Crayghe [Elven Hawk]

An elven hawk resembles a common hawk but is lighter, with shorter wings. Its name, crayghe, is a meaningless word that mimics its call. Centuries of elven crossbreeding made it faster and far smarter than wild hawks. It can follow simple sentences, know people by name, fly a note to a chosen recipient or scout for enemies; one elven tale tells of a hawk that fed and guarded its wounded ranger until help came.

It opens with a dive at +2 to hit and double talon damage, though it cannot use its beak that round. Afterward it claws and pecks at the eyes: each attack has a 35% chance to strike an eye, blinding the target for 1d10 rounds, with a 15% chance the eye is lost. A natural 20 with the beak always damages an eye.

Its keen eyes and ears mean only a 1 on 1d20 surprises it, and it always warns its owner of anything approaching. It is claustrophobic, refusing to enter buildings willingly; forced indoors, it shrieks, hooded or not, until carried outside, which may draw wandering monsters.

Like elven horses, these hawks rarely live apart from elves, though unlike those horses they can be bought. With a non-elven owner, even one who raised it from a chick, it has a 50% chance to bond (65% if the owner speaks an elven language), and an unbonded hawk flies off at the first opportunity. Most falconers accept that risk. A young bird costs about 2,000 gp; a trained adult may run as high as 5,000 gp.

Each hawk pairs with one partner for life. Separated for over a month, it turns dull and unresponsive, and may even grow aggressive in its struggle to get back. Elves often give up a hawk to another falconer to keep a pair together, in exchange for the first clutch of chicks.

Over her whole lifetime a female produces just two or three clutches, each holding 2-5 eggs. Chicks fly within 2 months and are adult within a year. The birds can live anywhere with rodents, fish or small reptiles.

Elven rangers warn that wild crayghe would drive slower, duller hawks to extinction. That is why the breed was given its strong bond to its owner and its slow breeding, keeping it scarce and close to settled lands.