Legendary beasts
Not everything exists in the Empire closed-world campaign.
Gryphon
The gryphon is a beast that combines the aspect of an eagle and a lion. They are about the size of an adult ox with the forequarters of a great bird of prey and the hindquarters of a predatory cat. Despite their size they are not built to be ridden' there are tales of slightly built heroes and children riding on the back of gryphons but they are almost certainly fanciful. It is doubtful a gryphon could get off the ground with a rider, and even less doubtful that they would tolerate one for any period of time.
An adult gryphon is a match for an armoured knight. Their sharp talons tear through light armour to deliver crippling injuries. They favour hilly and mountainous areas that overlook fertile plains. A pride of gryphon will hunt across a large area, and they have been known to be a nuisance to animal herders in their territory. They mostly avoid humans but they are noted for their ferocity when threatened. They are particularly defensive of their young (which are born live, rather than in eggs) and there are stories of a pride tracking someone who has injured one of their cubs across hundreds of miles. They are capable of coordinated tactics, and work together to bring down larger prey; legends from Wintermark speak of the now-extinct gryphons of the mountains to the west of Skarsind hunting and bringing down adult mammoths.
These majestic beasts are very rare within the Empire; there are a few prides on the lower slopes of Urizen and the mountains of southern Kharaman but otherwise they have been hunted and driven out of areas claimed by Imperial citizens. Much larger specimens are believed to be found in the Realm of Summer, immense creatures that are powerful enough to be ridden by the Eternals of that realm; the gryphons of Summer are said to be intelligent, and capable of conversing. Their relationship, if any, to the beast found in the mortal realm is not known.
The gryphon is used extensively in the heraldry of Dawn. It is an enduring symbol of victory, prowess, pride and potency, and is strongly identified with the runes of Summer. Some Suaq hunters paint gryphons on their leather to draw on their powerful senses and hunting abilities. There is also some small trade in gryphon parts; magicians use feathers in rituals designed to grant strength, courage or pride and artisans are known to work talons, hide, bones and feathers into the construction of some enchanted items.
Griffon in Play
Gryphon provably exist. They are dangerous opponents, and their ability to fly makes them difficult to fight. It's worth reiterating that they don't serve as steeds; a gryphon would throw someone who tried to ride it onto the ground then tear them apart. They are rare in the Empire, but it is perfectly acceptable to roleplay that fur, feathers or talons are pieces from a gryphon, or to use pieces of them in ritual magic
Unicorn
A unicorn is a horse with a single spiral horn on the forehead, usually with a goat's beard and cloven hooves. They are often white, although not exclusively so. They represent strength, ferocity and nobility of spirit. They are characterised as gentle in peace and implacable warriors in battle. According to stories, unicorns have the ability to variously sense "evil", malignant spirits, cowardice and in some cases unvirtuous souls and attack them without mercy. They also appear in tales as protectors of the innocent, defending lone children from the depredations of monsters or bandits, or aiding those who have been wronged to gain justice from their persecutors. All of these things are just stories, however.
Unicorns do not exist in the mortal realm. Highborn cataphracts sometimes equipped their war horses with armour designed to evoke the image of the unicorn, with specially reinforced headpieces as part of their barding, but the horns were largely ceremonial. This unicorn barding was popular with the limited Dawnish cavalry, and some pieces are still preserved in both nations as relics of a bygone age.
These beautiful beasts are used in the heraldry of Daw as symbols of pride and courage. They are quintessentially noble creatures, proud and regal on the one hand, ferocious and brave on the other. A black unicorn is sometimes used to suggest great passion, while blue and violet unicorns have been used in a few places to represent houses that have a higher-than-normal proportion of War Witches among their number.
As with many legendary beasts, unicorns are said to exist in the Realm of Summer. Some Eternals possess rods and wands that they claim are made from the horns of unicorns, but there is no real way to verify this.
Unicorns in Play
Unicorns are not real. It is perfectly fine to have pieces that you claim come from a unicorn, but such artefacts are not actually from this legendary beast - a unicorn horn is likely to be a carved mammoth tusk, for example. People who claim to have seen unicorns are often pitied, but it must be said that there are plenty of tales of people who swear they've seen the beasts in the wilderness. Claiming to have seen or ridden a unicorn is analagous to claiming to have been abucted by aliens in the real world.
Unicorn
A unicorn is a horse with a single spiral horn on the forehead, usually with a goat's beard and cloven hooves. They are often white, although not exclusively so. They represent strength, ferocity and nobility of spirit. They are characterised as gentle in peace and implacable warriors in battle. According to stories, unicorns have the ability to variously sense "evil", malignant spirits, cowardice and in some cases unvirtuous souls and attack them without mercy. They also appear in tales as protectors of the innocent, defending lone children from the depredations of monsters or bandits, or aiding those who have been wronged to gain justice from their persecutors. All of these things are just stories, however.
Unicorns do not exist in the mortal realm. Highborn cataphracts sometimes equipped their war horses with armour designed to evoke the image of the unicorn, with specially reinforced headpieces as part of their barding, but the horns were largely ceremonial. This unicorn barding was popular with the limited Dawnish cavalry, and some pieces are still preserved in both nations as relics of a bygone age. Witches are known to evoke unicorns when using spells and rituals that empower their allies with martial prowess.
These beautiful beasts are used in the heraldry of Dawn as symbols of pride and courage. They are quintessentially noble creatures, proud and regal on the one hand, ferocious and brave on the other. A black unicorn is sometimes used to suggest great passion, while blue and violet unicorns have been used in a few places to represent houses that have a higher-than-normal proportion of war witches among their number.
As with many legendary beasts, unicorns are said to exist in the Realm of Summer. Some Eternals possess rods and wands that they claim are made from the horns of unicorns, but there is no real way to verify this.
Unicorns in Play
Unicorns are not real. It is perfectly fine to have pieces that you claim come from a unicorn, but such artefacts are not actually from this legendary beast - a unicorn horn is likely to be a carved mammoth tusk, for example. People who claim to have seen unicorns are often pitied, but it must be said that there are plenty of tales of people who swear they've seen the beasts in the wilderness. Claiming to have seen or ridden a unicorn is analagous to claiming to have been abucted by aliens in the real world.
Unicorn