The Strange Bestiary
Each phoenix is the literal weight of sin once carried by a human or qephilim. As elemental creatures of living sinfire, phoenixes streak across Ardeyn's night like omens of doom, seeking the recently dead to feed upon and, in the process, release more phoenixes into the Land of the Curse. Born of strife and pain, phoenixes are creatures of flame and misery. Because they're drawn to carrion and death, phoenixes in Ardeyn are considered harbingers of disaster and war.
If a phoenix is destroyed, the sin it was born from is erased, or so the legend goes, which is why some adventuring companies hunt phoenixes—to redeem the misdeeds each creature represents. The magic feathers phoenixes leave behind may also be an inducement.
Phoenixes range in size depending on the magnitude of the sin each is born from, but on average, their main bodies are human sized, and they measure more than 15 feet (5 m) from wingtip to wingtip.
Though made of living sinfire, Lotan isn't responsible for phoenixes. Rather, an ancient angelic qephilim sought to pull the sin from a dying human companion in order to grant salvation, and birthed the first phoenix as a consequence.
Motive: Reproduction
Environment (Ardeyn | Magic): Almost anywhere, alone or in groups of three to five
Health: 12
Damage Inflicted: Moderate wound (4 points)
Movement: Immediate; long when flying
Combat: A phoenix prefers to feed on the recently dead, but if hungry, it will attack living targets. A phoenix's fiery bite deals 4 points of damage and sets the victim on fire, a flame that burns the soul as much as the flesh. The round after being bitten, the bite victim who fails an Intellect defense roll burns for 2 points of fire damage (ignores Armor) and 2 points of Intellect damage (ignores Armor). Each subsequent round the victim fails an Intellect defense roll means the fire continues to burn. Success means the fire goes out.
If a victim is killed by a phoenix bite, the body begins to burn like a bonfire. Those with any power over spirits hear the anguished sound of a screaming soul in the pyre. If the fire is not put out, 1d6 rounds later all that remains of the victim is ash, but a new phoenix is born from the flame, and it either wings off or stays to fight if attacked.
Those killed by a phoenix leave spirits behind, but spirits that have been burned clean of all their previous sins.
Interaction: A phoenix has the intelligence of a predatory animal. It prefers to scavenge the sin from recently killed creatures, but it's aggressive enough not to back down from a conflict.
Use: The PCs come across the scene of a recent battle. Several phoenixes do the same and begin consuming the bodies (and the equipment, if any) in fire.
Loot: When a phoenix is killed, it leaves behind 1d6 iridescent red feathers. If a feather is worked into a person's clothing, hair braid, or similar, it grants +1 to Armor against fire for one day.
GM Intrusion: When killed, the phoenix explodes. Everyone within immediate range must succeed on an Intellect defense roll or begin to burn as described under Combat.