Lyra Bird [Savage Coast]

This tiny bird is no bigger than a hummingbird, with an iridescent back of metallic green or blue and a white or soft tan belly. Males sport a glittering throat of red, blue, emerald or greenish bronze. The long, needle-fine beak is built for plucking small insects, above all parasites such as cardinal ticks and the lice that plague the curse-gifted orders.

Local wizards, perhaps quietly helped by one of the gods, bred the birds to clear their land of the vermin drawn to curse-warding red metal, curse-born gifts and the red mineral dust of the frontier coast. It half worked. A lyra bird cuts a host's infestation by 1% per day until only 5% remains, then flies off to find a more heavily infested creature.

It flees any danger but has defenses. It is surrounded at all times by a 10-foot-radius protection from evil aura, and three times a day its song can produce charm person, charm monster or charm plant. Anything it charms defends it as well as it can.

Slaying or beating one is worth no experience at all. Instead, award experience to characters who have a meaningful encounter with one, such as hearing it sing or carrying it for a while.

Lyra birds usually live with a host creature, one to an area, though a mated pair may share territory or host. Pairs build delicate egg-shaped nests of lichen, cobweb and bark, and only the female incubates. Males are a little smaller yet fiercely territorial, chasing rivals away from the nest.

Folklore claims that no one can strike a blow while a lyra bird sings within earshot. It is false, but belief is strong enough that fights often stop the instant one starts singing. The bird stands for peace and hope.

Its wonderful song draws parasite-ridden beasts such as bilge vermin, cinnavixens and other creatures, sometimes even a huge iron juggernaut. Many settle into a partnership in which the bird eats their parasites. A lyra bird dies if it goes a full week without parasites to eat, and it soon sickens and dies in a cage.

Slaying one supposedly brings a mild curse, perhaps -4 to proficiency checks, or -2 to every saving throw and combat roll, which can be lifted by a fitting penance set by a high-level druid. Letting a captive bird die is said to bring a permanent, crippling curse, such as gaining the curse's deforming final stage with no hope of reversal.