Post by Lance on Feb 5, 2019 1:57:51 GMT -5
Wyvern
Overview: A powerful and ancient magical species, Wyvern are at a glance merely another subspecies of dragon, distinct only due to their intelligence and grasp of magic...the truth however is far more complex, and far more fascinating was well. According to myth, Wyverns are the origins of all depictions of dragons in human culture, those of wise givers of ancient knowledge to vicious predators who would burn entire kingdoms to ash simply for the "crime" of offending them somehow are both correct.
The age of the Wyvern subspecies goes even further back than that, with some fossil evidence collected before the splitting of Terra Mystica from the human realm possibly putting the earliest forebears of this race as far back as the Early Pleistocene era. This makes Wyverns almost as old as humanity's earliest ancestors, though the large deviations in their physical attributes shows just how much the species has evolved in such a long span of time.
As of this writing, Wyverns are far from their glory days, the Great Culling of the Wyrms that occurred thousands of years ago left them nearly extinct, with only Alduin as the sole known survivor on Terra Mystica. (There are as of now 3 other known Wyverns born before the Culling, which are named and their locations revealed in the Prominent Specimens section of this entry.)
Physiology: On the surface, Wyvern are simply a curious, forearm lacking subspecies of dragons, albeit ones that are much larger than their "cousins". With a massive set of leathery wings that are powerful enough to propel their massive frames through the air with ease, elder dragons can almost literally darken the skies as they soar through the air. Their scales have been compared in legends to shields, with tales depicting them as immune to arrows and swords, with only powerful magics doing anything other than dispersing across their hides. This is a slight inaccuracy, Wyverns are not outright immune to damage from blades, bows or traditional spells...they are simply large and durable enough that such things take a very, VERY long time to kill them.
Their bodies are not just built to withstand horrible punishment, but to deal it as well, before even taking into account their powerful magics, Wyverns are flying natural disasters, Beasts who's wing beats can create winds strong enough to knock men off balance and who's tails can smash through stone buildings, their teeth are diamond hard and as long as a man's forearm, able to pierce plate armor with the ease of a child opening a sweets wrapper.
But perhaps their most terrifying thing about a Wyvern is that of their sheer size. Alduin, who is the oldest living Wyvern on Terra Mystica, is a staggering 300 feet long from tail-tip to snout, with a wingspan so massive that his shadow can blot out the sun over entire villages. Terrifyingly enough, he has admitted that he was considered a RUNT of his species. It is believed that the largest living Wyvern in existence slumbers within Mt. Vesuvius, one who's last awakening obliterated Pompeii and it's surrounding cities millennia ago.
Special Abilities: What separates a Wyvern from a Dragon is not their sheer bulk, but their unique capabilities, namely their increased intelligence and their ability to use a specialized form of magic referred to as Thu'um or "Shout". These shouts are effectively words of power, when a Wyvern speaks the words and focuses their very essence into their speech, the word becomes the equivalent of a magical spell.
A complete Shout is usually comprised of three words of power, each related to how the shout functions in some way, though there are exceptions. In addition, a Wyvern possesses the ability to project a powerful stream from it's mouth that corresponds to it's respective element, with each element producing a different stream.
But perhaps the most curious trait that Wyverns posses is the ability to alter their form, shifting their limbs by utilizing the massive reserves of mana that they have. There are strict limitations to this power however, for example, while A Wyvern can sprout arms to appear like a standard Dragon, they end up losing muscle mass as a result, diverting a portion of their total body size to "pay" for the change. This this can result in either the Wyvern appearing to shrink, or even losing it's limbs in some cases. One Wyvern in Feudal Japan was famously mistaken for a giant snake due to it's choice of alteration, growing a total of 8 heads at the cost of all of it's limbs, this Wyvern was later killed by a powerful Wind Majin who was revered as a god for his feat.
Wyverns are also capable of taking a human form, though this eliminates many of their size and power advantages, their ability to use Thu'ums and magic are unaffected, making them quite capable of defending themselves even in this weakened state. This adaptation seems to be one part spell and one part the Wyvern's natural shape-shifting ability, possibly created as a response to being hunted in the days of their near extermination.
