Sartamus
Legacy Name: Sartamus

Ziva

Bone Dragons (or Bones for short) are often referred to as ghost dragons among the inhabitants of the land. This is also why no one ever goes willingly into a cave. Bones will lie silently in the cave out of sight, and no one ever knows if they are present until it's too late. They act much like ghosts; hiding in the dark, watching when no one else sees them, and occasionally showing their presence in ways that can either be pleasant or not.

The following is shared amongst all Bone Dragons:

Appearance
Bone Dragons get their name from the bone that covers their bodies. It serves as a natural armor; a second skeleton that sits on the surface of their skin, with otherwise regular body structure underneath that (skin, muscle, tendons, organs, and an inner skeleton). The whole top portion of their head is encased in bone with hallows where people would think the eyes should be. Bone plating then runs down the length of their back to the tip of the tail. There is also plating on their wings and legs. Each breed has general features that only apply to them, so as to better accommodate them in their environments.

The Senses
Even though they do not have eyes, a Bone dragon can still see. Their vision consists of sonar, similar to that of a bat, that gives them a mental picture of what is around them. There are neurons that run underneath their head bone and congregate around the two hallows. This is only limited sight though as their sonar consists of audible clicks form the back of the throat that vary in pitch. When they are out for a stroll, the clicks are low, but on a hunt, they can be very loud and alert all living things to their presence. The clicking can also disorient the Bone's prey, but they prefer to hunt in stealth to keep their skills sharp.

When not clicking (stealth mode), they rely on their sense of smell and hearing. Located in the nasal cavity of the head bone are heat sensors similar to that of a rattlesnake so that the Bone will get a sort of infrared sight. Of course, if their prey is hiding, the surrounding land can help hide their body heat.

They are by no means perfect creatures. If they lose a sense, they can be crippled. For instance, even though their outer bone armor is strong, any cracks that appear around the eye hallows can interfere with their sight which can hinder them in just about everything. For example, trees do not give off sufficient heat, they all smell the same, and the leaves can rustle all around them. Any Bone with an armor fracture would never be able to maneuver between the trees safely, either at a strolling pace, or excessive speed when hunting.

Features
Because the head bone is helmet like, Bones have two rows of teeth. The outer row is more or less permanent and rigid, with a broken tooth not coming back. The inner row, however, is more flexible since the teeth are set in gums and have a constant blood supply. If a tooth is lost, it has the possibility of growing back depending on how much damage was done to the root. Of course some have larger outer teeth than others, it just all depends on the breed that is being observed.

Sartamus
Sartamus' appearance further instills the ghostly feeling among those who visit him. He is one of a few Bones who regularly interact with humans, and has even taken a cave close to a little village. He is grey in color and has no horns or spikes to speak of. Some consider him an Albino Bone, but that assumption is beyond being wrong. He lets them continue to believe what they want, however, not wishing to have his past revealed. He is an outcast of his species, and prefers not to dwell on that fact.

The cave Sartamus resides in is also home to a hoard of bats. They share a similar language and the bats serve as his way to gain information from outside his cave and the village.

Ziva

Sartamus drawn by Nagrandia on deviantArt
Overlay by me, Draviel
Bone Dragon info edit and Story help by Dracoren

He was foolish to take the challenge, but damnit, he had to prove himself! He would prove them all wrong, and they would be the ones to shy away in embarrassment!

Holding his shield in the air, Kalon stabbed with his sword. He was ready, he had been training with a sword since he was 13 years old. Today was the perfect day to prove to everyone that he had what it took to be called a man. What better way than to bring back a dragon's head on his 21st birthday? Oh, how the village will stare in awe.

Making his way through the trees, Kalon continued on towards the valley in the mountains that the wyverns were said to reside. Nimble creatures, one of them would make the perfect trophy, or so one of his friends claimed; and that is why he found himself out in the mountains looking for one.

A sudden gust of wind from over head startled him, and he instinctively crouched down and rose his shield up above his head. Looking around the edge, he could see nothing up above him, just a clear blue sky with a few wispy, white clouds.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Kalon stood up and was almost immediately attacked from behind by a reasonably sized wyvern with glistening black scales, grey claws, and bright white teeth. The creature stood at about 8ft tall which almost dwarfed Kalon's 6 and a half foot frame.

What had he gotten himself into? Holding up his shield and sword he let loose a great yell and charged forward.

---

The yell and sounds of a short battle rang through the valley. Sartamus lifted his head to sniff the air and listen. A faint smell of smoke and blood filled his nostrils as he sent a few short clicks in the direction that the smell came from. An impression of a valley filled his senses and he decided to take to the skies to go investigate.

Circling above where he had sensed the confrontation, he ceased his clicking and let the infrared images of a man and wyvern fill his mind. They were fighting, or more like one was hiding, the other hunting. The man was crouched on the other side of a rocky outcropping, with the wyvern fast approaching his position. Small flames licked at some of the surrounding foliage, and the wyvern had a little difficulty walking, slightly favoring its left leg.

Continuing to observe only, Sartamus watched as the wyvern finally got to where the man was and roared. The man shuddered and clutched a broad item in his hands. It was hard to tell what it was at this point in time though. But what happened next gave Sartamus all he needed to know.

Diving down, he grabbed the wyvern in his jaws, and tore the beast off the shield that the man had barely gotten between himself and the wyvern in time.

---

Once the beast had landed on Kalon, all the air had rushed out of his lungs. Looking up, he saw a monstrous dragon before him. He was done for, he knew it. The wyvern had almost bested him, and now this bigger dragon had come to have more than his fair share. Letting the shield go out of his grasp, Kalon just laid there on the ground.

But nothing happened. No claws broke his bones. No teeth tore at his flesh. Instead he heard soft clicks and felt a warm breeze on his face. Opening an eye just a little bit he saw a massive nostril.

The bone dragon had saved him!

Art
Sartamus Overlay by Yiff
Sartamus byLace_and_Metal
Sartamus byChoco