As discussed earlier, I was planning an RP that would involving starting a new order of peacekeepers called the Gryphon Riders. Here is the information we were discussing in the discussion thread so far.

* The Gryphon Riders are formed after the events of Inheritance.

* This will probably end up covering more than just one RP which is why I'm starting a whole new thread for it.

* The Gryphon Riders would exist as a separate entity alongside the Dragon Riders. They would be in charge of maintaining peace in places like the Boer Mountains and Tenya because that is where most gryphons live. I figured gryphons wouldn't want to have to answer to dragons so it makes more sense to have Gryphon Riders in those areas.

* The gryphons would be bonded to their riders as hatchlings just the same as dragons. Like dragons, they would choose their Rider and be bonded for life upon touching them.


* Since gryphons are immortal, their riders would be immortal as well.

* To help set them apart from Dragon Riders, Gryphon Riders can use magic without having to use the Ancient Language to some degree. If their gryphon has special abilities (like Fletcher's telekinetic powers or Tas's fire/ice powers) then the Rider can use those powers too without having to rely on the Ancient Language to do it. They still have to use the AL for regular spells though.

* Gryphon Riders don't have a Gedwëy ignasia. Instead they have some other mark that we haven't quite decided on yet.

* The headquarters of the Gryphon Riders is located in the eastern part of the Boer Mountains. That way they can be isolated and study in peace while also being close to Tenya and other areas inhabited by gryphons. As time goes on they will probably establish small outposts elsewhere.

* Like the Dragon Riders, the gryphon Riders won't answer to any king or local authority. They will be governed by a council of elders (though at the moment they would be governed by the Dragon Riders since they don't have any elder Gryphon Riders yet)

So far that is all I have. Any ideas are welcome.

The symbol that I suggested is

Attachment:

Eagle3.PNG

but the others are in the RPchat topic already, check them out and make suggestions

Another thing I was wondering about is the language and terms to be used, like eagles will it be 'Clutch' of Gryphons and they live in Roosts, or will it be more like Lions with 'Pride' and 'Den'

And is the types of Gryphons, I don't think they should be all based on just lions and bald eagles as most modern art seems to lean on, so would using other big cats and eagle types be acceptable as inner species and appearances?

Earlier when I made my character I looked through Eagles and Big Cats and I have to admit it was amazing to see all the different types and looks of each one

Other than enduring life and magic will the Rider's gain much else? Enchanted sight like an eagle, speed like a lioness, and such? As for weapons is it anything goes or will the Rider's have a set weapon, like a Dragon Rider's Blade?

And I altered the other one as well to be just black and white

Attachment:

Eagle2_phixr.jpg

They just use regular swords and whatever weapons they wish to carry with them. I imagine each different Gryphon Rider would have their own preference over weapons and equipment.

As for abilities, gryphons don't need the Ancient Language to use their own magic abilities just like dragons don't need it to breath fire or fly. Because the rider inherits any magic abilities that their gryphon has, they do not need to use the AL to use those same abilities. Now, if they wanted to use an ability that their gryphon doesn't have, they'll still have to use the AL for that.

As for the symbol. I prefer the other one. Since the Gedwëy ignasia has nothing to do with dragons, I don't see why the one the Gryphon Riders use should have anything to do with gryphons. It is simply something to mark them as Riders.

Well, Fletcher has telekinetic powers, Tas has ice an fire powers, Mirriana has the ability to break into people's minds and send enemies into a blind rage so they can't think straight, Apollo has wind abilities... I suppose there really isn't a limit to what abilities they can have.

I'm not sure how suitable this emblem is since it is actually supposed to be a phoenix instead of a gryphon, but I like it nonetheless. This came from the squadron emblem from Ace Combat 2.

There are lots of abandoned dwarf ruins built into the sides of mountains and such that may serve as a suitable base for them.

Enhanced vision sounds good.

Unbonded gryphons could be teachers. I will take a while before they have enough experienced Gryphon Riders to train students themselves so for the time being they need experienced gryphons to train students. They take the students out of missions with them, teach them how to fight, and teach them about gryphon culture.

Sounds good. I'm still working on my new character bio for my Gryphon Rider.

I don't see why the bond couldn't just be replicated for gryphons like it was with dragons.

