Birds of Furcadia

The Ostrix

This is the favorite domesticated riding animal of Kasuria and the Olde World. Ostrixes can and will eat just about anything a Furre would eat. Their favorite foods, though, are dry bland palm fruits and nuts.

The Kiwi

There are many, many varieties of Kiwi. Most are wild. They range from baseball to large turkey size. The Furcadian Kiwi tends to have a tuft of tail feathers of several different colors. Kiwis are often kept for their eggs, which Furres find very tasty. Over the rest of their round wingless bodies they have shaggy strands resembling the fibers that make up a peacock's tailfeather.

Woolbird Kiwis are a domestic variety grow plenty of curly fibers, which are twisted with very fine plant fibers to make a downy yarn.

The black-feathered Yawk is a cave-dwelling Kiwi. Its big feet are sensitive to vibrations in the ground, and it cannot see much beyond blurs of light and dark. Yawks eat padaak-fungus, and are, themselves, a food source for Watchwyrms.

The Raptor (Scarhawk)

These giant avians are not precisely "domestic" animals. To be rideable, the egg must be taken from the parent bird shortly after it is laid. The newly hatched Raptor must be fed large amounts of something resembling egg-drop soup with lots of half-cooked ground-up meat. As fresh meat is the only thing they will eat, there can only be so many in a given area. (Unlike Dragons, Raptors will not eat fish.) These "hand-reared" birds will bear their trainer/rider faithfully but are extremely reluctant to accept a new one. They also will not breed, consequently new eggs must be acquired from the eyries of wild Raptors.

Raptor Knights are Furres who devote themselves to the care of their winged mounts. The job is very demanding. In the wild, Raptors would spend time grooming one another. In captivity, this task falls to the rider.

Using long tethers from saddles to an ankle, Raptor Knights enjoy jousting with blunt lances. Games of this sort tend to build great strength. Only a few Raptors grow strong enough to carry a furre in full metal armor, but can usually carry two passengers with ease.

"Scarhawk" is the term used to mean a tamed and therefore rideable Raptor.

The Diatryma

Make no mistake, this is a deadly predator. It feeds on Ostrixes, which, in a long chase, it will outrun. It can stalk with great stealth, and its long neck uncoils to thrust its head forwards to seize prey in its serrated beak. It is a fairly intelligent creature, solitary, with thick skin that is sometimes crafted into armor. They can't be trained, despite the legend of the Dark Prime Peristane's fire chariot being drawn by four Diatrymas.

Their resistance to magic and psionics is legendary. Diatryma-form Werefurres are especially feared.