Appearance

Peryton are small deer with gleaming coats of various earthen colors and patterns. From tan to fawn to chestnut and white, these deer are ethereal in the fact that they always seem to softly glow in the light. Their eyes come in all manner of colors, rimmed with long lashes, and have a spark of understanding within them.

These slender creatures have spindly legs that end in beautiful gold cloven hooves. They sport a pair of beautiful wings that carry them effortlessly through the sky. Males have beautiful golden antlers that they never shed, and will continue to grow through their entire life.

Abilities

These beautiful creatures are swift and agile, able to run for long distances and walk for even longer. They have incredible stamina, and are nearly impossible to catch.

Peryton are excellent at camouflaging themselves, using magic to distort the light around them so that they may completely conceal themselves. Many are even able to manipulate the memories of those who look upon them, making it so that they are forgotten.

Even more miraculous is the peryton’s ability to heal. With a touch of their nose they are able to heal all manner of illness. Many believe that the peryton can grant good luck to anyone who manages to catch it, though it’s so difficult that no one has been able to confirm if there’s any truth to this.

If anyone harms a peryton it is said that great misfortune will befall them for harming such a rare and beautiful creature.

Culture

Peryton are solitary creatures by nature, tending to live in small groups of two to five, or even just a mother and her fawns. Males never join groups, preferring to remain alone outside of mating season. They tend to be most active at dawn and dusk, spending the day deep within the forest and their nights asleep. Fawns are born in early spring, and are often left hidden away while their mother forages for food, but she is always nearby.

Peryton are flighty creatures, and will run at the first sign of trouble. Preying on them is almost impossible, and as such many predators don’t even attempt to hunt them. The only risk to them are sentient creatures, who use traps to catch them. This had made them even more difficult to find--even the scent of a human is enough to frighten them off.

They mate in early autumn, and this is the only time peryton will come together in large groups. They fly to high mountain valleys, which they return to year after year. Males will compete with each other to mate with the most females, and these battles can be deadly. Broken antlers will remain broken, but continue to grow.

These creatures are immensely rare, and it’s unknown how many there are in the world due to their reclusive nature.

There are reports of the very wealthy keeping peryton as pets.