These predators of the steppes of Ilkure are one of the most
beautiful and deadly creatures of the sky. They are trainable, and
are highly sought after by falconers of many worlds. They stand up
to 65 centimeters tall, with a wingspan of over 1.5 meters. Amas
Hawks have four wings, and four legs, with large and powerful
talons. The plumage of the Amas hawks is usually either black,
grey, white, or pale blue, or a combination of the above. The pure
white hawks are a more Northern sub-species, that tends to be
larger and more powerful than the other varieties. They are a live
bearing species, with the females being cared for by their mates
during their pregnancy periods. They mate for life, and will
seldom find another mate after the death of their first one.
The Amas Hawks tend to hunt in mated pairs, with the children
hunting together with their parents for their first season in
flight. Mated pairs of these hawks are very effective hunters,
with one partner driving the target toward the other. They have
been known to hunt anything that can fly, and ground based
creatures up to ten times larger than them. Their usual hunting
patterns for airborne prey are one hawk driving the target past the
second, concealed member of the pair. When hunting ground dwelling
targets, the hawks perform phenomenal high speed stoops that
deliver a crushing impact, and if the prey survives the initial
attack they will either release for a second attack, or attempt to
finish the target off with their claws.
The unique wing structure of the hawks allows them to perform
maneuvers that are nothing short of phenomenal. They can hover
with ease, accelerate to top speed within a second or two, and turn
around in spaces no more than twice as wide as they are.
Average Size: 60 centimeters tall, 1.45 meters wingspan
Special Abilities:
Natural Weapons. Claws: STR+1D+2, doubled for a stoop
attack. Stoop attacks can only be made when the Hawk has 900
meters vertical clearance, and takes no other actions that round.
Maneuvers. See above
Weaknesses:
Amas Hawks cannot fly at all when their wings are wet.