High Wyverns

Wyvern
Racial Characteristics
Average Height:	8ft
Average Weight:	1200
Lifespan	TBD
Other Information
Country of Origin:	TBD
Significant Populations:	NA
Languages:	Wyverian Draconic Common
Major Religion:	Malkras
Related Races:	Dragons, Drakes

Race Origins

Wyverns were once said to be mere animals with an intellect no greater than that of the common tree lizard. Over years, many of these beasts developed higher consciousness, learned magic, and realized they were able to walk as the elves do. Since then, many wyverns have blended into human and elven society. Although their lifespans are markedly shorter than the typical elf, averaging at 3-500 years, they are clever enough to infiltrate these societies to suit their own agenda.

History

See Greater_Pentland

Culture

Some wyverns roost with clans in places of wilderness far away from prying eyes. Other creatures are solitary, but most choose to pass themselves off as one of the bipedal races and occupy themselves with those cultures. While they are a minority among their kind, some of the wyverns living among the clans choose to follow the dragon god Malkras, and they believe he has gifted them the intelligence to stand apart from the common beast.

Typical Racial Characteristics

High Wyverns come in two flavors of winged or unwinged, always possessing both rear and forelegs in addition to the former if they are flighted. The average beast extends 10 to 16 feet from nose to hind, with a tail of equal or shorter length, but height typically varies in accordance with build and is never greater than the creature’s torso and head length. Total wingspan measures anywhere from 30-40 feet. Their frames may be lean and thin or bulky and muscular with hides of varying toughness that are on par with the thickness of crocodilian hide. While they may resemble dragons, the resilience of their skin couldn’t be more different. Unlike draconic skin, a wyvern is highly vulnerable to typical weaponry and can be felled with skillful blows.

Wyverns come in a wide variety of colors ranging from red to blue, neutrals or metallic shades, and may be silky, rough, pebbled, or covered with stony, thick scale plating to resemble their natural environment. This may provide a measure of greater defense but is still vulnerable to weak spots.

Breath Weapons: A wyvern’s breath weapons come in the mundane forms of fire, freezing vapor, acidic goo, or choking gas. They are elemental creatures, and unlike dragons which come in forms of celestial, shadow, void, and so forth, this will never be the case with a wyvern. They will only have one breath weapon.

Polymorph: All wyverns are able to assume a single human or elvish form from their imagination, and only that form when they are not in their natural shape. A wyvern cannot become a new person by wearing a new face each day, as it has taken most of them years to accomplish the skill with mastery to move amongst the soft-skins they imitate in day to day life.

Empathy: High Wyverns share their lesser kins’ talent for empathy and telepathy, albeit limited to only humans with whom they have bonded. Breaking this bond would be devastating and no less emotionally damaging than losing part of their soul. For this reason, wyverns rarely form the attachment with more than one bipedal creature.

Natural Abilities: Limited range magical detection, innate darkvision, and enhanced senses of smell, hearing, and vision. Their tails are equipped with sharp spikes which produce a potent neurotoxin used to stun their prey.