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
An achaierai could release a toxic black cloud when threatened. This cloud had an adverse effect on any caught within it, damaging them and possibly driving the victims to madness. Achaierai were very resistant to magic.