Bestiary
A male cockatrice. Artwork by Thatsoullessguy.
Appearance
Male and female Cockatrices are nearly identical, the only difference is in the vibrancy of their colors. Female Cockatrices are typically duller, with more sandy or pale colorations and subtle patterns to their scales. Male Cockatrices usually have dark, iridescent feathers and splashes of bright colors and markings on the scales, feet, and tail.
Both males and females, however; always have a very dark face, beak, and teeth, framed by a large dark comb of colorful eye-marks that produce a bioluminescent glow in low/dark light. hese bright, glowing eye-markings can also appear on the wings and on the inside of the mouth.
They have a great variation in their looks; some have most of their bodies covered in long extravagant feathers of all shapes and sizes and others have much scarcer feather growth.
Their comb/wattle come in many presentations, but always ‘wraps around’ the head; some Cockatrices have multiple combs layering on top of each other or extending down their long necks. Their wings towards the innermost webbing can also be different from one Cockatrice to the other, with some males showing long ‘trails’ of webbing extending from the area.
Abilities
Cockatrices are naturally very strong, but they’re impressively fast and agile next to Manticores. Able to perform great leaps and turns nearly on a dime. They’re fantastic, adaptive fighters/hunters that wear down their opponents or prey and attack with fast kicks, slashes, and pecks of their sharp strong beaks.
Their tail under the ruff of long feathers has small but sharp spikes that can be used to defend themselves if something is behind them, by whipping it at the creature(s).
They are incapable of flight, the most they can do is soften their landings.
Intelligence
Cockatrices are very smart resourceful beasts showing an intelligence similar to that of corvids…usually stubborn, determined, overly protective, and reckless. With enough patience and attention, you can train them to be extremely loyal mounts and war-beasts willing to die fighting for you.
Diet
Cockatrices lean heavily into being predatory but are opportunistic due to the sometimes scarce prey of the scorching deserts they like inhabiting: there are peck-holes taken out of cactus and fruit found in their territories. They very much enjoy eating Kjunkal or other large bugs they find, Basilisks, Manticores, and even Zapalope.
Lifespan
Cockatrices can live up to 40 years in the wild depending on how violent the lifestyle is for the particular Cockatrice. In captivity, they can live from 40 - 65 years depending on how well they’re cared for.
Size
Cockatrices are large beasts, the average standing roughly at 7ft to the shoulder but can get to a frightening 10ft tall in some specimens.
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The size range of a typical cockatrice. Artwork by Thatsoullessguy. |
Temperament
In the wild; they’re extremely aggressive, protective of their flocks, and territorial beasts. They are rarely seen in human or dragon-populated areas and it's best that they’re left alone.
The only way to ‘tame’ one is if you get a Cockatrice egg and raise it yourself which can be a very dangerous, suicidal thing to acquire seeing as they travel commonly in flocks of 4-10.
In captivity, depending on how well you raised them and socialize them, they can be very standoffish to other people and very protective of you, seeing you, and those that raised them as ‘part of their flock’.
Lifecycle
Female Cockatrices lay from 2-5 eggs that incubate for about 60 days. The eggs are large, about 30cm (12 in) long, 30cm (12 in) wide, almost perfectly circular in shape, and weigh about 11kilograms (24lb) each. The eggs are black with mottled blue, green, red, or golden small spots. The mating season begins in April and ends sometime before September, during that time both males and females court each other in flashy ‘dances’ and booming rhythmic calls.
Their ‘dances’ consist of circling each other, jogging, and jumping, flapping their wings and kicking out their legs to show off their bright colors, and occasionally doing quick shakes of their heads to ruffle their long neck feathers and their bright combs. Mating season is about the only time you’ll ever hear these creatures make these booming, screechy rhythmic sounds.
When a male and female get together, they’ll both attend to the eggs, creating round big nests with pits in the sand for the eggs to lay in. After 60 days pass, the eggs will hatch roughly 1 to 2 days apart into small, ugly completely black, quilled hatchlings that will follow their parents and learn from them, if their parents are a part of a big flock; they’ll sometimes wonder to other ‘friendly’ Cockatrices or observe them from a distance.
Once the young Cockatrices reach adolescence their colors start to show on their scales, comb, and feathers and their plumage is filled out. In their early adulthood, they grow more independent and will either abandon their beginning flock or become a part of it for a longer time. If all siblings survive, they typically all go off on their own together.
Cockatrices & Humans
They are not a very common mount due to the dangers in trying to get one early, plus the difficulty that comes with their extensive training. However, due to this rarity, they are highly sought after as guards, war beasts, and prized for their deadly beauty. There are very few who ‘own’ these beasts, and those that do get quite the attention for it.
Because of all this, there aren't many ‘breeds’ of them around.
Because of all this, there aren't many ‘breeds’ of them around.
Manticores & Cockatrices
The feud between Cockatrices and Manticores is ever-present even in the most ‘docile’ of cases. Both of them are natural competitors in the wild, and there's always that animosity there. Stories have been made about their never-ending battles, depicting them as equals or used to inspire.
‘The Pale Cockatrice’ is a familiar one, about a small albino cockatrice that defeats a giant Manticore using its wits.
‘The Pale Cockatrice’ is a familiar one, about a small albino cockatrice that defeats a giant Manticore using its wits.
Basilisks & Cockatrices
Like the Manticores, Basilisks are always featured in stories with Cockatrices in fights or as their friends. In the wild Cockatrices and Basilisks have sometimes been seen helping each other during very specific situations in hunts, with the Cockatrices staying above land where the entrances of the prey’s dug-out holes are and the Basilisk diving in them. If the underground prey flees the hole the Cockatrice will get it, and if they don’t, the Basilisk will.
Sightings
In Hovell, parts of the northern Springsinger Territory, and in the Republic of the Spire people and dragons have had the unfortunate luck of seeing one of these beasts roaming around either in their flocks or alone. At night they make terrifying sights with their imposing stature and size as well as their glowing markings, and tales of them have turned into nightmarish stories of finding a creature with ‘many eyes’, ‘flowy tentacles’, and leathery wings with claws that stared into your very soul.