December 4th- Owl

Bishop Owl

On those bright nights that spawn Moon Men, another creature becomes particularly active. Bishop owls are roughly toddler-sized birds, and quite capable of taking prey their own size, making them one of the leading causes of mortality among goblins. However, they only interact on bright, moonlit nights. Bishop owls are particularly odd as owls go, hunting almost exclusively in the daytime. Instead of seeing in the dark, their oversized eyes launch sparkling magical bolts that can stun or outright kill prey.

Bishop owls, in fact, can barely see at all in darkness, and goblins sometimes take revenge upon them by luring them into their dark burrows and killing them while they are blind. Also dissimilar to other owls, they do not hunt on the wing, although they are capable of flight. Instead, they stalk the ground, long legs moving them swiftly over the tundra and often, through the swampy waters of the taiga. In the tundra, they usually chase rabbits and the small foxes of the arctic. In the taiga, they will hunt frogs, but prefer wooly desmans.

They are favored familiars of winter hags, given their ability to produce some magical energy on their own. Serving as batteries and look-outs, a familiar bishop owl is easily recognized by its colorful feathers. Witches will dye a part of an owl they own to mark it as theirs and make sure no other witch attempts to claim it. They were also important to the humans who once lived in the region, the mysterious Thule civilization. Many of their ancient temples depict bishop owls, and it is this religious association that gave them their name.