Gemseeker Wyvern

Gemseeker Wyverns are winged draconic predators that can exhale powerful bursts of energy from their gullet. They use this concentrated beam of force to bore through solid stone and expose their subterranean prey. Finding perfectly cylindrical holes in cliff-faces is a telltale sign of a gemseeker’s hunting ground. Despite their formidable arsenal of natural weapons, these wyverns have little interest in hunting anything outside of their specialized diet, and tend to avoid others unless cornered.

Fortune Finders. The name “gemseeker” is somewhat of a misnomer, considering the wyverns actually have no interest in gems. Dwarves seeking treasure in the mountains lovingly bestowed this name upon the wyverns after discovering that the boreholes left behind by the gemseeker’s hunting technique almost always expose some sort of valuable ore vein or precious gem. The reason for this serendipitous occurrence is due to the main prey of the gemseeker: the Loot Beetle larvae. These large ground-dwelling insects feed on mineral deposits and accumulate precious metals and gemstones inside their bodies, which in-turn are either gobbled up or discarded by the gemseeker. Following these wyverns around their hunting grounds and excavating boreholes can be a very lucrative pursuit, so long as the wyverns don’t feel threatened.

Flying Treasure Hoard. Due to the diet of the gemseeker, these wyverns unintentionally ingest copious amounts of rare alloys and minerals. Slowly, over the course of a gemseeker’s life, these materials build up within its body and begin to encrust its hide. Eventually the added weight of this hoard will over-encumber the wyvern into flightlessness. Gemseekers that make it to this stage of their life either become terrestrial hunters, or perish. True gem and metallic dragons find these wyverns to be a cheap mockery of their brilliant forms, and will go out of their way to scare off or even kill gemseekers. Chromatic dragons love adding the treasure-laden bodies of gemseekers to their hoards, and will hunt them for sport. These much larger draconic enemies ensure that gemseeker wyverns are a rare sight anywhere but the most secluded mountain ranges.