The Witherskin

General Information

Witherskins are the result of a failed attempt to animate fire by a young mage. The mage had thought that using draconian magic would increase the chance for the fire to come to life, not realizing that the magic that arcanes possess is a direct extension of their own astral being. This caused the spell to indeed, animate the fire, but also cause the fire to take a strange and mysterious form. The mage, not knowing how to handle this, attempted to kill the beast by casting a water spell, but instead of the intended effect of simply drowning it, it caused the flames that once engulfed the wyvern to dissipate, leaving its ever dry but flame like skin to remain. The magic, although stunned from such an attack, began to realize that water may be a way to release itself from a physical form, and now thirsts for it whenever it gets the chance, mindlessly ignoring any other interaction until it can be free.

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Arcane dragons allegedly have an alternate story about how witherskins came to be. In the story they supposedly tell their hatchlings, it was an unwise young arcane dragon, not a human, whose failed spell created the first witherskin. No matter how witherskins were created, they look surprisingly mundane (at least once grown) for supposedly being living fire magic. Just about any other fire-affinity creature looks more the part than they do.

Egg Information

This egg is quite dry.

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When handling a witherskin egg, use gloves, or else be prepared to buy hand lotion in bulk. Some mages will use a growth-halting spell on witherskin eggs as a way of making natural dehumidifiers, as eggs will even pull moisture out of the air.

Baby Information

It\'s a freshly burning coal, to your knowledge. It seems to not burn out though, no matter how much you ignore it.

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Though witherskin hatchlings will keep burning no matter where they are kept, they require warm surroundings to remain happy. An unhappy hatchling will attempt to burn everything around it, often spitting out sparks in a tiny, fiery tantrum. Luckily, because of its size and near-immobility, the worst a hatchling can do is singe holes in carpeting and lightly scorch hardwood floors.

Teen Information

It\'s a freshly burning coal, to your knowledge. It seems to not burn out though, no matter how much you ignore it. It\'s grown into a bigger coal, how quaint.

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Witherskin hatchlings become considerably more dangerous as they approach their full growth. They should be left alone if possible and only handled (with fireproof gloves, of course) if their health or safety is at risk. An annoyed hatchling can easily burn down a building or kill its handler.

Adult Information

As you suspected, something was amiss with the coal. It finally woke up now, after getting large enough to fill your room, and now a horse sized wyvern stands in its previous location. You have touched its skin only a few times, each time recalling how warm and dry it is, and how it seems to dry out your own hands upon contact. You wyvern also seems to constantly thirst for water and any liquid it may find, and you can see it sit outside of the river for hours during the day, until nightfall when it seems to be broken of whatever curse causes such unusual behavior. You have also noticed that it does not seem to seek out food or other sustenance than drink, and that arcane dragons refuse to go anywhere near the beast.

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Even the best-socialized witherskin will always remain aloof. Training one is more hassle than reward, as the best result one can hope for is a witherskin that occasionally tolerates being touched. Even with adequate training, a witherskin will still react poorly to the sight of water-affinity creatures, especially watersprites. Never attempt to keep a witherskin away from water, as they will turn to the nearest available source of liquid instead - usually the individual standing in their way.