Gullion

Gullions are big seagulls descended from ordinary shore birds and changed by long exposure to the void between worlds. Strange magics and climates have left them in every color, from normal gull grays to purple or orange, but the shape is always a gull's.

Mostly they are thieves, and remarkably cunning for animal-witted birds, sometimes staging a distraction so one of the flock can snatch a plate. They only fight in numbers and only when starving: a flock that has gone days without food descends on the nearest meal, usually a crewman, pecking to knock him senseless. They then rifle the body for food, and if that is not enough they start on the victim.

Novice crews often try to kill them off early in a voyage, which is harder than it sounds. The birds fly erratic paths through the air envelope and along the gravity plane, giving them an excellent Armor Class. Veteran sailors simply put up with them and fling scraps overboard to keep the flock content.

Gullions thrive almost anywhere. Unable to travel space on their own, they ride in a ship's air envelope and even sleep floating on the gravity plane. At landfall many abandon ship and spend their lives in the port, leaving locals puzzled over where the bright gulls came from.

They eat rats, garbage and table scraps, and some innkeepers welcome them as cleanup crews. Flocks with especially brilliant plumage can draw sightseers, and rival tavern owners have come to blows over who owns a particular colony. The gulls care only about being fed.