Cornudos

Cornudos are a medium sized Clan of Birdfolk that live in the canopies of the tallest trees in the jungle. They are proud warriors who fight to win glory and treasure for themselves and for their families.

Hidden in the Clouds
Cornudos make their homes at the top of the tallest and most ancient of trees. Their nests are elaborate wooden constructions, woven into the branches and usually home to around 20 - 30 families. A traveller on the ground can recognise a Cornudo nest tree by the fact that they are always surrounded by a cleared ring of jungle, allowing the Cornudo to spot any would-be attackers.

Cornudo families consist of a pair of bonded adults and any chicks they are currently raising. Cornudo couples stay together for life and may raise as many as 20 chicks during that time.

Masters of Martial Combat
Cornudo chicks begin to train with the spear, dagger, and net before they can even fly. The ethos of the Clan is that in the jungle, life is short and death could come from anywhere. Therefore they do their best to ensure every chick has the skills it will need to survive out in the wider jungle. Teaching is strict and failure is not tolerated - weak chicks who do not learn quickly enough or chicks who refuse to learn at all are cast out from the nest to die out in the wilderness. Use of magic is also discouraged as unreliable and chicks who are magically inclined are taught to use this to help their martial fighting rather than develop as casters. Once chicks reach 14 years of age, they are blindfolded and taken out into the jungle. The chicks who make it back to the nest are then considered adults. The chicks that don't are forgotten about.

The chief of the Cornudos is the adult who is the strongest and most capable fighter. Any adult can challenge the chief in an aerial battle to win leadership of the nest, which means that if the chief is not also good at making allies their tenure will be short. However, even the strongest and most wily chiefs tend to only last 10 years at most under this system. This means that the political situation in a Cornudo nest is always shifting at best, volatile at worst.

Trinket Collectors
Cornudos always want to flaunt their strength and skill, and they do this through collecting precious items and decorations that they use to adorn themselves. This could be something like a fang from a successful hunt or a shiny stone found on the jungle floor. The most coveted decorations are precious jewels and worked metals which the Cornudos themselves cannot create, as the woven floor of a tree-top home is ill-suited for a holding up a forge.

This leads to many Cornudos turning to the outside to collect their trophies. Some individuals gather items by challenging passing fighters to duels, with the treasure as spoils. Many others join mercenary companies or gladiator arenas in the towns and cities of other races. Others turn to assault and thievery, although if this is discovered in the nest the Cornudo will be scorned and stripped of their treasures as the Clan deems they have not been won fairly. All of this means that although Cornudos are not the most numerous of the Birdfolk in the Selva, they are often one of the Clans that other races have most contact with.

Cornudos as Player Characters
Ability Score: Dex +2, Str +1

Speed: 25’ walking, 35’ flying

Size: Medium 4-8’

Weight: 80 - 100 pounds

Other -

Powerful Build: You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift. This means Cornudos can carry one medium creature.

Eagle Strike: The Cornudo dives at their enemy like a missile and attempts to carry them away. If the Cornudo has moved 30’ flying this round and made a successful melee attack against an enemy, they may use a bonus action to grapple that enemy.

Heightened Hearing: The Cornudos facial disk of feathers gives them keen hearing. They have advantage on Perception (Hearing) checks.

Diet: Cornudos are carnivorous.

Languages: Pidjin, Avian, one other of choice