Here Be Dragons - Tumblr Posts
My friend introduced me to DA:O and passed on her intense love of Alistair to me.
I physically cannot be mean to his soft little face 😆
curious to know how everyone got into Dragon Age?
my obsession started a few years ago after coming across fenhawke art on pinterest. watched a few Origins and DA2 playthroughs on YouTube. and so here I am in my own well of Solavellan tears lol
Prompt: Origami
Prompt By: Myself
Day 28
Might as well begin posting my massive backlog of art.
This here is a thick-tailed drake (no specific species yet). Thick tailed drakes are found in the dry scrub deserts of upper Arcadia and lemuria major. Much like geckos, they carry fat stored in their tails. They are pretty active predators, hunting small vertebrates and large insects. They themselves are only the size of a cat, and are mostly nocturnal to protect themselves from predators. They rest in burrows during the day, often those dug by other larger drakes and small desert sloths. Sometimes they will co-exist with the current owner of the burrow. They are mostly territorial, living singly or in pairs and defending a small territory through scent marking and vocalizations. Their voice has been described as a high-pitched whistling squeak, often ending in a descending buzz. Males and females look similar, though male are noted to be slightly larger and darker. Like many other drakes, they will gape and flash their bright tongues at predators as a warning. They have strong bites, and a recent study suggests that they may even have a mild venom.
The green-eared fuzzwyrm is a species of fuzzwyrm found in the rainforests of lower Arcadia. Fuzzwyrms are considered members of the true wyrm family, which includes wyrms, knuckers, and water serpents among others. Fuzzwyrms, like many other serpents, lacks any form of fire or venom and are also flightless. They are anywhere from 2-6 feet in length depending on the species. Green-eared Fuzzwyrms can grow up to 4 feet in length. They are very social and are often found in small family groups. They are incredibly docile and often kept as pets by the local sentient species. Their fuzz is derived from the simple feathers ancestral to all dragons, and has a sort of velvety feel to it. What makes these dragons unique however is their long flexible noses. These dragons use their nose to smell and feel the world around them. They are mostly insectivorous, but will also eat fruit and small vertebrates. They are mostly slow moving and will freeze to hide from predators, but they are known to wind away across tree branches in a dart of color if they are pressed.
Though colloquially called the Bark-winged Birdsnatcher, the most common prey items of this little dragon are the fingers of unsuspecting entomologists.
The creature + The inspiration (Two-Striped Mermiria Grasshopper) 🦗 art and photo by me!
Another character from my book, The Grandest Tales of Clementine – Kickstarter coming in July!
Where there are Noble Paladins and Faithful Steeds there are bound to be fearsome beasts to battle them. And sometimes, as an artist, you just want to take all your favorite parts of animals and smoosh them together. Shad (short for Bringer of Shadows) was the product of just such a smooshing.
All the loveliness of a possum’s snaggly little snoot plus some tusks and some weird horns and claws and lots of fur and some fire thrown in for funsies. Shad is a complicated guy (on the outside and the inside) and maybe he /does/ have a bit of a habit of burning villages to the ground - but I do love him.
And he does his work well! If they gave awards for razing villages (they don’t :c) he would certainly take home first prize.
dragon membranous wing stuff. although very flexible theyre not quite as ridiculous as bat wings simply due to sheer size, but the digits can still fold up surprisingly tight.
Lock up yer dogs and hide yer sheep, cause the devil’s awakin and causin mischief!
Yippee, third dragon! Also the second desert/ Wild West coded one, huh.
This fella is called the Dust-Devil Piping Drake (Cantucanipernicus occidentadiabolus- meaning western devil, singing dog’s-bane).
Piping drakes are iconic symbols of the untamable wild, being nigh impossible to tame or domesticate. They also famously hate dogs, to the point where their rivalry is featured in folklore worldwide.
I also realized while making this dragon that I haven’t shown a good full body “typical” dragon yet, so stay tuned! I’ve got something good cooking.
