Condor, Sword Coast

Description

The Sword Coast Condor is unique to northwest Faerun, from Icewind Dale south through northern Amn. It prefers areas with constant winds and thermals, and is more likely to be encountered over valleys and mountainous areas than forest and field. Like the animal-intelligence giant condor which it closely resembles, it eyesight is quite keen. Soaring at high altitudes, these birds search the land for injured, crippled, deformed, or ill creatures, swooping down when they are dead or near death for a meal. Preferring to stay away from potential prey items that still have some life in them and can fight back, they are content to wait for death to take its course.

Unlike the typical giant condor, more common over the Shaar regions and areas of big game animals, the Sword Coast Condor is intelligent. Given its large size, few creatures bother it. Its huge wings and command of the winds allow it to search vast areas daily, and thus it keeps well fed. As a result, the Sword Coast Condor is a bored and curious individual, always interested in anything out of the ordinary; adventurers, new construction, anything to help them pass the time. Many a band of explorers or merchants in the wilderness have been followed by a group of these huge birds. Fearful that they were an evil omen or that they wished to attack, the condors were merely curious, and presented no real threat.

Such curious animals have a difficult time of keeping away from novel items and situations, and the enterprising adventurer can often lure one down, even enticing it closer with promises of food (carrion or otherwise). Druids and rangers sometimes do this to communicate with the animals. Fairly intelligent and quite observant, they are often great sources of information of the surrounding terrain (the condors understand their own language, some giant eagle, and about one in ten understand some Common). Farmers and ranchers sometimes lure these animals down to slay them, fearing (incorrectly) that they will prey upon their livestock.

In rare instances barbarian groups or orc tribes will capture Sword Coast Condors, and use them as mounts. Slow and somewhat unwieldy, they can carry one man-sized individual for long distances. However, they are very poor in combat, and always seek to escape; at best, these captured mounts can be used for scouting purposes.

Sometimes confused with the evil and rapacious vulchling, Condors are much larger in size and tend to have pinkish rather than grayish skin on their exposed neck and head. Condors get along reasonably well with other avian groups, once they understand that they are not vulchlings.