#thyrus

“Skywing Acidcraw” © Sony Online Entertainment, by Alex Alexandrov. Accessed at his deviantArt gallery here

[Commissioned by @justicegundam82. The original Thyrus was a wyvern slain in the Italian town of Terni. I hope dragon purists will forgive me using a picture with four legs for this monster. The disease it spreads, yellowjack, is an exaggerated form of hepatitis mixed with a toned down cholera. Few diseases in PF/D&D can kill within hours of symptoms beginning, like cholera can.]

Thyrus CR 10 CE Dragon This ox-sized dragon has a finned tail and back, tattered wings, and a wicked disposition. A foul odor rises from its body.

A thyrus is a dragon of contaminated water, spreading death and pestilence in its wake. It is typically a nomadic creature, moving into a pond, spring or bog and turning it into a diseased wasteland with its sheer presence. The disease it spreads, yellowjack, acts on the liver and intestines, causing both to fail rapidly. Victims are jaundiced and dehydrated, constantly suffering from watery vomit and diarrhea. These fluids are contaminated as well, and a single thyrus can start an epidemic that threatens whole provinces.

A thyrus is typically a lazy creature, spending much of its time dozing, but it is capable of surprising speed when threatened or on the hunt. They are ambush predators that engage in hit and run tactics. A favorite strategy is to bite a victim and retreat for long enough for their disease to take effect, then finish off their target while they are suffering the ravages of yellowjack.  Their very blood is acidic, and they enjoy the pain and panic they engender when they are struck in melee by the unsuspecting.

Thyruses are typically solitary, only coming together to mate. Eggs are laid in a nest of rotting vegetation, then abandoned to the elements. Oftentimes, a thyrus’ first meal will be the unhatched eggs of its siblings, and is rare for multiple hatchlings to survive from a nest. A thyrus feeds on carrion and filth, the more rotten and stinking the better, and it typically leaves its victims to “ripen” to a state of proper decomposition before eating them. Thyruses do have a typical draconic instinct for treasure, but their frequent wanderings mean that carrying large hoards is impractical. Most thyruses concentrate on small, easily portable items, leaving the largest treasures behind when they move. Such caches may contain valuable prizes, but are almost invariably contaminated, spreading yellowjack to those who claim them.

Wyll and my tav Thyrus. Charisma 17 and charisma 10 (-9)

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“Memoria Storica”: da trent’anni pietra miliare per la cultura di Terni e non solo

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