Magebird

Upon the Queen's shoulder sat a familiar azure compatriot. Ricsig, the queens favored Magebird, trilled happily as magic swirled around them both.

"How are you, my love?" The King asked, presenting a crooked finger to the bird as he saddled up beside Somerild. The bird squeaked, shifting closer to rub it's crest feathers against his finger. A friendly mirror to the mass of warriors that thronged below, attempting to "What is it that you wished to show me?"

"Do you have Magebirds in Scirwine, Gowyr?" She asked, an impish glint in her eye.

"I heard about them, but never saw them."

"Then I believe I have a treat for you, my dear. One that will deal with our little..." She looked at the human tide below. "... Problem."

"Ricsig here? He couldn't hurt a fly!" The bird whistled at the king, making to jump over to the kings hand before the queen stopped him.

"Ah, ah, that's where you're wrong, Gowyr. He has not hurt anyone because I have told him not to. Now that I've confirmed there's no spellcasters amongst their number, now Ricsig can stretch his wings."

She gave the bird a knowing look, and it hopped down from her hand and flapped over to the wall and waddling to it's edge to peer down. With a comedic little hop, the azure bird went over the edge. Somerild looked like a proud mother, while the King look on with a touch of concern. He quite liked the bird too, after all.

There was a blinding flash of light, like a second sun had ignited just in front of the castle walls, followed by an ear splitting shriek. It sounded as if the air itself might tear before a massive avian form pulled itself into the air from below the wall, trailing azure feathers. The king rushed to the side and looked down, finding warriors scattering in every direction, all in an effort to avoid the impossibly large blue feathers softly floating to the ground below.

The ones closest to the feathers screamed and stumbled before collapsing. Steam rose from their bodies. One feather landed on top of a pile of dead knights. The King watched as their armor melted under the feathers heat.

— The Threemetal Cycle, by Krattipos of Salassa

Magebirds are a species of arcane avian that is, likely, a species created in ages past that has become somewhat endemic on Avallus, considering they are also able to be made today through a reverse-engineered spell structure. Regardless of their origin, they are common pets for mages and other spellworkers, and an excellent indicator for the naturally occurring magic within a region. The birds feed on magic, absorbing it through mere proximity, and so they are more than content to just hang around a mage or a font of elemental power.

As the birds feed, they also gain the ability to take on a larger form, the size of which is directly related to the amount of magic consumed by the Magebird in totality. That is to say, even if the bird expends all of its magic reserves, it could still take on its larger form. They are intelligent creatures, at least partially aware of their abilities and how destructive they are, though they tend to take cues from the spellcasters they hang around. A kind mage and healer will result in a magebird that will use its energies to help the health of those it likes, while a cruel mage will teach the Magebird to revel in the fire and frost that its feathers leave behind.