Cliff Wyverns

Size: Comparable to a large horse, but far lighter and more agile.

Wings: Leathery spans of 10–15 feet, mottled grey and russet to blend with cliff rock.

Head: Narrow, elongated, with a hooked beak-like jaw lined with serrated teeth.

Eyes: Small, amber-yellow, adapted for hunting in dim mountain fog.

Tail: Long and barbed, used both for balance in flight and whipping strikes to disorient prey.

Hide: Thin, scaly skin rather than true dragon scales. Easily pierced by arrows, yet resilient against harsh weather.

Vocalisation: Their infamous screech is said to rattle bones and panic horses before the creatures descend.

Cliff Wyverns hatch from leathery eggs laid in clutches of two to four, usually hidden deep within cliffside hollows. Hatchlings are roughly the size of a large crow, covered in slick, pale scales, and are flightless for their first season. By the end of their first year, they are ravenous and capable of short, clumsy flights.  

Year 1: Fledgling stage, dependent on carrion provided by adults.

Years 2–3: Rapid growth; wings lengthen disproportionately, and they begin to harry small animals and lone travelers.

Years 4–5: Reach near-adult size, fully integrated into pack hunts.

Year 6+: Considered mature. Adults live 15–20 years.

Because they grow quickly and breed steadily, eradication is nearly impossible. For every nest destroyed by hunters, three more linger.

Cliff Wyverns favour sheer cliffs where the wind allow easy gliding, nesting in shallow caves or crevices high above caravan routes. From these vantage points, they can swoop freely upon prey while remaining largely out of reach.   Their diet consists primarily of live pack animals and cattle, though they readily scavenge carrion. In leaner months, they subsist on mountain goats, deer, and even large rodents. Solovan herders curse them as a scourge greater than wolves, for no stable or paddock in the hills is safe from their raids.   Wyverns are territorial, with each pack claiming a stretch of cliff and road. Rival packs fight savagely when territories overlap, their screeches echoing for miles through the passes. Despite this, their populations endure thanks to their hardiness, their capacity to exploit both wild prey and caravan livestock, and the inaccessibility of their nests.

Pack Hunters: Rarely attack alone; they circle and dive in groups, shrieking to coordinate.

Harriers: Prefer to strike and withdraw repeatedly, exhausting and scattering prey rather than killing outright.

Opportunists: Target cattle and beasts of burden before armed guards, knowing a panicked caravan yields easier prey.

Territorial: Nest fiercely guarded. Even the bravest Pass Guard hesitates to directly assault a roost.

Persistence: Once they’ve sighted a caravan, wyverns will stalk it for miles, forcing escorts to keep constant watch.

Carrion Feeders: Though active hunters, they often scavenge battlefield corpses or caravan dead.