Shadow Drakes
On Drakes in General
Miurag is home to many types and colors of the large, wild lizards which the young sentient races call drakes. They have been named for their topical physical similarities to the fabled To'vah Dragons, although most of these reptiles can be described simply as wild carnivores. The riding lizards of the Davrin Elves of Sivaraus would be considered a type of drake.
Drakes vary widely in size and shape, with native species in most areas of the Surface and can make their homes in numerous climates and environments: in a river, on a cliffside, in a forest, or among sand dunes. Some drakes have wings to fly while other wingless forms are fit for swimming, climbing, or burrowing.
The Deepearth is home to the larger variety of winged drakes, filling the niche commonly held by birds of prey on the Surface. Among them, the Shadow Drakes are exceptional from their underground cousins for having the potential to use magic and learn sentient languages.
General Appearance
Shadow Drakes are reptilian hunters which share a similar size and cunning with the foxes of the Surface forests. Their eyes are typically blood-red with or without black, vertical pupils and are capable of sight in utter darkness. Like many Deepearth denizens, Shadow Drakes are sensitive to bright or sudden light.
Protective scales cover their entire body and are either glossy black or purplish-black. Their long muzzles bear many sharp teeth, and they have hooked claws on the digits of all four feet. Their tails are long and whip-like, though their necks are less serpentine by comparison. A dorsal ridge extends from the back of their head down, nearly to the end of their tail. This ridge can be smooth, rough, or spiny and varies among individuals, to the point some Deepearth denizans can diffierentiate between individuals with enough contact.
Shadow Drakes can crawl and climb the rocks and crevices of the underground with ease using four legs, and they especially love to glide from high perches using their wings. Although they can gain flight from the ground by the strength of their wings alone, this is quickly tiring for them, and they lack the maneuverability of a bat or a bird due to their size and comparative density. It is rare for a Shadow Drake to attempt sustained flight for a long distance or length of time.
Sentience and Magical Heritage
While most Shadow Drakes are elusive and act from any distance like natural hunting predators in their territory, multiple individuals among them over the centuries have been confirmed to be sentient and capable of learning speech.
The Yutogul were the first to discover this and have successfully bargained with families of Shadow Drakes to help them keep watch for Ornilleth and their thralls in exchange for food.
The Shadow Drakes are also the only Deepearth drakes which appear to be using magic on instinct. They can teleport while within darkness and shadows, a recognizable talent called “shadow jumping” which is not unique to drakes. This natural ability, however, makes them nearly impossible to capture, even for the Ornilleth. Psionic links and magical commands alike are severed when the drake shadow jumps as an instinctive defense, requiring no conscious thought or spoken word which could be blocked.
Over the millennia, a few Shadow Drakes have bonded with a mage, living as their companion and familiar. This bond both enhances the mage’s magic and extends the drake’s life; these bonded drakes nearly always speak the language of their mage and potentially others to which the drake is exposed.
In every case, the drake approached the mage first and decided they liked the other sentient, thus initiating the bond and, if reciproated, helping to strengthen it. A Shadow Drake has not yet been summoned or compelled to serve as a mage’s familiar if they do not want to stay.
Something Extra
Patreon exclusive content: Added secrets and insights about the Shadow Drakes.The Deepearth
Appearance
a fox-sized, four-legged reptile
with dark scales, wings, and a tail.
Lifespan
up to 100 years in the wild Example Characters in the series
Graul
Thilryn
