Jason Andresen (order #1578489) - Jump page for Jubei

The saqu can drop a grabbed creature
as a free action or toss it as a standard
action. Flung creatures travel
20 feet and take 2d6 points of
damage. The saqu often leap
upon the unfortunate
creature again if it
still moves.
Skills (Ex): Saqu
have a +4 racial bonus to
Listen and Spot checks.
Legends
& Lore
CoMMoN: Saqu are essentially
enormous hawks.
UNCoMMoN: Saqu are not necessarily
man-eaters; they’re just not
very particular.
RARE: Saqu are sometimes drawn to
shiny objects.
obSCURE: A significant part of
the saqu mating ritual is the
presentation of impressive
food by
the male to the
female. This
coupled with
their fondness for shiny objects spells bad
news for adventurers in metal armor.
Time to cover up that chainmail!
Treasure
There are many parts of the saqu that may
fetch a fair price in the market. Their tail feathers, while
not fanciful, are enormous in size and can be made into
great fans or dyed and fashioned into all manner or decorations.
Their sharp talons can be made into crude spears if
lashed to poles. As many carnivorous birds do, saqu regurgitate
indigestible portions of their food in the form of compact,
oblong pellets. These pellets often contain small items
of interest if the saqu has partaken of any humans in their
diet. Anyone lucky enough to locate a saqu nest—particularly
from a pair that has taken to eating humans—is in for a real
find. They will undoubtedly find all manner of small, humanwrought
objects which have fallen deep into the large branches
making up the nest.
147
Saqu
Hooks
• The PCs are part of a caravan traveling through some
grasslands bordered by an imposing mountain range. As they
pass particularly close to the range, a male saqu swoops down
and snatches a member of the caravan, possibly a PC. It’s
a race against time now, as the PCs must hurry to their
comrade’s aid before the saqu’s mate or hatchlings
devour him.
• A rich but eccentric Llaelese merchant
is in the market for living saqu eggs. He’s
paying well, but no one is sure just what
he’s up to. In reality, the mad merchant
plans on raising saqu on farms to
harvest their meat and featheres.
The entrepreneur will
meet an untimely
(and somewhat
amusing) demise
a few months
later while trying
to ride a “tame”
saqu, and the
PCs may be
called on to help
deal with a farm
full of angry
giant birds.
Jason Andresen (order #1578489) 9