Bewilderbeast-Draco regia

Class: Tidal

Size: 1,000 feet in length, 160 feet tall. Wingspan to 250 feet.

Appearance: Moderately built for its size with a cylindrical body supported by four powerful, thickly set legs ending in semi-webbed paws and sharp, curving claws; each leg possesses thick fin extensions along the back that are supported by sharp, spiny rods. The head sits on a short neck nearly as thick as the body, blunt and rounded with a flattened face permitting both of the small, elliptic eyes to look directly forward. The mouth closes in a slight underbite, displaying surprisingly small but extremely sharp teeth. The chin is covered in beard-like scaly tassels that match the great crowning mane of bony protrusions spreading out behind the back of the skull, and immediately on either side of the corners of the mouth extend a pair of massive, curving ivory tusks, growing from the upper jaw below the eyes down and out to point forward. Small protrusions similar to the crown and beard also litter the upper chin and forehead, growing larger down or back to where they join the larger versions. Great bony crests rise up from the back, largest between the shoulder blades and growing smaller down the spine until they form a single row of crests along the tail. The tail itself is as long as the head and body together, thick and smoothly tapering to the tip. Wings are vestigial, triangular in outline and similar in structure to the fins on the legs in being supported by flexible, bony spikes; the main wings are widest at the shoulders, narrowing until they reach the hips where they join with the secondary set in a slightly broader section. These secondary wings also continue in a stabilizing narrow fin along the length of the tail and broaden out into a pair of half-oblong tailfins at the end, all of which held up by protruding spines. Coloration can be highly variable, typically overall shades of white, blue, or grey offset with smoky overtones or reddish and brown hues; highlights of lighter color are most common on the wings and underside, while the tips of all support spines, crests, and protrusions fade to deeper reds, gray, and brown. Eyes are icy blue or red-gray in color, framing vertically slit pupils.

Fire: Possesses stored quantities of super-coolant capable of freezing upon contact with air or water, often with explosive and jagged results. Shot limit is relatively low, up to 8 full-sized attacks without taking time to build up stores again, however each individual attack may produce enough ice to overtake an entire warship.

Flight: As a Tidal class dragon of titan proportions, this species is unable to fly due to the disproportionately small size of the wings. They are extremely agile swimmers however, able to travel great distances in a very short time.

The Bewilderbeast is one of the few species of dragon able to take on the position of Alpha, with a natural ability to sway the minds of smaller dragons via a series of ultrasonic noises and metaphysical manipulation; only a few species match this power. Most use this ability to protect dragons that have not bonded with humans, and will construct massive sanctuaries using their icy breath weapon to house themselves and their subjects. These great homes are often located well out of the way of human habitation, deep within the Arctic Circle or within caves beneath oceanic islands, and are maintained by ever-vigilant reapplication of the long-lasting ice formed by the coolant these giants produce. Typically very gentle in nature, Bewilderbeasts love nothing more than maintaining peace and tranquility in their sphere of influence and rarely even move outside of necessity so as to avoid disturbing smaller species around them. They are also loyal creatures; those who have earned their trust or allegiance are able to sway the behavior of even these ruling giants and have gained powerful allies or protectors. A village that befriends a Bewilderbeast will never go short on food from the sea as the great dragons hunts for all those it sees as under its care, and an attacking force may readily find itself at the bottom of the ocean upon taking even one shot at that Bewilderbeast's designated charges.

They are the largest species of dragon by weight, though there are a select few others that may be longer; when they were still truly dragons, even the Red Deaths did not match these in sheer size. Extremely rare, only a handful exist, and they are known to live for centuries. A Bewilderbeast may reach mature size within only 5 to 10 years (at a length of maybe 300-400 feet), but true ruling Alphas at maximum size have typically already been around for at least decades, some for even a millennium.


A/N-Entry two of the Book of Dragons. This species doesn't show up until the fifth book, but it's a good species to start with, being the King.

As always, let me know which dragon you'd like to see next!