Pyrrhichios Dragon

Pyrrhichios Dragons were released on May 21, 2022, alongside Thundersnow Dragons, Hooded Murkling Dragons, Furor Pygmies, Astralophyne Dragons, Fanalea Dragons and Scourgekeeper Dragons as part of Dragon Cave's 16th birthday celebration.

Pyrrhichios have the Breed Specific Action Adventure. Through this action, the user may select up to six adult dragons from the same release to be sent on an adventure, attempting to ally a Scourgekeeper Dragon. If successful, an adult Scourgekeeper Dragon will be added to the user's scroll and the participating adventurers will "retire", making the BSA unavailable for those dragons. A failed adventure imposes a 14 day cooldown on the participating adventurers, after which they can attempt another adventure.

Official descriptions[]

Egg[]

When you tap on this shell, the hatchling inside taps back.

Hatchling[]

Aww... It’s a cute baby dragon. It strikes up a drumbeat whenever it gets excited.

Mature hatchling[]

Aww... It’s a cute baby dragon. It strikes up a drumbeat whenever it gets excited.

And look! Colorful plumage has sprouted from its shoulders and feet. It must be close to maturing.

Adult[]

Although the lively Pyrrhichios Dragon is somewhat small in size, they are well known for their passionate displays and boisterous natures. Pyrrhichios Dragons have long established an aptitude for percussive music due to an innate sense of rhythmic timing. A Pyrrhichios may use either the bony mallet at the tip of its tail or powerful stomps of its hind feet to drum intricate beats on hollowed out objects like logs or stones, all while shaking their brightly colored plumage. These dances are performed for various reasons, such as courtship, territorial or threat displays, war dances, celebrations, and community bonding. The war dance of a Pyrrhichios is especially impressive to witness, as these charismatic and physically expressive dragons use their talents to inspire each other prior to combat with leaping feats, intense drumming, and vigorous body movements. They are often found in family groups of twenty or more individuals called a "band," and these bands may either combine with others or split into smaller bands on a whim. Bands mark each other with red clay as a way to distinguish these groups from one another, while those who are ostracized are stripped of all identifying marks.

Sprite artists[]

Schenanigans (All)
Shiny Hazard Sign (All)

Sprites[]

Series	Egg	Hatchling	Mature hatchling	Adult
Pyrrhichios Dragon

Egg sequence[]

Stage 0	Stage 1	Stage 2	Stage 3	Stage 4	Stage 5	Dead

Encyclopedia entry[]

Show/Hide Entry

Appearance/Basic Anatomy

These dragons are bipedal with an alternating gait, which allows them to sprint great distances for long periods of time.
May also use their tail as a third limb to prop themselves up in battle so they can deliver wickedly fast and powerful kicks to their opponents.
Capable of destructive blows with a tail mallet or feet. A single blow of a tail mallet can shatter bone, rock, wood, and easily dent metal.
The head crest and shoulder plumage change positions according to the mood of the dragon. At rest, the head crest lays flat and shoulder plumage drapes across the back.
The pads of their feet are highly sensitive to vibrations. This allows them to sense other creatures nearby, such as an approaching adversary.
Their foreclaws are sharp enough to scrape away at stone. Pyrrhichios will carve different sized rocks or logs for drumming purposes while simultaneously honing their claws.

Hatchling Behavior

Young Pyrrhichios are attracted to tapping sounds and will attempt to replicate the beat of whatever rhythm they hear or feel.
Hatchlings are quadrupedal until their hind legs build enough muscle to support an upright position. However, they are rather uncoordinated until close to adulthood.
Very social, even upon hatching. They may get distressed if left alone for too long and will try to seek attention by rapid-fire thumping a foot on the ground.
Hatchlings start experimenting with different drum materials very early, and may accidentally whack others when testing out new objects.
These young dragons tend to start up impromptu drum circles to challenge each other, which can devolve into chaos if not guided by an elder Pyrrhichios.

Adult Behavior

As a social breed, Pyrrhichios are very rarely without others of their kind, as their dances often depend on multiple drumlines and coordinated dance movements.
Drumming and dancing can have a positive effect on non-Pyrrhichios dragons by stimulating adrenaline and excitement to increase aggression prior to combat.
Because performance is so integral to their daily life, these dragons spend significant portions of their downtime grooming themselves and each other.
Dances tend to be extravagant and lively productions. There are several layers to these dances that require perfect synchronicity between all of the different shifting parts.
Interrupting a dance is highly offensive and is usually taken as a act of hostility. Transgressors, if not chased off, may be whipped into submission with several tail mallets.
Marking each other with red clay is a bonding exercise meant to fully integrate individuals into the band. These marks have to be reapplied every so often.
Especially during war dances or celebrations, these dragons can be vocal with yips, howls, and deep snarls to accent their music.

Habitat

These dragons are typically found close to tree coverage for nesting and rearing young. However, most bands enjoy pack hunting on open plains.
Appear comfortable in hot climates, but not overly dry ones. Arid environments tend to affect the luster of their show feathers.
Their nests are most usually found at the base of large trees as dens burrowed under the roots. Hatchlings will follow closely at the heels of their mothers for several weeks until it is safe for them to be exposed to open sky.
A band’s territory is marked by antler scratches and specific clay markings on tree trunks that border their claimed domain.

Diet

These dragons are obligate carnivores and will split into hunting parties when food stores get low. Successful parties are met with celebratory dances upon return.
Though they focus most on large game, Pyrrhichios are also known to hunt rabbits, gamefowl, rodents, and other smaller creatures specifically for hatchlings.
Despite requiring a mostly meat diet, they seem to enjoy brightly colored berries with sharply sour or tangy flavors.

Trivia[]

Pyrrhichios Dragons may represent the bard class in Dungeons & Dragons.

Additional information[]

“

To help people better imagine the entire rpg party, I made silhouettes and the conceptors of each dragon gave me their sizes to compile into a size chart:

And with the giant Scourgekeeper, our big bad evil guy!
(disclaimer: sizes might change in future depending on the conceptor or if the general size scope of dc changes.)

– SkyWolf25 ^{(Forum Post)}

“

My lovely Pyrrhichios babies are named after a particular Grecian war dance! They are very musical dragons and revolve their entire lives around dance and self expression. Their crests of feathers are physical indicators of their mood; when excited and happy their feathers are erect, and when at rest their feathers lay flat (mohawks flat on their heads and shoulder feathers drape against their backs). When particularly enthusiastic, they may rapidly drum a foot against the ground like a rabbit!

And for their special battle stance, they go tripod by propping themselves up on their tail and double-kicking adversaries right in the gonads!

– Shiny Hazard Sign ^{(Forum Post)}