Reproduction: Wyvern are born from eggs like their Dragon cousins, though unlike Dragons, they only reproduce one at a time. These Eggs are about the size of a football, with a thick shell that is capable of repelling most forms of predation by humans or other creatures. Despite their durability, Wyvern were notorious for being viciously protective of their young, on more than one occasion tales tell of a mother torching an entire caravan as a warning to travelers to stay far far away from their mountainside nesting grounds. This protective behavior is born from a Wyvern's sentience, with the young often being nurtured much like humans or other mammals despite their reptilian background.
Prominent Specimens: While Wyverns are a rare but well known species within Terra Mystica, on Earth there are only three Extant Specimens still living. These Wyverns are older and far more formidable in terms of raw power than Alduin, being the apex of their species to survive for the millenia in the human realm. The following profiles are an overview of these three Wyverns, detailing their age and general personality, as well as where they are hidden on Earth.
Smaug: A large, 50,000 year old Wyvern currently nesting deep in the lava dome of Mount Vesuvius, Smaug is notorious among those few who are able to remember the Terror he spread during his heyday. He is the second oldest Wyvern in existence, and is twice the size of Alduin. His element is Fire, and his mana is powerful enough to allow him to shrug off the searing heat within his mountain home. He is currently Hibernating, and last stirred in 79 A.D. where his awakening provoked the famous eruption that wiped out Pompeii as well as several other large cities in Italy.
This eruption was followed by the disappearance of close to 100 Roman naval vessels that he gorged himself upon before returning to his lair, where he returned to his slumber. His name was the inspiration for a similar mountain dwelling beast in The Hobbit, taken by J.R.R Tolkien upon his return to the human world after an accidental visit to Terra Mystica during his service at the Battle of the Somme. His work is quite popular in Terra Mystica as a result, even if he took many creative liberties with certain things that inspired him. (Never ask a Black Orc about their Portrayal, lest you want a rant about them being proud warriors and not "Pit Bred Gits".)
Jormungandr: The youngest Earth bound female Wyvern, Jormungandr is a 12,000 year old serpentine Wyvern about 500 feet long, hidden beneath the ice on the remote Bouvet Island; close to the Arctic Circle. Jormungandr is an Ice Element Wyvern, capable of producing blizzards with a mere whisper from her reptilian lips. Despite this raw power however, she seems content to simply swim through the ocean, feeding on whales and giant squid while enjoying her solitude. There have been few incidents linked directly to her, unlike Smaug who's nesting ground has led to the destruction of thousands of lives, though the odd report of a ship going missing or accidents blamed on iceberg activity may indicate that she isn't completely passive if her territory is invaded.
Watatsumi: The oldest Wyvern still alive, Watatsumi is a 100,000 year old behemoth, taking a serpent like shape and living beneath the waves off the coast of Japan. He is easily over 1000 feet in length, and possesses light magic powerful enough to level forests and destroy a modern city if he so chose. It is lucky for the world that he is largely placid, having inspired the myths of the undersea dragon palace in Japanese Myth and influencing the world little beyond that. He mostly spends his time hibernating, much like Smaug, unlike Smaug however, his awakenings are more frequent, and far less destructive. He is mostly known for devouring entire pods of whales, sometimes causing an uproar due to Japanese Whalers being blamed for the drop in whale populations in his stead.
His capricious appetite for aquatic mammals aside, his last confirmed sighting in modern times was during the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, where he was forced close to the surface due to the Tsunami that struck the coast. He was thankfully uninjured, but in a panicked attempt at freeing himself from a wall of ship debris, he fired off a potent burst of light magic, severely damaging a seawall and causing it to collapse, increasing the damage done by the water. He managed to escape back to deep water, and has stayed far, FAR away from the shoreline since, possibly hiding in a "shallow" undersea trench and preying on Giant Squid or other large undersea life much like Jormungandr.
| Creature type | Dragon |
| Creature Subtype | Wyvern |
| Habitats | Various |
| Disposition | Often varies from individual to individual |
| Diet | Omnivorous (with a strong preference for meat) |
| Magically Proficient | Yes |
Overview: A powerful and ancient magical species, Wyvern are at a glance merely another subspecies of dragon, distinct only due to their intelligence and grasp of magic...the truth however is far more complex, and far more fascinating was well. According to myth, Wyverns are the origins of all depictions of dragons in human culture, those of wise givers of ancient knowledge to vicious predators who would burn entire kingdoms to ash simply for the "crime" of offending them somehow are both correct.
