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Description
The Forgebill is a large vibrant bird that is found in tropical climates, primarily in coastal habitats. Its territory stretches through beaches, shorelines, tide pools and estuaries, wherever there is seawater to be found. Though found in the domain of seabirds and other majestic ocean fliers, the Forgebill is flightless. Instead of wings, its forelimbs have stretched out into elongated legs, using them to walk upon all fours. Its fingers have turned to hooked talons, creating fearsome obsidian scythes. Instead of flight, it chooses to patrol the shoreline and wade through the shallows, all in the pursuit of food. While they stand tall, they possess long flexible necks that gives them a wide range of movement. They can reach down to grab food from the sand, stretch upwards to pluck high up fruits or even bend all the way around so that they can groom the hard to reach areas! At the end of this serpentine neck is a large blade-like beak and a hefty casque. While these structures are pretty to look at, they are more than mere decoration! There is a reason these birds are called Forgebills!

While other helmeted bird species may use their casques for beefing up their calls or for protection in battle, this structure in the Forgebills is quite unique. Instead of it being hollow or made of solid keratin, the casque is actually filled with specialized organs. It is believed these organs are heavily modified muscles, altered so that they may create powerful shocks! It isn't fully understood yet, but these structures can release the element of lightening! It isn't nearly as flashy or powerful as a lightening bolt, but the amount a single organ can create is impressive! Now imagine dozens of these all packed inside of this bird's casque! The power of a thunderstorm, worn upon their heads like a hat! Though I speak of lightening and shocks, the Forgebill does not wield this power in such a fashion. They do not stun prey like Stormtails do, instead they use it in a truly bizarre way! When the casque is activated and its organs start pumping out this energy, it directs all of it towards its beak. The striped bill of the bird has a rather unique composition, containing a high amount of metallic materials. Veins and coils of this substance is spread throughout their entire bill, and this is where the energy is directed. With all that power flowing through this special metal, the beak begins to heat up! Within moments of activating its casque, the beak of the Forgebill will become glowing hot, like a sword straight from the forge! The temperatures this beak can achieve is astounding, and also quite dangerous! Like a flaming blade, the Forgebill can swing this searing weapon around and use it to cleave through its true target: Clams!

Indeed the blazing billed bird uses this impressive weapon for hunting, but it isn't going around cleaving herbivores in two. Instead, the searing beak is meant to tackle hard shells, mainly those found on clams, mussels, oysters and even fruit! Before it fires up its special organs, it uses its claws and beak to dig up buried clams or pluck coconuts from trees. With the tough morsel held in its beak, the Forgebill will turn on its casque and heat things up! Within seconds, the beak will be hot enough to slice through that shell like a hot knife through butter! The Forgebill will flick back its head, open its mouth and then slam it shut, cleaving the stubborn critter in half! After that, the meaty morsels can be eaten, and the steaming shells will be tossed aside. For larger creatures that cannot be held in its mouth, the Forgebill will heat up its beak and then whip its head around, wielding the burning blade like an actual weapon! With the strike of a skilled swordsman, the Forgebill will slice off a chunk of the shelled opponent, leaving an opening that its beak can reach into so that it can retrieve the tasty meat inside. While it does eat meat, the Forgebill rarely goes after anything faster than your average mollusk. Clams, snails and other slow armored creatures is all they really prey upon. They aren't all that fast themselves, so giving chase is out of the question. Especially when your face is a super heated knife! And you thought running with scissors was bad!

The burning beak of the Forgebill is what makes them famous, but many often get the wrong impression of its ability. Mention it to anyone, and most folk get the idea that these birds use these weapons constantly, performing impressive duels and slicing all that stand before them. In truth, this ability is used quite sparingly, as it is quite costly! The amount of energy it takes to fuel such a weapon is staggering, so they cannot just do it with reckless abandon! That is why it is only used for mere seconds while eating, as it is burned so that they may obtain hard-to-eat food that others cannot crack. The other issue is that Forgebills are not fireproof! That hot beak can slice through flesh and bone with ease, and that includes their own! If one is not careful, they can easily injure themselves. With that, Forgebills use the upmost caution when wielding their beaks. While it is heated, you will notice the birds taking a special stance. Their heads will be jutted forward and upward, aimed far from the body. They will barely move in this state, refusing to walk or run while the weapon is heated. While active, the Forgebill will use special organs that run down its back to vent off excess heat. These exposed pipes move hot air and blood, forcing it outwards so it doesn't fry itself from the inside! After it has sliced through all the food they want, the beak will be dunked into the sea to cool it off. This is a habit of theirs, as they will dip their bills in water every time they wish to preen their feathers, groom or interact with others. It is all for safety, as they don't wish to burn themselves or their partners.

