Dragon Pigs

Magical Mischief Makers

Dragon Pigs aren’t dragons, and they aren’t pigs either. They are considered a wild variant of drakes, distorted by magic. There are still arguments about what type of magic went wild, who created them, and who exactly is responsible, but Bell Bardwell tells a different story.

I was wandering the backroads when I stopped at a lovely manor for the evening. The lady of the manor was elderly, but still possessed her wits. She knew who I was and invited me to stay for a few days and tell her a few stories. I sensed she had her own story to tell and when I gained her trust, I found that she did, indeed, have an incredible tale to share with me.

— Bell

Dragon Pigs (porcus pseudodraconis) mostly resemble boars, but with dragon-style scales, bat-style wings, and leathery skin. They come in a variety of colors (green and gold, blue and gold, blue and silver, red and gold) with the most common being green and gold and then blue and silver.

One significant variation (dracomimus porcus) is wingless with thicker and larger scales. The scales are highly desired so the wingless Dragon Pigs are the most hunted and have become rare (or perhaps simply rarely seen).

Originally discovered in Dravlion, they were later discovered in Sorendon, and eventually in Cardimur (after the introduction of airships). They are usually found in dense forests of hilly or mountainous areas and, rarely, in human settlements where they establish mutually beneficial relationships with individuals and sometimes entire villages.

Dragon Pigs are curious, clever, agile, elusive, and can be quite territorial. They are capable of short flights or burrowing into the ground for safety, and they often snort puffs of smoke when agitated. They feeds on roots, fruits, insects, and small mammals.

In settlements, they are known for mischief-making and sneaking into gardens, kitchens, and other food stores for tasty treats. Their empathic abilities and entertaining playfulness make them excellent companions for children and lonely individuals.

Origin

by Bell Bardwell

Note: names, location, and dates are redacted to protect the reputation of the family name.

The common story is that a magic user was trying to create a drake with wings, but the magic backfired, and they got Dragon Pigs instead. But according to his daughter, what really happened is…

The mage was trying to create something similar to a drake, but with wings. To do so, he decided to combine a drake with a pegasus. Since pegasi are notably difficult to obtain, he decided to substitute a large bat. When he discovered that drakes are nearly as hard to obtain, his assistant suggested an alligator.

Once they had both the alligator and the large bat, the mage told the assistant to take care of the creatures (who were caged in the barn) while he continued revising his incantation. After he left, his daughter (who was a teenager at the time) wandered into the barn and, staring at the alligator, asked the assistant if he knew how to care for it. She remembers that he shrugged and said, “How hard can it be? You throw some meat in with them.” Then he paused. “And douse them with water occasionally.”

Later that week, the mage decided the incantation was the best he could make it. He instructed his daughter to stay in the house — sometimes his experiments “blew up” — often literally (the barn had to be rebuilt a few times). He prepared his magical tools and space while his assistant moved the bat into the alligator’s cage, out of reach of the dangerous jaws. While his daughter carefully snuck into the barn to watch.

After many starts and stops and minor refinements, the mage’s incantation finally invoked major magic. And the incantation worked — well, almost… The alligator and the bat were gone, and in their place was a — dragon pig.

The mage glared at his assistant. “Just what did you feed it?” The assistant lowered his head and quietly said, “Some of that leftover hog we had.” He paused. “I guess it hadn’t finished digesting it yet.” The mage started yelling, the assistant responded with excuses and protests, and the daughter quietly snuck back out of the barn.

Later that afternoon, she returned to the barn, approached the cage of the dragon pig, and started talking to it. It responded with grunts and body movements. Then it stopped and stared at her with mournful eyes. She could see it was intelligent, and she felt a sort of connection to it. “I can’t let you go. You could be dangerous,” she whispered to it. It shook its head and grunted again. She was intrigued, but she heard the assistant approaching and whispered, “I’ll be back, later.” Then slipped out of the barn.

At dinner that evening, the mage announced he was going to destroy the new creature. It could be dangerous. No telling what its abilities were. But most important, if any of his fellow mages saw it, he would be ridiculed. The daughter argued, but the mage insisted that they would take care of it in the morning.

The daughter just knew the creature was not dangerous. Killing it was wrong. So in the night, she crept out of the house and went to the barn. The dragon pig wriggled its body in excitement, and she cautioned it to be quiet. Then it stared at her intently, almost like it knew what she planned to do. She talked to it for a few minutes, gathering her courage, and reassuring herself that she needed to do this. Then, she let it out of its cage and directed it out through the back of the barn. After she watched it disappear into the woods, she closed the cage.

The next morning, the mage and the assistant discovered it was gone. The mage was flummoxed. The assistant timidly suggested that maybe the magic hadn’t been strong enough to be permanent. The mage was a bit insulted, but mostly relieved. He stored the incantation and instructions in his “failures” desk drawer and that was the end of that. Or so he thought.

The dragon pig stayed in the area and a few months later, when the daughter was attacked by a wolf, it rushed to her aid and drove off the wolf before it injured her. From then on they were friends — secret friends. She learned how to communicate with it. Years passed, the mage died, the daughter took over the manor and began experimenting with magic herself. She could sense how lonely the dragon pig was — it longed for some of its own kind. And she was determined to help it.

She found her father’s incantation, modified it with a multiply spell, and then acquired a couple of alligators, large bats, and hogs. Turns out that while she was not suited as a general mage, her association with the dragon pig had given her affinity with creature magic. And so, she created more dragon pigs. And more…

As they reproduced and grew in number, people became aware of them. She knew that would happen and prepared for it. She’d secretly transported them to other areas and regions — both to spread them out and to conceal where they’d come from. Near the end of her life, and satisfied with what she had done, she decided it was time for the true story to be known.

Green and Gold Dragon Pig in a Forest by Tulonsae using Midjourney

Scientific Name

Porcus pseudodraconis
Dracomimus porcus (wingless variety)

Lifespan

unknown

Average Height

2.5 to 3.5 ft

Average Weight

200 to 300 lbs

Average Length

4.5 to 5.5 ft

Blue and Gold Wingless Dragon Pig by Tulonsae using Midjourney

Dragon Pig Image Gallery

Green and Gold Dragon Pig by Tulonsae using Midjourney

Red and Gold Dragon Pig by Tulonsae using Midjourney

Young Blue and Gold Dragon Pig by Tulonsae using Midjourney

Blue and Gold Dragon Pig by Tulonsae using Midjourney

Blue and Silver Dragon Pig by Tulonsae using Midjourney

Old Blue and Silver Dragon Pig by Tulonsae using Midjourney

Blue and Silver Wingless Dragon Pig by Tulonsae using Midjourney

Green and Gold Wingless Dragon Pig by Tulonsae using Midjourney