#Fire Drake

[munroemagic]

With knot of seven, the spell will waken.

[dwollsadventures]

Drake (Medieval)

While not the largest, certainly the most impressive-looking of the monsters labeled dragons. Almost all drakes possess two uniting factors: wings with which to fly and a strong hoarding instinct. From birth they develop a compulsion to collect and secret away gold, silver, and precious stones. Unlike drakons, they are not appointed to this task by a divine patron, quite the opposite in fact. Drakes are associated with unholy powers and the dead. While they can reproduce naturally, some drakes are born inorganically, rising from the fallen dead during war, or are a product of metamorphosis. Whatever their origin, drakes guard their treasures with their very lives. Barrow tombs, natural caves, and dungeons are common spots for drakes to hide their hoards. At rest they will drape themselves over the metallic hoard. Talking drakes report that the feeling is similar to sun-bathing in lesser reptiles. When the drake needs to hunt, defend its territory, or add to its hoard, it flies through the sky in a golden splendor. Firedrakes cover themselves in flames as a sign to rivals to back off. Unfortunately, this flaming banner is also a signal to treasure hunters. Keen eyes can spot where a drake has hidden its hoard by watching where the fiery beast enters the sky. Drakes protect their unguarded hoards in a few ways. Some hide them in dangerous or forsaken areas, like dungeons and tombs. Others press lesser monsters into their service as guardians. And still others will use enchantments to ruin a treasure hunter’s luck. Each one is different, but here are a few documented cases: treasure sinking into the ground if the thief laughs, treasure sinking the more it’s pulled from the ground, glamor to disguise common rocks as the hoard, and a tracking charm to let the drake know where exactly the thief has gone off to. 

-Habitat: Moors, barrows, caves, dungeons

-Slayer Tips: Dragon fire is hot, but still fire. Insulation or suffocation can nullify their flames. Nothing can nullify their great strength, however. 

--

The last monster of the dungeon habitat! The drake is an amalgamation of medieval dragon legends and folklore from Northern Europe, especially Scandinavia. It's the first but certainly not the last dragon we'll be documenting. Before next week's entry I'll reveal the next habitat.

[dailycharacteroption]

Retrograde Revision 4: Bandit

(art by dusint on DeviantArt)

Highwaymen, hijackers, muggers, brigands, bandits. If there’s any iconic antagonistic role for humanoids in fantasy games and fiction, it’s hard to go wrong with some bandits if you want a travel encounter that uses more advanced tactics than animal instinct.

Of course, being a bandit is hardly fun and games. Choosing that life or having it thrust on you by circumstance means forgoing many of the benefits of civilization while ultimately still relying on it by way of raiding for supplies and sellable plunder.

However, not every fictional bandit is a villain. After all, Robin Hood was by all accounts a highwayman, even though he was typically more heroic, using his talents and those of his followers to undermine the power of a corrupt ruler (at least once the figure became associated with that story. Turns out Robin Hood is much, much older).

Also, remember that not everyone who is a bandit professionally is going to have this archetype, or even be a rogue. I’m sure by this point most Pathfinder fans recognize the difference between class and profession, even when they share a name.

In any case, we’ll soon see that this particular flavor of rogue is a master of coercion and ambush, very important skills when you strike at foes from the wild, where the comforts of civilization have been stripped away and failing to comply with an armed stranger could mean being stranded even if one is not slain.

These bandits are the masters of surprise attacks, and are able to perform several actions at once within those first few critical moments to gain the upper hand.

Fear is a useful tool, and all the better utilized when they manage to get in an especially grievous blow against a foe they already have gotten past the guard of.

This archetype recommends talents that utilize the terrain, help coordinate with allies, improve combat prowess, striking suddenly and without warning, and even combining their efforts with traps they set up as well.

This archetype is fairly simple, but effective, and can easily be combined with other archetypes for greater effect. As a general rule, the ability to get a full suite of actions in the surprise round can be quite useful in a proper ambush, and their ability to inflict fear on critical sneak attacks is a bit niche, but lends itself well to a critical focus build. Whatever your build is, it probably will include feats that let you work well with others, including teamwork feats, as well as ways to keep up in protracted fights, such as improved feint to make sure you keep having ways to sneak attack once the battle is joined.

