Erdlu are flightless, featherless birds covered with flaky graytoned scales. Their bodies are massive and round, with a pair of useless wings folded at their sides. Attached to their yellow, snake-like necks are small round heads with huge wedgeshaped beaks. They weigh as much as 200 pounds and stand up to seven feet tall. They have powerful, lanky legs, and can run at great speeds over short distances (no more than half-a-mile).
Erdlu make ideal herd animals, as they can eat many forms
of tough vegetation, as well as snakes, lizards, and other
small reptiles.
Erdlands are a large variant of the erdlus and are
commonly encountered in herds in the Athasian plains. Used
as mounts or to pull caravans, erdland are a common sight
along the trader routes through the deserts of Athas.
Esperweed, a flowering plant that enhances the psionic
powers of those who eat it, forms an important part of an
Erdlands diet. The regular consumption of this plant is
responsible for the erdland's psionic ability. An erdland that is
denied esperweed for more than a few days loses its psionic
powers.
