Maza - the dinosaur bird |
The word mazatotl literally means 'stag bird', but the maza are more like a utahraptor vs an emu vs a bald eagle than an actual stag. They're very aggressive birds and are hard to tame. The Rhe'zans believe that it's only through mutual respect that one is allowed to ride a maza. As all birds of prey are regarded highly in Rhe'zan society so the maza is the pinnacle of that respect. It's a fierce hunter, a fast and true steed and pretty deadly.
The resemblance is uncanny |
Maza mowhawk |
Ultimately what helped settle it was the description in the book that says the maza looks just as much lizard as it does bird. So, I stopped looking at pictures of eagles and buzzards and started looking at my favourite creatures: DINOSAURS.
some early sketches |
So, after ditching the peacock like feathers and head and tail plumes the maza came together as a pretty deadly and kick-ass addition the world of Arbea. Next animal to come out of my creature shop will be the gorek which also appears when Gemmy and Sem arrive on Rheza.
Hope you enjoy!
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