Sump Drake

One of the species of the genus draco within order Draconidae, Sump Drakes are, regrettably, a common sight within the space inhabited by dragon kind. They are listed under the Lesser Draconids, a fitting classification, for these small, unintelligent vermin.   Sump Drakes live within the dark, inaccessible places within the voidships and asteroid bases across the Great Constellation, carving nests out of insulation material or building them from discarded debris flushed into the wastewater ducts. They are reviled as squalid and disease ridden pests, a stain on order draconidae, with a well deserved reputation for being a nuisance by chewing electrical conduits and tainting food stores.    

Anatomy

  Sump Drakes can be thought as analogous to the rats aboard the voidships of the Kuiper Flotilla, but without any of the redeeming features of rodentia species. They are, unfortunately, a member of the reptilian order draconidae, and therefore they share many anatomical features with other draconids. Their hides are covered in large, hard scales, with larger scale plates along their spines, but their underbellies are almost completely bare. The frills over their ear holes are highly expressive, but the membranes are usually torn and ragged.   Sump drakes are a short and squat quadrupedal species. Their four legs are stubby, and their tails are thin with little in the way of motor control. Their paws are wide, with large claws that give them purchase when scrabbling across metallic surfaces.   Sump drake hides have little colour variation, with greys, greens, and browns being typical. Some populations with a small genetic pool can develop white luecistic patches or albinism over time. While it is possible to breed sump drakes for specific colour variations, the number of "Sump Fanciers" is understandably few.   Sump drakes are short lived, but make up for it by being able to reproduce at an astronomical rate limited only by the local food supply. They are notorious at being able to eat, or at least attempt to eat, most forms of organic matter whether or not it has any true nutritional value at all. As a result, many of them meet their end shortly after consuming something toxic or by chewing through the insulation on high voltage conduits.    

Aberrance

  Like all draconids, and most things that exist in the Great Constellation, sump drakes are susceptible to the hostile effects of aberrance. Indeed, with their squalid habitats and their rapid rate of reproduction, the incidence of aberrance within the species is exceptionally high. As a result, the species has an alarmingly large number of recorded aberrances.    

Aberrant Monochromacy

 

For a wretch such as this one, pigmentation is a luxury above its station.

  A minor aberrance where the hide and eye colours of an afflicted sump drake both become a solid, pure, achromatic grey. Afflicted individuals have heightened intelligence, though this is a low bar, and a greater ability to distinguish between colours in their environment.    

Aberrant Wyvern Pterism

 

Not content to merely disgrace its own genus, this one mocks another.

  A minor aberrance where an afflicted sump drake grows a delicate membrane that stretches from the wrist on the forepaw to the ankle on the hindpaw, turning their arms into a pair of wings resembling those of the Lesser Draconids of genus wyvero. This causes sump drakes to think that they can glide, when in reality they usually cannot, and therefore plummet to their demise.    

Aberrant Polyregia

 

Eyes blank and glassy, staring at something unseen. Ear frills twitch, listening to something unheard. The brains in their skulls are small and atrophied, enslaved to the pulsing mass that binds many as one.

  A major aberrance where a whole clutch of sump drake eggs fuse together in the nest and hatch into a single individual conjoined at the tip of the tail, which is fused into a large knot of bone and abnormally developed neural tissue. Known as "Sump Kings", these collectives of sump drakes act and behave as a singular individual.   It is said that strange and inexplicable occurrences happen whenever a Sump King hatches, and many superstitions surround them. One such belief is that they possess mystical powers, or can generate their own Wyrmholes. Another is that the Sump King is eternal, that only one can exist, and will always be reborn. Whatever the case, the appearance of a Sump King is a major cause for concern, and it is recommended that Sump Kings are exterminated on sight.    

Aberrant Haemphagia

 

Pale, scaleless skin stretched thin over an engorged crimson sack. Even when full to the brink of rupture, it searches for its next victim.

  A major aberrance where an affected sump drake hatches without the ability to chew on and digest most forms of organic matter, instead desiring only the taste of hot, fresh blood. Their mouth contains only a pair of elongated fangs, and their first act as a hatchling is to drain another member of their clutch dry. An afflicted sump drake's thirst is insatiable, driving it to aggressively and mindlessly feast on anything and everything that carries a heartbeat.