Gumnut Drake

Gumnut drakes are arboreal omnivores that dwell in bloodwood groves, a type of tree with mystical communal sentience. These distantly draconic creatures were created from the scales of a red dragon and the sap from the bloodwood tree. The druidic ritual, fusing both plant and dragon, was devised to create a new breed of forest protectors that could not only withstand the heat of a wildfire, but thrive in it.
    Sap Drenched Scales. A thick coating of sticky amber-red sap covers the drake’s body and frond mane. The majority of the drake’s diet consists of young gumnuts, the fruit of the bloodwood tree, which it forages for along the forest floor. These gumnuts are rich in sap, which is not digested, but excreted from specialized glands on the drake’s scaly hide. The hairlike fronds that form the drake’s mane and tail puff are particularly bathed in the viscous fluid, which acts like flypaper to trap small prey. The sticky frond cluster at the end of the drake’s prehensile tail is used as a grasping hand to snare creatures, move obstacles, or help the drake climb trees. The sap’s sweet and pungent scent attracts insects, reptiles and rodents, who are quickly trapped in sticky globs of the stuff. The drake then combs through its mane to munch on the snared morsels for an easy meal.
    Forest Protectors. Drakes typically dwell inside the giant shells of mature gumnuts, in the boles of bloodwood trees, or in hollows beneath its roots, emerging to defend the grove from intruders. Gumnut drakes are extremely territorial and will attack on sight unless spoken to in a language they understand.
    Wildfires are a key part of the natural cycle of bloodwood groves. In order for the forest to grow and be healthy, it must undergo routine seasonal burns. Gumnut drakes help maintain this cycle by spreading the bloodwood’s highly flammable sap to promote fires during the dry season. Conversely, gumnut drakes are particularly suited to ward off fiery enemies that would burn the forest down entirely, as they are able to withstand extreme heat thanks to their draconic lineage. Each drake is born with an instinct for the delicate balance of growth and destruction that keeps a forest healthy.