The Glovodan psyber-eagle who serves as a familiar for Inquisitor Lord Torquemada Coteaz of the Ordo Malleus, granted as a reward by the Adeptus Mechanicus for his saving of the Forge World of Glovada from a Daemonic incursion.
A Psyber-eagle is a cybernetically-enhanced natural born or vat-grown avian which serves as an aide or "familiar" to certain Inquisitors who often are also psykers, agents of the Officio Assassinorum, Adeptus Astartes Librarians, and other elite agents of the Imperium. They come in many breeds, but the most popular is the double-headed, vat-grown Terran eagle, essentially a living embodiment of the Imperial Aquila.
A psy-bonded (or "psyber") familiar is a living creature bonded to its master by arcane technology. Cybernetic neural interface circuitry implanted in the minds of both familiar and master (called a "psyber-lure") allows the creature to be directly and precisely controlled, with the master having access to the sensory experiences of the creature and able to give it instantaneous commands at great distance. Owing to the idiosyncrasies of the little understood technology, usually only small, non-sapient creatures can become psy-bonded to a Human master.
Psykers who possess a psyber-eagle can also use their familiar to extend the range and potency of their own psychic disciplines.
Berkuts[]
Variations of Psyber-eagles used among the Space Marines of the White Scars Chapter are known as Berkuts. A notable example is Anzuq, the Berkut who currently accompanies Kor'sarro Khan.
Sources[]
- Nemesis (Novel) by James Swallow, Ch. 17
- Codex: Daemonhunters (3rd Edition), pp. 13-14
- Codex Supplement: White Scars (8th Edition), pg. 37
- Dark Heresy: The Inquisitor's Handbook (RPG), pp. 142-145
- White Dwarf 118 (2016), pg. 32