The Great Pheasant

The Great Pheasant of Yamato is not the docile, small, prey-bird hunted for sport like it’s smaller namesake. These large birds are much larger, and are capable of defending themselves. To say nothing of it’s running speed across land.

While they resemble pheasants in appearance, Great Pheasants are actually more closely to birds of prey such as hawks, falcons, or goshawks, as evidence by their sharp talons, their hooked beaks, and their carnivorous diets. Their weapon-like claws and talons are strong enough to rend human flesh, break bone, and even tear through light armour and mail.

These creatures have been domesticated in Yamato for as long as civilization has been extant, though due to the high cost of fresh, live game required to feed them (for they till not eat predeceased prey), combined with their rarity and the costs required to break them in for riding and domestic use, these birds are kept only by the wealthiest members of society.

The two most famed lineages are kept by the Shogun’s family, and the Imperial family. Their herds number in the hundreds, and are allotted large swathes of land to live and roam.

Great Pheasants are typically ridden, much like horses or ponies, but can be used as beasts of burden to draw the two-wheeled ox carts of the nobility and royalty.

Nowadays, these birds exist only in captivity, there were once several hundreds herds that existed, mainly on the islands of Nijii and Iga. Back when these birds still existed in the wild, some of the poorer folk of these regions would hunt the birds for sport. However, they often proved to be fast and deadly prey. It was often desperation that drove people to even attempt the hunt, and few can say they succeeded.

Great Pheasants are known for their beautiful plumage, and their long, luxurious tail-feathers. Their main body is a metallic emerald, except for their wings, which were bright red, and their tails, which were the blue of the deepest oceans. The bird’s wing feathers were dotted with black spots with a white dot in the centre on the underside, while their tails were banded with alternating black and white bands down the length. The tails make up half the creature’s body-length, while their wingspan is as wide as the creatures are long.

Because of the creature’s speed and hardiness, they often see use on battlefields across the history of Yamato. Their primary usage were as mounts for messengers, scouts, and generals, though some Imperial and Shogunal armies have had enough of the creatures at one time to be able to form a special cavalry formation that were devastatingly effective in tearing through enemy lines.