Wyvern

Once confined to the far southern reaches of Eleron, wyverns have received much more attention in the recent decades thanks to the war against Mordhaerrath. Though they still are a rare sight and confined to particular areas, the war highlighted wyverns' existence as well as their usefulness to humanoid society.
Wyverns are social creatures, living in the wild in groups or domesticated with a rider. Domesticated wyverns are docile around humanoids unless provoked, and do not mind their eggs being removed by humanoids they are familiar with. Wild wyverns will act defensively if anyone approaches their nest, and domesticated wyverns seem to revert to this behaviour in roughly 2-3 generations without humanoid contact.

They're your friends for life - and they say dogs' are man's best friend!

— Anonymous

The Bond

Perhaps one of the most unique and interesting things about wyverns is the bond they can form with humanoids or one particular humanoid. The tradition of wyvern riding, tracing its roots to the southern canyons and mountainous regions of Eleron, is far deeper than simply sitting atop a wyvern and riding it. The bond that is created between a wyvern and its rider is unbreakable, companionship and friendship so strong neither can imagine a world without the other.
When a bond is formed between wyvern and rider, both parties become intensively protective of the other half, a wyvern's death can drive the rider to intense grief or rage, acting irrationally and potentially violently. A rider typically suffers a mental break and enters a deep depression, though rarely this can be relieved by convincing the rider to adopt a new wyvern hatchling. A wyvern, on the other hand, suffering the loss of its rider, will go absolutely berserk - typically laying waste to any creatures or structures in their path until their death.
This self-destructive behaviour is quite unusual, completely overriding a creatures typical instinctive desire to preserve their own life. Such a nigh-suicidal ending seems a high cost for bonding with a creature, but any wyvern rider will tell you without hesitation it is absolutely worth it. A bonded duo fly, fight and work in sync, becoming an incredibly effective team.

The mechanics of the bond seem both simple and impossible to effectively describe. Ivankarr aviators adopt a wyvern egg taken from their hatchery, and upon the wyverns first hatching, feed the hatchling fresh meat and fit its first harness. Aviators report that it's the process they go through to achieve the bond, however, this process very closely mimics that of the traditional hatching ceremony, followed by the isolated southern communities where wyvern riding finds its roots. It's far more likely the Aviators process simply developed from this and lost its ceremonial beliefs and traditions over time.
All that truly can be stated is that wyverns can bond with a single humanoid, typically one that plays a caregiver or friendly role in their life, affecting the humanoid in question whether or not they wanted to bond. It is unclear whether wyverns can bond to each other, or how this feature developed in the first place.

Aviator with hatchling

by Moonbro

The Ivankarr Aviators

When Mordhaerrath first began his push into greater Eleron one of his most important early moves was his take-over of Keep Ivankarr and its connected villages. Under General Istus' command, a fleet of aviators and their wyverns took up residence within the keep, and quickly grew a terrible reputation, terrifying the locals who had no hope of going up against the size, strength or poison of a wyvern.

Locals were occasionally press-ganged into becoming an Aviator. Once someone had become bonded to their young wyvern they found it hard to refuse orders without the threat of losing the creature they now felt so closely attached to. When General Istus was overthrown in 289 4E, half the aviators rebelled and joined the siege against him. Upon the keep coming under the management of Lord Ruutacax and Lord Dorn, the rebels reformed the Ivankarr Aviators although it took many years for the locals to truly accept them.

Nowadays, the Aviators and their wyverns have fully integrated into Ivankarr society, and it is common to walk the streets of Ebongrove or Harfield seeing wyverns flying overhead, patrolling or even delivering goods and supplies. Wyvern strength has been utilised by the community for far more than just fighting, and their fast flight makes communication between the keep and its three attached settlements much faster than relying on traditional couriers. While once the role of aviator was a terrible fate to have forced upon you in Ivankarr, it has transformed into a desirable and respected position.

Oh aye, you'll see them all around these parts. On top of buildings, by the fields, playing with the children- why they even learnt how to be polite and not go snatching my sheep up! Ahhhh, it's fun to see travellin' folk panic at having a 6 ton lizard run up to them to give em a friendly lick!

— Farmer from Irrigin

by Moonbro

Anatomy and Morphology

Wyverns are large, flying draconic reptiles with two hind legs, and two wings, with a stinger at the end of their tail. An adult wyvern can reach up to 30 feet long, mostly due to its tail and long neck. A wyverns wingspan proportionally matches its length.
They come in a variety of dull colours, mostly tans, greens, greys and browns. Patterning is mostly mottled and simple. Wyverns sometimes feature small hoods or false hoods which they can flare out when agitated. This trait appears to be recessive. Wyverns typically feature only two simple horns, and very little in the way of spines or frills like their larger, more intelligent draconic cousins do.

---

Diet

Wyverns are primarily carnivores and can digest meat from the time of hatching. In the wild they will hunt in small groups and scout from the air, commonly preying on livestock, deer, or large fish. With smaller prey like young deer, sheep and goats they will simply swoop down and lift them in their claws, larger creatures like fully grown stags, cows and horses are more likely to get stung first. A wyvern's poison is strong enough to take down a large bull in mere seconds.

---

Life Cycle

A wyvern egg will take about four to six months to hatch, being fed meat by its mother or handler for the first two weeks of its life. At this point, the hatchling begins to practice hunting skills on mice and insects and begins trying to fly at four weeks. In a process taking anywhere from 5 to 9 months, a wyvern earns its ability to fly, strengthening its wing muscles and learning flight techniques. A hatchling grows rapidly in size over its first two years, at which point it is sexually mature and its growth slows down.
Around the five year mark, a wyvern will have reached its full size which tends to the smaller side in wild wyverns. Old age is rarely reached in the wild, and domesticated wyverns seem capable of living for a very long time - likely due to their draconic heritage. However with a wyvern's death swiftly following that of its bonded rider, it is hard to get an accurate idea of their true longevity, though those with elven companions have proven themselves capable of surpassing a few centuries without major deterioration in their condition.