Greater Wyvern

Please note that this page discusses only Greater Wyverns. If you are seeking information on Lesser Wyverns, please visit their page.

Western Desert Wyverns

Physiology

With two legs and two wings, Western Desert wyverns seem almost like dragons in miniature who have suffered an unfortunate amuptation. Their bodies are arranged such that they walk bipedally with no trouble, using their very thick tails for balance on the ground as much as for direction in the air. They have no tail barb, and without forelimbs and due to their size of only 3-6 meters high, they are often considered much less dangerous than wild whers, and are hunted for both meat and thick hides. However, they should not be underestimated.

Although they cannot chew firestone or breath flame, they are capable of spitting an extremely dangerous acidic poison, much like that found in the barbs of female pet wyverns. Should their acid eat its way into the circulation of a creature with blood, that creature will almost certainly die. The results are less dramatic in ichorous creatures, however, even the thick hides of whers are vulnerable to the horrible chemical burns that it can create. Should further research by done, it might be noted that the acid, while capable of damaging plant matter, often and paradoxically improves the growth of plants after exposure as well, as long as the exposure is not highly concentrated.

Westies are surprisingly monochromatic, with hides that are always uniform and without marking, and always reside in the grey-green-brown spectrum, often leading to impolite parallels with swamps. Albinism is relatively common as well, with one in ten males, andone in three females, born white.

Sociology

While Westies don't require a human rider to survive, as dragons do, they are often exceptional dangerous without a rider. While they may occasionally choose to stay with someone to whom they cannot bond, they must always be treated warily. In the wild, they will bond to a parent, and join their pack. They are pack animals, and tolerate the presence of pets and other intelligent bonds well, but often develop a sense of dominance when bonded to humans, are do not appreciate other bonds threatening their claim.

They mate by flight race, much as dragons do, and usually have very large clutches filled with many duds. Female eggs, which can be identified by their dark, near black shels, are highly sought after as female Westies exist in a 1:10 ratio to their male counterparts. A clutch of 20 eggs should have approximately one female egg, nine duds, and ten male eggs. Due to a considerably lessened maternal drive, female Westie's rarely keep watch over their clutches, instead trusting that they have been laid in a safe place, and while they do not often misplace their clutch in the wild, they are often preyed upon as an easy meal.

Communication

The bond between a Western Desert Wyvern and his or her rider is easily as strong as that of a dragon, and it is common for both riders and wyverns to be very- almost cruelly- defensive about that fact. However, due to the increased range of ages considered acceptable for wyvern candidacy (16 to 45 Turns), reimpression after a wyvern dies is much more common than among dragonless. Nonetheless, many riders will choose suicide or eternal loneliness instead. In the event that a rider dies, most Westies will choose to go between, though some may return to run wild on the Western Continent.

The impression of a Westie will make their rider incapable of impressing a dragon or wher. Dragonriders are incapable of impressing desert westies. Wher handlers are capable of impressing Desert westies.

Westies are not instantly capable of speaking in human languages, but can learn it relatively easily. They learn at a rate roughly equivalent to a human toddler, capable of reaching fluency by exposure in under a Turn, and fluency via lessons in less than three months. Care must be taken to remember that a wyvern's learning capabilities may resemble a human baby, but their mental maturity puts them at adult maturity by only one Turn, thus grammar issues are usually rare, whereas limited vocabulary is common in learning wyverns.

Desert Westies are capable of speaking out loud as well as mentally, though this technique is extremely rare in these smaller wyverns.


Greater Seraphim

Physiology

Like a Lesser Seraphim gone mad, Greater Seraphim are astonishing creatures of compact grace and power. Once quite rare, a recent series of clutches has made the domesticated population of Greater Seraphim increase considerably. They are relatively small, ranging from four to six meters. However, because of their alarming wingspans, they are among the strongest, longest fliers on Pern, and quite capable of carrying riders. Like the Lesser Seraphim, Greater Seraphim have six wings. However, where Lesser Seraphim have a main pair and an auxilliary set, each of a Greater Seraphim's individual pairs of wings is capable of carrying its own weight and more. Each wing is usually as long as the wyvern's whole body.