Like I said, there’s plenty of precedent for these sorts of characters to not be evil, whether they are noble rebels, anarchist misanthropes with their own code, or maybe even former traditional bandits that abandoned that life but retain the skills. Either way, they likely still understand that strength and cunning have the power to rule just as easily as rules and law. How exactly they feel about that, however, is up to them.

Skvad Irontusk, a powerful orc bandit, has recently acquired the dubious title of King of the Gnolls after defeating their chieftain in mortal combat. He is an unpopular leader, however, and unless he can lead them to further and further glory, he will soon find himself with a spear in his back, or worse, shackled in the slave pens.

Trade routes between Kyonen and Kanei have recently come under attack, merchant trains slaughtered, their goods plundered. At first, local samurai believed it was the work of greedy bandits or rebels. However, they soon discovered that the plunder has been given away to peasants who could never fully utilize the magic items and jewelry they contained, leading others to believe that whoever is doing this is not interested in any agenda, not even altruism.

When a convoy devoted to the fire god goes missing, the party is contracted to recover the artifact it was transporting. Their only clue? A rash of incidents involving burning caravans on nearby trade routes. However, when the fires are traced back to a fire drake from the mountains, the heroes will have to look deeper to recover the missing artifact.

[pulpsandcomics2]

The Fire Drake

[savage-kult-of-gorthaur]

"WELL, WELL, WHAT DO WE HAVE HERE? A TINY CREATURE DARING TO ADDRESS THE MIGHTY SMAUG. THE MIGHTIEST IN MIDDLE-EARTH."

PIC INFO: Spotlight on a piece titled "A Conversation with Smaug," Bilbo Baggins in Smaug's treasure hoard under the Lonely Mountain, from the fantasy/adventure/children's book "The Hobbit" (or "There and Back Again”), artwork by Ted Nasmith. Color sketch/gouache on illustration board.

PIC #2: Finished painting of "A Conversation with Smaug."

"Bilbo Baggins cautiously entered the dark and treacherous lair of the fearsome dragon, Smaug. The air was thick with tension as he hesitantly made his way towards the immense creature, whose body was adorned with glittering gold and jewels. "Smaug," Bilbo called out, his voice trembling slightly. "I have come to speak with you." The dragon's eyes flickered with curiosity as it turned towards the hobbit. Its deep, rumbling voice filled the chamber, resonating with power. "Well, well, what do we have here? A tiny creature daring to address the mighty Smaug. The mightiest in Middle-Earth. What brings you to my domain, little hobbit?""

-- A CONVERSATION WITH SMAUG, from "The Hobbit" (1937), written by J.R.R. Tolkien

Sources: www.picuki.com/media/3191630386592751836 & www.tednasmith.com/tolkien/a-conversation-with-smaug.

[spidermilkshake]

Ancardia's Unusual Animals--The Fire Drake

Classification: Beast (avian)

Habitat: Highlands and hilly regions with tunnels and caves to nest in, both on the Surface and Underground, generally limited to the Northern hemisphere.

            Fire Drakes are among the few large drakes capable of flight, and are among the most aggressive and dangerous drakes. They are the only large drakes to live on the Surface in the Northern hemisphere and one of the only ones that is comfortable living in cooler temperate climates. The fire drake is an active hunter both on the ground and in the air, usually targeting proportionally smaller animals in order to allow them to carry their kills away to safer locations away from other predators and scavengers. Prey commonly includes rabbits, hares, foxes and other small canids, lambs, foals, and fawns, and larger rodents such as muskrats, greatrats, and young deepmara. Adults average about 4 meters from nose to tailtip with a similar wingspan. They are large enough for smaller humanoids to ride, though tame examples are quite rare and largely limited to harpies, who tend to train the creatures to assist in hunting deer, elk, moose and sometimes other large beasts.

