In the wintery wilderness of the Breton Isles there are numerous dangerous beasts, not the least of which being the malevolent and viciously cruel Snowbirds found in the deepest forests and darkest bowers of the island realm.

Believed to have been born exclusively from an amalgam of twisted sorcery and the naturally aggressive nature of owls found in the Breton Isles, the Snowbirds are enormous, vicious brutes capable of taking down prey that other predators would never dare challenge. Their favorite prey? The powerful and noble Minotaurs of the Isles, which they take great pleasure in terrorizing and singling out. They are sapient, and fully capable of acts of evil for the sake of their own amusement.

A common "game" played by Snowbirds is to cripple a victim, either by severing tendons, inflicting a gruesome stomach injury or even plucking their eyes out, and then forcing them to flee through the wilderness until such a time as fear, exhaustion or pain causes them to drop. Only then does a Snowbird descend on the victim to deliver the killing blow.

Predators that jealously guard their territory, one never sees more than a single Snowbird in a region, covering dozens of square miles or more. They eat infrequently, possibly sustained by the magic imbued into their blood to some degree, and are frequently prone to "cultivating" Minotaur tribes and other groups of creatures via campaigns of terror, picking off victims only when they so wish.

It is rare to see a Snowbird killed, and never captured. They will die before bending to anyone, or anything, short of a deeply powerful Mage. Even then, they usually only do so for their own gain, and will easily turn on their so-called master if given an opportunity.

Art by  LustBubbles