Ferrunos

Ferrunos, sometimes called Stonebrow Drakes, make the Vulcanos seem not so bad by comparison. These enormous beasts of molten rock and searing flame are so mighty and imposing that some think that they are second only to the [Redacted] in being the origins of lava. It wells from their rocky maws like spittle from the jaws of a raging hound, and their own fiery blood has armoured them over the countless ages of their existence. The youthful wrath of their smaller kin seems to have tempered somewhat with age, but theirs is a short fuse that is best not tested.

When a Ferrunos takes to the sky, it’s a sight nearly without equal in terms of spectacle. Leaving a pyroclastic trail in its wake, it marks the sky with the world’s molten heart, ember and fire sparking within the cloud. As it trails behind their wings, they become like the tip of a spear, some of their body obscured by the ash while their bright, burning form remains at the forefront. Even this cloud itself is a weapon, the dust and heat a serious threat to anything that needs to breathe or cannot survive the blistering temperatures.

But despite all of this, the Ferrunos aren’t purely beings of destruction and danger. As they fly high, the ashes have time to cool off and spread, sustaining the earth below and feeding new life. However, flying too close to the ground, and that same life-giving trail sets off the most devastating wildfires.

Armoured by their own hardened blood, few things can hope to take on a Ferrunos, and the best most can wish for is getting away alive.