            The fire drake is named for its natural arcane connections which allow it to instinctually summon gouts of fire. This is the primary defensive strategy of the species, scorching intruders to nests and kill sites to keep their distance. If further provoked, they also employ powerful bites and their huge hooked talons as well as close-range flames, and they become doggedly persistent in such a fight. Even fledglings are notably dangerous, as fire drake chicks are born with the ability to spout small amounts of flame as well.

            The fire drake is also unusual in that it is the only drake species that is considered to be native to both the Surface and the Underground, as it commonly builds nests in connecting tunnels between the two zones. This also means it is among the few species of avian animals to ever adapt to the Underground, along with the Rawruh Drake, the Night Pigeon, and the Canyon-lurker. Whether above or below ground, pairs of fire drakes always seek out a high cliff face or natural cavern to build their nests—and have been known to take up residence in spent mine shafts and passages used as roads, which sometimes comes as a dangerous surprise to humanoids attempting to explore these places. The nest is a broad tangle of sticks, skins, and grasses, in which between two and four eggs are laid every two years. When fire drakes hatch, they are mostly featherless and rely on one of their parents to keep them warm while the other hunts for food. The parents often trade places to relieve the other of arduous hunting duty. In about a month, the young fire drakes have developed a thick downy coat of fire-retardant feathers as well as a new measure of independence, and they often leave the nest to wander along the clifftops and in the caves, always closely watched by one or both parents in case any other creatures threaten the fledglings. After another few weeks, the young drakes’ flight feathers have grown in, and they begin attempting small experimental flights; some drake mortality occurs as a result of failed flights, but most of the time the assistance of the parents results in an easy transition to being flight-capable. At about six months of age, fire drakes are close to adult size, and they become of breeding age at about 16 months. Fire drakes typically live between 12 and 24 years in the wild, with a record age of 31 belonging to a tame drake kept by a harpy ranger in the 14th Age.

[ai-generated]

The magic forest puppies have a meeting

Newly hatched Fire Drake.

AI Generated

[batsignal-irl]

"How do you and your brother have fun?"

I take pictures of him in bad situations and send it to Batman

[lygma-nygma]

I miss the pre-New 52 Tim and Jason dynamic so much. It was basically Jason beating the fuck out of Tim well being all "nothing personal kid I just hate everything about you, your existence and the fact you're breathing right now" and Tim spitting up blood going "what if your mother was a whore, kill yourself" and Jason just deciding right then and there that this kid is his favourite person. Then it just turned into a Tom and Jerry hunt across the city where Jason keeps hitting Tim with the "join me, be my robin" and Tim kicks him in the balls.

[batcavescolony]

*1940s Bat-Man gets switched with Modern Batman*

Robin: and now we call the poli-

Bat-Man: *picks up a gun and fires it into the air* that'll get their attention

Robin: ...

______________

Red Robin: their's someone new in town we should-

Bat-Man: threaten him with a bat in the mail and a note

Red Robin: ...

Nightwing: I forgot he used to do that.

______________

Bat-Man: why is the car black?

Red Hood: the Batmobile? what color would it be?

Bat-Man: red

Red hood: ...

______________

Bruce: this 'Alfred' fellow is really nice, it's just Dick, my Fiancée Julie and I in my time. But she doesn't know I'm Bat-Man-

All: WHAT!

Bruce: yes my fiancée-

Jason: WHAT DO YOU MEAN NO ALFRED?

Bruce: oh yeah, I have no idea who that man is.

[hehether]

A scene where batboys was causing chaos on Wayne Manor, while Alfred and Bruce had enough for it :)

I'm done drawing, so now I'm just sitting here and waiting for someone to tell me the lore behind this chaos

[ikiprian]

Tim swears Phantom could’ve been a Titan. Maybe he should be, at this point. They have enough in common to justify it.

“Jeez,” Phantom groans. Abruptly, he drops the levitation and hits the roof without sound. He stretches out on his back like a cat, sore muscles straining in a way Red Robin deeply relates to. “Fighting the living sucks. At least with ghosts I can swing as hard as I need. Already dead means they get back up! But mortals? Way too squishy.”

