Lupogriffon

Description

A chimeric hybrid of Eagle and Wolf, the Lupogriffin are often seen in groups of 3 - 4 instances. Employing pack based hunting tactics not unlike that of non-anomalous Wolves, Lupogriffin will first separate and then decimate herds of prey with ease. Though unable to fly, being entirely terrestrial these entities are still an extreme danger to the unwitting and unprepared.  

Morphology

Lupogriffins are hard to mistake for a non anomalous creature, sporting the head of an Eagle placed upon the body of a Wolf is a spectacle to be sure. In most instances these Lupogriffins resemble an amalgamation of local non anomalous fauna. It is common to see patterns of stripes and spots covering the fur of many instances. Though their body is covered mostly in fur, their heads, tail tips, and other areas that usually sport an overgrowth of fur on non anomalous wild canines now instead hold long feathers. The head of a Lupogriffin is unmistakable, where there should be the vicious jaws of a Wolf there now is instead the head of a large bird of prey, in most cases an eagle. In male instances the head is surrounded by a Wolf's mane interspersed with feathers, drawing greatly from their progenitors. The hind and front legs of the Lupogriffin sport the paws and claws of a Wolf, wisps of what would have been fur that stretch up their legs have now been replaced with feathers.   Lupogriffins are most commonly around the size of a non anomalous wolf or large hound. Though this makes them nowhere near the size of their air bound namesake it still presents the Lupogriffins to be a major threat. This size is furthermore made up for in pack based hunting tactics, deadly claws, and a beak powered by muscles strong enough to crack a human femur in tow with ease. Unlike their larger and aerial namesake the Lupogriffin is entirely bound to the ground, sporting no wings or flight capability. They are however incredibly agile, being able to reach exceedingly fast speeds when at full sprint. Furthermore many Lupogriffins are coloured in various tones of brown, green, or white that often mimic the general colour of their environment. During the mating season however, which varies depending on the pack, their feathers shall instead bear a vibrant colouration of blues, purples, golds, pinks, reds, and yellows. This colour variety is most often only seen for around two weeks of the year, with most packs mating during summer. It's during these periods that Lupogriffins become the most aggressive however as bringing larger and more dangerous prey back to the pack is the sign of a strong mate.  

Growth and Creation

It is presumed that much like other Mythic anomalies that Lupogriffins are a holdover from bizarre ancient biology or the tampering using the arcane arts long ago. Many of the instances found across our realm in the modern day have somehow remained undiscovered and hidden for the most part. It is known however that as with many anomalies a large degree of instance are mistakenly transported to our realm from their homeland, the preserve, or created by deities. It is believed that Lupogriffins along with other such entities originated from the realm of Avion, being created as a companion species by the realms God for its denizens. This however has been drawn into question as subspecies have been found in a litany of realms serving similar and different roles.   Further confusion was brought to the topic of Lupogriffin creation when researchers as part of the Saint Petersburg Anomalous Understanding Institute witnessed a multitude of instances rearing young. It was thought up until 1867 that Lupogriffins simply existed in their adult form as no young had ever been seen. Since then a variety of accounts have confirmed that Lupogriffins are able to reproduce without Arcane interference. Anomalously so however there seems to be little to no genetic deterioration of specimens with packs of only 5 members being able to produce un corrupted offspring for generations. It is believed that Lupogriffin packs may occasionally meet or alternatively be called to a single location during mating season in order to prevent genetic corruption. This would also explain why Lupogriffin seem to be far more active and in larger numbers during verified mating seasons.   It takes roughly 8 years for a Lupogriffin to fully mature, with only 1 of those years being in an infantile state. Much like wolves, Lupogriffins are brought into this world alive and well much like mammalian creatures. Unlike non anomalous mammals however, Lupogriffins do not produce any milk, feeding their young mouth to mouth much like non anomalous avian species. Though no instances have been observed over the age of 80 it is presumed that many if in good health could live well up to 130 years old. This is due to the sighting of certain legendary instances that have been seen by multiple generations, all supposedly being the same Lupogriffin.  

Abilities

Fortunately Lupogriffins do not appear to possess any offensive anomalous abilities. Their biological form however still poses a great threat, the mixture of crushing beak and sharpened claws allow Lupogriffins to easily dispatch un armoured prey. The eyes of a Lupogriffin also grant sight far beyond that of a Wolf, though this is at the detriment to their low light vision. Furthermore it has been noted by many researchers that although they possess keen eyesight the hearing of a Lupogriffin is seemingly poor. This is further combined with a verified poor sense of smell, this leads Lupogriffins to hunt almost entirely by sight and in the light of the day. Through testing it has been found the Lupogriffin are able to differentiate prey from their background at distances of nearly 10 kilometres. When hunting down such prey, Lupogriffins will make unwaveringly perfect eye contact with their victim, never taking their sight away until their target is slain.   It should further be stated that Lupogriffins are pack hunters, rarely being seen alone especially when in search of food. This has brought into debate the matter of Lupogriffin intelligence with many instances being observed to lure and herd prey, even humans, into carefully designed killing zones. Furthermore, Lupogriffins have been observed to lie in wait, concealing themselves in thick brush and grass, sometimes even in trees, in preparation to strike out at their prey. Lupogriffins are also capable of creating vocalisations, many of which are used to organise and alert their pack mates. Researchers have compared these vocalisations to a guttural screech, with one Agent noting that “They sounded like ███████ velociraptors…”.  

