Roman Bestiary: Page Three

 

The Stymphalian birds are a species of montrous-looking pigeons.In Roman mythology, Hercules' sixth labor was to beat the Stymphalian birds. To rid of them, he used brass bells to scare them into the air. When the birds took off from the swamp they wer e resting in, Hercules shot many of them with his bow and arrow. To disorient these birds, all you have to do is create a lot of loud noises.

Strengths: With their beaks made of celestial bronze, they can tear through both plates of armor and the demigod flesh easilly. With a large wing span, they're agile and quick fliers.

Weaknesses: Loud noises are their worst enemies. Physically, these birds are basically invulnerable to any attack from an demigod. However loud rining bells and music can distract the birds and cause them to malfunction, making them very confused.

Strategies: Since these birds are rarely alone, they use this to their full advantage. In groups, they tend to swarm their prey and attack them, but as a single bird, they will attack from the sky diving down, aiming for any exposed skin or the eyes.

Tactics: The best way to defeat them is to bring along bronze bells and ring them. This often confuses these birds and gives you the best chance to defeat them.

