The giant eagles that dwell among the mountains of northern Terrinoth have been tamed and trained by the people of the baronies for decades. In times of war, these Rocs are armoured, mounted, and led into battle against the enemies of the Daqan Lords. They fly over all terrain with ease, snatching foes up into the sky to drop them to their death. The overhead cry of a Roc Warrior is a heartening song to the soldiers of Daqan which announces their imminent victory, but it is a sound of absolute horror to those that stand against way of the barons.
From her home at Highmont, Baroness Adelynn personally oversees the raising and training of Forthyn’s famed Roc Warriors, as her lineage has done for centuries. The rocs are massive eagles, domesticated long ago and bred for use as war mounts. Adelynn provides these trained rocs to certain other baronies in accordance with longstanding traditions and alliances. Great artificial eyries in the mountains are home to expert breeders and trainers, who have themselves adjusted to the thin, cold mountain air and perfected their arts over many generations.
Recently, however, these folk have faced a new challenge. Unknown thieves have made several attempts to steal rocs, including hatchlings and eggs. Thus far, the roc-masters and the baroness’s men-at-arms have foiled these attempts. The persistence of the thieves and the very difficulty of absconding with such fearsome creatures in such perilous terrain speaks to the determination and resourcefulness of the culprits, and some Forthyners fear this indicates a darker power behind the rustlers. For the mighty rocs to fall into the hands of Terrinoth’s enemies would bode ill for the Land of Steel.
References
- Battlelore (Second Edition)