^

Ok, I've come up with a couple of ideas.

First, while Gryphon Riders would share a strong bond with their gryphons, their souls are not interconnected with one another like a dragon is with their Rider. That means that if one dies the other won't lose a part of their soul, though it would still be pretty traumatic for whichever one survived.

Second, gryphons don't possess as much magical energy as dragons and so Gryphon Riders are not as powerful as Dragon Riders are, nor do they have the massive reserves of magic that Dragon Riders have because gryphons lack eldunari to store it in. The lack of eldunari also means that if the gryphon dies there is no chance of their consciousness surviving.

^
I don't know about that. Gryphons, while lacking the sheer power of dragon, are highly intelligent, and very fast and agile. Not to mention they're just plain bada**. Given the right circumstances a gryphon could trounce a dragon with ease. Even without those circumstances, a gryphon could still probably give a dragon a run for its money.

^
That sounds like an interesting idea.

Well, the elders themselves could be the ones to cast the spell and the hatchlign in the egg could choose whether to accept or reject the potential rider.

Now I really need DS4's characters to be involved, even if they're only in it for a little bit. Iaras and the gryphon High King will probably need to have some part during the forming of the Gryphon Riders (especially since part of the purpose of the new order is to help solve the crisis in Iaras's city and ensure that the kings treat their people fairly). I also imagine that Natagath (who will be the founder of the Gryphon Riders) will want Sevena to handpick the gryphons who serve on the council since she knows better than anyone else who is trustworthy enough to have that kind of responsibility.

Well as much as I love dragons, I still think they're overrated. I mean, look how many movies, books, and video games there are about dragons. How many movies, books or video games are there about gryphons?

When they Do appear, they're usually bad guys like in God of War, Quest for Camelot, Gilda from My Little Pony, the list goes on.

The only movies I know of that have gryphons in them (at least where they're not the bad guys, that is) are the Narnia movies and even then the gryphons only had a small part (and they weren't even in the books at all).

Gryphons are so awesome and yet so underrated.

I'm writing a fanfic about Fletcher right now. I've changed a lot of his backstory though. For instants, in this story, gryphons are native to Danthuania rather than Alagaesia. It also takes place hundreds of years after the books.

Ok, I've come up with this really outlandish idea for the Gryphon Riders RP. My idea is this: Part of the reason the Gryphon Riders exist is to help solve the crisis that exists in King Iaras's kingdom. Now, Natagath has come up with a short term solution to the problem by moving some gryphons from Iaras's city temporarily and having them rely on supplies brought in by Evan. However, Evan's ships are very slow and it takes a great amount of time for them to sail around the south coast and up most of the west coast of Alagaesia to Teirm, and even longer to sail back loaded down with goods.

So here is the solution: The Gryphon Riders could use a flying ship. Hear me out though. The idea is that the Dragon Riders build a large, specially modified sailing ship for the Gryphon Riders to use as a mobile headquarters. The ship would be large enough to accommodate gryphons as well as carry vast amounts of goods. They ship would be enchanted by the Dragon Riders to levitate using energy drawn from several powerful eldunari stored on board. At low altitudes the ship would also be propelled along using magic but at high altitudes the ship could take advantage of strong wind currents to push it along at incredible speeds. The ships enchantments would be controlled by a magician, probably Natagath himself since he is an expert spell crafter and is pretty much in charge of the Gryphon Riders. When not in use, the ship would land in the water to allow the eldunari to recharge their energy. The ship could also sail just like a regular ship on the ocean.

With a flying ship, they could transport cargo directly from Teirm across Agagaesia and go straight to Tenya on the other side of the Boer Mountains without having to sail all the way around the coast. That way they can get more supplies moved at a much quicker speed. Also, since gryphons lack the endurance to cover vast areas in a short span of time like dragons can, the ship would also be used to transport them quickly to wherever they are needed.

Well, that and I find the idea of a flying ship to be incredibly cool. As for how long the ship could stay in the air before it has to land, that depends on the number of eldunari onboard and how much energy is stored within them. The ship could probably stay in the air for up to a week without having to either land to restore its energy or without having to stop to swap out for fresh eldunari.

Anyway, I got the idea for all this from that little flying grass boat Arya made in Brisingr.