Faerie Dragon
When Hial visited the Feywild to study its feyweave, she was the first True Dragon Nathair Sgiathach had ever seen. They was so taken with her beauty and skill that they wished her to stay forever. The goddess refused this offer, having something more fun in mind. She offered to help them create a smaller memento of her visit; a living copy that could reside in the Feywild forevermore.
Nathair accepted happily, and under Hial's guidance, created the first Faerie dragons. Like their model, their scales contain every colour of the rainbow and their form is overall draconic, but Nathair's creative liberties cannot be missed, most notably the butterfly wings, insectoid antenna, and very fey magical abilities.
Basic Information
Anatomy
Adult Faerie Dragons average from 1-2 feet long from nose to tip of tail. The tail generally takes up roughly half of this length, being especially long and prehensile. The wings are large, having a wingspan of 2-2.5 ft on average, and resemble those of various insects, most commonly butterflies. Insectoid antennae are also common, though many faerie dragons reflect their reptillian inspiration with frills or speckled patterns, too.
They generally do not have horns, and their claws are not sharper than a human's fingernails. Bioluminescence is common in their scales, wings, and antennae.
Genetics and Reproduction
Faerie Dragons have some of the highest reproductive rates of any dragon-kin, laying between 8 and 15 eggs in a single clutch. Many fey creatures consider dragon eggs a delicacy, so this large clutch size increases the species' survival rate.
Growth Rate & Stages
Faerie Dragons mature quickly, reaching full development at roughly 5 years by the Material Calendar. Over this period, the scales gradiate from a pearlescent white into bright crimson. The colours continue to shift over the dragon's life, cycling from red to orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet before starting over. Due to the cyclical nature of this change as well as the warped time of their native environment, Faerie Dragon development is hard to chart with any specificity.
Ecology and Habitats
These small dragons are native to the Feywild, where they move in family groups with other Faerie Dragons, or sometimes with communities of @Pixies or @Sprites. They make their nests out of foliage, disguising them in the forks of tree boughs or in dense hedges.
Dietary Needs and Habits
Faerie Dragons appear omnivorous, and have been observed eating plant matter, dairy, and meat, though this last consists mostly of insects and tiny fish, as they are not well-equipped for hunting.
Biological Cycle
Faerie Dragons tend to follow Spring and Summer, leaving an area if it gets too wintery. This may be due to a lack of nesting materials, food, or both.
Additional Information
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
A faerie dragon's breath induces euphoria in the target. Those who breathe it in might stand listlessly dreaming, wander away, or fall into fits of unprompted laughter. The breath is generally used defensively.
Being fey creatures, their spellcasting draws from the Feyweave, rather than that which powers mortal spells. Their innate spellcasting usually bewilders mortal targets, creating illusions, distorting time or space, and shapechanging.
Faerie Dragon by Ginger Kubic
Scientific Name
Draco Papilionem
Origin/Ancestry
Dragon-Kin
Geographic Distribution
Discovered by