Alter Aeon The Great Library

Welcome to the Alter Aeon Historical Archive!

Note - as with any topic, researchers should question the reliability
and veracity of these texts.  The library's aim is to preserve
documents, not verify accuracy.

AABN:  50805
Title: the book of legends, the wyvrens

A wyvren is very similar to a dragon except it only has four limbs, two wings
and two hind legs and is smaller in size. Usually the other aspects are the
same and they aren't as strong as a dragon, but are far more numerous. Their
serpent like head sports two long poisonous fangs and its barbed tail has
several poisonous spikes as well. They are said to be quite intelligent and
they lack front limbs, making them rather clumsy on the ground. The
quartzhide wyvrens distinguish themselves from their younger kind by their
Quartz like scales. These scales are, like the mineral they are called by,
very hard and have the unique quality of protecting their body from magic.
The Wyverns get this skin in an unusual way: After Wyvrens reach maturity
they regularly swallow small pieces of Quartz to grind down the bones they
swallow in their stomach. During this process tiny pieces of the mineral
break off and get into the blood of the wyvrens, where they eventually reach
the new layer of scales underneath the skin of the wyvrens. Every time the
wyvrens sheds its skin  these new harder scales reach the surface. It takes a
wyvren about thirty years to have shed into full crystal scales, after which
the quartzhide wyvern stops shedding its skin. Even though Quartz is a
relatively lightweight crystal, a full hide makes the Quartzhide wyverns
heavier, slowing them down a bit. Wyvrens are said to feed on small to medium
sized creatures, some rumors even state that they hunt wild Griffins.