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Lesser Drake
#monster #creature #beast #reptile #dragon #drake #smaugust
Published: 2024-08-12 23:56:28 +0000 UTC; Views: 13964; Favourites: 68; Downloads: 0
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Description

From the lofty heights they once soared, the dragons have fallen quite far. Their age of Eitr gone, their position of power overthrown and now they are even reviled by the people of this land. The betrayal at the holy city had them labeled as enemies of the Church, and for their aggression they were hunted down in mass. The ancient dragons that survived this great hunt vanished or fled to parts unknown, leaving behind the corpses of the fallen and the disgraces born from their desperate attempts at reclaiming their former glory. These Lesser dragons continue to be hunted by slayers and warriors of the Church alike, standing in as sacrificial beasts for the despised dragons.

Of all the Lesser dragons born from their efforts, there is no doubt that the Lesser Drake is the most grotesque of them all. One look upon them certainly proves that the beloved Eitr has faded, and attempts to reignite it has created nothing but inbred abominations. There is nothing graceful in their appearance, no evidence of power and pride. They are snarling slavering beasts, with no intelligence behind their eyes. No mighty wings, just a jumble of clawed limbs. Their warped hide peels open into numerous weeping eyes, which dart about wildly with no rhyme or reason. The drake possesses two heads, but no mind, and their maws do little else beside snap and hiss at all who dare get close. Upon their head sits a crown of horns, which can only be seen as a mockery of their failed destiny. These beasts are no rulers, they will see no age of their kind. It is a cruel symbol granted to those whose demise is inevitable, handed out by the gleeful audience who watches their doom with satisfaction and eagerness.

The Lesser Drake is a monstrosity and a terror, attacking anything around it in blind anger. Its many eyes seem to be used only for locating new prey, with no tactics born from this incredible range of view. Instead they lash out in spitting snarling rage, with gnashing teeth and clawing limbs. Their tongues are laced with Eitr, which shoots into wounds and infests them with Primal Flame. Their eyes weep watery Eitr, and can gush this fluid out in emergency to spray attackers. Their tail is sharp and quick, stabbing those who try to attack from the rear. All around, they are nasty creatures to fight and difficult to bring down. Both heads must be slain for the beast to perish, and the severed stump will do nothing but gush Primal Flame until its partner is also cleaved off.

While it serves as a mangled symbol of the dragons' desperation, some wonder if its sorry state is more then mere inbreeding and stagnate fluids. The eye is viewed as a lesser organa, creator of the false humor of Tears. Its weeping state speaks of despair and woe, of failures and mourning. Did these organa sprout upon this child of dragons as a symbol of their own sorrow? A sign of the grief and fear that plagued their ancestors as their efforts failed? Perhaps this is why they were the last of the Lessers to be born, as the dragons saw their fluids had been tainted by tragic emotions. No more young would be born from this method, as it was clear they too would be doomed to be abominations of sadness and agony. And so the Lessers were left behind, abandoned so that the hunters may butcher them and finally rid this world of these symbols of shame.

But yet the Lessers live on. They thrive and breed, continuing on long after their parents forsook them. It would seem our failures and sins are not so easily wiped away, or perhaps the dragons could not look past the imperfections to see that their lineage did have hope...


This is the last of the Lesser dragons! What shall come next? Ah, who knows?! Also I am already behind on posting! AHHHH I KNEW THIS WOULD HAPPEN!

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Comments: 16

CookieKirbyCookieKirby [2026-09-30 13:30:45 +0000 UTC]

The tearful look in their eyes... it must be in misery.

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EvolutionsVoidEvolutionsVoid In reply to CookieKirby [2026-09-30 23:46:20 +0000 UTC]

It certainly ain't natural!

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TheGuardianofLightTheGuardianofLight [2024-10-22 18:24:43 +0000 UTC]

I'll have to look it up for you, but all this talk of blight reminds me of a piece by an artist here, whom I unfortunately can't remember the name of at the moment, but they had something that reminds me of this, as well as the dragon sickness from the hobbit movies. It was a good read, so I will link it to ya when I can find it again.

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EvolutionsVoidEvolutionsVoid In reply to TheGuardianofLight [2024-10-22 21:43:44 +0000 UTC]

Excellent! I look forward to seeing it!

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TheGuardianofLightTheGuardianofLight In reply to EvolutionsVoid [2024-11-06 09:22:49 +0000 UTC]

Found it.

https://www.deviantart.com/quinn-red/art/DRAGON-BLIGHT-907376993

Guy does some good stuff besides this, but this was the pic I found him by, if I remember correctly.

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

EvolutionsVoidEvolutionsVoid In reply to TheGuardianofLight [2024-11-06 11:10:04 +0000 UTC]

Ah, Quinn! I know his work and already follow him! Indeed, he does great stuff!

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

TheGuardianofLightTheGuardianofLight In reply to EvolutionsVoid [2024-11-06 18:07:47 +0000 UTC]

Oh, well that simplifies things. Guess it makes sense, since folks in this.... 'community', do have alot of crossover in who likes who and who are big names and what not.

Though, I suppose that's the same for all such 'communities' here on dA, and even elsewhere.

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asurnirasurnir [2024-08-28 20:34:31 +0000 UTC]

An elemental of Eitr exist?

