Razorbill

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The Razorbill is a large coastal bird which congregates in groups of several thousand on rocky sea-cliffs or inside seaward-facing caves. Razorbills are voracious hunters when in a pack and will attack and eat creatures as large as a horse. Their main diet, however, is fish. Colonies are easily recognised by the stench of carrion, fish, and guano that saturates the air, and creatures venturing within 100 yards of the colony will always be set upon by four to twenty-four birds. Razorbills attack with one bite per attack. Coastal vessels, fishermen, and other seaborne targets trespassing on the colony's fishing grounds (within a mile of the colony) will be attacked by four to eighty fearless birds. A flock of Razorbills can tear apart a band of Ogre mercenaries in less than a minute. The victims usually die from their countless lacerations.

It is possible to be attacked by lone birds in any coastal region, but this is rarer. Still a single Razorbill is a daring predator, swift to attack a lone traveller, or ravage the injured at the edge of a battlefield. Fortunately, a determined resistance soon sees one off.

The Razorbill resembles a large, huge-billed puffin, varying between 2 and 3 feet in length and with a minimum wingspan of 8-10 feet.

Razorbills are dangerous enough on their own, but the large amounts of blood they spill have an unfortunate habit of beckoning other beasts and monsters to the feast as well. Predators far more dangerous than Razorbills sometimes stalk the edges of their territory, having learned to recognize the particular raucous cries that signal a choice meal.

Habitat

East of Tilea and the Apuccini Mountains lies the Lagoon of Tears, which the unimaginatively named Black Peninsula separates from the Black Gulf. The lagoon is actually very beautiful, with stunning silvery cliffs and pleasingly shaped sea caves. Regrettably for would-be sightseers, the Lagoon has earned its name many times over, for along those cliffs dwell thousands of Razorbills.

They dwell in other parts of the Old World as well. Flocks have been reported in the Tilean Sea and the western cliffs of Estalia. They even roost in the northernmost portions of the Empire, along the cliffs overlooking the Sea of Claws. Fortunately to imperial folk, they clearly prefer the sea to rivers.

Folklore

The people of Tilea see Razorbills as accursed and hold such ill regard that, they are actually a mark of hatred. Many Merchant Prince houses actually declare ‘vendetta’ against their enemies by splashing Razorbill blood, or an entire carcass, on their doorstep. This leads to a somewhat clandestine market in fresh Razorbills, which are not easy to procure. This leads to high prices and, Tileans being Tileans, ‘counterfeit blood’. To further complicate matters, various mercenary and criminal groups seeking notoriety often actively use imagery incorporating or hinting at Razorbills in some fashion, as do some covert sellers. Such groups are occasionally directly affiliated, but frequently have nothing to do with one another, which leads to dangerous (or hilarious) misunderstandings.

Many people understates how active the black market for Razorbills is — and just how nasty the penalties are for being caught. In addition to their use in vendettas, there are southern wizards who employ rituals that make use of Razorbills. These practices, I’m told, can fail with exceedingly dangerous consequences if fakes are substituted and they are not merciful to counterfeiters.