Wher

Canon

Triad canon does not accept Todd's retconned Wher abilities of flight at night. Instead, whers cannot fly at all and their communication is similar to firelizard emotions and images and vocalizations. Images are unclear due to their limited vision.

In character, wher speech is formatted like firelizards with ~~these~~ and are mostly just emotions and images with only a few words.

Wher names do not always end in -sk

Origins

Watch-whers were a form of life that resulted when Wind Blossom tried to improve on dragons.

In an effort to produce more dragons after her grandmother's death, Wind Blossom Ping also attempted to use the Eridani equations on dragonet genetic material. However, she did not have the same grasp of genetics as Kitti Ping, and the results of her tinkering were not totally successful.

What hatched from the eggs she engineered looked like ugly, malformed dragons, and were dubbed "whers." Their wings were stumpy pinions that looked functional but were not. They were smooth-skinned and colored like dragons, but that was almost the only point of resemblance.

When full-grown, whers weigh between six and eight hundred pounds, about the size of a small, low-slung runner. Their feet are arranged with two claws, and a single pad supported the body weight; in spite of such bad design, they can move with surprising speed.

Impression

Whers are Impressible, and they adore their human mates with the same devotion and empathy as dragons. They are also very territorial and, if not properly introduced, will kill anyone they believe is invading their home. As a result of Wind Blossom's attempt to smooth out the natural faceting of the eyes, their eyes have malformed lenses with countless little facets that aim the light directly back into the fovea, like a magnifying glass. Whers were photophobic and have poor focal length, but they are effective guardians at night, able to see even in total darkness. Their senses of smell and hearing are as keen as their night vision. They are not as intelligent as dragons, but they could serve a purpose. And they breed true.

Unlike their dragon cousins, where do not 'have' to Impress. They can live their life without the bond that is so essential to their cousins. These wild whers are solitary and antisocial. They tend to be untrustworthy, unreliable, vicious animals. Without a human there, the wher hatchlings will leave their mother and go wild. Generally, if a Wher hatched from a domestic Wher does not bond with a Handler, they are killed. Otherwise, they will become vicious and unpredictable, quite often turning even on those who feed them.

Naming

Whers do not following a naming pattern in the way that dragons do. They are named by their handler in the same manner that firelizards are named by their owners.

Limitations

• A persona cannot have both a dragon and a wher
• Persona must be a beastcrafter and journeyman or above to have a wher
• Persona must be employed as a Wherhandler at a Hold or Mining operation for purposes consistent with that employment. Holds would typically only need 1 watchwher at a time.
• Whers are never pets
• Wher must be at least 18 turns younger than handler (due to journeyman minimum age of 18)

Physiology

Watch-whers were modified from fire lizards, just as the dragons were, so they share many of the same basic characteristics. They have six limbs, four legs and two wings. They also have smooth skin, and the same colors as fire lizards. They have tridactyl claws, like the original fire lizards, though their feet are reversed, with two articulated toes in front of one fixed claw.

Beyond that, there isn't much resemblance. Their head knobs are so short as to be barely noticeable. They are short and hunched, and weigh 600-800 lb. Their skin seems too tight against their bulging muscles. Their feet each have only a single pad, yet they can move somewhat fast. Watch-whers are nocturnal, to the point that they can't even go outside during the day because of their photophobia. Their eyes are large and see mostly in the infrared range, which causes them pain when out in daylight. Unlike dragons, whers are not well suited to being ridden due to their shape and size.

The DLG says their wings look functional but are not, however, they can move with surprising speed.

Whers are also well-suited to their job as guards. They can recognize everyone in their Hold, and are territorial enough to attack anyone who isn't introduced to them by their handler. They are also commonly used in mines. They can smell explosive gas or stale air long before it can kill a human. They are strong enough to carry loads twice their own weight, which makes them very good at digging out trapped miners after a cave-in.

Wild Whers avoid encounters during the day, but they will kill if disturbed at night.

Psychic Abilities

Watch-whers' bonds are more like fire izards' Impression than dragons'. If they do not bond with a human after hatching, or their handler dies, they will not go between. In fact, they can bond with a second handler if their first dies, or even switch handlers without their first one dying. "Wild" watch-whers who have never bonded with a human are able to bond regardless of age.

Reproduction

Watch-wher mating flights have a similar effect on humans to those of dragons.

Watch-wher eggs are smaller than dragon eggs. They are also wrinkled, rather than smooth.

Only a few eggs of each laying mature to hatch.