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Heya! just wondering if you do these ref sheets as commissions or adopts? I'm looking to get a raptor character (and make a suit for it) and am in need of a character sheet! cheers.

Oh, shoot, I have no idea how long ago this must've been sent –– tumblr doesn't notify me of asks :( I don't have set commission prices since it's been a hot minute since I've prioritized drawing dinosaurs, but I'm more than happy to discuss business in DMs!

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Throwing another lore dump into the void.

The Redsands are Velociraptor mongoliensis, as are a staggering majority of packs that roam (or roamed) the Gobi. They reside in a canyon carved by an ancient, long-gone river from ruddy sandstone, though as a ruthlessly expansionist society, their territory spans red dunes and forbidding cracked-earth plains. Their territory is punishingly hot and arid, more so than usual, and so the raptors lack the thick, insulating plumage of their highland cousins. The Redsands in particular have feathery coats that are marginally thinner than those of other V. mongoliensis packs, though this has not done anything to lessen their full covering of avian plumes.

The feathers of the Redsands closely resemble their habitat. Reds, browns, tawny, and sandy tones are most common, typically accompanied by stripes and speckles. A male's display feathers are commonly red, though recessive blue primaries have been known to show up in some—Kaire, for example. This trait is not seen as very desirable due to how blue sticks out so prominently against the shifting sands.

Redsands females are, like their sisters to the crags of the east, duller than males. They also tend toward the darker side as far as their plumage goes, which makes them valuable assets in any nocturnal ambush. They are somewhat larger than males and possess more down beneath their surface feathers for the purpose of insulating eggs. The communal nesting practices of the Redsands, however, mean males will occasionally be subjected to brooding responsibilities as well.

Sexual dimorphism is not as prevalent in the Redsands and neighboring packs as it is in the Skyrunners. Males are generally dull as well, though they can be picked out by their flashy primaries, tails, and occasional bright markings. They are generally leaner, smaller, and more socially oriented than females, which has led them to overwhelmingly gravitate toward the “hunter” rank.

The Redsands operate by a strict social hierarchy:

Eyes: Two Eyes exist, the Eye of the Field and the Eye of the Hunt. The name of the rank is derived from the concept that these two raptors are tasked with vigilantly watching over their packmates and overseeing daily responsibilities to ensure they are carried out as smoothly as possible. It is the highest rank, and one Eye is elected from the ranks of each standard position (below). They are meant to respesent the interests of these lower ranks and are re-elected every Rain—a unit of time equivalent to thirty moons (about 2 1/2 years).

The Eye of the Field is chosen by the sharpclaws and oversees guard rotations, patrols, battle strategy, and wartime affairs. Deals with interpack relationships and is considered the final authority when it comes to declaring war. Manages proxies, raptors who govern faraway conquered packs in place of the Eyes.

The Eye of the Hunt is chosen by the hunters and oversees the organization of hunting parties, the drawing of borders, the food supply, and domestic affairs. Can declare states of emergency and has the authority to withdraw war parties if the situation back at home is too dire to spare warriors.

The decorative “paint” they wear is donned only on formal occasions, as it is produced by wetting clay. Since water is scarce, it is an inconvenience to make.

Hunter: Pretty self-explanatory. They hunt. Primarily male, as males have the suitable build and social flexibility for the task.

Sharpclaw: Warriors, soldiers, whatever you’d like to call them. Duties range from camp- and nest-guarding to patrols to full-out battle. Traditionally often female. Males have been increasingly accepted into their ranks as the war against the Skyrunners grows more intense, to the point where about half can be counted as male.

Firstclaw: Fledglings in the process of being educated in the ways of the pack; hunting, battle tactics, culture, laws, and so on. Their education is a communal effort. It takes a full rain or until they have physically matured to rise to either hunter or sharpclaw; while firstclaws will have some say in which rank they would rather assume, it is ultimately up to the Eyes representing those respective ranks (firstclaws are promoted just prior to the cycling out of the previous Eyes and the election of new ones).

Fledgling: Raptor chicks capable of taking care of themselves but not yet old enough to begin training. Affectionately called keiri-ki, “little wings,” in archaic raptorspeak.

Hatchling: Young chicks who still need to be under the constant supervision of the pack. Cannot feed themselves and must remain within their nests.

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Somewhat old art from August.

