Wyvern

A dragon fighting a pair of wyverns.

Wyverns are winged reptilian beasts which appear similar to a dragon but are lesser in all respects: smaller, much less intelligent, less powerful, and with only two legs instead of four. They are more commonly seen in the mortal realms than true dragons, but are nonetheless extremely dangerous.

Excerpts from Midgard's Noblest Beasts comprise much of this article, not because wyverns are noble beasts, but to differentiate between them and true dragons, which are innately magical and noble creatures.

Nature

Wyverns are strange creatures. No one is quite sure what exactly they might be, whether they are truly related to dragons as some kind of unintelligent pseudodragon, a chimeran that incorporates aspects of a dragon, or a different sort of monster altogether. Regardless, they are reminiscent of dragons in some mocking, bestial ways, and thus are sometimes associated with them.

Appearance

Wyverns bear some similarities to true dragons, such as a hide composed of scales. However, wyvern scales utterly lack the luster, colors, and invincibility of true dragon scales. The head of a wyvern bears no true horns (only horn-like protrusions), unlike a dragon, and wyverns have no forelegs, as dragons do. Their forelimbs instead are their wings, on which they crawl upon their knuckles when moving over the ground. Some wyverns are said to have only forelegs and wings with no hind legs. Wyverns have long, barbed tails almost like that of a scorpion, and with their stingers they can deliver venom that can slow even a mighty Jotunn. Wyverns do not grow to be even a fraction the size of dragons, but the greatest may still achieve the size of a house. They have beak-like faces and many sharp teeth.

Behavior

Wyverns behave like animals. Most are said to dwell in caverns high in mountains. They will descend to find food and return it to their nests. Some wyverns live in flocks and swarm their prey. However, they are usually scavengers, preferring to drive prey away from a large kill. They are the top scavengers in almost every environment. Wyverns cannot breathe fire and have not been known to speak, as a dragon might, though they are known to be clever.

Recent History

The Beast of Illikon, a werewolf, devouring a wyvern.

Wyverns are fearsome predators. Though not often seen today, they occasionally dwell in the high cliffs of the Jagged Edge Mountains and descend in small families or larger flocks in search of food. They are especially fond of herds of cattle or sheep. It is not recommended, dear reader, to imagine you might slay a wyvern. Such acts are only undertaken by the Venatori and perhaps select few other great warriors. Wyverns often do battle with dragons and giants in the mountains, and occasionally other, larger predators of the realm will also devour them, and wyverns continue to prefer acting as scavengers rather than predators.