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Description

Gryphon

An offshoot of the original theropod line splitting from a common ancestor very early in their history with rough estimates putting it roughly around the early Jurassic, becoming immensely successful aerial predators able to match and in some cases even out compete dragons. Particularly around the last ice age when many species of mega-fauna and vast herds of horses, their preferred prey, were in abundance gryphons spread and diversified into many subspecies throughout the European and Asian continents. Long admired, respected, and even held sacred in some places, gryphons have had an almost symbiotic relationship with humans throughout history, however during the Greek historical period as well as during the reign of the Roman Empire many species of gryphon were captured in an attempt to domesticate them to be used as instruments of war, favored for their immense strength, able to carry a fully armored warrior aloft with minimal effort, while a couple of breeds were lost to extinction the majority of the species survived proving far too dangerous and much too costly and difficult to train. Their strong independence and high intelligence coupled with their extreme strength and vicious offensive capabilities insuring their top predator status even against humans whom they will readily feed upon given the opportunity. The association of gryphons with treasure is also easily explained, they're known to hoard shiny objects in much the same way as other avians using them as decor to attract a mate, trade wagons carrying treasures would ensure their stock was well covered before departure into their known territories.

Description

Gryphon

An offshoot of the original theropod line splitting from a common ancestor very early in their history with rough estimates putting it roughly around the early Jurassic, becoming immensely successful aerial predators able to match and in some cases even out compete dragons. Particularly around the last ice age when many species of mega-fauna and vast herds of horses, their preferred prey, were in abundance gryphons spread and diversified into many subspecies throughout the European and Asian continents. Long admired, respected, and even held sacred in some places, gryphons have had an almost symbiotic relationship with humans throughout history, however during the Greek historical period as well as during the reign of the Roman Empire many species of gryphon were captured in an attempt to domesticate them to be used as instruments of war, favored for their immense strength, able to carry a fully armored warrior aloft with minimal effort, while a couple of breeds were lost to extinction the majority of the species survived proving far too dangerous and much too costly and difficult to train. Their strong independence and high intelligence coupled with their extreme strength and vicious offensive capabilities insuring their top predator status even against humans whom they will readily feed upon given the opportunity. The association of gryphons with treasure is also easily explained, they're known to hoard shiny objects in much the same way as other avians using them as decor to attract a mate, trade wagons carrying treasures would ensure their stock was well covered before departure into their known territories.