Since I mentioned their "partners," I figure I should dash this hope right off the bat: no, Forgebills don't use their heated beaks to duel others during mating season. Cripes, imagine the mortality rate of that! The species wouldn't be doing so hot (ha!) if they kept lopping each other's heads off when it came time to breed! No, these giants instead stick to song and call, using their voice to bring in females. If an opposing male gets too close, then they may square off and try to scare the competition away. Beaks may clatter and a fight may break out, but they don't use their heated blades in this instance. The time when this heat-producing system is used during the breeding season is when the females wish to warm their eggs! When nested, they will rest upon their eggs and tuck their heads into their bodies. With careful control over their output, they will heat their bills slightly to create extra warmth during the cold nights. During this time, males will go out to collect food, bringing it back to females. Once the chicks hatch, the duty will switch back and forth between mom and dad.

With such a magnificent weapon and rather gorgeous looks, it should be no surprise that Forgebills are quite famous in the regions they frequent. Their plumes are collected for decoration and adornment, while their special beaks are prized as both trophies and weapons. Though the casques do not work when dead, and the beaks themselves do not produce this energy, skilled magic users have found ways to channel their own powers into these structures. This makes these bills quite popular in the realm of mages, and even for those in the Underworld! I have heard that demons are quite fascinated with these creatures, and pay well to get a hold of these special beaks. Unfortunately, this means that this species faces heavy hunting and poaching, as folk know that there is good money to be made. Faced with dwindling populations, some regions have placed protections on the species, which is good! But that often doesn't stop poachers, which is bad. Thankfully, in my case, I found that some well aimed rocks and a hefty walking stick does wonders when driving those jerks off! I just hope that others can succeed in protecting these incredible species, as their brilliance deserves to be shared with all generations.

Chlora Myron

Dryad Natural Historian

-------------------------------------------------

This birdie comes from an idea Xhodocto385 gave me a loooooooong time ago. It was a toucan-like beast that used a super-heated beak to slice and dice! It took me quite a long time to figure out a design and how one would pull off such a thing, but I think it payed off in the end. This bird is more hornbill than toucan, as the anatomy worked perfectly for this concept. Hope you enjoy!

Description
The Forgebill is a large vibrant bird that is found in tropical climates, primarily in coastal habitats. Its territory stretches through beaches, shorelines, tide pools and estuaries, wherever there is seawater to be found. Though found in the domain of seabirds and other majestic ocean fliers, the Forgebill is flightless. Instead of wings, its forelimbs have stretched out into elongated legs, using them to walk upon all fours. Its fingers have turned to hooked talons, creating fearsome obsidian scythes. Instead of flight, it chooses to patrol the shoreline and wade through the shallows, all in the pursuit of food. While they stand tall, they possess long flexible necks that gives them a wide range of movement. They can reach down to grab food from the sand, stretch upwards to pluck high up fruits or even bend all the way around so that they can groom the hard to reach areas! At the end of this serpentine neck is a large blade-like beak and a hefty casque. While these structures are pretty to look at, they are more than mere decoration! There is a reason these birds are called Forgebills!

While other helmeted bird species may use their casques for beefing up their calls or for protection in battle, this structure in the Forgebills is quite unique. Instead of it being hollow or made of solid keratin, the casque is actually filled with specialized organs. It is believed these organs are heavily modified muscles, altered so that they may create powerful shocks! It isn't fully understood yet, but these structures can release the element of lightening! It isn't nearly as flashy or powerful as a lightening bolt, but the amount a single organ can create is impressive! Now imagine dozens of these all packed inside of this bird's casque! The power of a thunderstorm, worn upon their heads like a hat! Though I speak of lightening and shocks, the Forgebill does not wield this power in such a fashion. They do not stun prey like Stormtails do, instead they use it in a truly bizarre way! When the casque is activated and its organs start pumping out this energy, it directs all of it towards its beak. The striped bill of the bird has a rather unique composition, containing a high amount of metallic materials. Veins and coils of this substance is spread throughout their entire bill, and this is where the energy is directed. With all that power flowing through this special metal, the beak begins to heat up! Within moments of activating its casque, the beak of the Forgebill will become glowing hot, like a sword straight from the forge! The temperatures this beak can achieve is astounding, and also quite dangerous! Like a flaming blade, the Forgebill can swing this searing weapon around and use it to cleave through its true target: Clams!