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EvolutionsVoidEvolutionsVoid In reply to asurnir [2024-08-29 00:23:29 +0000 UTC]

Yep, they would exist! Though not as plentiful as they once were.

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BluegirlWoomyBluegirlWoomy [2024-08-21 03:49:27 +0000 UTC]

I like how the spikes look like a crown

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EvolutionsVoidEvolutionsVoid In reply to BluegirlWoomy [2024-08-29 00:22:36 +0000 UTC]

Thanks!

👍: 0 ⏩: 0

Sir-HaydrionSir-Haydrion [2024-08-13 07:35:02 +0000 UTC]

What a terrifying thing! Yet... i feel bad for it. And I'm not alone.


"The Lesser Drake. A formidable foe. A symbol of tragedy, mourning, sadness, desperation, yet also one of might, spite, and raw ferocity driven by rage. Truly tragic, I think. Their many eyes constantly weep, something that often makes me share their tears. The Church labeled it a false Humor, but it hits as hard as any true Humor! Just like with Eiter. When I was young, a Drake was subdued by the Loyal Hunters and brought into the town square where priests proceeded to butcher the bound beast. I recall crying in my room all day thereafter... The image of its helpless tears and desperate thrashing haunting my dreams. My father tried to tell me it was for the best, but I couldn't agree. It was barbaric! Barbaric and cruel...


Ah. But now it is I that must subdue the monsters. At least I do not torture them for the admiration of onlookers. Sporting two deadly heads with maws capable of crushing armored bodies, Drakes are alarmingly fast when in an outright charge. Thankfully they cant turn very well, and I've lured one to a cliff which it charged off of. They can spew Eiter, unsurprisingly, and they can shoot out Tears from their many, many eyes. Their tails can also seize opponents or skewer them, with some sporting poison in the tip. Due to their eyes, they cannot be snuck up on, so your best bet is hiding and luring it into an arena of your choosing. They are mindlessly hostile and will follow you when they spot you, so tricking them into traps is almost amusingly easy. Lopping off their heads is necessary in killing them, but be aware that both heads MUST be separated from the body, lest it rampage without end. From its stumps, it shall ceaselessly produce primal flames, and twice I've almost been fried by this. A good tactic is blinding its eyes which will cause it immense pain. I've managed to kill a drake by putting a bolt in each of its eyes, which resulted in it bleeding out. Poisoned meat also works, though you need the most potent poison you can find to actually kill it. Lesser poisons will at least slow it down. Using [Phlemish Freezebolt], I've managed to freeze their maws shut, giving me a chance to end the fight. In fact they seem quite vulnerable to the cold.

I've ended many Drakes by now, often when they get too close to settlements. I dont seek them out. The good news is that it I can thank Drakes for giving me enough Eiter to experiment with it. Using flasks, I've gathered a lot of Tears and Eiter, and I've been trying spells using them as a base. It's slow going, but the power of even these flawed spells is staggering. Perhaps Eiter can help me tackle my worst foes... time will tell. I'm certain these experiments would see me executed by the Church, but many of my actions since my Exile would. In desperate times, desperate measures are key.


Closing note: Like all dragons, their flesh is a delicacy, as are their organs. After draining most of the blood, anyway. Due to their size, Drakes supply immense amounts of meat, and their eyes taste like Peachies. Drake Eggs are delicious, but getting them is hard, as Drakes zealously guard their nest. -Jerikoh Marr, Weaver of Eiter."

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EvolutionsVoidEvolutionsVoid In reply to Sir-Haydrion [2024-08-13 22:38:58 +0000 UTC]

Yep, these Lesser Drakes are a combination of angry abomination and tragic creation. A beast you both fear and pity. Some folk can see them as the repulsive offspring of the treacherous dragons, their ugly appearance no doubt believed to be symbolic of the dragons' true nature. Others find them sad mutated things, no doubt a far cry from what they used to be. However, such feelings take a backseat when fighting one!


And Jerikoh best be careful with his Eitr experiments! Lets just say others have taken an interest in the effects and power of Eitr, and the results have not been too pleasant! As we shall someday see!

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NeanderThorNeanderThor [2024-08-13 03:51:41 +0000 UTC]

I can't help but feel these entries have a bit if a slant to them, probably from the historical context. If I, knowing nothing of the ancient dragons or the age of Eitr, came across a six-legged two-headed predatory animal covered in eyes that spray defensive chemicals, that can see you coming from any direction and sprays fire from its severed neck stumps, I wouldn't be like "what a grotesque abomination" or "what a sad, forsaken relic of former majesty". No, I'd be like "holy canoli that thing is AWESOME!!!!" Buuuuut then again I'm not from around there.

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EvolutionsVoidEvolutionsVoid In reply to NeanderThor [2024-08-13 22:35:05 +0000 UTC]

Correct, these entries are written almost from the perspective of an omnipotent narrator, someone who knows well the history of these lands and carries knowledge not common to regular folk. Indeed, most folk who live in this world will not know the fully backstory to these beasts, with most knowledge being that they are the diluted offspring of the reviled dragons. I am sure some folk have your reaction, but they are probably standing a good distance away when doing so!

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NeanderThorNeanderThor In reply to EvolutionsVoid [2024-08-13 23:33:34 +0000 UTC]

Oh, yeah, no, for sure. I'd still run.

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