The age of the Wyvern subspecies goes even further back than that, with some fossil evidence collected before the splitting of Terra Mystica from the human realm possibly putting the earliest forebears of this race as far back as the Early Pleistocene era. This makes Wyverns almost as old as humanity's earliest ancestors, though the large deviations in their physical attributes shows just how much the species has evolved in such a long span of time.
As of this writing, Wyverns are far from their glory days, the Great Culling of the Wyrms that occurred thousands of years ago left them nearly extinct, with only Alduin as the sole known survivor on Terra Mystica. (There are as of now 3 other known Wyverns born before the Culling, which are named and their locations revealed in the Prominent Specimens section of this entry.)
Physiology: On the surface, Wyvern are simply a curious, forearm lacking subspecies of dragons, albeit ones that are much larger than their "cousins". With a massive set of leathery wings that are powerful enough to propel their massive frames through the air with ease, elder dragons can almost literally darken the skies as they soar through the air. Their scales have been compared in legends to shields, with tales depicting them as immune to arrows and swords, with only powerful magics doing anything other than dispersing across their hides. This is a slight inaccuracy, Wyverns are not outright immune to damage from blades, bows or traditional spells...they are simply large and durable enough that such things take a very, VERY long time to kill them.
Their bodies are not just built to withstand horrible punishment, but to deal it as well, before even taking into account their powerful magics, Wyverns are flying natural disasters, Beasts who's wing beats can create winds strong enough to knock men off balance and who's tails can smash through stone buildings, their teeth are diamond hard and as long as a man's forearm, able to pierce plate armor with the ease of a child opening a sweets wrapper.
But perhaps their most terrifying thing about a Wyvern is that of their sheer size. Alduin, who is the oldest living Wyvern on Terra Mystica, is a staggering 300 feet long from tail-tip to snout, with a wingspan so massive that his shadow can blot out the sun over entire villages. Terrifyingly enough, he has admitted that he was considered a RUNT of his species. It is believed that the largest living Wyvern in existence slumbers within Mt. Vesuvius, one who's last awakening obliterated Pompeii and it's surrounding cities millennia ago.
Special Abilities: What separates a Wyvern from a Dragon is not their sheer bulk, but their unique capabilities, namely their increased intelligence and their ability to use a specialized form of magic referred to as Thu'um or "Shout". These shouts are effectively words of power, when a Wyvern speaks the words and focuses their very essence into their speech, the word becomes the equivalent of a magical spell.
A complete Shout is usually comprised of three words of power, each related to how the shout functions in some way, though there are exceptions. In addition, a Wyvern possesses the ability to project a powerful stream from it's mouth that corresponds to it's respective element, with each element producing a different stream.
But perhaps the most curious trait that Wyverns posses is the ability to alter their form, shifting their limbs by utilizing the massive reserves of mana that they have. There are strict limitations to this power however, for example, while A Wyvern can sprout arms to appear like a standard Dragon, they end up losing muscle mass as a result, diverting a portion of their total body size to "pay" for the change. This this can result in either the Wyvern appearing to shrink, or even losing it's limbs in some cases. One Wyvern in Feudal Japan was famously mistaken for a giant snake due to it's choice of alteration, growing a total of 8 heads at the cost of all of it's limbs, this Wyvern was later killed by a powerful Wind Majin who was revered as a god for his feat.
Wyverns are also capable of taking a human form, though this eliminates many of their size and power advantages, their ability to use Thu'ums and magic are unaffected, making them quite capable of defending themselves even in this weakened state. This adaptation seems to be one part spell and one part the Wyvern's natural shape-shifting ability, possibly created as a response to being hunted in the days of their near extermination.
