Peryton

Peryton

Harper Field Dossier
Combat reference
Type	A dark-winged monstrosity — a stag's antlered head on a great eagle's body, casting a man-shaped shadow
Vulnerabilities	Nothing shielded it: steel, fire, force, lightning and grave-chill all wounded it in full. The true weakness is the ground — toppled, snared, or pinned out of the air, it is half the threat
Resistances	None observed
Immunities	None observed
Condition Immunities
Strong Saves	One shrugged off a first toppling blow before the second throw brought it down; nothing else notable
Senses	Keen hunter's senses — a flight found a darkened camp from high in the night sky; its man-shaped shadow often arrives before it does
Movement	A strong, fast flier that strikes on the dive and swings wide out of reach; ungainly once grounded
Notable Abilities	Dive attacks — a gore with the antlers and a rake of the talons in one pass, then away and climbing before a blade can answer. Hunts in flights of a half-dozen; a nest-mated pair rears its young on a high tor
Provenance
Knowledge	Partial
First Encountered	Session 55, at a nest-tor over Varram's trail below the Serpent Hills
Filed by	Agent Brennah, of the High Moor circuit

The Harpers' Read

A peryton looks like a mistake — a stag's head and antlers on the body of a huge dark eagle — and the stories the company turned up say it may be exactly that: cursed men and elves, or what is left when a magical experiment goes wrong. Whatever the truth of it, the shadow the creature throws on the ground is shaped like a man. That shadow is often the only warning you get, because they hunt at dusk and after dark, stooping out of a sky you cannot read.

Two things matter in the fight. First, they kill on the dive — antlers first, talons behind, then past you and climbing before anyone can swing back. Do not plan on catching one as it goes by. Second, they are only dangerous while they are in the air. Anything that topples one or pins its wings puts it on the ground, where it is a wounded deer with teeth. The company at the tor won by knocking them out of the sky — a toppling trident throw, a well-placed volley of force missiles — and the survivors broke and fled rather than press the attack.

What should worry you more than the fight is the diet. The tor stood in a healthy stretch of moor full of game, and the nest held humanoid bones only — travelers off the trail, and at least one of our own, a field agent whose pin and cipher-book the company recovered. Where perytons nest above a road, assume the road has been feeding them. They breed in the air, birth live young in the air, and build the nest to catch the falling newborns; the injured ones get eaten. Clear the nest when you clear the flight.

Encounters of Record

• Session 55 — A flight of six dove on the company's night camp a mile from their nest-tor, on Varram's trail below the Serpent Hills. Gootcha's watch caught the shadows blotting out the stars; Xanphina toppled the first out of the air with her trident, Baelgrum's fireball lit the sky, Keyleth and Gootcha shot two dead, and Shade's magic missiles dropped three at once. The last, badly burned, fled to the nest — where Gootcha's familiar Peekaboo delivered a killing Chill Touch the next morning. Five carcasses were harvested; the nest held 4,200 gold, a dead Harper's pin and cipher-book, and only humanoid bones.

Harvest Profile

CR 2 — Uncommon ceiling. Rules: Monster Harvesting.

Component	Tool	Rarity	Effect	Primary for	Contributor to
Shadowbound Heart (signature)	Alchemist's	Uncommon	The organ that casts the man-shaped shadow — unnatural vitality; shadow-veiling and disguise	Potion, Wondrous	—
Dread Antler Rack	Smith's (or Woodcarver's / Thieves' fine work)	Uncommon	Dive-hardened goring antlers — weapon stock	Weapon	Armor, Wondrous
Sky-Stag Pelt	Leatherworker's	Uncommon	Storm-gray half-pelt, half-plumage — light leather that sheds wind	Armor	Wondrous
Heartsblood Ichor	Poisoner's	Uncommon	Blood fouled by a diet of humanoid hearts — a sickening dread-toxin	Poison	Bomb
Heart-Pearls	Jeweler's (or Thieves' fine work)	Uncommon	Calcified crop-pearls formed around devoured hearts — grim gem-focus and luckstone stock	Wondrous	Wand, Staff
Flight-Quills	Calligrapher's	Common	Structure only — quill and scroll stock	—	Wand, Wondrous
Wind-Reader Pinions	Navigator's / Cartographer's	Common	Structure only — sky- and travel-instrument stock	—	Wondrous
Restorative Marrow	Herbalism	Common	Structure only — medicinal marrow for draughts	—	Potion
Peryton Blood	Alchemist's / Poisoner's	Common	Structure only	—	Potion, Poison, Bomb
Antler Tines & Talons	Smith's	Common	Structure only	—	Weapon, Armor
Hide & Feather Scraps	Leatherworker's	Common	Structure only	—	Armor, Wondrous

Harvest Record

Harvested in Session 55 — five carcasses, about an hour's work by lantern-light before the party finished its rest. Each harvester made one check per carcass; quantities include margin bonuses. Banked totals: Harvested Materials.

Component	Status	Recovered by (rolls)
Shadowbound Heart (signature)	Recovered ×2 from one carcass (signature +1 at margin 10+); left on the other four	Xanphina (Alchemist's 21)
Dread Antler Rack	Recovered ×10 across all five carcasses	Baelgrum (Smith's 13, 23, 13) · Gootcha (Thieves' fine work 19, 24)
Sky-Stag Pelt	Recovered ×6 from two carcasses; left on three (a natural 1 among them)	Keyleth (Leatherworker's 18, 25)
Heartsblood Ichor	Recovered ×11 from three carcasses; left on two	Shade (Poisoner's 28, 21, 25)
Heart-Pearls	Recovered ×11 across all five carcasses	Gootcha (Thieves' fine work 10, 17, 16) · Shade (Jeweler's 16, 29)
Flight-Quills	Recovered ×5 from two carcasses; left on three	Xanphina (Calligrapher's 20, 9)
Wind-Reader Pinions	Recovered ×5 from two carcasses; left on three	Keyleth (Navigator's 12; Cartographer's 17) · Xanphina (Navigator's 9)
Restorative Marrow	Recovered ×5 from two carcasses; left on three	Baelgrum (Herbalism 10, 19)
Peryton Blood	Recovered ×18 from four carcasses; left on one	Shade (Poisoner's) · Xanphina (Alchemist's)
Antler Tines & Talons	Recovered ×15 across all five carcasses	Baelgrum · Gootcha
Hide & Feather Scraps	Recovered ×9 from three carcasses; left on two	Keyleth
The sixth peryton	Died in the nest atop the tor and went unharvested	—

See also

• Bestiary — the company's field bestiary
• Monster Harvesting · Harvested Materials