Red Robin huffs in agreement. “Yeah,” he says. After a moment’s consideration, he lies down, too.“It’s a hundred times harder than people realize. Batman’s always going on about perfect control in training. About how to have it, you gotta be twice as skilled as the other guy. Even without your super-strength, I worry sometimes.”

“How do you do it?” Phantom asks. In a move only achievable to those without bones, or perhaps Dick Grayson, he twists himself over. Gloved hands cup his cheeks. His legs kick back and forth, like they’re gossiping at a slumber party. “I mean. You said you train, so obviously there’s the physical ‘how.’ But how do you keep your emotions nonlethal? How do you keep yourself in check, make sure you’re pulling back?”

“I mean,” says Red Robin. “Murder is illegal, so.”

Phantom sighs. “Yeah. Maybe it’s easier for you.”

… Hm. Maybe Red Robin should redo Phantom’s risk assessment.

Before he can raise too high an eyebrow (though even moving that muscle smarts, ow), Phantom elaborates.

“Ecto-based entities have trouble with their emotions,” he explains. “It’s easy to get lost in an Obsession, or a big feeling like grief. The rest of the world… it bleeds away. Helps to have another emotional anchor to keep it at bay. I use fear.”

“Fear?” Red Robin glanced over.

“Sometimes sheer stubbornness,” Phantom admits. “But a lot of it is fear.”

With a considering frown, he drops his head atop his arms. Exhaustion, regret, reluctance play out on his face. For someone the Bats know next to nothing about, Phantom’s body language is an open book.

“I saw, like, an alternate future version of myself once where I become evil and try to take over the world? So now I gotta be good to keep that from happening. The fear of that future keeps the pressure on me. Makes me focus up. Y’know?”

Tim sits up. “Seriously?”

Phantom nods. “Uh-huh. Kinda bizarre, I know—”

“What the hell,” says Tim. Three consecutive days together and a concussion must loosen his lips, because holy shit, no way. “Dude! Me too!”

“Huh? Seriously?” says Phantom.

“Yeah! I totally saw myself turn evil. Like, Batman but with guns. Guns Batman. I had to fight him and everything. He tried to kill my friends and erase my memory to make sure I couldn’t un-invent him by going back to change the past?”

“Oh my god.”

“What?”

“Oh my god, me too!”

happy wips wednesday!

[chronivore]

Fire Drake

[flwrkid14]

Jason Todd: Dad Mode Activated

There’s a new dynamic in the Batfamily, and nobody saw it coming. Jason Todd—Red Hood, former Robin, perennial black sheep of the Wayne family—has apparently decided that Tim Drake is his son. And no one, least of all Tim, knows what to do about it.

It starts subtly, if you can call Jason “subtle.” He starts showing up when Tim’s been too busy to eat, tossing him a burger or some takeout with a gruff, “Eat, Replacement.” He’s there when Tim’s working himself to the bone, slamming the laptop shut and growling about how his kid isn’t going to die of exhaustion on his watch. When Tim’s in over his head, Jason’s suddenly there, guns blazing, a protective shadow with a deadly smirk.

Tim’s confused. Very confused. Jason has always been... antagonistic, at best. But now he’s... scolding him? Encouraging him? Telling him he’s proud when Tim does something impressive? The man even started calling him “kid” instead of “Replacement,” which is somehow worse because it makes Tim feel all warm and fuzzy inside. What is happening?

Eventually, Tim asks. And Jason, in true Jason fashion, gives an explanation that doesn’t explain much at all.

“Look, Dick’s already treating Damian like his own kid, Bruce is busy helping Duke figure out his place in the family, Cass and Babs are practically attached at the hip—like sisters or something. And you?” Jason shrugs. “You’re my kid.”

Tim stares. “I’m your what?”

“My kid,” Jason repeats, as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world. “You’re smart, you’re resourceful, you’ve got my stubbornness—which, yeah, is annoying—and someone’s gotta make sure you don’t get yourself killed. Congrats, kid. You’ve been adopted.”

It doesn’t really explain anything, but Tim decides not to argue. After all, Jason’s kind of a good dad? He feeds Tim, checks in on him, teaches him things like how to hotwire a car (Tim already knows, but Jason’s so enthusiastic about it that Tim doesn’t have the heart to tell him). And Jason has his back in a way that feels steady, solid. Like he’s not going anywhere.

