#field guide to dragons

[wyverewings]

Knucker (Lindworm felpalus)

Habitat: swamps, lakes

Size: 10 feet long

Coloration: dull green, brown

Diet: rabbits, waterfowl, fish, carrion

Magical Abilities: toxic breath, acceleration of plant growth, toxin removal

So Smaugust is here, and I do not have the energy to draw for the entire month. I still want to participate in it, and I thought of the perfect plan for it!

So I haven’t really discussed it much here, but I’ve been planning out a fantasy setting and story in my head. I’m calling the planned story “Misadventures In Monstrology”.

Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been deeply enamored with zoology, so I feel the fantasy story I am going to tell should have zoology as its heart, like how language is the heart of Middle Earth. It’s somewhat disheartening how uncommon fantasy biology is as a trope. So someone has to step in, and I’m gonna be that someone!

Some major inspirations for this setting are the Dragonology and Monstrology books, the Flight of Dragons movie, @tyrantisterror’s Midgaheim Bestiary, and @draconesmundi. (I think you’d both like to see this!)

So in this universe, monsters such as dragons exist due to magic. While magic doesn’t allow for too much craziness (there won’t be much fairytale logic), it does allow monsters to gain mutations that would be strange or impossible otherwise, and also allows them to locally control the elements.

Dragons are squamates (having evolved from monitor lizards), but that doesn’t mean there won’t be any hybrids. Chimeras also exist in this universe, basically through a fantasy version of horizontal gene transfer, which is a real thing with some rotifers! I am planning to make them kinda rare, because I mainly want to do it with creatures that make the most sense (and are more interesting to me) as chimeras, like griffins, pegasi, and some dragons I’ll end up drawing eventually…

Also, I felt I should talk about this dragon. A knucker in English folklore is a sort of water dragon, but unlike sea serpents, they dwell in freshwater “knuckerholes” rather than the ocean. They’ve got a lot in common with wyrms like the Lambton Worm and Hydra in folklore, with how they’re aquatic serpents. So they’re more like lindworms in appearance, rather than the more common modern portrayal of them having four legs.

Design wise, they’re very much based on crocodilians with their heads and back spikes, since they are swamp dwelling reptiles. They’ve also got some amphisbaenian in them, which is kinda inevitable considering their body plan. Also, they’ve got barbels like a fish to kinda add to the swamp creature aesthetic. Poison breath seemed like a given, the magic over plants is due to them probably living in more lush areas, and I like the idea of their body kinda absorbing the toxins they breathe out, keeping their environment healthy.

If you wanna keep up with these posts, click my #field guide to dragons tag which will update throughout the month! Or follow me, if you'd like.

Next ->

[foldingfittedsheets]

Eeee. It’s been a rough day but my beloved apparently backed a Kickstarter two years ago that dished out an incredible helping of serotonin.

The Field Guide to Floral Dragons is stunning. The art is incredible and there’s so much of it, with oversized creature cards, puzzle, book, DM screen. It’s magnificent.

I’m gonna be poring over all the intricacies for a while, really brightened my day.

[home-sweet-hive]

"Woah, is that Sabine??"

"Heh. Lucky them, getting to fly. Sometimes I wonder what that'd be like."

--

Date Unknown

I saw a dragon flying by while I was in Hyper City running an errand earlier today. I figured it pretty mundane in that place, but a local quickly informed me of the true significance of the sight.

The dragon in question, according to them, was not just any ordinary dragon. Their name was Sabine, one of the firsts to be supplied with Animal HRT by Doctor Erian - Dragon HRT specifically. Apparently, it influenced a lot of people to follow in their footsteps throughout its journey.

In that sense, I could understand the local's melancholic tone when describing the legacy of Sabine to me.

But to me, even not having ever known it, I could tell that Sabine had found true happiness and peace in this end. Their true self. They were whole.

And I don't dare to ever react to such a sacred thing with anything less than celebration.

[charlieclementine]

Hey, y'all! If you enjoy my astral-related content, you should check out my other blog, Astral Field Guide! It's focused on world building and story writing for my astral D&D campaign! You can find it here if you so wish!

The only reason I'm doing this is because traction to the blog has been poor and it feels like a waste to put a lot of passion into something no one is going to see.

[smallerdelusions]

Excerpt from Observations on the Order Draconia in Europe, with Notes on the Oriental Breeds by Edward Howe

A sequel to my other post, (that's been in my drafts for ages) I wanted to illustrate the relative sizes of British Isle dragon breeds! I used what seem to be the most representative models as seen in the books and the Regal Copper because I think it's the largest.

The stick person shown is approximately 6ft tall. I know the lightweights are supposed to be bigger than a horse and smaller than an elephant so I've made my best guess on the Winchester, erring on the small side.

Thanks for reading!

[spiritofdragonfire]

Love these colorful Empyrean Dragon Breed Guides!

Disclaimer: I did not make these. These guides were created by @larita.reads on Instagram

[elbdot]

Hi, first of all I love your art and am a huge fan of EAA.

