Achaierai


 * Creatures born out of demonic experimentation, achaierai are cruel, ruthless warlords of the Ashen Fields. A large creature stands on four stiltlike legs. It has a birdlike body, round and plump, about the size of a small pony, balanced atop its legs. Feathers that range in color from brown to red cover its body, and its terrible claws and beak glint like burnished metal.

Achaierai are massive, flightless birds that inhabit the infernal plane of Acheron and are only occasionally encountered elsewhere, though they are masters of the Ashen Fields. They are evil, clever, and predatory, with a distinct taste for torture.

Faith
Achaierai are commonly servants of Sargonnas.

Languages
Achaierai speak Infernal, using it to commonly communicate with Demons and Devils of The Abyss.

Government
Achaierai live solitary or in flocks of five to eight individuals. Their society has been born out of a cruel election process that occurs every 15 years, in which the adults of the flock torture themselves to see which individual has the strongest resolve. Those achaierai that fail these clan elections the worst are likely to be traded off to another flock as food in exchange for a breeding-ready male or female, ensuring that the small flocks can increase their genetic diversity as well as weed out the unfit. This flock dynamic works well for the fiendish aristocracy as well, who sometimes barter Half-Fiends in exchange for “weak” achaierai to be trained as interrogators in their dungeons.

Lands
Can be encountered on rocky or dirt lands, usually solitary. An Achaierai nest is built between and under rocks, hidden but unprotected (it is in fact anyone who stumbles upon it that would need protection from it).

The Art of War
In close combat, an Achaierai lashes out with the front two of its four legs and snaps with its powerful beak, which are incredibly strong. It will deliver a powerful kick, and uses its forelegs to grasp and grip its prey. It frequently springs at opponents, to strike quickly and then retreat out of range before an enemy can counterattack.

An Achaierai are also capable of releasing a choking, toxic black cloud. Those other then Achaierai who are exposed to it suffer for three hours as though an Insanity Spell has been cast upon them.

Appearance
Standing some fifteen feet tall Achaierai have plump bodies resembling quails' and four stork legs. Their soft feathers range in color through a variety of browns and earth tones. The claws and beak of an Achaierai have a metallic glint. They also weigh around 750 pounds.