Byakhee

Byakhee are interstellar steeds, bred in far-off gulfs of space to ferry cultists across impossible distances. They have slick, leathery hide and a beaked skull that resembles a decaying bird, but their most interesting trait is their natural ability to fold space and time as they fly, transporting their riders at faster-than-light speeds to realms beyond the material. Yet such travel is deadly for those foolish enough to conjure a Byakhee without taking special preparations, for the airless chill of the void destroys flesh. Thus riders either leave their bodies behind via astral projection, or imbibe a soporific Golden Mead—said to be distilled from a Byakhee’s blood—to accomplish the same. Byakhee have no desires of their own save hunger and obedience, answering only to the call of their conjurers. 

Byakhee are Cthuloid monsters who primarily serve as mounts from the Outer Realms. Their ability to cast Dimension Walk is natural, and transports them a number of light years per round traveled in higher dimensional space. While they remain utterly loyal to the conjurer who summoned them, where they originate in the Outer Realms and how they behave when unbidden by riders is anyone’s guess. A Byakhee is typically summoned by a cultist performing profane acts in accordance with ritual grimoires and while imbibing Golden Mead, which puts him into a stupor that separates his spirit from his body per the spell Astral Projection. This allows his spirit to mount the Byakhee and travel through space unharmed. Weak-minded sorcerers who lose control of Byakhee are quickly devoured, for the creatures feast upon sentience and view mortal bodies as wrappers of psychical energy to be unspooled by their venomous claws. A Byakhee has an unerring sense of direction, and may at will disappear into the Outer Realms, making it nearly impossible to pin down. As a GM, you may present a summoned Byakhee to the party as more metaphor for the ugly secrets of the universe than a physical threat, especially if such monsters presage far uglier sights to see along their journey.