Rattle Dread

At the edge of settlements, one species is known to feast on discarded scraps. The aggressive Rattle Dreads are scavengers that seek out small towns for their trash piles. Led by the best sense of smell in the known world, the forage for whatever they can fit in their huge maw. And anything the Rattle Dread can’t digest they regurgitate in a fiery scattershot, with this species contributing to the highest number of dragon attacks to date.

Rattle Dreads are known to incubate their eggs in their previous prey, making them a much reviled species. Once they hatch from their unwilling hosts, young Rattlers grow quickly, gaining almost four times their mass in muscle in just a few months. But to reach such sizes requires a tremendous amount of food. These beasts aren’t afraid to break into barns and homes in search of a meal and are completely confident around humans. Experienced people know a Rattler is nearby from the rattling sound of their mane of hollow spikes - a sound that signals hungry mouths in the dark. By the time you hear it though, it may already be too late.

Some Rattlers have even been known to play dead in the hopes a careless human will approach. One way or another, these scavengers get their meal.

The only defense that has consistently repelled Rattlers is a Rattlestick, a tool that mimics the rattle of a Rattle Dread. Shaking it will make a hungry Rattler think the area is already claimed and it will move on in search of an easier meal rather than fight another Rattler.