Rocs
These massive birds are secluded deep within the mountains of Almaris, where temperatures are freezing cold. They are mostly known to prey on large wildlife around the regions in which they live in, and build nests out of the trees they find. However, due to land expansion from kingdoms and villages into their hunting grounds, they would then start to prey on livestock when local wildlife does not suffice.
Physiology
With a fully grown Roc bearing the body length of thirty feet and a wingspan of up to sixty, the visual aesthetic is similar to that of a bald eagle. A male Roc (as depicted above) is often seen with a blue head and a pair of "feather horns" to accompany. A red tail with three or more feathers acting as "bands" are also common on many males once they reach maturity. The rest of their being is covered in a thick coat of brown feathers. Some speculate that the horns and bands found on males are used for mating purposes, and the more pronounced these features are, the deadlier the bird. Female Rocs are slightly smaller than males, and lack their horns, bands, and coloration. As well, a female Roc's entire body is covered in brown feathers from head to tail.
A Roc's claws can easily scoop a horse into its talons and fly away with it, if it so pleases. It is also capable of flying into the air at incredible heights, and they have adapted to their hunting grounds by using the mountain drafts to carry itself at dramatic speeds. However, they have such a reliance on the mountains that they very quickly get tired when flying outside of their natural territory. Due to the amount of meat they consume, a Roc's feathers are often coated with the fats and oils of their victims, and as a result, this makes them highly susceptible to fire.
Behavior
Rocs are known to hunt bear, elk, moose, cattle, sheep, horses, and goats. Rocs usually spare travelers unless they are either directly provoking them, or if they are nearing a nest they had built. Oftentimes, when a band of horseback riders are assaulted by a Roc, the riders themselves are spared simply because the Roc only had an interest in the horses they rode on. Rocs are also strictly daytime hunters. Males would usually retreat into an open cavern or another similar area to rest in during the night, and meanwhile, females would return to their nests to sleep with their young.
Following a mating session between two Rocs, the Rocs would then split from each other right after. The female would uproot entire trees in order to use them as "twigs" to build its nest. It's very easy to spot these nests, as they are located near mountaintops and are quite obviously massive. The mother lays up to three Olog-sized eggs that would eventually hatch into fledglings. These fledglings are raised inside of the nest until they are around fifteen years old, where they are usually kicked out of the nest. Normally, the most aggressive of the Rocs tend to be fledglings, simply because humanoids are "up to size" with them until the fledglings reach around the age of thirty. Once they reach this age, they would have reached adulthood and will then hunt for larger prey. They reach their full size at fifty years old, and the average Roc lives up to sixty before dying of natural causes.
Redlines:
- Rocs are meant for ET for event purposes only. ET may trigger an event if a player chooses to approach a Roc nest and contact an ET member.
- ET endorsed events are the only way to obtain Roc-based loot drops.
- It is impossible to tame a Roc.
- Flame weaponry and pyromancy are highly effective against a Roc, and can possibly set one fully alight.
- Rocs are only active during the day. At night, they will fight in a significantly weaker state.
- It becomes easier to ground a Roc when it is either heavily damaged, or if it fights in a non-mountainous region.
