Stormherald Abilities
Physical Abilities & Senses
The stormheralds are some of the most physically powerful dragons in the Realm, owing their strength both to their size and stocky body type. They are naturally highly endurant and capable of carrying great loads across distances that humans and most other dragons simply would be incapable of. Due to the fact that many stormheralds have black scales, their resiliency towards heat is not the best. They have instead adapted to their home climate by being most active at night or in the early/waning hours of the day, sleeping through the worst of the heat.
Stormheralds’ senses are well-adapted to their desert lifestyles. They have a secondary set of eyelids that can be folded down to protect against sand and other airborne detritus and possess keen night vision, having until very recently lived wholly nocturnal lives. The same armoured scales that protect them from harm make their sense of touch fairly poor; they can still tell if something’s poking them, but struggle to pick up on specific textures and may not notice something gently brushing against them.
A stormherald’s sense of hearing is quite keen, and they are capable of picking up on low-frequency sounds that might be completely inaudible to a human or other species of dragon.
Their sense of taste tends to be about as sharp as the average human’s.
Stormheralds’ senses are well-adapted to their desert lifestyles. They have a secondary set of eyelids that can be folded down to protect against sand and other airborne detritus and possess keen night vision, having until very recently lived wholly nocturnal lives. The same armoured scales that protect them from harm make their sense of touch fairly poor; they can still tell if something’s poking them, but struggle to pick up on specific textures and may not notice something gently brushing against them.
A stormherald’s sense of hearing is quite keen, and they are capable of picking up on low-frequency sounds that might be completely inaudible to a human or other species of dragon.
Their sense of taste tends to be about as sharp as the average human’s.
Lightning Abilities
Though they are quite tough, a stormherald’s greatest asset is not their muscles - rather, their ability to produce bolts of lightning is their most useful natural skill.
Most stormheralds only know how to ‘breathe’ forth a bolt of lightning from their jaws, although that is not the limit of their ability. With time, talent and training, it is possible to create lightning along any part of their body, or even to issue forth a ‘wave’ of electricity around them. Old tales claim that some were even able to create immense storms to revitalize their desert homeland, although if such a thing were possible, the art behind it has long been forgotten.
In order to use this ability, a stormherald must spend time ‘charging’ up their electrical stores. They naturally conduct and hold static and sparks, and can produce more by rubbing their wings together, flying, or, if lucky, just getting hit by lightning. It can take hours of dedicated exercise or days of natural activity to replenish their stores, although older dragons can retain more energy than younger ones.
The uses of their abilities are not limited to combat, however. Being a highly advanced nation, the stormheralds have developed technology powered by electricity. While some are operated by an individual using their lightning, most are plugged into a power grid fueled by factories where dozens of lower-class stormheralds are employed to keep the lights on. Some larger cities have begun to supplement and replace this form of power with Runes, but dragon-generated electricity is still the primary energy source in the nation.
Most stormheralds only know how to ‘breathe’ forth a bolt of lightning from their jaws, although that is not the limit of their ability. With time, talent and training, it is possible to create lightning along any part of their body, or even to issue forth a ‘wave’ of electricity around them. Old tales claim that some were even able to create immense storms to revitalize their desert homeland, although if such a thing were possible, the art behind it has long been forgotten.
In order to use this ability, a stormherald must spend time ‘charging’ up their electrical stores. They naturally conduct and hold static and sparks, and can produce more by rubbing their wings together, flying, or, if lucky, just getting hit by lightning. It can take hours of dedicated exercise or days of natural activity to replenish their stores, although older dragons can retain more energy than younger ones.
The uses of their abilities are not limited to combat, however. Being a highly advanced nation, the stormheralds have developed technology powered by electricity. While some are operated by an individual using their lightning, most are plugged into a power grid fueled by factories where dozens of lower-class stormheralds are employed to keep the lights on. Some larger cities have begun to supplement and replace this form of power with Runes, but dragon-generated electricity is still the primary energy source in the nation.