Submission for Romeo Vowl

[Jagdkatzchen 72]

Name of the creature:

Romeo Vowl

(Optional) Link to a picture of the creature + name of the artist:

(Art taken from Pinterest, no link to specific artist)

Is this creature tamable and if so, how:

 

Romeo Vowls are not tameable. They are unsociable by instinct, with adults seeing most mobile organisms as either potential prey or threats. Though more accepting of company during their youth, attempting to raise a Romeo from an egg will still result in it becoming hostile during its juvenile years.  

Can you use this in combat:

 

N/A

 

Habitats - Check all that apply:

Savannah

 

Summary of the creature:

 

The Romeo Vowl is a vicious predator that stands at an average height of 2 metres, bearing a coat of feathers patterned in a manner highly akin to that of tigers. They stalk the savannah in search of prey, closing in to ambush their target before rushing forward to dispatch it with a series of critical blows. A Romeo’s body is an arsenal of formidable weaponry, and with their specialized intelligence, they use each tool to their greatest potential. However, they are unmistakably savage is all other ways, and would most definitely not make for the friendliest of pets.

 

Characteristics of the creature:

 

Physiology:

The average adult Romeo Vowl, when viewed standing from the side, has a height of 2 metres and a length of 4 metres. They sport feathery coats of fiery orange interspersed with arrays of dark brown stripes, with off white colouring their underside and lower legs. The only areas of their body left uncovered are their jaws, their forelimbs below their wrists, and their hindlimbs below the ankles. Most of these feathers are filamentous and furlike, with pennaceous feathers being located along the tail and arms.

 

Romeos develop a tougher second coat along their back, arms, and chest during their time as juveniles. When combined with their softer undercoat, this grants them protection akin to a buff coat. The pennaceous feathers along the arms of male Romeos also begin to change during this time, with replacement feathers eventually giving the appearance of scarlet rims running along the outer edge of their arms.

During their youth, Romeos are slender creatures built for speed, with some juveniles being capable of sprinting speeds up to 70km/h. However, as they transition into adulthood, the bones and musculature of Romeos become increasingly robust relative to their size, and their top speeds eventually drop to around 45km/h.

 

Romeo Vowls possess decent binocular vision that, while not as useful in spotting things from a distance, grants them good visual clarity when close to their target. When it comes to sensing things at a range, it is their sense of smell that is of note, allowing them to track down wounded and sick prey items from afar.

 

Their jaws of serrated teeth can deliver bite forces comparable to lions, but are not their primary killing tools. Their shoulder joints have great ranges of motion, and each of their arms sport three long claws resembling hooked blades, with sharp edges showing an adaptation towards slashing over piercing. Their powerful legs can deliver kicks comparable to a grizzly bear’s swipe, and when used in conjunction with the large retractable ‘vowlclaw’ on each of their feet, can create devastating puncturing wounds.

 

Behaviour:

Romeos are highly aggressive diurnal hypercarnivores. They are unsociable creatures, and when faced with another of their kind, they will fan their arms out and attempt to intimidate them with hisses and screeches before resorting to violence. The only time Romeos tolerate each other outside of mating season is when two or more chance upon a large animal too large and dangerous for one to dare to attack alone. Even then, they do not actively cooperate to take it down, with each Romeo simply deeming it safe to make their move whenever their target is distracted with another. Once the prey is killed, the Romeos will attempt to chase off as many competitors as possible while rapidly scarfing down as much meat as they can.

 

Romeos are ambush predators. They stalk their prey, closing the distance before bursting forth to catch them in a sprint. Young Romeos rely on their speed to catch smaller prey before they can escape, but as they transition into adulthood, their strategy changes. With their increased power but reduced speed, adult Romeos shift their target towards larger prey either closer to their size, or larger than them. With their array of natural weapons, they will seek to land a critical blow in the first strike, often targeting arteries and tendons. They will continue to assault their victim until they are incapable of fighting back, which sometimes ends in Romeos eating their prey alive.

 

While not particularly intelligent in most fields, Romeo Vowls are gifted with heightened spatial awareness, bodily coordination, and advanced combat sense. Although their general hunting strategy nearly always revolves around sneaking up on prey as close as possible before rushing them down, Romeos often display remarkable accuracy and immediate tactical skill when dealing with creatures that attempt to fight back. They appear to understand concepts such as spacing, timing, armour and leverage, and know where and how to attack certain parts of the body to inflict grave injuries.

 

Habitat:

Romeo Vowls roam the savannah in search of their next meal.

 

Diet:

MEAT.

 

Lifespan:

Romeos can live to 30 years of age.

 

Reproduction:

During mating season, Romeo Vowls gain a tolerance for those of its species that happen to be of the opposite sex. Males attempt to impress females by displaying their scarlet feathers in a courtship dance, and if receptive, they will mate and build a nest on the ground. After fertilization, the female will lay a clutch of 3-10 eggs, each the size of 2 fists. The eggs will take 1.5 months to hatch, and until then, their parents will take turns to incubate them.

 

Hatchlings emerge from their shells fully developed, and will begin to follow their parents around and eat their scraps. However, the adult Romeos will gradually start to lose tolerance for their own kind, and might even kill their own young if they lose their scent. After around 6 months, the parents would have already chased each other off, and will now become fully hostile to their own offspring.

 

Now juveniles, the young Romeos will fend for themselves as the continue to grow, and will reach sexual maturity at 3 years of age.

 

(Optional) Origins of the creature:

 

The Romeo Vowl is based upon dromaeosaurids, with the utahraptor being the most prominent specific raptor that inspiration was drawn from. Its abilities draw from the current contention regarding the extent of dromaeosaurid intelligence, with me opting to give this creature reduced intelligence in most fields, but heightened competence when in comes to direct violence.

 

Strengths/Weaknesses

 

Strengths:

• Adults are considerably strong
• They possess natural armour that protects the back, arms, and chest
• Intelligent enough to perform immediate tactics
• Fast and accurate reflexes
• Their claws are nearly as strong as iron (attributed to fantasy for now, but I plan on writing a material lore submission to elaborate)

Weaknesses:

• Their natural armour is largely inefficient against punctures and percussive force
• Not particularly intelligent outside of direct combat
• Claws still chip away with repeated abuse
• Incapable of cooperation

 

Red Lines

 

Romeo Vowls cannot be reasoned with.

Their tactical acumen at close range resembles that of trained knights.

Their claws can only take a maximum of 3 direct hits before breaking.

Their claws cannot puncture steel plate.

ET Only.

They are still animals, and will flee from fights that they lack confidence in.

 

 

Availability:

Uncommon - A person can only find one of these IRP from someone else who has approval to have one.