These dragonesque moths are very unique creatures.

Originally tamed for use by aelfin wyrm-dum, they have a peculiar attraction to the blue flame that all wyrm-dum light at their camps at night.
Though wyrm-dum generally try to keep at least two dryglex with them at all times, they cannot capture them, and the dryglex do not give strict loyalty to any one wyrm-dum. They are not sentient, although they can be trained (with best results by an aelf).

Full-grown dryglex have four wings, like a butterfly. They have a roughly six-inch wingspan, with roughly two-inch tails hanging from each lower wing. At the end of this tail is a sometimes-glowing sac of special fluid. When this sac glows periodically (like a firefly), that signals that they are ready to mate.

The reason wyrm-dum keep dryglex with them at night is for protection. The blue flame is thought to be generally distasteful to most dragons and wyrms, but the added presence of a couple dryglex usually ensures that all wyrm-like creatures will leave that area with no further investigation.
The dryglex carry no poison known to man.

They are rather mysterious, and though the wyrm-dum are curious as to why they have the effect on other beasts that they do, they are more than happy to accept them as they are.

The aelfs are singularly silent on the subject of dryglex.

They feed on fresh meat of any kind, as long as it is not drained of blood. Most wyrm-dum kill a small animal of some sort at the beginning of their day which they hang on their pack, hoping that the dryglex will stay and feed on the animal throughout the day. The dryglex generally do stay to feed, as their wings camouflage very well on dark, earth-tone creatures.

Thus the dryglex.

What are wyrm-dum?

Why can't they capture dryglex? Is it against a rule?

I really like the idea of dragonesque moths. Do you call them dragonesque because they look dragonesque, or because they are used for protection?

Wyrm-dum are dragon-hunters. I haven't developed them terribly much, but when I do I'll make a post on the ??? forum (would it be cultures...?). I mentioned them a little in my Wyrm post.

[If you break it down, wyrm=dragon and dum=doom=fate, which brings in the general idea of killer/hunter. It's not a directly translatable word into English, but it sorta has an old-English something-like-that feel. ]

They cannot (or do not) capture dryglex because the dryglesx have an intense desire to be free. Any caged dryglex would make any and all efforts (whether successful or not) to get free of their imprisonment, and would eventually die in captivity. If freed, it would avoid all wyrm-dum. It's kinda a trust issue, but again, the dryglex are not sentient.

I call them dragonesque because they look dragon-like. Their wings are leathery (very unlike moths or butterflies, much more like a bat or dragon, although very thin), and their body mass (quite small) is shaped like a dragon (longish neck and tail, but with six legs), and covered in what looks like scales. The head especially looks like a tiny dragon head. Their tongues are extremely long and thin, and roll up in a special cavity in their lower jaw.
As far as coloration goes, they have some control over the colors of the outside of their wings, though any patterns they have remain the same. Color change occurs because of increased blood-flow to the wings, and they can fluctuate this to give the appearance of subtle movement like the shadow of a leaf waving back and forth. They are really good at camouflage.

Thanks for the questions! I didn't really know exactly what they looked like before this. But now I do. Thanks!

Areth,

Karthmin

That is aawesome. I love the way you've described them. Do they have antennae? Since their wings are skin, but are very thin like a moth's wings, are the wings partially transparent?

Do dryglex have any predators? I'm not sure from your post whether all animals dislike going near the dryglex, or whether it is just the wyrm-like creatures that do.

Do you pronounce the name straightforward, like 'dry glue lexicon'?

You're welcome. These are fascinating.

Thanks so much! You make me excited about my own creature!

Antenna? No. I'm thinking that the long tongue takes care of that. They sorta wave it around a lot. And it's probably forked for about half of it's length, so it looks sorta like antenna.

About the wings. The closest thing I can think of to compare them to is a bat's wings. So they are very thin, and if held up to the light, somewhat transparent, but because they're covered with very fine scales (which look much more like hair) the transparency is muted.
Actually, thinking about these scales....I think they're bi-colored. So if they lay them down one way, it's one shade, but if they lay them down the other way, it's a different shade. And the blood in the wings thing helps them even further...
As you can see, I'm developing as we go along here. Never put them under the microscope before.

Adult dryglex have no natural predators. The males have very long lifespans for a creature of their type and size (about five human years), but they are still relatively rare because they only mate once in their whole lifetime. The female dryglex mature slower than the males. They ready a huge number of eggs and once they mate and the eggs are fertilized, the female sheds her wings and digs a hole in soft volcanic dirt. She dies and her body will be the first nourishment of the baby dryglex. The survival ratio between hatched dryglex and adult dryglex is extremely low because at this stage they form easy prey to larger predators - anything big enough to want to eat the tiny wing-less dragonets. The males do not look after the developing dryglex.

There is not a huge lopsided ration of male/female dryglex population because the males often duel to the death - sometimes several contestants at once, over one mature female. These duels generally maim all involved rather severely. Rips and scratches on their wings heal very quickly, but a male dryglex who wins a duel and mates is often very lethargic for the following month or even longer.

Most creatures tend to steer clear of adult dryglex. However, this is especially true of wyrms, wyverns, draco (dragon-wolves), and dragons.

Pronunciation is pretty much exactly as you gave the example. I try to work in a bit of an "i" sound (like in hit) mixed in with the "y" (in dry), but that doesn't work terribly well. So just say it a little funny and you're good. ;D

Thanks again for the awesome questions. I know far more about them now than I ever dreamed I would.

So does the tongue work like antennae do more, or more like a snake's tongue? I mean, does it sense things itself, or does it just carry particles to sensors inside its mouth?

The wings sound like they would look really beautiful. Since they're skin-like, do they balloon out at all while they are flying, like a bat's wings, or do they stay more flat?

OK. * grins *

You will have to write a story with these in it.

Hmmm...I think the tongue has extremely sensitive nerve endings that pick up a lot of sensory information. Oh, and their tongues are dry, rather than wet, so it doesn't pick up a lot of dust.

Unless...it would be better that they are slightly sticky so they can pick up more information from the air?

Either way works for me, as long as there's a reasonable explanation behind it. What do you think works better?

The wings probably billow a bit as they fly. But not too much, because a billowing wing seems like it would be much harder to flap quickly. I think it depends how outstretched their wings are. They can fold them up around their bodies.
The wing-joints 'lock' in the fully open position. In this state, the wings would not balloon very much at all. However, if the dryglex unlocks the joints that holy the wings open,they would billow.

I have a story started in which they are mentioned, but I haven't fully written a story with them yet. They're a part of my wyrm-world, so it's all unfinished.
For now.

Areth.

Mm. I think it would be more sensitive if it was wet.. I know that's the way it is with a dog's nose.. maybe the dryglex could just clean it sometimes. I don't know.

Well, get on with it.

Yeah, if they had to keep it wet by coiling it up in their mouths every now and then, that would give them a more snakish/reptilian feel. And it seems to make more sense. Their saliva is very thick and almost mucousy, so it doesn't dry out very quickly. And its sticky, too. Not like glue, but enough to catch whatever's floating around in the air.

Haha...yes ma'am! As soon as the rest of the story is fit to tell, I will do so.

Areth.