H E G E M O N
- Intent: To fill the world of Vandemar with interesting and diverse life that is intriguing to roleplay with.
- Image Credit:
- Canon: N/A
- Permissions: N/A
- Links: Vandemar
GENERAL INFORMATION
- Name: Aelyr Drake
- Designation: Non-sentient
- Origins: Vandemar; mountain cliffs, coastal escarpments and high-altitude valleys
- Average Lifespan: 40–60 standard years
- Estimated Population: Rare; concentrated in isolated nesting territories across Vandemar
- Description: The Aelyr Drake is a vast winged reptile whose shadow can silence an entire mountainside. It circles above cliffs and valleys before descending with enough force to break bone, armour and light vehicle plating. Though often mistaken for one of Vandemar's legendary dragons, the creature is entirely natural—and no less lethal for it.
PHYSICAL INFORMATION
- Breathes: Type I atmosphere
- Average Height of Adults: 2–2.8 metres while standing
- Average Length of Adults: 5–7 metres from snout to tail
- Average Wingspan: 11–16 metres
- Skin color: Slate-grey, dark blue, black, brown or pale mountain-grey
- Hair color: None
- Distinctions: Aelyr Drakes possess two powerful hindlimbs, broad membranous wings and a long tail used for aerial control. Their narrow skulls carry reinforced crests that protect the head during dives and territorial clashes. Hooked talons allow them to seize prey or cling to near-vertical surfaces. Males develop taller, more colourful cranial crests, while females are generally larger and possess broader torsos. Older specimens display torn wing membranes, blunted crests and pale scarring across the chest.
- Races: None formally recognised. Coastal drakes possess longer wings and lighter bodies, while mountain populations are more compact and heavily muscled.
- Force Sensitivity: Non-Sensitive
- Exceptional aerial speed and manoeuvrability
- Powerful talons and devastating diving attacks
- Excellent long-range vision
- Vulnerable wing membranes
- Poor mobility in enclosed spaces or dense forests
- Requires considerable distance to regain flight after landing
CULTURE
- Diet: Carnivore. Aelyr Drakes prey upon mountain grazers, large birds, coastal animals and isolated travellers. They frequently carry prey back to elevated feeding ledges.
- Communication: Piercing calls, throat rumbles, wing displays and crest movements. Territorial cries can carry across entire valleys.
- Technology level: None.
- Religion/Beliefs: None.
- General behavior: Aelyr Drakes are solitary outside the breeding season and defend wide hunting territories around their nesting cliffs. Bonded pairs may remain together for several decades, sharing responsibility for their clutch. Juveniles learn to hunt through repeated dives upon small prey and scavenged carcasses. Adults often circle potential targets for extended periods, waiting for exhaustion, injury or separation before committing to an attack. They rarely pursue prey beneath dense canopy or into enclosed terrain.
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
Aelyr Drakes evolved among Vandemar's high mountain ranges, where powerful winds and vast cliff systems favoured increasingly large aerial predators. Their resemblance to traditional dragon imagery made them prominent in early Vandemarian heraldry, though scholars consistently distinguished them from true dragons and Nether-tainted Great Beasts.
Early settlements destroyed many nesting colonies near mountain roads and coastal cities. This caused sharp increases in smaller aerial predators and grazing animals, forcing later administrations to restore protected nesting territories.
Modern Vandemar tracks major drake populations through aerial monitoring and restricts civilian flight around breeding cliffs. Individuals that begin hunting near settlements are relocated when possible and killed when necessary.
Their shed crests and talons remain prized ceremonial materials among several knightly orders. Taking such trophies from a living nest is forbidden. Too many aspirants once discovered that the sky above them was not empty, merely waiting.