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"I tell you, the comparison with Dragons is a highly misleading one. Wyverns are clearly a different order of beast entirely, being as it were four-limbed rather than six-limbed. Furthermore, Wyverns have none of the redeeming qualities of Dragons. They swap pride for arrogance and nobility for cruelty. There is probably no creature quite so vicious as a Wyvern, which of course is why they ally themselves to Orcs so frequently."

—Waldemarr, Scholar of Nuln.[5a]
Warhammer Fantasy - Wyvern

Wyverns are cannibalistic predators that are known to be a distant offshoot of the Dragon race.[1a] At a distance you could mistake a Wyvern for a Dragon, but there is none of the nobility of spirit of Dragons in these debased and cruel creatures. It is this mean streak together with their sheer brute strength that attracts Orcs to them.[3a]

Overview

"Even if it you raised it yerself, never turn yer back on a Wyvern. It'll bite off a bit as soon as look at yer, and it'll be a bit you're gonna miss."

Orc Warboss Grod da One-Legged[4a]

Wyverns are vast, scaled beasts with broad wings and huge, fearsome jaws. Their hides are well armoured with bony scales and their tails drip with black venom that hisses when it touches the ground.[2a][3a] Wyverns are cannibalistic predators that are opportunistic hunters and not above eating carrion and this, along with their other filthy habits, ensures Wyverns are amongst the most foul-smelling creatures imaginable.[1a]

Warhammer poisonous wyvern by thegryph-d3cag35

A Wyvern soaring into battle.

Wyverns live in dark caves, high in the most barren reaches of mountains - most commonly those of the Worlds Edge range, though they can be found as far away as Naggaroth and Cathay - if one is sufficiently foolish enough to go looking.[1a][2a][3a][4a] Wyverns care little for territory, and will fight in its defense only if the transgressor looks suitably easy to overcome - a fact that, when coupled with the Wyvern's notoriously poor eyesight, has led many to more than one beast picking an unwinnable fight after mistaking a maddened Hippogrygh for something less threatening.[4a]

On occassion, a Wyvern will venture from its rocky eyrie, and swoop over the plains in search of food - Wyverns are particulary fond of muton and so devastate Empire town and farms - or sometimes merely in pursuit of ill-tempered mischief. So has the ungainly silhouette of a Wyvern in flight become a bad omen in many lands, like amongst Men and Elves.[1a][2a][3a][4a] However, when the Greenskins see the menacing silhouette of a Wyvern circling high above, they greet it with raucous cheers — another example of the strong imposing their will.[1a]

Hydra-(Wh-FB)-Dark-Elves-Warhammer-Fantasy-фэндомы-5117669

Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay

No Orc would be so foolish as to try to tame a fully grown Wyvern. However, adventurous Night Goblins raid Wyvern nests to steal eggs, which are traded or subsequently sold to Orcs for a steep price. It is dangerous work to hand-rear a Wyvern to full growth, but they are highly prized mounts for the most powerful Orc Warlords or Great Shamans, who form an unnatural bond with these hideous brutes. Wyverns are voracious beasts that always hunger for fresh meat, and their Orc masters are always willing to throw a few unlucky gobbos into the feeding pit of their loyal winged steed.[1a][2a][3a]

With their scaled hides and a penchant for mountain-top lairs, Wyverns have often been misidentified as smaller, fouler-smelling and much less intelligent Dragons. In truth, such mistakes are understandable. The two races have many similarities, and their only obvious difference is the Wyvern's lack of forelimbs - the kind of detail that is easily overlooked when the observer is running as fast as possible in the other direction. For their part, Dragons look down on Wyverns as the lesser creatures they truly are, and embrace the idea that their races might share some thread of kinship with all the enthusiasm of an Elf Prince embracing a particularly drunken and vomit-stained Dwarf.[4a]

Infamous Wyverns

Miniatures

Sources

  • 1: Warhammer Armies: Orc and Goblins (8th Edition)
    • 1a: pg. 63
  • 2: Warhammer Armies: Orc and Goblins (7th Edition)
    • 2a: pg. 29
  • 3: Warhammer Armies: Orc and Goblins (6th Edition)
    • 3a: pg. 24
  • 4: Storm of Magic (Supplement)
    • 4a: pg. 101
  • 5: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition: Old World Bestiary (RPG)
    • 5a: pg. 57 - 58

Gallery

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