Typhoeus

O for a beaker full of the warm South
Full of the true, the blushful Hippocrene,
With beaded bubbles winking at the brim,
And purple-stained mouth;
That I might drink, and leave the world unseen,
And with thee fade away into the forest dim:

-John Keats
From “Ode to a Nightingale”

....................................................................

Delphyne

Fae are generally known for the difficulty they have in communicating with others of dragon kind. Though they speak the common languages, they lack any inflection within their speech, thus others have difficulty understanding their emotional state. And naturally fae sarcasm is taken quite literally.

This subspecies has an additional challenge as they primarily communicate with their unique scent glands. Most of their pungent oils are released into the air. But their waxy protuberances tend to accumulate with these oils. They routinely preen themselves to keep their scent messages from becoming muddled. Like other fae they compliment this form of “speech” with the arching of their frills.

These fae develop seasonal tubercals, bright yellow calluses, which eventually encase the entire dragon in a hard shell that protects them from the harsh dry-season weather. They remain as these statue-like figures through out the hottest days of the year.

Within they sleep, dreaming vivid dreams. In fact, they can still communicate in this state of being and often share dreams via their scent excretions. As these scent trails can travel many miles, numerous dragons can share the same dream. They may even choose where they go to rest, based upon who their dream-mates will be.

When the days begin to cool, the pebbly tubercal shell becomes brittle, flaking away until the first deluge. The dragon finally breaks free and quickly returns to gathering food and rebuilding the old nesting grounds.

With rain comes life. Like these dragons there are many creatures that wait patiently for ideal conditions to feed, breed and flourish. The ephemeral salt ponds are a short respite from the otherwise barren landscape. Teeming with tiny crustaceans, insects, and phytoplankton, these pools take on a deep blood-like hue. Many a dragon has mistaken this abundance of food as a bad omen, as travelers from other flights do not necessarily recognize this morbid scene for what it is. Life continuing onward despite the odds.

This diet of red micro-animals has an interesting affect on these dragons. With time their body becomes tinged with the red hues of their prey. Hence the garish color combinations common to this subspecies. Each and every one of them believes this to be a pretty trait; and each and every one of them believes itself to be the most attractive of its kind.

It is fair to say that these fae have a nesting style that could also be misinterpreted. These dragons have an incredible flair for art. However, they have high standards. Dragons of the plague lands tend to covet trophies of battle and organic materials that have either a very practical purpose such as a knife carved from bone or a chalice made from the horn sheath of a large beast; or which show the hidden beauty of their lands, such as opalised bones or shiny insect specimens.

So without trees or cliffs or caves to nest in and a great size disadvantage in regards to scavenging large carcasses, how do these little dragons build their nests and satisfy their interests in collecting “treasures” from their home land?

Art. The “capturing of life” through clay sculpture. These little dragons build incredibly life like sculptures of beasts and dragons they’ve seen. Everything is done to scale and is so meticulously crafted that you would half expect these statues standing in the red brine pools to get up and take flight. These hollow sculptures serve as the nesting grounds for these fae who build small mud nests within.

These statues function like termite mounds, with internal temperature control and by providing a durable shield from the elements and would be predators. While also having a certain impressive style. It isn’t always received with the same sense of awe and pride, among travelers, who... often mistake these constructions for real petrified dragons.