Ollivear

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Ollivear resemble large, birdlike Ogres with arms and long feathers. They are hostile and dangerous predators that grow as tall as an Orc in height and far wider in girth. While native to Guldar, they have also made nests in Daendroc due to the Orcs transporting eggs during their great exodus.

Physical Description

Largely due to their shared place of origin, these birdlike beasts have a similar skin tone to both Orcs and Ogres, ranging from an unseemly green or grey to a rich, muddy brown. The Ollivear stands between eight to nine feet in height. Though not as wide as they are tall, the widest and shortest of the Ollivear do near that ratio. However, most are from five to six feet in width, the animal’s girth being somewhat dependent upon the availability of food.

The wings of an Ollivear are long and wrap across their body, a mechanism sometimes used to protect young or shield themselves in high wind conditions. Their plumage is restricted to the back side of their body and limbs, and the feathers are a deep black at their base, gradually blending into a vibrant, dark purple. They have heads that are smaller and more rounded than their Ogre analogs, with beady eyes and a purple beak protruding from the lower portion of their face.

An odd trait these creatures possess is the way the base of the beak is draped in loose skin. This usually limits the beak’s opening range, only allowing the creature to eat small rodents and similar such things without difficulty. However, this skin can be retracted, permitting the beast to open its beak much wider, its bite big enough to consume very large prey, such as a Human.

Habitat and Behavior

The highest populations of Ollivears are found within the mountain ranges of central Guldar, as well as in smatterings around Daendroc near Orc camps. These creatures, despite their birdlike nature, prefer to live low upon jungle floors where they lay their eggs in caves and remain there to brood in the dark.

They tend to travel and hunt in solitude. However, the females have a strong maternal instinct, caring for their young until they are able to do so for themselves.

First Recorded Encounter

It is unknown when the Orcs of Guldar first encountered the Ollivear, but the first recorded encounter was made by an enslaved Human scribe working inside the kingdom of Thelassia in the years following the cataclysm. Within his diary, he wrote a scrawled account, from which the following is an excerpt:

“So I laid my eyes upon it, and what I saw was far from Human. I was both repulsed and intrigued at the same time. This creature in particular was sinewy with patches of feathers torn off and the blood of its victims splashed across its broad chest. The thing looked somewhat like an Orc, though closer to a bird in its appearance. I saw many fall to that monster today, witnessing first-hand a single bite completely crushing an Elf’s skull.”

The individual encountered had been caged by Orcs and then let free when they approached the Elven settlement.

History

Ollivears were originally but a pest to Orcs and the other inhabitants of Guldar. Certain tribes had a tradition of collecting the feathers of these beasts that one had slain and using them to adorn their armor. By this, the stronger members could be recognized by the thickness of their coat. Yet once the Ollivears were discovered to lay delectable eggs, the competition stopped being about how thick one’s coat was and turned to how many eggs one could serve at a feast. However, the Ollivear’s numbers did not suffer terribly, as it was no easy task to gather these eggs. Many Orcs died at their hands and beaks, which made the survivors all the more keen to gather plenty of eggs.

One tribe managed to ‘tame’ the birds, much to their success as a widely feared tribe. Such use generally consisted of caging the Ollivear, angering them with sharpened sticks, and then releasing them in the direction of one’s enemies. Other tribes eventually caught on, and that manner of assault became increasingly common amongst the better organized Orc tribes.

As the atmosphere of Guldar grew more toxic, the Ollivears were particularly susceptible, dying out more rapidly than other species. As the Orcs performed their mass exodus to Daendroc, many Ollivear eggs were taken for breeding upon arrival, inadvertently helping to secure the future of the race.

Since their transition to Daendroc, the Ollivears have seen little change. They are both tamed by Orcs and left to roam freely. Their eggs are still hunted and harvested as a delicacy, and particularly ostentatious Orcs still decorate their armour with the feathers of the Ollivear.

Trivia

  • In past years, aristocratic fashion trends have often favoured use of Ollivear feathers
  • Particularly superstitious persons believe that if one touches an Ollivear egg, the mother of the offspring will hunt them down, whatever the cost.
  • Orcish shamans sometimes interpret Ollivear behaviors as omens of all sorts, though the exact meanings vary from tribe to tribe.

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