Peryton

Peryton
(Creature)
Common CE Medium Beast Level 4 Alignment Chaotic evil Source: Bestiary 2, pg(s). 197 Type Magical beast CR 4 Environment Any Alignment LG NG CG LN N CN LE NE CE Source: Howl of the Carrion King, pg(s). 86–87

A peryton combines the body, forelegs, and antlers of a stag with the wings and hind legs of a giant bird of prey and the head of a monstrous wolf. Its shadow takes uncanny forms, including that of its humanoid victims.

Appearance

Most adult perytons measure four feet in length and four-and-a-half feet in height, and weigh between 240 and 380 pounds. Their wings typically stretch to a span of more than 11 feet.

Ecology

While bestial in appearance, perytons are comparably intelligent to humans and can speak Common tongues. Some also speak ancient Azlanti, which is sometimes mistaken for human-sounding gibberish. However, they mutually loathe each other and rarely cooperate enough to become an organized threat to others.

Perytons have an insatiable hunger for warm hearts, which they tear from the bodies of their prey. They especially prefer humanoid hearts. They are stalking solo predators who prefer to hunt solitary travelers, and can mimic the shadows of other creatures while flying to disguise their approach. Though not hoarders, they often collect trophies from their victims through which they can recall their meal's final moments of horror.

While typically solitary themselves, perytons infrequently form flocks led by a female. However, such flocks last only until the rest of the flock perceives a flaw or weakness in the alpha peryton and eviscerates her.

Perytons nest in good vantage points on rocky outcroppings or the tops of mighty trees. Male perytons offer hearts to a prospective mate, and if successful the mating is often fatal for the male. The female lays a foot-tall black egg and subsequently abandons it; it hatches after seven months, at which point the furless peryton must survive on its own.

On Golarion

Habitats

Perytons live in the Spellscar Desert of the Mana Wastes, Irrisen near Whitethrone and Sosulka, the ruins of Azlant, the ruins of Azlant, the World's Edge Mountains, and the northeastern coast of Arcadia near Port Valen.

Myths

In a myth told of perytons about the last days before the Age of Darkness, an Azlanti sage named Osein was approached while sleeping in a forest clearing by Barbatos. Osein had tried and failed to warn the people of the village of Gibrav about the impending doom of Earthfall, and the devil suggested to him that by opening the gates of the village at night, Osein's people could avoid suffering.

When Osein did so, creatures of the surrounding forest emerged, invaded the village, and began slaughtering its inhabitants. Barbatos then told Osein that since the villagers were in the bellies of his beasts, none of them would suffer from Earthfall. The souls of those villagers are said to inhabit perytons, amalgamated forms of their forest devourers; the word peryton in ancient Azlanti means "damned".

Exhibits

The spurious advertisements of Almin Gemper, the self-proclaimed Mister Golarion of Absalom Ads, claim that he tamed and rode a peryton across the Obari Ocean on his way to train at the Houses of Perfection in Jalmeray.

A set of peryton antlers hangs on the wall of the Lost & Found shop in Absalom's Grand Bazaar, over the desk of its proprietor Yggwil. The Blakros Museum's collection also includes a taxidermied peryton.

In the Great Beyond

Perytons have served the demon lord Pazuzu, patron of winged creatures, as his demonic minions.