Behaviour and Psychology

Lupogriffins show only animal level intelligence, many have compared them to wolves, Wolfs, and at best trained assistance dogs. Being pack based entities makes Lupogriffins incredibly social animals. Much like wolves and Wolfs, Lupogriffins will care for the sick and wounded as well as their young. Many instances have been seen teaching their young how to hunt. Researchers have not been able to determine however if packs of Lupogriffins have some form of Alpha or Leader with all instances in a pack sharing all roles. Lupogriffins have however been observed committing to pack on pack violence, especially during mating seasons. Some researchers have further noted the apparent ‘human’ nature of Lupogriffins, with instances being observed to bring injured members of other packs food in times of need. If food becomes scarce Lupogriffins will often ensure the young and strong are fed first however.   There have been a litany of attempts made in the past to domesticate Lupogriffins by Anomalous Security Agencies across the globe. Almost all have ended in failure as Lupogriffins refuse to breed in captivity. Many singular instances of Lupogriffin also fall into a state of depression if not around their own kind. Such instances will refuse to consume food until they expire from starvation or dehydration. This being said a small number of verified ‘tamed’ instances exist thanks to the Lupogriffin being acquired almost immediately after its birth. This is still not considered to be safe as a great deal of these instances ended in tragedy after they turned on their freelancing masters.  

Habitat & Diet

Lupogriffins have been sighted in a variety of environments and locales. Commonly Lupogriffins prefer to remain in areas of dense woodland, rocky outcrops, and twisting country hills for setting up home. From these areas Lupogriffins will enter fields or plains in an attempt to seek out prey animals. In most instances Lupogriffins will simply hunt deer or cattle though with the advent of human settlements many have further resorted to hunting sheep, cows, pigs, and even horses. This is often what leads Lupogriffins to be discovered by local civilians. Though for the most part such farm raiding is only reserved for times when wild prey is scarce. Being carnivorous leads Lupogriffins to be almost always in search of prey, this also leads to humans being on the list of edible species.  

Combat & Containment

Lupogriffins are considered to be low threat entities in combat, with instances only being capable of physical attack a well prepared response team will find combating such entities to be trivial. Though of course many field agents will be without the man power and weaponry to effectively combat Lupogriffins. Fortunately as has been stated by many a field agent Lupogriffins have acted similarly to wolves. Response agents are to implement standard non anomalous hunting and culling methods when dealing with small packs of Lupogriffins. For larger packs however it is suggested that Response Agents attempt to flush Lupogriffins out of dense and tight terrain in order to prevent the loss of life to large scale ambushes. This can easily be done by employing armoured vehicles or detachments of armed agents that match the suspected number of Lupogriffins. Due to the predatory nature of Lupogriffins will rarely attempt to take on prey that is far stronger than themselves unless they outnumber said prey roughly 2 to 1. Chemicals such as ‘tear gas’ can also be used in abundance to deny the movement and combat abilities of Lupogriffins, many have noted that if blinded Lupogriffins will attempt to flee.   For Field Agents and Researchers that most likely will not be armed to a great degree it is suggested to also treat Lupogriffins as wolves. In a variety of cases personnel have been able to ward off attack by outstretching their arms and yelling. Other field agents have also employed fire to keep instances at bay. Furthermore in many cases simply discharging a firearm near to the Lupogriffin is more than enough to force the creature to retreat. It is also suggested that personnel stick in groups of 2 or more in order to prevent attacks of opportunity. It should be noted that often Lupogriffins will attempt to split up groups of prey in order to reduce risk. This can be negated by remaining firm of mind and soul in the face of such vicious creatures. It should also be noted that Lupogriffins will rarely pursue prey toward human settlements or into confined interiors of buildings. Many Field Researchers have managed to survive Lupogriffin attacks by entering vehicles and buildings. This is in no way a perfect fail safe however as sooner or later Lupogriffins will discover that their beaks can shatter glass. Some instances have furthermore been observed to open doors after a period of roughly 12 minutes. It is recommended that only as a last ditch effort agents attempt to fight Lupogriffins, preferably at great a distance as possible.   Addendum - Agents, Researchers, and Personnel are warned to not attempt climbing trees or rock faces to find safety. Lupogriffins are more than capable of climbing such supposed bastions of safety.  

Subspecies and Variants

Many of the Lupogriffin Subspecies are simple regional flavours though some interesting and more unique variants exist.  

Euroasain Lupogriffin

- Commonly found across Europe and Asia this is the most prevalent species of Lupogriffin encountered.  

Arctic Lupogriffin

- Found dwelling in the arctic circle these Lupogriffins are white as the snow they hide within.  

Alexanders Lupogriffin

- Larger and more solitary that other subspecies, the Alexanders Lupogriffin is found across the Balkans.  

Blu-Grif

- Smaller and less aggressive than its cousins the Blu-Griffons is found in Northern Europe, most commonly in the British Isles.  

Roost-Griffon

- Iconic for sporting a brilliant red, yellow, and green plumage all year round Roost-Griffs are one of the rarest subspecies.  

Harbour-Griff

- The Harbour-Griff holds the body of a tiger, and is far larger than its cousins. Known for their deadly ambush tactics this subspecies is found across India and Asia.  

Mountain Lupogriffin

- Grey as mountain rock and perfectly camouflaged, the Mountain Lupogriffins are known to lie in wait along the winding paths of mountain passes for any unwitting travellers.  

Annwinian Lupogriffin

- Twisted by the Anwwinian Magic of the elves these Lupogriffins are brightly coloured and bristle with the iridescent magic of their namesake.    

Myths, Legends and Incidents

There are currently no myths or legends relating to Lupogriffins available.  

Verified Incidents

There are currently no incidents that contain Lupogriffins available.  

Legendary & Famous Instances

There are currently no Legendary or Famous instances of note available.