Belr'shara
Belr’shara or Whisper of fate as it is better known is a bat like rather large carrion animal living in barren areas. This disreputable or even feared creature has got its name by a hissing noise, which is heard when the creature dive attacks its prey.
General description
Body of the whisper of fate is about one meter tall from tail tip to nose. Wingspan is about 1.8 - 2.5 meters. Back of the creature is dark-grey and stomach light-grey so it is very difficult to see from below. The body is slender and thoroughly covered by short hair. Belr’shara is very lightly constructed weighing only about 5 - 7 kilos. The whisper of fate has hind legs, which end up to four sharp and crooked nails. Three of the nails point forwards and one backwards. Wings have formed of forelimbs, so when the creature is on ground it advances slowly and supports its moving with wings and short tail. Belr’sharas moving is quite clumsy on ground. The tail is about 20 cm long, thin and hairless. The whisper of fate has short nose, small ears and big eyes. The head resembles a little wolf’s or dog’s head. It has sharp carnassials, which it uses to tear flesh.
Whispers of fate have got their name by the hissing sound that can be heard when it dive attacks towards ground. Its wings are thin, leathery and covered by a very short fur. Unusual thing in the wings is that they have gaps, which cause the hissing sound during diving. Otherwise the creature flies completely silently. Meaning of the gaps may be to improve controllability and acceleration of the dive attack, in other words decrease air drag of the light and expanse wings. Knowingly the gaps don’t disturb normal flying in any way.
Intelligence and communication
The whispers of fate are not intelligent and their "communication" mainly consists of squeals and shrieks of different height. When noticing movement in desert they begin circulating target and waiting it keeling over. If the whisper of fate is hungry and the target seems to be lively and healthy, it could follow the target for a long times curving and slowly gliding above it. In any case that following is only a instinctive act and has nothing to do with intelligence.
Habits and personality
The whispers of fate are mainly carrion animals, which wait death of the prey like vultures. Usually they curve alone around the target and make fast dives towards it, when the victim often hears whispering noise. When the creature weakened by hunger and thirst keels over, the whisper of fate instantly begins eating even if the target would still be alive. It holds on with its nails and tears pieces of meat with its teeth. It eats as much as it can and flies back to nest digesting the meal. If the meal has been some large creature, the whisper of fate may visit the carrion at consecutive days looking if there would still be some eatable left and eat again as much as it can. If the whisper of fate is able to eat several times at consecutive days it would be very satiate and usually withdraws to its nest digesting for at least a week, but usually for a two weeks. After a little smaller prey the whisper of fate digests its meal usually about one week whereupon it leaves again circulating and searching new prey.
Smaller animals like small rodents are hunted live. In that case after spotting the target, they dive attack with great speed and capture the target with their nails and transport it to nest to be eaten.
The whispers of fate are able to be long times without eating if needed. It is assumed that in case of a tight spot the whisper of fate could spend be even two starturns without eating, but after that kind of fasting it would be very weak and have to find some nutrition quickly to survive. To be able to stay so long time without eating it have to spend very little energy and that is possible with certain kind of "stupor", where the creature droops if conditions change to that it would be impossible to find any food. When preparing to this stupor, the creature dig down inside its nest for cover.
Beliefs
Many different superstitious beliefs accede to whispers of fate. Many people living in deserts have beliefs that end is near when they see these creatures in the sky. Commonly taken it is also believed that these creatures are sign of ending of life and it would be time to leave this world soon. In many places people also believe that whispers of fate are the first sign of oncoming punishment after evil deeds.
Should the whisper of fate land on roof of someone’s house and be noticed, inhabitants of that house are usually expelled from the village, because it is believed that Belr’shara landed on roof would be sign of curse. These beliefs about curses are supported also by that Belr’sharas often use ruins as their nesting places. It is believed that in that case Belr’shara has remained guarding the cursed building, castle or even entire village or town until it would be completely destroyed and disappeared.
Commonness and seriousness of different beliefs differs a lot between tribes and villages, because Belr’sharas are more common in some areas than in the others. In areas where these creatures are common and are often seen, people don’t react them with same kind of seriousness than in areas where whisper of fate could be seen only once in year or even more rarely.
Nesting and territories
Whispers of fate live in all climatic zones excluding arctic. Main living areas are deserts or other barren and dry terrains. Belr’sharas don’t live in communities, but in couples. Nest is usually built high on a flap or tree stump. Favorable places are also ruins that are not crumbled or ruined fully on ground. Those kinds of ruins usually have some suitable high place and good base for a nest. The nest is large and built of branches and twigs. Once in a year female gives birth to a one living nestling. So whispers of fate are not actually birds, but mammals. The female suckles the nestling for about a month whereupon the nestling begins eating meat. The nestling leaves the nest and goes on its own way when it is little less one year old.
Territory of one Belr’shara couple is about 2-5 square kilometers and it is violently defended. Should another Belr’shara intrude the territory, it would be tried to be driven away with high squeals. If the intruder doesn’t agree to leave, the couple would attack it furiously trying to slay it.
Whispers of fate have constant battle for living areas with other carrion animals and especially with vultures. Vultures are mainly ruling savannahs and keep Belr’sharas away. To same extend deserts are areas of Belr’sharas and vultures are not tolerated there.
Effects of magic
Whispers of fate are not known to be magical in any way or using magic in any form. They are either known to have any resistances against any magic. Some wizards are known to have use for dried wings of Belr’shara and especially for the faint fur collected from dried wings. Fur of the wings can at least be used in some spells and potions having to do with noiselessness and possibly also flying.
Written by : MoR
Translated by : MoR
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