Lore:Terror Bird

A brown Terror Bird

Terror Birds, also known as Khrasaat^[1] in Ta'agra, are large, carnivorous and flightless birds found in Elsweyr and parts of the West Weald (typically close to the Hammerfell border). They are very aggressive towards anyone who approaches them or their territory. Terror Birds have a communal nature when it comes to looking after their young and eggs with pack-like behavior, and will attack anything that comes near the nest without hesitation. Terror Birds are also extremely strong and are seen as a challenge by Khajiit warriors, in which the warriors die almost as often as they win against the beast, they have also been recorded taking down a Senche-Cat.

Their diet consists of meat, from animals such as antelope and sometimes men and mer, though the Altmer mistakenly seem to think that a Terror Bird's diet consists of only moon-sugar plants.^[1] Terror birds can be corralled into a specific direction by using a campfire and fanning the smoke towards the herd, as they have a fear of fire and will run in the opposite direction if they sense it.^[2] They can also be scared off by using a dried gourd with holes in it, with a string attached to it due to the noise it makes, which is compared to a pack of jackals.^[3]

Terror Birds' gizzards have been used as waterskins^[4], and their beaks can be fashioned into an effective pair of metal shears.^[5] Dolls resembling Terror Birds have also been made, though these have a tendency to scare children.^[6] Wooden figurines resembling the Terror Bird have also been sold in Anequina.^[7] Their meat is described as being "Tough, stringy, greasy, and tasting like used boots". Because of this, some believe that it's not worth the difficult task of hunting one. ^[8]

Variants[edit]

Topaz Terror Birds cloak themselves in wind-blown sand to ambush unsuspecting prey.^[9]

Ruby Terror Birds have plumage as vibrant as the setting sun, these terror birds are often trained to parade around the halls of Rimmen. Nobles delight in the strangeness of their movements and the brilliance of their feathers.^[10]

The wraxu was a relative of Terror Birds driven to extinction during the Great Burn of the Blackwater War in 1E 2828. They are reported to have grown as tall as mammoths with tails as long as wagon tongues.^[11]