Post by luthyx on Aug 19, 2018 22:31:45 GMT
Note: this information differs slightly from canonical Sand Wraith information because I wanted to flesh them out and make them more unique. You are free to ignore this and go strictly by the canon info if you so wish.
  [Species Name] Sand Wraith [Class] Tidal [Fire Type] Hardened balls of sand powered by weak fire [Features] Night Fury-like frame, copious amounts of spines, gritty scales [Habitat] Sandy shorelines and beaches, often around water [Colors] Earthy tones, often including anywhere between a pale stony grey and light caramel. Often darker at the paws and wingtips, and covered in light and dark freckles. Many also have darker coloring around the eyes. Somewhat smaller than a Night Fury. Can carry one adult Viking. [Trainability] Somewhat difficult  [Attack] 13/20 [Speed] 18/20 [Armor] 4/20 [Firepower] 8/20 [Shot Limit] 8 [Venom] 0/20 [Jaw Strength] 13/20 [Stealth] 15/20   Firepower: The Sand Wraith's main breath weapon is a hardened ball of sand. It accumulates its stores by ingesting sand, pebbles, and other small bits of debris (often by grooming itself) and storing them in a specialized organ near the gullet. When ready to fire, it hacks up a piece of the mixture - now hardened together thanks to sticky saliva - and ignites some gas behind it, releasing a devastating but inaccurate line of fire akin to a shotgun blast. The resulting cone of shrapnel can rip off skin, muscle, and scales in close quarters. However, it is not very effective at long range. Camouflage: Sand Wraiths, like their name suggests, are adapted to blending in with sand and rocky terrain, usually coming in shades of orange, brown, and grey. Individuals with these colors tend to haunt beaches and rocky terrain, mostly preferring soft sand that they can wriggle into and lie in wait. Some Sand Wraiths have the added benefit of being melanistic, making them easily mistaken for Night Furies from a distance. Black colors don't blend in well with rock, though, and a Sand Wraith's hunting style is not easily adapted to the night sky. Speed and Agility: The Sand Wraith's uncanny resemblance to Night Furies is often believed to be either convergent evolution or evolutionary mimicry. In either case, their body shape allows them to have a very similar flight style to Night Furies, and they are able to reach similar speeds in flight. Their pitifully small tailfins do not allow for as great a range of maneuverability, nor do their spines, making them less agile than Furies. Diet and Attack: The Sand Wraith is primarily an ambush predator. It prefers to lie in wait in banks of sand and rock, attacking when it senses nearby movement. It leaps out, stunning prey with a powerful shrapnel blast. If this isn't enough to finish the victim off, it leaps onto the creature's back and bites at the neck. The Sand Wraith will eat almost any type of meat, including fish and birds, but its most preferred meal is small land-dwelling animals like rabbits and sheep - and, if opportunity provides, humans. Stamina and Endurance: Sand Wraiths tire very easily. They're built for lying in wait, making them excellent at conserving energy, but horrible at long-distance flights or scuffles with other dragons. Intelligence: Sand Wraiths are clever dragons, occasionally comparable to less bright members of the Strike Class. Their strong suit is their memory, which is primarily used to hold grudges and recall the faces of those who have wronged them in the past. Teeth and Jaw Strength: A Sand Wraith's teeth only get more impressive with age. Even from the egg, they're sharp as daggers, and combined with their monumental jaw strength, allow them to snap bones. Several incidents of them biting through or leaving gashes in metal have occurred. Their teeth get even longer and sharper with age, and by the time they become Titans, are so large that they can no longer properly close their mouth. Senses: The Sand Wraith's strongest sense is that of sight. It can perceive color, movement, and distance with an accuracy equal to or even greater than that of humans. Their hearing, while not monumentally good, is still fearsome, and the rest of their senses are average.  Sand Wraiths are highly territorial dragons. Sandy beaches for them to burrow in are few and far between, making prize hunting grounds intensely precious. They'll defend their territory from anything that they see as a threat: other Sand Wraiths, random dragons, seagulls, dogs, driftwood, and humans. Those who have claimed such hunting grounds will part with it over their dead body, and would sooner have their wings sheared off than be forced to go elsewhere. Approaching such a Sand Wraith is almost certainly a death sentence. There are a few easy tricks to get them to trust you, though. Helping them defend their territory from another dragon is one way, and nursing them back to health after a defeat is another. Raising them from the egg is good, too. Training is more annoying, especially amongst younger individuals, who teethe like it's going out of style. Most Sand Wraiths tend to be aggressive and quick to action, and have no grasp on the concept of mercy or forgiveness. Exceptions do exist, of course, but they are few and far between.  Sand Wraiths have two primary weaknesses: their tails and their anger. Like Night Furies, their tailfins prove an instrumental part of the process of flying. Unlike Night Furies, their tailfins are so small that damage to them will not entirely negate flight - but it will make it ten times more difficult. Secondly, a territorial Sand Wraith is not easily shrugged off. While this may seem like a strength at first, it is incredibly easy for a hunter to twist it to their advantage, as the Wraith will not fly off to fight another day. Third, without a supply of sand and rubble to consume for firepower, a Sand Wraith cannot use their breath weapon. They still have a short-range flame, but it doesn't pack nearly as much of a punch as sand.  Sand Wraiths operate on two polar extremes: insatiable aggression and fervent protection. They always have something near and dear to them that they protect with their life - more often than not, this is a choice patch of hunting ground, but one bonded with a rider will almost always have the rider as their chosen treasure. They become jumpy and quick to suspicion when separated from their treasure, often going so far as to attack and kill the ones keeping them away, and they refuse to sleep anywhere but directly next to their rider. The passion might be cute at first, but it quickly becomes obnoxious and downright dangerous when a situation arises that requires dragon and rider to split for a time. In theory, this behavior can be trained out, and is easier to do so in calmer individuals. This requires lots of time, patience, and scars, though, and can sometimes result in the Wraith finding a new treasure and thus ruining all of the work done to bond with them in the first place. If one can manage having a neurotic, over-attached companion with spikes out the wazoo, though, then a Sand Wraith can make for a formidable companion. --- Subspecies: some Sand Wraiths have been known to develop crystalline growths along their backs. This is especially prevalent amongst Titan Wings, and it makes their hide harsher and sharper - though much harder to ride upon. Unfortunately, it also makes them a bigger target for hunters. As to why these Sand Wraiths have grown such things is unknown.  |
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