Reproduction: Wyvern are born from eggs like their Dragon cousins, though unlike Dragons, they only reproduce one at a time. These Eggs are about the size of a football, with a thick shell that is capable of repelling most forms of predation by humans or other creatures. Despite their durability, Wyvern were notorious for being viciously protective of their young, on more than one occasion tales tell of a mother torching an entire caravan as a warning to travelers to stay far far away from their mountainside nesting grounds. This protective behavior is born from a Wyvern's sentience, with the young often being nurtured much like humans or other mammals despite their reptilian background.
Prominent Specimens: While Wyverns are a rare but well known species within Terra Mystica, on Earth there are only three Extant Specimens still living. These Wyverns are older and far more formidable in terms of raw power than Alduin, being the apex of their species to survive for the millenia in the human realm. The following profiles are an overview of these three Wyverns, detailing their age and general personality, as well as where they are hidden on Earth.
Smaug: A large, 50,000 year old Wyvern currently nesting deep in the lava dome of Mount Vesuvius, Smaug is notorious among those few who are able to remember the Terror he spread during his heyday. He is the second oldest Wyvern in existence, and is twice the size of Alduin. His element is Fire, and his mana is powerful enough to allow him to shrug off the searing heat within his mountain home. He is currently Hibernating, and last stirred in 79 A.D. where his awakening provoked the famous eruption that wiped out Pompeii as well as several other large cities in Italy.
This eruption was followed by the disappearance of close to 100 Roman naval vessels that he gorged himself upon before returning to his lair, where he returned to his slumber. His name was the inspiration for a similar mountain dwelling beast in The Hobbit, taken by J.R.R Tolkien upon his return to the human world after an accidental visit to Terra Mystica during his service at the Battle of the Somme. His work is quite popular in Terra Mystica as a result, even if he took many creative liberties with certain things that inspired him. (Never ask a Black Orc about their Portrayal, lest you want a rant about them being proud warriors and not "Pit Bred Gits".)
Jormungandr: The youngest Earth bound female Wyvern, Jormungandr is a 12,000 year old serpentine Wyvern about 500 feet long, hidden beneath the ice on the remote Bouvet Island; close to the Arctic Circle. Jormungandr is an Ice Element Wyvern, capable of producing blizzards with a mere whisper from her reptilian lips. Despite this raw power however, she seems content to simply swim through the ocean, feeding on whales and giant squid while enjoying her solitude. There have been few incidents linked directly to her, unlike Smaug who's nesting ground has led to the destruction of thousands of lives, though the odd report of a ship going missing or accidents blamed on iceberg activity may indicate that she isn't completely passive if her territory is invaded.
Watatsumi: The oldest Wyvern still alive, Watatsumi is a 100,000 year old behemoth, taking a serpent like shape and living beneath the waves off the coast of Japan. He is easily over 1000 feet in length, and possesses light magic powerful enough to level forests and destroy a modern city if he so chose. It is lucky for the world that he is largely placid, having inspired the myths of the undersea dragon palace in Japanese Myth and influencing the world little beyond that. He mostly spends his time hibernating, much like Smaug, unlike Smaug however, his awakenings are more frequent, and far less destructive. He is mostly known for devouring entire pods of whales, sometimes causing an uproar due to Japanese Whalers being blamed for the drop in whale populations in his stead.
His capricious appetite for aquatic mammals aside, his last confirmed sighting in modern times was during the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, where he was forced close to the surface due to the Tsunami that struck the coast. He was thankfully uninjured, but in a panicked attempt at freeing himself from a wall of ship debris, he fired off a potent burst of light magic, severely damaging a seawall and causing it to collapse, increasing the damage done by the water. He managed to escape back to deep water, and has stayed far, FAR away from the shoreline since, possibly hiding in a "shallow" undersea trench and preying on Giant Squid or other large undersea life much like Jormungandr.
Great to see this place still pluggin' along. I just wanted to pop in and say I'm getting rid of our affiliate system so you can feel free to take down our aff banner. Take care!