Sid the Manticow

Sometime in the late fall of '92 and early spring of '93, I ran a campaign that revolved around a group of adventurers who called themselves the Knights of Daggerford.  The group lasted through two iterations with new adventurers replacing the originals as members died or retired.  The second group of Knights battled and killed a manticore early in their career and harvested its wings.  I no longer remember what the wings were originally intended for but the party ended up fashioning a leather harness, attaching the wings to it and strapping the entire contraption to a dairy cow. They named the cow, “Sid.”

From a distance, the wings looked real and were effective in frightening away superstitious goblin tribes.  Unfortunately, the cow wandered off and although a search was conducted, no sign of Sid could be found.  A sober memorial service was held and the Knights went on with their lives.

Occasionally, a farmer from one of the outlying regions would report seeing a four-legged winged beast grazing in his field but few were taken seriously.  The legend of the Manticow grew among the humanoid tribes who believed the beast had strange, supernatural powers.  Some tribes even adopted  the Manticow as their totem and made sacrifices of clover, hay, and grass to its spirit in hopes of gaining favor.  Other tribes would paint their armor and shields in the black-and-white fashion of its hide and war with other tribes who dared to do the same.

Years later, when I was in the Navy, I dropped Sid into an adventure as a random encounter.  She was spotted by a traveling paladin and his bard sister.  She was able to recall bits of the Manticow legend from her time in one of the Bardic Colleges.  They cornered the animal, made repairs to the harness, and patched holes in its wings before parting and continuing on their separate ways.

"Artist's Rendering"