Mountain Wyvern
Travelers in the wild sometimes look to the skies to see the dark-winged shape of a wyvern carrying its prey. These cousins to the Greater Dragons hunt the same tangled forests and caverns as their kin. Their appearance sends ripples of alarm through the borderlands of civilization.
A mountain wyvern has two scaly legs, leathery wings, and a sinewy tail topped with its most potent weapon: a poison stinger. The poison in a wyvern’s stinger can kill a creature in seconds. Extremely potent, wyvern poison burns through its victim’s bloodstream, disintegrating veins and arteries on its way to the heart. As deadly as wyverns can be, however, hunters and adventurers often track them to claim the venom, which is used in alchemical compounds and to coat weapons.
Aerial Hunters. A wyvern doesn’t fight on the ground unless it can’t reach its prey by any other means, or if it has been fooled into a position from which aerial combat isn’t an option. If forced into a confrontation on the ground, a wyvern crouches low, keeping its stinger poised above its head as it hisses and growls.
Aggressive and Reckless. A mountain wyvern intent on its prey backs down only if it sustains serious injury, or if its prey eludes it long enough for another easier potential meal to wander along. If it corners a fleeing creature in an enclosure too small to enter, a wyvern guards where the quarry hides, lashing with its stinger whenever opportunity allows. They are far more aggressive than their larger and more docile relatives, the Desert Wyvern.
Although they possess more cunning than ordinary beasts, wyverns lack the intelligence of their Greater Dragon cousins. As such, creatures that maintain their composure as a wyvern hunts them from the air can often elude or trick it. Wyverns follow a direct path to their prey, with no thought given to possible ambushes.
Tamed Wyverns. A mountain wyvern can be tamed for use as a mount, but doing so presents a difficult and deadly challenge. Raising one as a hatchling offers the best results. However, a mountain wyvern’s violent temperament has cost the life of many a would-be master.
A mountain wyvern has two scaly legs, leathery wings, and a sinewy tail topped with its most potent weapon: a poison stinger. The poison in a wyvern’s stinger can kill a creature in seconds. Extremely potent, wyvern poison burns through its victim’s bloodstream, disintegrating veins and arteries on its way to the heart. As deadly as wyverns can be, however, hunters and adventurers often track them to claim the venom, which is used in alchemical compounds and to coat weapons.
Aerial Hunters. A wyvern doesn’t fight on the ground unless it can’t reach its prey by any other means, or if it has been fooled into a position from which aerial combat isn’t an option. If forced into a confrontation on the ground, a wyvern crouches low, keeping its stinger poised above its head as it hisses and growls.
Aggressive and Reckless. A mountain wyvern intent on its prey backs down only if it sustains serious injury, or if its prey eludes it long enough for another easier potential meal to wander along. If it corners a fleeing creature in an enclosure too small to enter, a wyvern guards where the quarry hides, lashing with its stinger whenever opportunity allows. They are far more aggressive than their larger and more docile relatives, the Desert Wyvern.
Although they possess more cunning than ordinary beasts, wyverns lack the intelligence of their Greater Dragon cousins. As such, creatures that maintain their composure as a wyvern hunts them from the air can often elude or trick it. Wyverns follow a direct path to their prey, with no thought given to possible ambushes.
Tamed Wyverns. A mountain wyvern can be tamed for use as a mount, but doing so presents a difficult and deadly challenge. Raising one as a hatchling offers the best results. However, a mountain wyvern’s violent temperament has cost the life of many a would-be master.
Basic Information
Anatomy
Number of legs and wings: Two legs with three forward-pointing toes and a single rear toe; two wings with a span that can reach around 25 feet.
Dietary Needs and Habits
Food:
Genetic Ancestor(s)
Average Height
6 - 7 ft.
Average Length
15 - 20 ft.
Geographic Distribution
