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Griffon by boscopenciller-d3glqbj

Wild griffon

A Griffon is a combination of a giant bird of prey and a big cat, such as a lion, or tiger. Griffon's have massive feathered wings, and beaks which are hooked and can easily sever a man's limb. Their claws, which are reminiscent of a hawk's talons, are kept sharp by regular scoring against stone. Griffons appear to be creatures born from the mutating power of Chaos

They are voracious predators, flying out for miles to hunt from their mountain lairs. Griffons them swoop down on their prey, screaming war cries as they come. The cry of a Griffon is often enough to send enemies running. For the Griffon, this is an ideal situation as it prefers its meals on the run, and alive. They then continue to attack until no opponent is left moving. Survivors of Griffon attacks often have dreams of being hunted down and rent limb from limb for years afterward. Despite being large and monstrous creatures, Griffons have reputations as noble beasts. This is in part due to their proud and regal bearing – Griffons are not ravenous and frenetic like Manticores. Instead a Griffon strikes with swift and precise grace, its motion poised and controlled. Yet this elegance in no way undermines its deadliness, for a Griffon is more than capable of using its talons and razor beak to rip a foe apart. Skilled and efficient fighters, Griffons do not kill indiscriminately, although they show no reluctance when hunting or protecting their territory. They are fierce and merciless, but never cruel.

Griffons prefer their meat raw and screaming, though they'll scavenge if no other prey presents itself. This is fairly rare, though, as their hunting grounds tend to range for hundreds of miles around their chosen mountain aerie. Their eyesight is a sharp as raptors and they can see motion from miles away.

High Elf Griffon

An Elven Commander mounting a Griffon in battle.

As a result of a Griffon's possession of a noble temperament and an impressive intelligence, they can be trained as loyal and deadly mounts. For anyone to have the slightest hope of mastering a Griffon, the beast must be captured and trained while young, forcing a bond that only death can shatter. Griffons are prized for their sharp claws, their powerful beaks which rival Greatswords in their deadliness, their excellent reactions and high overall resilience. Most surprising, however, is the way they can easily bypass enemy parries while staying out of reach themselves, something only the most skillful warriors can achieve after decades of training

Many are the tales of entire regiments being broken by a Runefang-wielding Elector Count swooping in to attack while astride his Griffon. The Griffon is a sacred symbol in the Empire of Man which appears frequently adorning temples dedicated to Sigmar. It is no coincidence that the Order of the Griffon was so named. Emperor Karl Franz himself enters battle on the back of Deathclaw, his personal Griffon mount. As well as the Empire the High Elves also use Griffons as mounts. Many Griffon's dwell in the Annulii Mountains in Ulthuan, where they are far more colorful than the ones in the Old World, but equally as deadly. An example of this is Stormwing, a famous Griffon used as a mount by Eltharion the Grim.

Famous Griffons

Source

  • Warhammer Armies: High Elves (8th Edition) pg. 50
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