Coin Dragon

They're cute. They're like, super acceptable dragons because they never want to control anyone. I'm not even sure they're actualy dragons and not just Wyverns who were bred down.
They're not the smartest of the little flying lizards, but they're cute.

Coin dragons are small creatures who are drawn to very specific kinds of coins - though the kind varies by the preference of the individual.

Breeders have generally found familiarity to be the least effective route to encourage egg-laying as the dragons present prized and impressive coins to their prospective mates.

Coin dragons have been known to be protective of their coin-holders, often nicknamed their "Purse," against beings seeking to take the coins. This behavior is only known to occure when the dragon feels safe and that the "Purse" will also protect the coins.

Coin dragons are small, and made into easy prey for larger predator.

Fluffy wouldn't hurt a - oh noooooo, Sparkles!

Coin dragons collect coins into their personal hoards as a result of their size, though their hoards are rarely more than a handful of coins, with a particularly prized coin as the core. So long as they maintain control of the prized coin, they generally don't mind losing their other coins. They may change the prized coin from time to time, though the exact criteria are hard to control or predict.

I think they're drawn to coins of sentimental value or something similar. Like, if the coin holds memories of value. I've seen one abandon its prized coin of its hoard to claim a coin that had been a poor woman's last offering to the church box. I don't know why it valued that coin over all the others to this day.
You want one? Lay out your coins and see if a hatchling picks one. Hopefully, it won't pick the coin of the price for the hatching. Fragile little eggs, I've seen a few breeders crack nests by trying to add to the coin hoard.
Genetic Ancestor(s)
Average Height
2-3 inches tall at the shoulder
Average Length
4-7 inches long from snout to rump, 7-10 inches from snout to tail tip
Wingspan
9-12 inches


Cover image: by Lyraine Alei, Midjourney

This species has multiple parents, only the first is displayed below.
All parents:

Comments

Please Login in order to comment!
Jan 8, 2021 14:43 by Andrew Belenkiy aka Teyvill Dost

Awwww, little dragons with little hoards, I wonder if merchants also use them to determine if the coin is really valuable or not ;)

Jan 8, 2021 17:56 by Lyraine Alei

It's not a reliable method, as based on the anecdote of the poor woman's last coin, though I left the coin's condition ambiguous as a result of being tired and wanting to get the article done. XD It's a cute little touch of fluff to toss around my world as a contrast to most of the region exterminating dragons. Most of the reason they still run around is "They're cute" and "They're too small to try and rule us"

Lyraine, Consumer of Lore, She/Her, primary project: Corive
Jan 12, 2021 14:20 by Dr Emily Vair-Turnbull

Awww, I love these guys! I want one! <3 I love their view on value, though.

Emy x
Explore Etrea
Jan 12, 2021 17:22 by Lyraine Alei

The Value view was also me having fun with playing off the idea of treasure hoards. Not that I think on it, they may actually love tithe/collection boxes.

Lyraine, Consumer of Lore, She/Her, primary project: Corive
Jan 27, 2021 06:40 by Tobias Linder

Cute article with some unique flavor, but it feels unusually rushed for one of your works. I'd recommend an editing pass to catch some of the more confusing wordings and spelling errors.

Jan 27, 2021 17:00 by Lyraine Alei

It was a response to the prompt, and I think I was writing it late at night. I'll likely run it through grammarly ... later. I'm super flattered that most of my works feel less rushed. Coin dragons are honestly just a side effect of my kitchen-sink worldbuilding, and I've not completely fleshed out everything else about them.

Lyraine, Consumer of Lore, She/Her, primary project: Corive