They are not capable of creating a flame, but to retain the tail barb common in pet wyverns, and especially those with human riders are well trained in it's use. However, because of their massive wingspreads and lack of flame, they are considered unfit for threadfighting. The real strength of these wyverns is in covering ground. Because they can fly nonstop and at excellent speeds for days at a time- some have even proven capable of flying while asleep, much as dolphins migrate while sleeping- they are excellent scouts, capable of exploring new ground and reporting back with appropriate coordinates for betweening. They can also move very heavy loads.

Unsuspecting fertile dragons, especially those mating for the first time, should be on the look out for greater Seraphim males attempting to join their mating flights, as they can, obviously and easily, outfly any dragon. Of course, the size differences should be considered, but that rarely gives a male Seraphim more than slight pause, and because of the more aggressive nature of Seraphim flights, they will not hesitate to attack the flying female and attempt to take her by force if she is taking too long for their tastes.

Sociology

While not solitary by nature, most Greater Seraphim prefer only a small fair of pets and bonds around them, though there are exceptions to the rule.

Greater Seraphim females rising to mate almost unanimously take part in tournaments of aerial combat, first forcing males to fight amongst eachother by darting in, out and around battles, then selecting an acceptable suitor who can best her in combat. If this suitor fails to impress her, she will often choose to drop between and lose any chance at a clutch than risk making a low quality clutch with an unworthy father.

Communication

Greater Seraphim have some of the lightest bond strengths among riding wyverns, with most being no stronger than a wher. However, there are always exceptions to the rule, and particularly in the case of staren Guard riders, many techniques are used to increase bond strength. This bond will never be as powerful as a dragon, but with proper training, a very close wher bond strength can be achieved.

Impression to a Greater Seraphim will prevent impression to a dragon, but will not prevent any other impressions. Any type of character, including dragonriders, may impress to this type of wyvern.


Western Black Mountain Climber

Physiology

Must like the other wyvern native to the western continent, Western Black Climbers have a total of four limbs, two wings and two legs. However, Black Westies are somewhere between three and four times the size of Desert Westies, and at 15-20 meters, they encroach on the smaller edge of dragon size, with the largest Black Westies achieving the size of Green dragons.

Like Desert Westies, they are capable of spitting a corrosive acid which is lethal to blooded creatures, and extremely painful and injurous to ichorous creatures. Because of their massive size, however, they ae more than capable of killing even a dragon through sheer traumatic injury, without depending on venomous qualities.

Unlike Desert Westies, black Westies actually come in a wide variety of colors, though nearly every one will have some black markings on his or her body, often around the eyes or covering the feet.

Sociology

Black Westies are extremely pack oriented in the wild, and in a bond, absolutely adore sharing their human with other bonds, as long as their supremacy is not threatened. They will often attempt to force their riders to attend other hatchings to increase their fair size. However, as always, this is not a universal rule.

Black Westies usually mate through aerial combat, though racing flights are not uncommon.

Communication

Black Westies have a weak dragon strength or high wher strength bond, and are capable of learning to speak human languages out loud as well as mentally.

If a Black Westie's rider dies, they will either choose to suicide between, or will reimpress to someone they trust. Black Westies do not, however, go feral or mad after a rider's death, which is fortunate given the destruction they are capable of causing.

Impression to a Black Westie will prevent dragon impression. Dragonriders may not Impress at a dragon-level strength.


White Lake Wyverns

Physiology

The closest, phsyically, to traditional dragons, the White Lake wyvern has six limbs, two broad gliding wings and four legs. However, unlike dragons, White Lake wyverns are capable of walking bipedally or quadrapedally, and it seems to be a matter of individual preference.

