Stormbird

The Stormbird is a category of machine in Horizon Zero Dawn. A large aerial Combat Class machine, its ability to fly distinguishes it from other machines of this class, including the other large combat machine, the Thunderjaw. Its huge size, intimidating appearance, superior field of vision due to being aerial, and array of powerful attacks make it a lethal threat to any human who enters an area over which a Stormbird patrols.

History
Stormbirds were not created as combat machines. In fact, they were originally Zero Dawn terraformers, designed by Zero Dawn’s governing AI GAIA to work under its subordinate function AETHER, to detoxify Earth’s atmosphere, which was ravaged by the Faro Plague. However, when GAIA self-destructed, HEPHAESTUS, GAIA’s erstwhile subordinate function responsible for manufacturing Zero Dawn’s terraforming machines, gained control over machine manufacture and management at least four Zero Dawn cauldrons. Deeming humans a threat to Zero Dawn for their hunting of machines, HEPHAESTUS made the machines produced at these cauldrons hostile toward humans. The tribe’s refer to this phenomenon as the Derangement. It then began producing combat machines of various sizes and abilities as further protection and deterrence against machine hunting. It weaponized Stormbirds, remodelling and reprogramming them from aerial detoxifiers to powerful aerial combat machines.

Appearance
Stormbirds are raptorial in appearance. Indeed, while machines generally resemble some form of pre-Zero Day animal life, the Stormbird's appearance does this more than any other known machine. Its resemblance to a bird of prey is unmistakable, with raptorial wings, tail, head and beak, armour plating that resembles feathers, and taloned feet. It has two optical sensor arrays positioned in the same place as the eyes of an eagle or falcon. Above each shoulder is an armoured Chillwater canister. Each wing is equipped with three feather-shaped jet engines. The wings are equipped with winglets, enhancing their aerodynamic efficiency. An armoured Blaze canister is positioned above each hip. Each of the four toes on each foot is equipped with a talon. In the centre of the chest is an armoured electrical energy projectile weapon known as a lighting gun, with which it can fire powerful blasts of electrical energy, similar to a Shell-Walker.

Behaviour
Stormbirds are solitary; at no time have they ever been seen to congregate. They circle high overhead at their respective sites, never landing except to attack a perceived enemy. Stormbird sites are scattered throughout the Carja Sundom, from The Jewel to the mountains far north of Meridian. They are mainly found in the arid regions north and northeast of Meridian. Though they have never been seen active in The Cut, the chassis of one, long destroyed and heavily encrusted with Bluegleam, is at the end of the pilgrimage route known as the Shaman’s Path.

Abilities
Stormbirds employ powerful electric attacks from the air, such as carpet bombing with electrical energy projectiles, and equally powerful melee attacks on the ground using their beaks, talons, and tails. Additionally they employ their wings as weapons by using them to generate damaging wind gusts, and to execute air-to-ground melee attacks. They can also use their weight to crush an enemy that moves directly beneath them while airborne. They possess no elemental weaknesses, and are resistant to Shock damage.