Achaierai

Achaierais were large, flightless, birdlike creatures that could be found in the Barrens of Doom and Despair and in Acheron.

Description
Achaierais were, flightless birds that resembled plump quails and weighed about. They were quadrupeds with stilt-like legs, long, that emerged from their underside, ending in wicked talons. Withered, rudimentary wings rested either side of the spherical, pony-sized heads that made up their main body.

Their crests were almost always bright red but could be of any color, as their soft feathers, varied from dim teal to shadowed gold to burnt russet in their muted hue. Their legs were a metallic blue-gray, and along with their claws and beak, shone like burnished metal.

Behavior
Achaierai were cunning predators with a penchant for torture, and yet a strange sense of justice. They were tribalistic and incredibly organized, seeking vengeance on those they believed wronged their kin and able to devise new, inventive strategies of torment for centuries. In times of crisis however, an achaierai would abandon and even attack their brethren if need be and avoided other members of their kind when weak and vulnerable.

Abilities
Achaierais could only be killed by striking at their main, vulnerable bodies, but attacking their iron legs could cripple them in battle. A damaged leg would be rendered temporarily useless until the achaierai could recover from its injuries but a powerful swing from an edged weapon could permanently sever their appendages. Injured legs regenerated over the course of one or two days while detached limbs never regrew. Achaierai were just as fast with three legs as they were with four, but their speed halved when missing two and they could only crawl with one.

Achaierais could breathe a black cloud of toxic gas three times each day that inflicted any non-achaierai with madness and confusion for three hours. They were naturally resistant to magical effects.

Combat
Although the beaks of achaierais were just as dangerous as their claws, their great height prevented them from pecking at human-sized opponents while also stopping such foes from harming their main bodies in return. If an opponent was over 10 feet tall or elevated to that height, they could then strike them with their beaks. They were skilled combatants, targeting whichever enemy appeared the most dangerous with two of their claws and attacking as a group. Because of their size, only two achaeirai could engage a human-sized opponent at the same time, but their long strides and mobility allowed them to attack and retreat before their enemy could counterattack. If one member's leg was crippled they would attempt to escape while the rest of the flock fought and they saved their black cloud until three legs were injured, using it as a smokescreen. Their last resort was to unleash the rust dragons living in their lair as diversions so that the surviving flock could escape.