Cave Drake

A Cave Drake is a large lizard believed to be native to the Iron Hills, commonly used as a beast of burden in the mines throughout the region. Those known on the surface are only one species of several such creatures native to different regions of the Depths, a sprawling network of caverns and tunnels found under much of Irion, though most other species of cave drake prefer to live far below the surface.

Basic Information

Anatomy

When cave drakes hatch, they are approximately a foot long from nose to tail, growing to an adult size of 8-10 feet long in 2 years. Like all drakes, they never stop growing, but slow to 2-6 inches per year depending on how well fed they are - the largest known specimen measured upwards of 30 feet long and became something of a local legend.
They have broad arrow shaped heads with long, forked tongues that habitually flicker out to taste the air. Their body broadens out steadily past the front legs to about three times the width of the neck, before narrowing slightly just ahead of the rear legs. Their heavily muscled legs extend outward from the sides of their bodies, bending 90 degrees at the knee and extending down to broad, 4-toed feet that end in claws that can be up to 4 inches long on a healthy adult. Their long tails make up about a third of their body length.

Ecology and Habitats

Cave Drakes are ambush predators. Those that live in the Depths are most commonly found in the fungal forests, feeding on creatures that rely on the fungi for food, either concealing themselves among the mighty stalks of fungal trees or climbing the walls, digging their sharp claws into any cracks.
The drakes found in the Iron Hills have adapted to a very different environment, creeping out from their shelters in the much smaller caves near the surface to hunt on the surface much as their cousins do far below, though up here, there are few things to climb that can support their weight.

Additional Information

Domestication

Efforts to breed a less dangerous cave drake have produced a slightly smaller breed than the wild variety, though even these drakes are still large and powerful predators. The most important factor is to teach each cave drake from an early age to see people as a caretaker and provider of food. The best trained cave drakes are generally hand fed as babies, and always shown that the food comes from a person. Keeping them well fed is also quite important; a trained drake that is hungry often shows its desire for food by nipping at their handler's hands, which can easily result in the loss of fingers, while one that is starving might opt to take a much larger bite out of them. Thus, cave drake handlers are quite wary of their charges - while they know how to handle them safely, they are powerful creatures and it only takes a small mistake to result in dire injury.
A trained cave drake is an exceptionally useful beast of burden in a mine, though one almost guaranteed to terrify miners on their first encounter. Their exceptional strength allows them to haul heavy ore carts with ease, and they can carry riders through tunnels and verical shafts, swiftly navigating the mine with a grace none who trudge through the tunnels on foot can hope to match. This proves particularly useful for rescuers in the event of an accident such as a cave-in, as the drakes allow them to traverse slopes no humanoid would dare to chance, as well as allowing scouts to quickly attempt any side paths that might have access to the far side of a blockage.
Riding a cave drake requires a rather unique design of the saddle. Their broad backs make straddling the animal all but impossible, necessitating a side-saddle position, and their ability to traverse vertical surfaces as easily as flat ones require the rider to strap themselves on rather thoroughly in order to avoid being tossed around or thrown off entirely. Conversely, this allows them to carry two riders easily, one facing left and one facing right. The ride is never an entirely comfortable experience, and nobody has ever found a way to precisely control them, which means they occasionally make the disconcerting decision to walk along the walls despite the presence of a perfectly serviceable level path that would keep their rider properly upright - but the speed and versatility of their movement makes up for it.
When riding a drake, one has to be extremely careful not to overburden them. While they are strong, their wide-set legs make it much easier for them to tow a burden behind them than to carry it on their backs. Thus, drakes are selected for riding within a month of their hatching, preference being for those with narrower stances, and these have weights strapped to their backs as they grow up in order to train their muscles to be capable of supporting the extra burden of a pair of riders.