Predation
Nerezzas are ninjas, slippery beasts of shadow and silence. They're loyal, smart, and deadly.
Carefully bred from a gene mutation that caused microraptors to have all-black feathers, eyes, and beaks as well as all-black internal organs and muscles, nerezzas are small, feathered, birdlike dinosaurs with wings on both their front and rear limbs. They're small, weighing only 2 or 3 pounds (about 1 kg), and they glide rather than fly.
In the wild, microraptors tend to work and travel together, but nerezzas seem to prefer to fly solo, as it were. They've been known to peck other nerezzas to death if they're forced into the same enclosure or if they feel like they're competing for their trainer's attention.
Some people try to keep nerezzas as pets, but hose who don't give them enough attention and challenges will quickly find them to be nuisances, as boredom and loneliness make them destructive, petulant, and aggressive.
Nerezza is an Italian word that means "darkness."
Scientific Name: Nerezza cari
Common Name: Neree, essa, nezze
Motive: Loyalty, reward
Environment: Everywhere
Health: 21
Damage Inflicted: Major wound (9 points)
Movement: Short when gliding, immediate when walking
Modifications: Initiative, sneaking, and learning new things as level 10
Upgrades: Many nerezzas have upgrades that improve their stealth and camouflaging techniques. A few have also been implanted with organic parts modeled after modern birds that allow them to mimic a variety of sounds, including human speech.
Combat: Gliding attacks are typically aimed at eyes, ears, and other unprotected spots, and do 9 points of damage.
Interaction: If a nerezza is loyal to you, it can be trained to do most tasks that come naturally to it on command.
Use: They're used as silent killers, mostly by assassins, thieves, and covert operators.
GM Intrusion: Rather than attacking, the nerezza swoops in and attempts to steal an artifact, weapon, or other object.