tyrantisterror:GRIFFINS!The most common chimera on Midgaheim by a wide margin, griffins have been ma

tyrantisterror:

GRIFFINS!

The most common chimera on Midgaheim by a wide margin, griffins have been made so often that feral populations are enormous and, by this point, just as critical to the environment as the many “natural” arcane creatures.  Combining a lion (the king of beasts) and an eagle (the king of birds) gives griffins an affinity for both earth and wind magic - and, like other beasts who are attuned to two opposing elements of magic, this makes griffins incredibly powerful.  Add to this the fact that they are not particularly hard to make, griffins are in many respects an ideal chimera - one needn’t be a master to create one, and yet they produce marvelous results.

This, of course, has led SEVERAL wizards to make griffins over the years, and in time those griffins reproduced naturally, to the point that many environments in Midgaheim now have large griffin flocks as a vital part of their ecosystem.  After a few generations of interbreeding, the lion and eagle features in griffins become less distinct, with “feral” griffins often looking a bit more monstrous/wild than their sleek forebears.

Of course, some wizards still get it wrong, with the most common mistake being the use of too little eagle in the mix, resulting in chimeras like the Opinicus(lion with an eagle’s head) or the Keythong(i.e. a wingless griffin).

Likewise, wizards who are more skilled with chimera-crafting have sometimes felt the need to mess with the griffin recipe.  Substituting different felines and/or raptors is common, as is adding just a dash of horse to make griffins that are more inclined to serve as mounts.  Some take it a step farther and add a LOT of horse, creating Hippogriffs, which trade some ferocity for a more amiable beast.  Of course, not all these twists are successful, as the scarcity of Mergriffins can attest to.