The thing is, Jason doesn’t stop there. He starts talking about Tim in ways that make Tim want to crawl under a rock. To Roy, to Kory, to anyone who’ll listen. “My kid’s a genius,” Jason brags, his voice filled with so much pride it makes Tim’s chest ache. “Runs a whole company and saves Gotham on the side. Kid’s got a brain the size of the Batcomputer.”

And it’s not just talk. Jason drags Tim along to meet-ups with other vigilantes or allies, casually introducing him like a proud dad at a PTA meeting. “This is Tim,” Jason says, grinning ear to ear. “My kid. Smartest of the bunch, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”

Tim flushes, stammering out an awkward, “Uh, hi,” while Jason beams like he’s just presented a Nobel Prize winner.

The height of Tim’s mortification comes when Jason introduces him to Talia—not as a fellow vigilante or even a respected ally, but as his son. Talia, who had become something of a mother figure to Jason after the Pit, is apparently now being roped into her new role as a grandmother. Jason insists it’s only right that she meet her “grandkid” and treat Tim accordingly. Tim, meanwhile, wants to disappear into the floor while Jason beams with unrestrained pride.

“Yeah, this is my boy,” Jason says, arms crossed, radiating smug pride. “Smart, resourceful, better than Bruce—don’t even try to deny it.”

Tim wants the floor to open up and swallow him. But he also can’t help feeling... warm. Embarrassed, yes, but also kind of happy. Jason’s over-the-top pride is ridiculous, but it’s genuine. It’s not something Tim’s used to—someone being proud of him just for being himself.

And of course, Jason’s newfound dad energy throws the rest of the family into chaos.

Bruce tries to scold Tim about something minor—maybe staying out too late on patrol—and Tim just raises an eyebrow. “I’m gonna tell my dad,” he says, completely deadpan. And then he does. Jason shows up at the Batcave later, tearing into Bruce about how his kid doesn’t need this kind of negativity in his life, and Bruce is left speechless.

Damian tries to insult Tim, calling him a weak link or some other scathing remark, and Tim smirks. “Careful, Damian. I’m your nephew now. Better watch your mouth, or Uncle Jason might have something to say about it.”

Even Dick’s thrown off by it. “Jay,” he says one day, watching Jason shove a plate of food at Tim with all the grace of a brick. “You do realize Tim isn’t actually your son, right?”

Jason glares at him. “He’s mine. I’m the dad here. You’ve got Demon Spawn, I’ve got Tim. Deal with it.”

Tim doesn’t understand how or why this happened, but honestly? He’s not complaining. Jason might not be the most conventional parent, but he’s a damn good one. And for Tim, who’s always felt a little lost in the shuffle of the chaotic Wayne family, having someone claim him so fiercely, so completely, feels... nice.

So yeah. Jason Todd: Red Hood, vigilante, crime lord, accidental dad. Who would’ve thought?

[mirthmave]

So I was thinking about the whole younger siblings getting taller that older siblings thing that I am a victim of and it got me thinking.

So it’s known that some boys will continue to grow until they reach the age of 21 . Not all of them mind you, but some of them do.

From what I remember, Dick is currently 26, Jason is 22-23, Tim is forever 16-17 and Damian is 14.

Dick being the eldest was able to stay the tallest for a long time. Then Jason came back around 17-18 and suddenly his little brother isn’t so little anymore and Dick suddenly realises that it is possible that the others will get taller than him as well.

Damian is a given as Bruce is 6’2” so Dick knows that he hasn’t got a chance there, especially when Damian starts getting that mid-teen growth spurt. But Tim…

Tim has always been shorter than him by four inches. He’s 5’6” and Dick is 5’10” and the kid is barely growing. There is hope that he will continue to be taller than Tim!

Little does Dick know that Tim is still growing, just slowly.

Something happens that causes Tim and Dick not to see each other for a little while (nothing bad, just busy vigilante stuff) so it comes as a shock to Dick when they can all get together for dinner finally that he’s not seeing the top of Tim’s head.

