#serpentverse

[tickfleato]

a couple of new serpentverse dragons i've made recently. hognose i'll make another post on at some point because they have relatively extensive lore (they are a cousin of the largest flying dragon currently living, and have been using that as a basis to... start a cult...). Second guy is tentatively named siggy (short for cygnet) and i don't have much idea of their situation but i think they may be involved with cadnir (dragon wizard i don't think i've posted about at all).

[rattyarts]

Made some Edgeworld versions of @tickfleato’s OCs a little while ago! Converting characters to fit in this setting is really fun.

[tickfleato]

Also dragon riding tack! What’s it look like, do they ride dragons? For travel or just show (fancy rich…)

I wouldn't call dragon riding like, a widespread thing in this setting—it's worth mentioning that dragons are like, people, and most would take offense at any comparison to the beasts of burden used by the "mammalian sophonts" (elves, kobolds, humans).

That being said… there is a notable example of people living on a dragon! The great feathered serpent, the largest flying dragon in recorded history, is said to have invited her kobold attendants to live on her back shortly before she died, and her mummified, hollowed-out body is still up there, with people living in and on it.

Pictured when younger, and alive. (art from 2023)

The other descendants of the kobold clan that contracted with her still live in some important mountains I haven't come up with any lore for yet. Most of the residents of the actual mummy are essentially monks; her son, the largest flying dragon currently alive, is a religious figure. This fact is used for clout by a distant, younger relative...

[tickfleato]

YAAY! how do the elves heads work? like what shape are they.. (if that makes sense)

Like this! Or at least, approximately. This art is kinda old and I'm still not 100% satisfied with how their faces/heads look.

(art from 2022)

What I do have more of a confident handle on is expressions—while elves are omnivores, their canine teeth are more for social signalling than predation. Showing the lower teeth is generally a positive expression, akin to a smile, while showing the upper teeth is aggressive. In some cultures, individuals of particular social roles will blacken the upper canines to give off a nonthreatening appearance. Those big ol' ears are also expressive—forward-facing ears can denote anger, attention, or excitement; slightly lowered ears can signify contentment, and flattened ears can signify fear or pain.

(art from now)

(art from 2022)

[tickfleato]

What’re their clothes/tools like? Does it vary from region

assuming you're talking about elves here, but the answer is as with anyone: it varies! elves are fairly widespread and have a lot of different cultures. they like a similar climate range to humans, which is to say they're native to hot climates but will settle just about anywhere (though they're a little pickier than humans in terms of environment—they prefer not to live on the ground if they can help it). so their clothing ranges from just a little decoration to really bundling up.

i haven't done much cultural worldbuilding like... at all in serpentverse tbh. for elves in particular i want to do some more research into what human cultures in very forested areas are like, particularly stuff like tropical rainforests, to get a better idea of what kind of materials they'd be using for clothing and tools and so on.

i do know that the culture this character comes from has hoods as a common item of clothing, though.

tools... again, it varies. broadly, though, they use similar technology to humans, albeit fit to different bodies. some elf cultures are hunter-gatherers, some some are more agriculturally inclined... they do subtle or not-so-subtle terraforming, like humans and kobolds, but in slightly different directions. i have been thinking about a widespread thing in elf cultures of some kind of magic usage, specifically with assistance making bigger trees... but how that works i dooo not know and i need to think of how to make it interesting. a big part of serpentverse is flirting with but not fully leaning into existing tropes, since it pretty much started as a collection of my personal twists on fantasy. in this case the trope is like, elves being forest people with nature magic. Yeah they do but like i want to do something fresh with it, you know?

Anyway here's what you really wanted: more elf art from 2022

[tickfleato]

i wonder what happened to this guy?

[tickfleato]

GRYPHONS!! gryphons in serpentverse are a distant relative to dragons, but are not magical creatures - the event that originally caused them to be weird bird-mammal hexapods was magical in nature, but modern gryphons are largely mundane. they fill a large range of niches and some are even domesticated! a little more description of the varieties pictured here under the cut:

River Fishergriffs are flightless gryphons which are very similar to river otters in size, shape, and niche. They’re generally good-natured, playful creatures, but can be vicious in defense of their young. They are elegant swimmers but a bit clumsy on land. They live in small family groups usually consisting of the parents and a few children - older children tend to stay with the nest and help raise the younger, with some staying with their family their entire lives and not reproducing.

Gryphlets (Cherry Gryphlet and Common Gryphlet depicted) are small, intelligent gryphons that are something like an unholy combination of a squirrel, a monkey, and a parrot. Like parrots, they are excellent at vocal mimicry, and also like parrots they make awful pets (but that doesn’t stop anyone). They are usually omnivores, but diet varies with species (the gryphlet clade is extremely diverse). Most gryphlets are social to some degree, with the biggest flocks numbering in the hundreds.

Snow-Gryphons are medium-sized, cold-adapted hunters, primarily inhabiting the south-pole continent, Ussa. They are elusive, shy animals that are a rare but lucky sight - though it’s best not to get too close. They’re about the size of a bobcat and have very sharp claws, and have been known to go after prey as big as elves! They are solitary and only meet with others of their kind to mate.

Essvai Dragons are, of course, not dragons at all but a breed of domesticated gryphon bred to resemble them. While they look imposing, they are usually docile in temperament, and like nothing more than napping by a warm fireplace or in a patch of sunlight. They were originally status symbols but over time have become somewhat more common pets, though purebred ones are still very expensive (and those from shadier breeders tend to have a myriad of health issues...) 

Monkeyhawks are predatory gryphons that usually inhabit forested environments. They’re agile fliers in a pinch but are adept climbers as well, preferring only short flights to catch prey or escape danger.  They are usually either solitary or a mated pair, though they don’t necessarily mate for life and don’t suffer particularly from “divorce” or death of a mate. They have a reputation for carrying off elven children, but this happens very rarely in reality - they tend to steer well clear of elven settlements. 

[tickfleato]

some sketches from january relating to ifra and lindworm. when ol’ lindy got worm-slayed ifra went ahead and “inherited” his hoard, territory, and body, and did what she felt was best with them. (snacktime)