#coast tag

[tergeryz]

Names with the word "salt" in them as either a prefix or suffix are like the equivalent of john for coast strikers

[tergeryz]

Sea serpents are rarely encountered by most dragons on Tergeryz, some could go their entire lives without seeing one and even believe them to be creatures of myth, but to coast strikers they're an every day danger. Not only can the venomous species severely debilitate or even kill a dragon, the largest of them have been known to leap out of the water and catch dragons mid flight, as well as ram into them at top speeds. If the hit lands, organs can rupture and collapse. A particularly infamous instance of this was when a serpent slayer got torn in half from a serpent doing this to them

[tergeryz]

Golden and brightly colored scales are a symbol of good luck and abundance in the coast, given their rarity and association with the deity of food and bountiful plentitude, Merluta (name subject to change). They're depicted as a golden dragon with shimmering scales and long, flowing fins, and simplified as a golden carp in art. As such, dragons with chimerism or shiny, warm toned scales are chosen the most for the dinemaster rank, mostly due to superstition and them being seen as blessed by Merluta.

Coast strikers keep calendars on slabs of slate with registers of major events during the year, and a small drawing of a carp atop the slate serves the purpose of judging the year: if it's drawn fat and plump, it was a good year, but a withered and skinny fish denotes a bad year.

[tergeryz]

Leviathans are, by large, completely unknown. At a surface level, they may seem like bigger versions of the vicious sea serpents that plague the waters in the Roaring Coast. However if one is to study them further, they would soon realize this isn't the case. Leviathans are rarely seen, and barely understood. Gargantuan underwater behemoths that live out in deep and open waters, many are almost dragon-like in appearance, though some speak of beasts that look like no known animal in land or water.

Few encounters are known about, and ever fewer come out unscathed. Many go missing only to turn up dead at shore a few days later with no visible external wounds, while others go completely mad. Those who had the rare inoffensive sightings report strange feelings and a warped sense of time and reality, and advice to never look at them directly in the eyes.

As such, it's no surprise they are seen as gods or demons, and that it's strictly prohibited to venture out far to sea. Some things in the abyss are better off staying in the deep.

[tergeryz]

some deep water coast strikers can rarely have long billowing fins that shine in several colors, or little iridescent "whiskers" that glow the same way. they got little use besides signaling location to companions or sometimes startling more high strung predators, so theyre mostly considered something highly attractive. the translucence trait can sometimes have a similar colorful look. they usually look similar to this

[tergeryz]

on diets:

because of different locations and physiologies, each quiver will have different food sources and ways of eating

coast strikers: living by the coast, their main source of sustenance is obviously sea food. fish, crustaceans, mollusks, sea weed, anything they can get their claws on. on some occasions bigger creatures are hunted like sea serpents, though this is usually done only for festivals, rituals or on lean times and always in groups, since these huge snakes pose a considerable threat to dragons. the only thing never hunted is sharks, as to them these are sacred animals, believed to carry the spirits of the dead to The Depths (the streaker version of heaven basically) and killing them is strictly forbidden, and some say it brings a curse upon one's deceased ancestors. as i said in a previous post, they have a highly developed sense of taste, so making complex foods is a very important cultural aspect in the coast. many dragons from other quivers flock to the markets or even to the Roaring Coast territory itself just to try these fabled dishes. they are usually served raw, but cooking, drying, smoking and pickling is a common way of preparing foods, and salting is useful for winter, since storms and broken ice can make the seas dangerous for even the most experienced swimmers. trade with other quivers for ingredients is their main commercial activity

moor runners: at first glance the grassy plains may not seem to offer much, but runners have learned to make the most out of them. herds of large animals and smaller fauna are hunted or even kept for a steadier source of food. grains, grasses and tubers grown by farmers make up a pretty large part of nutriment here, and bread baking techniques have been rapidly evolving. hunting with wyverns is not only a big tradition, but can make this activity easier and less energy consuming. some wyvern species have also been domesticated and selectively to obtain eggs and meat (though the latter isn't usually reaped). insects are also frequently consumed

swamp lurkers: the bayou-like environment is dangerous, so anything useful is to be appreciated. lurkers are opportunistic, and have developed incredibly strong stomachs, able to eat rotting carcasses and poisonous fauna and flora. many say it's almost impossible to poison a lurker. their main source of food is hunting whatever they can find, but aquatic plant life is more readily available, therefore a frequently consumed foodstuff. fermented drinks are very popular here though, and small quantities of different lurker venoms are added to give them varied –usually recreational– effects, some even medicinal. the bog areas are also used to preserve food for harder times, and sometimes for growing hardy crops too. because of them being more closed off than the other quivers, trade isn't really common here, though not unheard of

lowlanders: vegetation is a huge part of their diet, so they're pretty well known for developing new varieties of vegetables and making savory dishes with them. meat is also consumed but on smaller quantities compared to other quivers, usually coming from livestock such as goats and cows, as well as a few fish from the river flowing in the middle of the valley

highlanders: their diets are almost a complete opposite to their lowland counterparts. high meat consumption, but birds are completely banned from the menu –many would find eating something with such a high resemblance to themselves as uncomfortable, besides birds, especially raptors, being of importance to them as symbols of certain deities or attributes like strength or good luck–. bones are usually discarded by other dragons, but mountain gliders eat them pretty frequently, as both have the bite force (or sharp beaks in the case of highlanders) to get to the marrow inside. because of their mountainous landscape, most of their food is farmed from the lowlands in the valley or sometimes traded from outside. there are running jokes about highland glider food being very flavorless and lame

wood walkers: resources are abundant in the forest, so their diet is varied. meat, roots, mushrooms, bark, seeds, plants and fruits are big staples here. sugary sweets and berry pastries are popular here, but spicy and salty foods are not at all, preferring more earthy and mild flavors. their candies and honey are valuable goods sold to other quivers

[tergeryz]

this is a really stupid thing but i think its silly so. coast strikers have strong anticoagulants in their saliva which aids in their methods of hunting large prey. however as a result, they can't really lick their wounds to make them heal up faster like the normal dragon would. because of this, a common saying in the coast is "you're licking your own wounds" which alludes to one trying to make things better but only messing them up further or self sabotaging

[tergeryz]

EPIC COAST STRIKER FACT!!!

some can spit ink

How it works is a few of them can hatch with glands inside their neck that produce considerable amounts of ink to scare away predators such as sea serpents. This trait is rare, and the ones that have it typically are slightly smaller than average with dark markings on their throat