Almean dragons?


Posted by Joey on 00:28 2/25/02

In reply to: (none)

I notice that Cadhinor, Verdurian, and Ismain all have a word for "dragon". Is this a mythical animal, or a real one? I don't find the word in Kebreni or Wede:i, so perhaps it's a Cadhinorian myth ... or an animal that only lives in the Plain!

Whether real or imaginary, could you tell us what Almean dragons are like?

-Joey


Mark responds:

It's a little of both. Dragon tales originate with the southern Horselords, who like to frighten children with tales of huge, many-legged reptiles which hunt horses (and their riders), riding them down on the vast plains. (There's a kingdom, Dracnáe = 'dragon-land', on the edge of the plains; evidently named because it seemed like a good place to find dragons.)

The Cadhinorians took up and elaborated these stories, making the dragons malignant creatures of Shkagon, allies of the ktuvoki, and giving them an interest not only in chasing horsemen but in breaking into castles to eat the livestock and humans within. (Almean dragons can't fly, but on their many legs they can run frighteningly fast.)

The horselords were no doubt inspired by the large lizards found on the Barbarian Plain. It's not hard to find some the size of a large dog, though they go after much smaller prey than horses. No one really knows how big these lizards can grow, however...


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