They are the only breed of Riding Wyvern capable of chewing firestone and breathing a flame, and with sizes of up to 25 meters, can rival blue dragons in size. However, they are far more flexible, with longer tails and slender bodies, and even with their size are often thought of as equivalent to spotted felines or white dragons in terms of agility.

Like blue dragons, they are usually only capable of high-intensity flying, as would be required during threadfall, for a few hours at a time, though they often outlast dragons of the same size. However, if asked to fly in a straight line, for speed or endurance, they will universally lose that battle.

Sociology

White Lake Wyverns usually mate through racing flights, much like dragons, though a rising female may also demand that her future mate overpower her as well as outfly all his competitors.

White Lake Wyverns rarely regard pets with much interest, unless they are being personally attended to by one, and usually have no opinions of the addition of firelizards and pet wyverns to their fair.

Communication

With the strongest bond available among wyverns, White Lake wyverns usually bond as strongly as a high-level dragon, such as a gold or Red Feline. They are the second most intelligent wyvern breed as well, and learn human languages at an extremely accelerated rate. With lessons, they could learn to speak fluently in as little as two months, and even without lessons, learning only by exposure, it is rare for a white lake wyvern to have trouble communicating after six months. However, they are capable only of mind speak, not audible speech.

If their rider dies, they will almost universally go between. However, there have been recorded cases of two white lake wyverns in history who chose to become feral instead.

Neither dragonriders nor wher handlers may impress to this Wyvern, and the bond will preclude dragon and wher impressions.


Fisher Wyverns

Physiology

Aquatic and strange, if it weren't for the insistence of other wyverns that the Fishers are "family" it might be hard to believe. Fisher wyverns come in an astonishing array of sizes, shapes and colors, with the smallest only a foot long, and the largest outsizing even gold dragons, at over fifty meters. These beasts are, no doubt, the selfsame seamonsters that sailors tell their tales about. It should be noted that the largest fisher wyverns are more than capable of destroying ships and causing impassable waves and turbulence.

While there is more difference in size and orientation among fisher wyverns than any other species, there are a few key features. They usually have equal numbers of wings and legs, with as few as a single pair or each, or as many as three. Their limbs are almost always webbed together. They have a very specialized tail fork, which splits off less than halfway down the length of the tail, and is webbed together to create a massive tail fin. Iridescence and blended colors are especially common, whereas defined patterns are somewhat rarer. If they have neck ridges, which many do not, they will usually be transparent, spined fins rather than bony plates.

Some, particularly those with multiple sets of wings, can learn to glide, or rather to fall slowly, but they are incapable of true flight.

Sociology

In the wild, they are solitary creatures and while they tolerate pets well, they will often be jealous and territorial if forced to share their bondmate with an intelligent creature.

Their mating habits are unknown, as only one Fisher wyvern has bonded in recorded history, and she is immature.

Communication

Fisher wyverns are capable only of mindspeech, not audible speaking. However, they are the only wyvern which learns it's bonds language instinictively and instantly upon impression, much as dragons do. They are considered the most intelligent species of wyvern, however, with only one bond it is hard to make that statement in complete confidence. Nonetheless, they have excellent memories and appear to be readily capable of complex reasoning, future planning and hypothetical imagining.

Their bond strength is usually in the wher level, though it can range as low as firelizard for smaller individuals, and as high as dragon for larger ones. Bond strength seems to have more of a correlation to size than to age, though this correlation is not absolute.

These bonds are to be created with administrative permission, or ICly, only. These wyverns may impress to any type of character. If they have a dragon strength bond, they will preclude dragon impression. Otherwise, they will not prevent any other form of impression.


Abilities

Greater Wyverns are a Hear-All species. This means the Hear-All-Wyverns Marks Shop modifier is available for purchase, and can be applied to any Human or Loper character. Hear Alls, or Those who Hear, have varying levels of ability and responsibility, discussed in greater detail in the Abilities page.

The current Beacon of Greater Wyverns is Dehan of Black Western Climber Lebaro

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