Téméraire original race :
The Mélopée-funèbre (Mournful chant)
Origin :
Very old french breed with the first records in ancient texts right before the roman conquest of the south-east of the Gaule.
That race have been used to develop more recent breed like the Fleur-de-nuit, the Garde-de-Lyon, and some suggested that the infamous Flecha-del-fuego from Spain also has some Mélopée-funèbre as ancestor.
Appearance :
- Big middle weight.
- Blue, white with red spots.
- Have an imposing crown of beige horns around the head with a pair of little horns above the eyes and another smaller pair just before the nose. A crest begin between those two smaller pair of horns to finish at the base of the neck.
- Heavy front legs and large torso with narrow hips and slender hind legs.
- The tips of their tails have a series of bony spikes on either side. Some have none, while others have up to five on each side.
- Their eyes are a very pale lavender or very pale yellow (a trait they passed on to the Night-flower). They possess slender, sharp teeth, reflecting their predominantly piscivorous diet.
- The wings of the Mélopée-funèbre are also a natural oddity. Their basic structure resembles that of a bat. The wing membranes have rounded tips, supported by elongated digits. The wings are designed for endurance and precision rather than speed.
- The flight of the Mélopée-funèbre is fascinating: its wings beat slowly and with a wide range of motion, and the specie seems to favor gliding—using its broad wings to trace large, graceful curves—before delivering a few powerful strokes to regain altitude.
- However, the Mélopée-funèbre is one of the few dragons that exhibit sexual dimorphism. The females are a much darker blue, which can sometimes be mistaken for black. The white areas are a very pale cream (which looks white from a distance). The tips of their crests are red. The red round patches extending from beneath their wings to their flanks are much larger than those of the males (cf picture). The shade of red may vary, but this is by no means a feature of sexual dimorphism.
Abilities :
- Night-vision dragon.
- The Mélopée-funèbre is one of the few dragons in the world capable of breathing blue, turquoise, or green flames, depending on its age. This is primarily due to its piscivorous diet and a metabolism that promotes the rapid accumulation of methane and specific minerals; over time, these substances altering the creature's fire/gas/fluid sac (whatever makes a dragon breath fire). The waters stretching from the Alps to the Massif Central are rich in minerals, which permeate the fish and, in turn, the dragons.
Thus, a dragon fresh from the egg will have a classic yellow or pale yellow flame that quickly turns blue, then turquoise in adulthood, and finally green in the oldest specimens. The Mélopée-funèbre's flame is precise but far less powerful than that of a Kazilik; however, its flame is much hotter. The turquoise-to-green flames also produce highly irritating smoke.
- The flames of a Mélopée-funèbre ressemble the blast of a blowtorch more than a raging inferno. It can spew fire for several minutes but requires a long recovery period between prolonged bursts (up to 30 minutes for some specimens). Consequently, its attacks often consist of small, concentrated bursts of flame scattered to drive back enemies or set structures ablaze.
- The name Mélopée-funèbre derives from the background troat noise heard whenever it speaks. It resembles a blend of whale song and an Aztec death whistle. This echo swells into a deafening roar when the creature spews fire—a trait that earned it its title. Some say that the banshee creature of the Celtic folklore is probably a Mélopée-funèbre that once inhabited the British Isles.
Others :
- Since Mélopée require a fish-based diet to be able to breathe fire, they are necessarily found where there is water (sea, ocean, lake, river, etc.).
- This species is highly independent, making it a poor choice for a prospective captain; if they do not take a liking to a human after a time, they will not hesitate to find someone else or wait until one is deemed worthy. Many Melopées fought alongside the knights of old.
- Mélopée do not like being surrounded by too many of their own kind. Some scientists hypothesize that Mélopée instinctively become intolerant if there is a risk of food shortages caused by having too many fish-eating dragons in one place. That is why they are always stationed in pairs—and never in larger groups.
- The eggs feature a blue-to-white gradient from top to bottom, with small red spots on the white section.
- Many captains name their dragons with tragic words.
My OC :
- Thrène, a 35-year-old female stationed in Lyon (pictures posted above are hers)(she is my Fossil Oc but in the téméraire universe)
Example of some dragons of this species from southeastern France include (plus pictures of some of them to show the coloration diversity):
- Lacrimosae, a 6-year-old female stationed at Lake Geneva (French side);
- Aerumnosae, a 5-year-old male stationed at Lake Geneva (French side);
- Sépulcre, an 86-year-old male stationed at the lakes of Pierre-Châtel, Pétichet, and Laffrey—his crest is tattered, and he limps on his right hind leg;
- Complainte, a 21-year-old male stationed in Marseille—missing a piece of his tail, son of Thrène and Orpheus;
- Orpheus, a 36-year-old male stationed in Lyon—one horn of his crown is broken;
- Litanie, a 17-year-old female stationed in the Camargue.
Others are stationed like in Paris, La Rochelle, at Pic Carlit, etc.
(the yellow horns on the pics are just because I didnt have a beige pencil near me at that time)
