book
(pg94*)
Warlock Issue 4
(paraCover*, pg26 (10), pg27 (19), pg28 (31), pg29 (35, para37), pg31 (49, para54), pg32 (60), pg33 (68, para73), pg35 (76), pg39 (116, para117), pg43 (142), pg44 (157, para162), pg45*, pg46 (171), pg48 (180, para182, para183, para185, para194, para199))
Blacksand!
(pg13, pg88*)
The Warlock's Way
(para385, para435)
The Trolltooth Wars
(pg103, pg210, pg216, pg241, pg273-274)
Appendix[]
Gallery[]
Appearances[]
Adventures
- Creature of Havoc (book)
- Crypt of the Sorcerer
- Knights of Doom (book) (mentioned)
- Secrets of Salamonis
- Tower of the Sorcerer
Sourcebooks
References[]
- ↑ Creature of Havoc - ???; Crypt of the Sorcerer - ???; Chasms of Malice - ???; Dungeoneer - p.??
- ↑ The Trolltooth Wars - p.103, p.210, p.216, p.241, pp.273-274
- ↑ Non-canon
- ↑ Non-canon
- ↑ Complete list of references catalogued by FF Titan Bestiary