Indeed the blazing billed bird uses this impressive weapon for hunting, but it isn't going around cleaving herbivores in two. Instead, the searing beak is meant to tackle hard shells, mainly those found on clams, mussels, oysters and even fruit! Before it fires up its special organs, it uses its claws and beak to dig up buried clams or pluck coconuts from trees. With the tough morsel held in its beak, the Forgebill will turn on its casque and heat things up! Within seconds, the beak will be hot enough to slice through that shell like a hot knife through butter! The Forgebill will flick back its head, open its mouth and then slam it shut, cleaving the stubborn critter in half! After that, the meaty morsels can be eaten, and the steaming shells will be tossed aside. For larger creatures that cannot be held in its mouth, the Forgebill will heat up its beak and then whip its head around, wielding the burning blade like an actual weapon! With the strike of a skilled swordsman, the Forgebill will slice off a chunk of the shelled opponent, leaving an opening that its beak can reach into so that it can retrieve the tasty meat inside. While it does eat meat, the Forgebill rarely goes after anything faster than your average mollusk. Clams, snails and other slow armored creatures is all they really prey upon. They aren't all that fast themselves, so giving chase is out of the question. Especially when your face is a super heated knife! And you thought running with scissors was bad!

The burning beak of the Forgebill is what makes them famous, but many often get the wrong impression of its ability. Mention it to anyone, and most folk get the idea that these birds use these weapons constantly, performing impressive duels and slicing all that stand before them. In truth, this ability is used quite sparingly, as it is quite costly! The amount of energy it takes to fuel such a weapon is staggering, so they cannot just do it with reckless abandon! That is why it is only used for mere seconds while eating, as it is burned so that they may obtain hard-to-eat food that others cannot crack. The other issue is that Forgebills are not fireproof! That hot beak can slice through flesh and bone with ease, and that includes their own! If one is not careful, they can easily injure themselves. With that, Forgebills use the upmost caution when wielding their beaks. While it is heated, you will notice the birds taking a special stance. Their heads will be jutted forward and upward, aimed far from the body. They will barely move in this state, refusing to walk or run while the weapon is heated. While active, the Forgebill will use special organs that run down its back to vent off excess heat. These exposed pipes move hot air and blood, forcing it outwards so it doesn't fry itself from the inside! After it has sliced through all the food they want, the beak will be dunked into the sea to cool it off. This is a habit of theirs, as they will dip their bills in water every time they wish to preen their feathers, groom or interact with others. It is all for safety, as they don't wish to burn themselves or their partners.

Since I mentioned their "partners," I figure I should dash this hope right off the bat: no, Forgebills don't use their heated beaks to duel others during mating season. Cripes, imagine the mortality rate of that! The species wouldn't be doing so hot (ha!) if they kept lopping each other's heads off when it came time to breed! No, these giants instead stick to song and call, using their voice to bring in females. If an opposing male gets too close, then they may square off and try to scare the competition away. Beaks may clatter and a fight may break out, but they don't use their heated blades in this instance. The time when this heat-producing system is used during the breeding season is when the females wish to warm their eggs! When nested, they will rest upon their eggs and tuck their heads into their bodies. With careful control over their output, they will heat their bills slightly to create extra warmth during the cold nights. During this time, males will go out to collect food, bringing it back to females. Once the chicks hatch, the duty will switch back and forth between mom and dad.

With such a magnificent weapon and rather gorgeous looks, it should be no surprise that Forgebills are quite famous in the regions they frequent. Their plumes are collected for decoration and adornment, while their special beaks are prized as both trophies and weapons. Though the casques do not work when dead, and the beaks themselves do not produce this energy, skilled magic users have found ways to channel their own powers into these structures. This makes these bills quite popular in the realm of mages, and even for those in the Underworld! I have heard that demons are quite fascinated with these creatures, and pay well to get a hold of these special beaks. Unfortunately, this means that this species faces heavy hunting and poaching, as folk know that there is good money to be made. Faced with dwindling populations, some regions have placed protections on the species, which is good! But that often doesn't stop poachers, which is bad. Thankfully, in my case, I found that some well aimed rocks and a hefty walking stick does wonders when driving those jerks off! I just hope that others can succeed in protecting these incredible species, as their brilliance deserves to be shared with all generations.

Chlora Myron

Dryad Natural Historian

-------------------------------------------------

This birdie comes from an idea Xhodocto385 gave me a loooooooong time ago. It was a toucan-like beast that used a super-heated beak to slice and dice! It took me quite a long time to figure out a design and how one would pull off such a thing, but I think it payed off in the end. This bird is more hornbill than toucan, as the anatomy worked perfectly for this concept. Hope you enjoy!