Lesser bronze wyvern (Aurora)

Lesser bronze wyvern

Classification
Type	Non-sapient
Morphology	Draconoid
Family	Wyvern family
Physiological traits
Average height	~5.5 feet
Skin color	Bronze
Respire	Air
Preferred environment	High-altitude
Sexes	2
Maturity	10 years
Normal lifespan	85 years
Notable features	Leathery wings; Durable scales; fire breathing
Arcano-spiritual characteristics
Animating force	life force

The lesser bronze wyvern, alternatively known as the Obskaric wyvern, is a type of carnivorous draconoid native to eastern Terra Aurora. It is a smaller wyvern with an average weight of 1,000 pounds and a height of 5.5 feet. Its primary features include: two leathery wings and two legs; thick, highly reflective scales resembling polished bronze; three approximately straight horns on the upper back of the head; and the ability to breath fire. They are normally solitary creatures outside of nesting sites, which typically contain up to 150 adult wyverns along with any accompanying juveniles.

The preferred habitat of lesser bronze wyverns is cold, high-altitude environments with available solid ground, such as mountain peaks and floating islands. The precise altitude at which they begin to appear varies by temperature, with hotter regions having populations at higher altitudes and colder ones seeing ingress of wyverns to altitudes as low as 4,000 feet above sea level; cold regions with more available prey are also conducive to greater wyvern populations. Their range covers most of eastern Terra Aurora from the Obskaric Ocean to central Macarndria and Dracoris.

Lesser bronze wyverns serve as a carnivorous intermediate predator in most ecosystems that they inhabit; their primary prey animal is the four-winged moa and related animals, supplemented with smaller creatures, while their normal predators in the wild include larger draconoids such as dragons. They are widely hunted by sapient creatures living in aerial and mountainous regions for their highly durable, magic-resistant scales, which are suitable for use in armor, as well as for other resources such as meat, bones, claws, and teeth. As carnivorous creatures that consume medium-sized animals, they are also prolific predators of livestock in areas that they inhabit.

Description

The lesser bronze wyvern is a small-sized draconoid creature. Its limbs consist of two legs and two leathery wings; it also possesses one head connected to the torso by a long neck, as well as one tail. The wyvern’s entire body is covered by highly durable scales which possess a brown metallic color resembling that of polished bronze; the scales vary in both thickness and size depending on which part of the dragon they are taken from. The average weight of a mature lesser bronze wyvern is approximately 1,000 pounds, while its average height is ~5.5 feet. Newly hatched wyverns reach maturity at ten years old, while the known average lifespan is somewhere around 80 years. Adult lesser bronze wyverns are also known to possess the ability to breathe fire.

Relationships with sapients

Lesser bronze wyverns are frequently killed by sapients for reasons of both hunting and livestock protection. Unlike many other types of wyvern, however, they are not normally kept as mounts due to their small size.

Hunting

Among draconoids, the relatively small size and diminished lethality of lesser bronze wyverns leads them to be one of the most commonly hunted by sapient creatures. Dwellers of the Auroran sky and other high-altitude environments most frequently hunt the lesser bronze wyvern for its scales, bones, teeth, claws, horns, and meat, which are variously desirable as food, as magical reagents, and as materials for tools, weaponry, and armor. Hunting most commonly occurs in the summer months, when the wyverns have dispersed from their nesting sites after the spring mating season and are thus easier to attack individually.

The most valuable product harvested from lesser bronze wyverns is their scales. The thick, shiny, bronze-colored scales of the lesser bronze wyvern are noted for their exceptional durability and hardness, with properties surpassing those of common steel with only ~30% of the density; particularly large scales are shaped into tool blades or used as a medium of exchange. Scales of between 0.5 to 2 inches are frequently sewn into a flexible, lightweight scale armor that is widely used among aerial civilizations as a replacement for heavier iron-based armors. Teeth, claws, and horns are also frequently carved into tool heads for implements such as knives, spears, and hatchets.

Wyvern meat is a common byproduct of hunting and an important source of protein for aerial races. It is a relatively tough, lean, flavorful meat which features prominently in cuisines such as Belsedori, where it is commonly consumed as a steak or as fried cutlets.

Wyvern parts, such as their bones, teeth, claws, scales, horns, hearts, and flame-producing organs, are highly valued as reagents in the practice of magic. The relatively large-scale hunting of lesser bronze wyverns means that their organs are typically the most accessible draconoid organs available within their native range.

Livestock predation

Th carnivorous nature of lesser bronze wyverns and an ability to consume medium-sized animals makes them a prominent threat to livestock within their native habitats. Because a strong presence of lesser bronze wyverns within an area makes successful livestock keeping virtually impossible, known wyvern populations are frequently culled to prevent excessive impacts to agriculture.