The Skyrunners are Velociraptor osmolskae rather than V. mongoliensis (the species of the Redsands and the majority of packs that exist in the Gobi Desert). They live along the eastern hinterlands of the raptors’ known world, where the land rises to create the barren highlands they call home. Temperatures are more extreme in Skyrunner territory and, surprisingly, can become bitterly cold at night. This is because any rain or moisture that makes it over the Cloudspire Claws, a distant but imposing mountain range, settles in the highlands. As a result, the Skyrunners have insulated themselves. They are fluffier than the Redsands and have a larger, stockier build to aid in climbing, leaping, and generally traversing the jagged terrain.

Skyrunner feathers tend toward shades of gray, black, white, and muddy browns. Males and females display drastic sexual dimorphism, with the females being predominantly brown and gray and the males flaunting impressive plumes of gray and blue. Both sexes have iridescent blue feathers, but they naturally exist in more abundance amongst the males.

Males are somewhat smaller than females, but not by much of a margin. They are, however, distinctly flashier for the purpose of display. Blue is the only color of display feathers known to exist within the species, whereas V. mongoliensis can sport either red or blue (recessive).

Females evolved to be slightly larger so that they could brood over and protect their eggs, but it also happens to make them more physically formidable warriors. They are duller than males and often have brown feathers somewhere. Females possess some brightly-colored bands on their primaries, but these serve no purpose in sexual selection and have instead had their mild iridescence put to use in the art of signaling.

Skyrunners mark their ranks using scars. The ranks themselves are pretty self-explanatory save for the Council of Five, which is a group of five raptors who lead the pack. Lower-ranking raptors may challenge any of the five for their rank. Should the general on the council lose, they are barred from assuming that rank again.

Exiles get their scar-arm mutilated. Not only does it distinguish them as exiles to Skyrunner patrol parties, but it also makes it more difficult for them to survive beyond pack borders, as one less hand is one less limb for hunting and defending oneself.

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ArtFight reference for another character.

Ambitious and egotistical, Sisera is not a likable raptor. She is named, as per Redsands tradition, for the dark-plumed Sisera the Black, a legendary figure in raptorian lore for her role in bringing the quasi-deific figure “Raseac”—also known as the Stareater after his vain attempt to conquer the heavens—under control. Despite her silver tongue and vulpine cunning, Sisera is cursed with an arrogance and contempt for life that eclipses even that of Larys. She denounces Larys with a self-righteous pomposity that even those who agree with her can’t stand.

Sisera is melanistic (melanism does not always turn the entire body completely black; note examples of several melanistic birds), and thus struggles with the heat of the desert. She’s made a habit of plucking her down in a way that at once removes insulation and doesn’t make her ugly.

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ArtFight reference for my story’s antagonist, sacrificed to the empty void as always.

A genocidal desert warlord wracked by dangerous ambition and megalomania, convinced that every corner of the known world is his for the taking. Currently threatens the entire political structure of the Redsands Pack and revels in the shakeup he's created. Though he rules with bared teeth and bloody claws, Larys’ reign of terror put an end to the petty civil wars started and fought by rival Eyes and their incensed political factions. (The Eyes are co-leaders of the Redsands, each elected from one of each respective rank—hunter or sharpclaw.)

He’s basically Julius Caesar or Genghis Khan in a raptor fursuit.

He was formerly friends with Kaire, but now only uses him to fulfill his own personal agenda. Kaire knows this and feels rather betrayed, but dares not break away from Larys—being an advisor to the desert’s most powerful raptor comes with benefits, no matter how reluctantly the job is carried out.

Larys also has the (fantasy) dinosaur equivalent of Klinefelter syndrome—essentially, he’s biologically male but is sterile and appears outwardly more feminine (total lack of display feathers/flashy colors in this case) because of a chromosomal anomaly. Think male tortoiseshell cats.

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ArtFight reference sheet for Kaire, protagonist of The Sands Reclaim. Kaire is a perpetually nervous Velociraptor born to two of the most influential raptors in the Redsands pack. Since the beginning, he’s had to shoulder the burden of following in his parents’ footsteps—and turning the other cheek when he failed to meet their level of success in almost everything he did.

Kaire becomes friends with the antagonist at an early age and prioritizes the other’s wellbeing over his own, even when it becomes apparent that his loyalty has been twisted to make him the perfect political pawn. But that’s a story for another day when I feel more like talking to myself.