Floral Dragons 4 Preview - Ornithogalum Dragon (Patreon)

Today we'd like to introduce you to the curious, accidentally-deadly Ornithogalum dragon!

Ornithogalum dragons stand around 12 feet tall as wyrmlings and grow to their adult height of between 20 and 30 feet within a year of hatching. The age of an ornithogalum dragon can be estimated by the number of white flowers it has grown around its neck and on its legs. After a few hundred years, an ornithogalum will sport an impressive bouquet. They have a natural lifespan of around 800 years.

Ornithogalum dragons’ bodies are sturdy and well-muscled. Each powerful leg ends in three rounded claws that act more like hooves than the nimble digits of other dragons. They have slender tails tipped with a heavy, club-like cluster of flowers. An ornithogalum’s maw might look fearsome, but the outer petal-teeth that line its jaw are soft. Inside their mouths, ornithogalums dragons have a flat set of true teeth suitable only for chewing vegetation.

Cattle pastures and fertile arable land are ideal habitats for ornithogalum dragons. Due to their sickening aura, few other dragon species will tolerate an ornithogalum dragon nearby. Ornithogalum dragons are not territorial. Once they have settled in a place to graze, however, they dislike being forced to move before they have eaten their fill.

Ornithogalum dragons are strictly herbivorous. They graze on various plants but prefer crops such as barley, rice, and wheat. Unfortunately, their diet frequently brings them into conflict with humanoid farmers as the dragons devour fields and sicken livestock with their presence.

As ornithogalum dragons exude a magical aura that causes other creatures to wither and die, they often find themselves attacked by humanoids. While grazing alongside livestock, ornithogalums display no signs of intentional malice and do not seem to notice the animals dropping dead around them.