No, that boy is now looking at him eye to eye.

Only not completely because Tim now has an inch on Dick.

[lionwitch]

Ok, hear me out. An AU where Janet Drake is best friends with Lex Luthor, Bruce Wayne and Oliver Queen.

They met in school, and she's a high society girl, not expected or allowed to be much more than a pretty face, but there's this trio of smart idiots (they did all sorts of stupid stuff at school, but they are overall very, very smart), and they're in all sorts of cool classes and extracurriculars, and she wants to learn

So, she snakes her way into the group with well-timed looks and blushes. They eventually include her in all their activities, and so she learns all sort of stuff that she usually wouldn't be allowed to learn, because they help her keep it in the down low. No, she's not taking classes with them, she's being a proper lady and cheering her smart friends on through the oh-so-hard classes.

At some point or another, they all develop a crush on her, fleeting as it may be (they're hormonal teens and they're required to flirt, it was bound to happen)

They flirt publicly, as it keeps the media from pressuring them into relationships— or so they thought. It backfires when they're adults, the media is demanding Janet settle down and stops leading all three of them on. But there would be a scandal if she picked any of them, so she picks Jack, someone who doesn't love her or she loves, but someone desperate enough to climb the social ladder to care if he loves his wife.

When he's not allowed to flirt anymore, that's where Bruce realizes that he actually liked her.

When Tim comes along, and Janet has to go on trips, she leaves him with her trusted friends. So, Tim learns a lot from his Uncle Lex, learns to shoot a bow from his Uncle Ollie, and loves staying with his Uncle Bruce and his children. He figures him out far too easily and does become Robin when Jason figures he's ready to pass on the mantle to his little brother (because they're brothers. Tim spends a lot of time in their house)

Bruce adores Tim, he really does. It just kinda hurts, that he's Janet's kid, but not his.

Eventually, Janet divorces Jack, and she gets to spend a lot more time in Gotham. But by now Tim is as much Bruce's as he is Janet's, so they co-parent the gremlin that is her son, which leads to a lot of time with Bruce.

Bruce treats her better than Jack ever did, and she trusts him far more. They have the memories of years together. Eventually, Bruce tells her the truth— that he never truly moved on from his best friend.

When they marry, sure it's a media circus, but also not a surprise.

She's also a good mom, to Tim as much as to Dick or Jason.

When Jason finds out Catherine is not his mom, sure he gets curious, but he has a mom already, he's happy. He does want to meet his bio mom, but he agrees to do so safely, not go alone. Fine, B, you can come with.

Joker never happens. Jason is disappointed when he finds his mom is not at all what he expected, and he has a much better one at home.

Eventually, when Damian comes into the picture, he's snappy with Janet. "you will never be my mother, you harlot!" but Janet simply puts a hand on his shoulder and speaks calmly, yet sharp as the blade he threatens her with

"You will not speak to me like that, boy. No, I am not your mother. But I am married to your father, and I hold the authority as such, so you will go up to your room, you will cool down, and you will never threaten or insult me again, or you will be grounded."

"You can't do that!"

"She can. She has my full permission to discipline my kids, Damian. In this house, she holds as much authority as I do." Bruce interjects

Damian, begrudgingly, learns to respect Janet, and eventually he does see her as a second mom

The amount of times Oliver or Lex visit the Wayne-Drake household is absurd, but sue them, they like their friends. This leads to a lot of chaos, because every time Oliver visits so does Roy, and Roy hangs out with Dick and Jason, while Damian sticks to glaring at everyone.

Meanwhile, they dote on Tim, because they sure as hell have a favourite nephew, and it's the one they watched grow inside the belly of one of their best friends, the one they all changed the diapers of, the one they've taught a lot of skills to, the one they helped raise in a way they never helped raise any of the other Wayne boys. They don't even try to hide their preference. Now, of course they like all their nephews, but it's always hilarious because when Tim is around his uncle Lex, he's ten times the evil mastermind he generally is, and Oliver encourages it, simply for the chaos, and so does Janet, while Bruce is downright terrified of the idea of Tim as a villain (everyone is)