Dragonmole

Neither a dragon nor a mole, the dragonmole is a beast native to the northern Morbhaine mountains. Named for its powerful build and its propensity to burrow, a dragonmole most resembles an oversized, very muscular pangolin. These creatures are rare and valued for their burrowing. Tame dragonmoles are used to burrow tunnels and haul heavy objects. Dragonmoles communicate through grunts, squeaks and gestures. These large mammals are diurnal, but their eyes are very sensitive to light, and so they are often hooded. In Tamardam, there is a fashion industry for dragonmole hoods.

Breeding

Dragonmoles are picky about mates, and pairs will only mate once before refusing to be near each other for the remainder of their lives. Due to this, it is rare for dragonmole breeders to have both sexes present. Dragonmoles mate in the middle of winter, but they do so only beneath ground. These factors combine to make the dragonmole a particularly difficult creature to breed when tamed. Dragonmoles lay groups of one to four eggs which are buried deep beneath the earth in order to ensure their warmth and safety. Approximately three months after the laying and burial of the eggs, the male will dig up the eggs and fertilise them before burying them once again, only to return two weeks later and unearth them once more for the eggs to hatch.

Maturation

A newborn dragonmole is about 30cm in length, 20cm in width and 8cm high at the front shoulder. They are born without the hard plates older members of their breed possess. Young dragonmoles exhibit a natural tendency to burrow and eat insects, invertebrates and roots beneath the surface of the ground. By the time they are two years of age, a dragonmole's plates begin to form along the ridges of their back, and they will begin to forage and hunt above ground. By the time they are three years of age, a dragonmole is fully grown to an average of ten to twelve times its birth dimensions.