Alright, I did say I was going to make a post about this dragon species, the next time I drew one, so… along with finally drawing an In-flight specimen, I’m gonna be chatting about this funky little salamander.
alright, let’s start: what even is an Olmwraith? Well, as you can see here, it’s a type of Wyvern with some very… odd characteristics. For one, their wings are fairly small, as well as their eyes, and for two… well, there’s a reason the only drawing I have of one of these guys flying.
Olmwriaths are a type of deep-sea dragon that live in brine pools at the bottom of the ocean floor. They’re based mainly off the axolotl’s borzoi-esque cousin, the Olm, (hence the name), as well as both the Light Fury and Gollum from Lord Of the Rings. Their mouths go much further back than what they should, their eyes are practically useless, and they have what I consider the most fucked-up wing shape of all dragons. I mean, look at this thing. It does NOT look like it should bend like that.
unfortunately, while I wish I could say I pulled this cursed wing shape out of my ass to make it more scary and interesting… this particular aspect of the wing is based on a real, albeit extinct animal. I had looked up pterodactyl wings to try and get an idea for these creatures, and…
…yeah, they really do just bend like that. Anyways, back to Olmwriaths.
I think you may have noticed the slight inconsistencies between the three drawings I have of them, and that’s because I made their… wrist? Second elbow? Whatever, it’s double-jointed. For maximum creepiness. As for our flying specimen, it was specifically bred to have bigger and more stable wings, unlike its natural cousins. Think racehorse vs some of the original wild horse species. While the wild ones are capable of flying very short distances out of water, they much prefer their underground caves and brine pools, and therefore have much more stunted wings compared to their tamed cousins, who are primarily used in shallower waters as a sort of navy force.
they’re completely blind, and use the vibrations of the ground/water where they live to get around. Thats part of the reason for the gill-structures; while they can breathe through them, it’s really used more like antenna. Wild ones tend to nest in groups of 3 or 4, and tend to hunt in a similar style to dolphins, despite being the size of a small sperm whale. They have very small teeth proportionate to their body, and… if I’m being completely honest I just did that because I thought the smaller teeth looked better lol. But they’re probably better for fishing and whatnot, I don’t exactly see many orcas with catlike teeth.
Like most dragons, Olmwraiths will have a “horde” of sorts. Unlike most dragons however, their hordes consist of a singular item, typically made of or with metal. I’ve called this behavior the “treasure imprint” and it’s loosely based off Gollum’s obsession with the Ring. They’re deathly protective of their single treasured item, though if you’re careful, you won’t aggravate them by touching or holding it.. Just don’t try to completely take it, or you’re in for a world of hurt. They can get pretty unhinged without their comfort shiny. Tamers use this “treasure imprint” to their advantage; if you have the dragon imprint on its riding saddle, it’s much easier to get it to wear the thing.
they don’t have any breath attack, but they do have a sort of really loud screech they do where they open their mouth all the way and just… screech. It’s terrifying every time I imagine it, especially considering how far down their neck their mouth goes.
anyways that’s it for now! :3