Secondly, I don't know if you play DnD at all but I saw "Field Guide to Floral Dragons" on kickstarter and it reminded me of your art so just wanted to let you know because I thought it was cool.

Again, love your art and am looking forward to future chapters of EAA!

Thank you so much!!! :DD

YES I've seen the Field Guide Kickstarter, at this point it gets shown to me on Instagram EVERY DAY, the algorithm sure knows my interests 😂 It looks like an awesome book and I both LOVE that it's being so well received and at the same time hate that I have such bittersweet feelings about it, because it is exactly what I've been dreaming to publish myself for years and it's just. Frustrating that I'm still exactly where I left off 2 years ago. I'm happy the Kickstarter is such a huge success, it gives me hope people could get just as excited once my Gardendragons get republished again, hopefully in a big way! But a little insecure gremlin-voice inside my head makes me also afraid people will think of me as a copycat, even though my book has been written and illustrated LONG before in 2016 already 😂

Technically I know nothing is truly original, the concept of flower-based dragons is not unique. And I know my Guidebook will be VERY DIFFERENT, especially since my book would not be tied to DnD, it's more about connecting science with fantasy, a gardening book that teaches about insects and flowers THROUGH dragons. All my flower dragons are the size of flowers or smaller and are supposed to live in the real world, with the intention of teaching kids and adults about our native flora and importance of wild bees, as they live in a symbiosis with the dragons. And at the final chapter you get to learn what to plant in your garden to create a habitat for both dragons and bees!

I shouldn't be disencouraged, I shouldn't be envious or sad, just because I haven't found a new publisher or book agent yet, but I just want my Gardendragon books to be translated and republished SO BADLY but haven't made any new contacts yet that could help me reach my goal 😂

I should REALLY work on more illustrations or even animations to at least make my little dragons a bit more known on the internet. I'd love to see them flourish again ;w;

[astral-field-guide]

The Underbelly's Pit (Fan-made astral lore)

The Underbelly is a sort of black market-type city that lives in the abandoned mines just below Central City. It's a packed full, crime abound place, and yet it still has not caught the eyes of the court astrals. Or rather… they choose not to see it (more on that theory later). If you're unfortunate as I am to have accidentally stumbled upon the cutthroat streets of The Underbelly, you might have noticed crowds of sneering creatures flocking to a mini coliseum when the markets of Central City become desolate and quiet. Whatever you do, DO NOT FOLLOW. Why? Well, my friend, you have just found The Pit. The most dangerous and vile part of The Underbelly.

The Pit is a fighting ring where astrals/aliens are pinned against each other and are forced to hunt each other down if they ever want a chance to see sunlight again. If you owe a shady guy some favors and don't come through with them, there's a slight chance you can find yourself in the ring. Don't worry! While you're getting the snot beaten out of you, you always have the rowdy (usually intoxicated) crowd cheering the fighters on! I've heard things like “RIP HIS HEAD OFF!” and “SKEWER HIM ALIVE!” and “PLUCK OUT HER EYEBALLS AND FEED THEM TO HER!” I'm not entirely sure how that last one is possible, since the space creature they were referencing was literally made of light and had no eyes, but whatever floats your boat, I guess?

Betting is always welcome in the pit. I've seen creatures trade in lots of coins, gems, expensive items, whatever consists of currency across the cosmos, just for them to walk away with no money at all. Typically, the creature in the ring with the least amount of bets is granted a small weapon that could easily turn the tides if used right. Clearly, whoever runs this thing doesn't like to play fair. The most terrifying part is when the crowd gets angry and tries to throw smaller alien bystanders in the ring. Thankfully, this has never happened to me (I might not be walking if it did), however, there is this alien near the entrance selling snacks that gives me a look. It's best to avoid her. I don't exactly want the world to know what “Earthling flavored popcorn” tastes like.

I've heard this strange rumor that the astrals allow the Underbelly to operate because of the coliseum. The rumor goes something along the lines of how there's a court astral funding and supporting The Pit for their entertainment. A bunch of hogwash if you ask me. I don't exactly know what the court astrals act like, but I wouldn't be surprised if they think they're too upper class for fighting entertainment or even treading the same ground as “the lower class.” But, yeah. It's all rumors and nothing more. Although… Now that I think about it, there always is this sort of balcony area, shielded with curtains that seems quite regal. It's too high up to see anything past the curtains from the stands. I guess… anything is possible, right?

[vintagerpg]

The first Yokai Hunters Society zine contains a handful of famous yokai from Japanese folklore. Their details consist of a (cool) illustration, a one paragraph description and a brief listing of abilities. That’s fine for well-known creatures like Kappa, but for a game as narrowly focused on monster hunting as this, players are going to need a lot more monsters, with a lot more detail. Thus, Field Guide to Yokai (2022).

I love a monster book, and this one is no exception. Yokai are fascinating because there is very little about them that is set in stone. There are broad categories, sure, and general behaviors, but you can never be sure what you’re going to get with a specific yokai. They’re inherently individual, and that is sort of unique and delightful for an RPG to embrace.

