Posted at 2016-04-01 21:08:45 — Link
I was browsing reddit one day when I came across this fantastical creature from ancient Persia: the Huma bird (it's also the logo of the Iranian airways, believe it or not).
It was said to be a fantastical bird that never landed on the ground, so sometimes it's shown with no legs at all. If its shadow fell on you, or if it landed on you, it meant you were destined for kingship. It's also said that half its body, one wing and one leg, was male, and the other half female. So it would essentially be neuter.
It was similar to the phoenix that when it died it was consumed in fire, leaving an egg behind...
I was thinking we could have it as a summer equivalent to the Etelia, perhaps. But instead of crystalline ice we'd have Magical Fire, and instead of Ice Aura we'd have Kingly Beauty, similar to Dita's version of beauty but combined with Regeneration. You'd have to give up a Roc with Sense of Direction and Massive Wings, or a Gryphon with Gladiator and Second Breath, maybe.
Otherwise it could be the beast who brought Royal Good Fortune to your stables, with a broad effect on all your beasts, like faster/cheaper training times.
Some of the art I've found around the web:
The first picture is a Huma bird from the palace of Darius in Persia. This sculpture is widely regarded as being of a Huma.
The second image is a tattoo of a phoenix, a similar creature to the Huma.
The third image is of a firebird from Russian legend, showing it stealing golden apples from the Tzar's garden.
Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Random acts of senseless kindness.
