Veserus
What is a Veserus?
Veserus are unbreathing wingless aquatic dragons. They do not have gills. They have instead small lungs which cycle air for the purposes of speech and olfactory processing alone, but they do not require breathing to survive. They vary so considerably in appearance as to have something akin to multiple ethnicities, with some Veserus having complex fins and frills giving them a fish-like appearance, whereas others have cetacean-esque smoothed bodies.
Each Veserus has an individual pattern of potentially glowing scales on their bodies. Although the exact pattern is individual to each Veserus, there are enough similarities that they can 'speak' through precise control of their glowing.
What is the magical gift of the Veserus?
The gift of the Veserus is that they do not need to breathe. This extends well beyond merely supporting them in swimming, but extends to an ability to hold their breath indefinitely in the face of all potential toxins or foul odors. They are never short of breath.
Where do Veserus prefer to establish their settlements?
The majority of Veserus live in flooded riverbank homes established under the waterlines. Large rivers are beaded with Veserus villages where the riverbanks have been reinforced and broadened, and as a result many of the rivers in Theoma run slower yet straighter than they naturally would. The reason why they run straighter is that the Veserus villages interfere with normal erosion processes. Flooding is limited by the same structuring of the riverbanks, though if the land gods decree a flood there is little that can stop it.
Most Veserus hate drying out too much to live away from water, but Veserus are an expected sight in every major riverbank and coastal town, and a rare few of them adopt flooded dwellings in more unusual places as well.
Comments