By Western fantasy standards, they’re also damn strange. A personal favorite, the tsukumogami, illustrates this nicely — if an object of daily use makes it to 100 years of age, it can sometimes awaken as a yokai. Years of dungeon crawls have done nothing to prepare players for sentient paper umbrellas that enjoy licking people. But you can immediately see the scenario potential of a house full of well-loved tools suddenly coming to life and accidentally troubling a neighborhood (I am getting extreme Real Ghostbusters cartoon vibes, just talking about it). There’s also more menacing creatures, like the skull made of skulls or the human-eating ghosts, the latter is definitely tuned for more traditional monster-hunting scenarios. Then there’s stuff like the Futakuchi Onna, which looks like a typical woman, but has an extra mouth in the back of its head. Mostly it just eats a lot, but that doesn’t stop those strong Junji Ito vibes from creeping me out.

Regardless, an essential Yokai Hunters Society supplement and one of general utility for those not playing that game. If nothing else, Chema Gonzalez’ art is pure delight.

[draconesmundi]

Happy STS! I guess it still counts because it's Sunday? Idk

ANYWAYS today's question: do you have or want to have any merch connected to your story? What would be most fun? A plushie of MC or maybe a hoodie with some characteristic logo? Or maybe something completely different?

Funny you should ask, there is already Dracones Mundi merch! I partnered with my friend @Barksbog and they made plushies based on my firedrakes! They aren't in stock at the moment (very detailed, take a long time to make) but other things you can buy in Bark's shop, currently woodlice and meat frogs! https://barksbog.com/collections/plushies

[haaaaaaaaaaaave-you-met-ted]

The Wildlife of Star Wars: A Field Guide - Greater Krayt Dragon by Terryl Whitlatch

[wyverewings]

Seiryu (Long qingmu)

Size: 20 feet long

Habitat: forests, lakes

Coloration: blue, green

Diet: fruit, fish, fowl

Magical Abilities: fertilizing breath, accelerated plant growth

Last time, I mentioned that I was doing a little theme with the Asian dragons. That theme would be the philosophy of wuxing, or the Five Phases. Corresponding with the Five Phases are the Four (or sometimes Five) symbols, which includes the Azure Dragon/Qinglong, or as they’re called here, Seiryu.

I choose the name Seiryu because another dragon species is called the long and it feels weird to have a different species with a name that includes that. The specific archetype this species is based in are some freshwater dragons like the dilong and panlong.

The plant powers are due to Qinglong being associated with the phase of Wood. The fertilizing breath is a mist that makes plant life grow, which combined with their diet including seeds can make them basically breathe out plants (this concept was inspired by the flash game “How to Raise a Dragon”).

Seiryu are very important maintainers of their environment, allowing for a lot of plant life to grow with their very presence. Thus, a lot of human settlements are stationed around their forests, as their presence brings a good harvest and more than enough trees for the multitude of uses for wood. The seiryu don’t mind, as it doesn’t cause them any exhaust, and they like to have chats with the locals from time to time.

[ofglories]

"Actually, I think it's perfectly fine to get rid of annoying people by turning them into nice shrubs. They can't bother anyone again and they aren't dead so what's the problem?"

[godzilla-reads]

🪻A Field Guide to Draco Floris Dragons by Annie Stegg Gerard

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

A comprehensive guide to the elusive and electrifying world of Draco Floris, or, Flower Dragons. In this book you will be introduced to many dragon types, stories, and facts, including all twelve birthday flower dragons.

Just to gloat real quick, but my birth flower dragon is the wonderful Sweet Pea Dragon of April. This colorful dragon is quite popular and bright.

Anyway, I LOVED this book and I’m so happy it was recommended to me on Etsy because the author fills it with such amazing illustrations, love, care, and devotion to a beautiful world I wish was prominently ours. Who knows, though? Maybe you’ll look outside and catch the sight of a magnificent marigold dragon.

[yarnovershiri]

Part 1 of the Dragons: A Field Guide SAL is complete! It's a Wyvern, a four-limbed, flying, fire-breathing dragon. Next up is the Welsh Dragon!

[smallerdelusions]

Excerpt from Observations on the Order Draconia in Europe, with Notes on the Oriental Breeds by Edward Howe

As a lifelong birder, I couldn't stop thinking about a comment from an earlier post about the possibility of dragon-spotters in England. So I (naturally) mocked up a page based on my bird field guides to show differences in size, weight and wing shape between the common british dragons. These are all the undersides of wings as they would be seen from the ground. The book title/author is stolen directly from His Majesty's Dragon.

I'm still basing the shape/silhouette/function off of birds, listed below if you were curious:

Jade: Common Swift Greyling: Albatross Winchester: Sparrow Grey Copper: Pheasant Anglewing: Plover Reapers: Duck Parnassian: Crow Regal Copper: Goose Celestial: Fish Hawk Chequered Nettle: Hawk Longwing: Crane

Thanks for reading!