WOOOOOO DRAGONS WOOOOOOOO YEAH
This fine gentleman here is a Blue-masked tasslewing (Fibriamopterus azulifrente- meaning blue faced tassel wing). He is currently engaging in a courtship display!
Tasslewing are relatively small wyverns found throughout the Arcadias. They are omnivorous and social, being found in loose groups of about 12. Males are more colorful, with big tassels on their wings. These tassels are made from cartilage and skin, and are rather flexible. While these dragons are mostly herbivorous, they can use their enlarged “canines” to hunt, and males use them in combat. These dragons are flighted, but they mostly walk or run. Tasslewing are mostly found in wetter habitats. Such as forests, prairies, and wetlands.
Blue masked tasslewing are found in the temperate deciduous forests in northeast upper Arcadia. They are a common species, with little fear of humans. They are not especially aggressive, but males can be territorial, and females defend their young viciously. More often than not though, they prefer to flee and slip away into the forest. Like many dragons, they are hesitant to use their fire unless absolutely pressed. People have tried to tame these dragons, and individuals raised from the egg do make good pets, but males especially can get aggressive unless they are well socialized.
Here’s a super quick doodle of their sexual dimorphism
WOOOOOO DRAGONS WOOOOOOOO YEAH
This fine gentleman here is a Blue-masked tasslewing (Fibriamopterus azulifrente- meaning blue faced tassel wing). He is currently engaging in a courtship display!
Tasslewing are relatively small wyverns found throughout the Arcadias. They are omnivorous and social, being found in loose groups of about 12. Males are more colorful, with big tasslewing on their wings. These tassles are made from cartilage and skin, and are rather flexible. While these dragons are mostly herbivorous, they can use their enlarged “canines” to hunt, and males use them in combat. These dragons are flighted, but they mostly walk or run. Tasslewing are mostly found in wetter habitats. Such as forests, prairies, and wetlands.
Blue masked tasslewing are found in the temperate deciduous forests in northeast upper Arcadia. They are a common species, with little fear of humans. They are not especially aggressive, but males can be territorial, and females defend their young viciously. More often than not though, they prefer to flee and slip away into the forest. Like many dragons, they are hesitant to use their fire unless absolutely pressed. People have tried to tame these dragons, and individuals raised from the egg do make good pets, but males especially can get aggressive unless they are well socialized.
I totally forgot that I drew this a couple weeks ago and then never shared it so uh….
MOUNTAIN DRAGON BLAST
This male Black-shouldered mountain dragon (Mahannparvatotyrannus nirgahumera- meaning black shouldered great mountain lord) is currently displaying his might, either as an aggressive sign towards a rival or as a defensive sign against a larger dragon.
Mountain dragons are some of the largest dragons in Murrellia, though some true dragons are heavier, and there may be one or two coastal dragons with longer wingspans, and the Tiamat is longer,but a mountain dragon is still massive.
Mountain dragons hunt smaller dragons, large dinosaurs and mammals, and other megafauna. They are highly territorial, with one male and female often sharing a territory.
Nests are made deep in mountain caves and kept warm by their parent’s ambient temperature. Around 20-30 eggs are laid, and once they hatch, adults care for them for about the first year of their lives. By then, the young are about the size of a man and venture out of their parents’ cave to fend for themselves. Young begin life hunting smaller prey than adults, chasing goats across the mountains and stalking deer in the forests and foothills. Young are tolerated in their parents territory until they are a little over half-sized, when they begin to hunt the same prey as adults.
Adults hunt by soaring above and diving upon prey, using the force and speed to knock them over and crush them, and if that doesn’t kill them, a mountain dragon’s powerful jaws will.
While full grown mountain dragons largely ignore people and even large livestock, juvenile and especially sub-adult mountain dragons are especially dangerous, being large and unruly. Mountain dragons living near settlements often have their young culled.
