Draugovenan

"It's no exaggeration when I say my world changed the day I saw fear in the eyes of a dragon." - Seyama Koto

Written by: jester2b

Artwork by: K Stormcrow

An Ancient Hunter

The years before man kinds emergence on Nostrina were wild and chaotic when nature was untamed, and the world was ruled by mighty creatures that are yet to be paralleled by the wildlife of modern times. Many of these awe-inspiring beasts mysteriously died out before humanity began to call Nostrina their own. Some of these creatures remain, acting as reminders to the world of an era long past. Among these survivors is the Draugovenan, a beast of pure primal strength that brings fear to the mightiest beasts of Nostrina. The dragons of Nostrina make their perches in the mountains in a vain attempt to hide from the crushing jaws of this ancient monster. The people of Nostrinia and their grand structures are unimpressive obstacles to these old hunters. The world is the Draugovenan's hunting ground; nowhere is safe once it has its eyes on you.

Morphology

The Draugovenan is a massive theropod with powerful hind legs and shorter arms. The legs are incredibly muscular, making the Draugovenan capable of running quite quickly for its size and able to leap high enough to snatch low flying creatures from the sky. Unlike many other theropods, the forelimbs of the Draugovenan are large and thick with four-fingered claws and a hard layer of scales that act as protective armor for the arms. The creature's head is large and bulky, with powerful jaws housing rows of razor-sharp teeth it uses to tear apart prey. Along the back are spines that run down to the beast's tail used for protection from attacks. Besides each of these spines are small black spikes observed to glow red when the Dragovenan uses its Entropic abilities. Although some specimens have been reported to have black or green scales, the scales are commonly dark gray colors.

Habitat

Draugovenan sightings have been recorded from nearly every part of Nostrina as these creatures wander the world in a never-ending search for food. Places known for having significant populations of large creatures are attractive for these creatures, particularly lands known for having large populations of dragons, such as Kronenstien. Draugovenans seem to survive in almost any climate and can swim long distances across the ocean as it moves from place to place. These creatures are most commonly sighted in Yerenzar, Virginwood, and Kronenstien. These creatures are also seen living in the ocean, hunting whales and other large sea creatures while traveling across the world.

Diet

The Draugovenan is an apex predator that hunts for other large animals, most famously hunting down dragons. Unless they are desperate or provoked, Draugovenans choose to ignore many smaller creatures, including humans. However, they are known to guide other animals towards their prey to set up ambushes. The Draugovenan will only stay in a location when there is ample food for them to eat, leaving the area once they deem it no longer suitable. Some ecologists believe that they are aware of their effect on the ecosystems they enter and will leave before they cause any serious damage to the food chain.

Hunting Behaviors

Unlike many other reptiles, the Draugovenan's sense of smell is comparatively weak, theorized to be like a human's. To compensate, though, their eyesight is comparable to that of a hawk, allowing the beast to spot prey from miles away. To add to that, the Dragovenan's sense of hearing is refined to the point it can hear creatures high in the sky, helping pinpoint the location of its targets.
While hunting, Draugovenans have been observed to use a variety of strategies to take down prey. Draugovenans will observe a target from a distance and plan their attacks accordingly depending on the prey. They have been observed to use bait and set up ambushes on holed creatures in their dens or those that tend to flee when confronted. One tactic of The Draugovenan, which is quite a spectacle to see, is when it uses its powerful legs to leap off the ground to snatch low flying prey from the air and slam them into the ground. If this isn't an option, however, the Draugovenan can channel Entropic energy and fire a beam from its jaws and hit targets out of the air or in a fight with stronger opponents. The Draugovenan's jaws can tear through bone and hard armor while its legs are used for kicking or holding prey down so it can perform a killing blow. Their tails can be used as blunt force weapons to stun and disorient prey, although this comes at the risk of the tail taking damage or being cut off, throwing the creature off balance.

Reproduction and Growth

Draugovenans have only ever been documented by themselves, making their mating practices a complete mystery. The most popular theory states that Draugovenans mate only once a decade and only have one child during this time. The female will lay the egg in a secluded location, often in caves where the mother can easily defend the nest from intruders. During this time, the mother will hunt for prey to bring back to its nest and leave the hatchlings dead animals. Once it hatches, the mother leaves the nest and wanders off, leaving the young Draugovenan with a plethora of food to survive on until it is ready to hunt independently.
Draugovenans are known to grow pretty quickly once they hatch, but there is little else known about how these creatures grow beyond that. Many ecologists believe that, like many other species of lizards, the Draugovenan sheds its skin as it grows and occasionally still does this as an adult; unfortunately, no shed skin that can be attributed to the Draugovenan has been discovered.

by whitewingedcrow

Draugovenan size comparison with a human.

by whitewingedcrow

Draugovenan size comparison with its Entropic glow.

Scientific Name: Tyrannobestia Draugo
Lifespan: Unknown
Height: 5.48-7.62m (18-25ft)
Length: 9.14-10.66m (30-35ft)
Average Weight: 8,000 kg (17636lbs)