While mountain dragons are fierce and territorial and the means of many myths, they are largely benign and even pleasant to be around if you give them space. Some small towns and settlements have been known to set up in the territories of mountain dragons to defend themselves from other large dragons that hunt them, their livestock, and their food stores. Mountain dragon lairs are also often full of bats and other small cave dwellers that seek their warmth. Even large mammals, such as bears and sloths, have been found to live in the smaller side caverns and tunnels.
The idea that dragons collect treasure in their lairs actually comes from an old form of worship some regions used to perform where they would bring gold and food and other gifts to the mountain dragon they lived under. Dragons can be shocklingly intelligent, and there are several anecdotes of villagers swearing that “their” dragon recognized them and saved them from animal attacks or other dangers. Whether these are true or not has yet to be determined, but the stories are frequent and spread out enough through space and time that they may have some merit. This being said, there are also plenty of stories of people getting in their personal space and being burned to crisp, so perhaps it is best to simply treat these animals with respect.
Also someone asked me what's up with their horns. My email on the site is all wonky and I'm not verified so I can't respond directly, so I hope this works!
The horns, while looking similar to antlers, actually are more similar to the classic bovine horns. Most dragon horns have a bony core and a keratin sheath, though the size of both vary from type to type. In the case of mountain dragons, the bone is mostly in the main horn, with little nubbins that lead into the tines. The horns above and in front of the eye though are mostly bone.
I totally forgot that I drew this a couple weeks ago and then never shared it so uh….
MOUNTAIN DRAGON BLAST
This male Black-shouldered mountain dragon (Mahannparvatotyrannus nirgahumera- meaning black shouldered great mountain lord) is currently displaying his might, either as an aggressive sign towards a rival or as a defensive sign against a larger dragon.
Mountain dragons are some of the largest dragons in Murrellia, though some true dragons are heavier, and there may be one or two coastal dragons with longer wingspans, and the Tiamat is longer,but a mountain dragon is still massive.
Mountain dragons hunt smaller dragons, large dinosaurs and mammals, and other megafauna. They are highly territorial, with one male and female often sharing a territory.
Nests are made deep in mountain caves and kept warm by their parent’s ambient temperature. Around 20-30 eggs are laid, and once they hatch, adults care for them for about the first year of their lives. By then, the young are about the size of a man and venture out of their parents’ cave to fend for themselves. Young begin life hunting smaller prey than adults, chasing goats across the mountains and stalking deer in the forests and foothills. Young are tolerated in their parents territory until they are a little over half-sized, when they begin to hunt the same prey as adults.
Adults hunt by soaring above and diving upon prey, using the force and speed to knock them over and crush them, and if that doesn’t kill them, a mountain dragon’s powerful jaws will.
While full grown mountain dragons largely ignore people and even large livestock, juvenile and especially sub-adult mountain dragons are especially dangerous, being large and unruly. Mountain dragons living near settlements often have their young culled.
While mountain dragons are fierce and territorial and the means of many myths, they are largely benign and even pleasant to be around if you give them space. Some small towns and settlements have been known to set up in the territories of mountain dragons to defend themselves from other large dragons that hunt them, their livestock, and their food stores. Mountain dragon lairs are also often full of bats and other small cave dwellers that seek their warmth. Even large mammals, such as bears and sloths, have been found to live in the smaller side caverns and tunnels.
The idea that dragons collect treasure in their lairs actually comes from an old form of worship some regions used to perform where they would bring gold and food and other gifts to the mountain dragon they lived under. Dragons can be shocklingly intelligent, and there are several anecdotes of villagers swearing that “their” dragon recognized them and saved them from animal attacks or other dangers. Whether these are true or not has yet to be determined, but the stories are frequent and spread out enough through space and time that they may have some merit. This being said, there are also plenty of stories of people getting in their personal space and being burned to crisp, so perhaps it is best to simply treat these animals with respect.
Do you have any pictures of a fictional character on your walls?