Wailing Dragon (Young)

Canny, patient, and creative, wailing dragons are adepts of sound and psychology. With both their physiology and innate connection to arcane magic allowing them to produce and shape sound waves, these reclusive creatures are heard much more often than seen. Named for their tendency to use uncanny keening vocalizations to communicate across long distances and startle prey, wailing dragons haunt locations that create interesting or useful echoes, such as canyons or caverns. Though ruthless predators when needed, most wailing dragons devote their energy toward investigating the effects sound has on the environment and the bodies and minds of creatures.

Minstrels, divas, and tunesmiths seek out these creatures during their mating season, when two dragons sing courtship ballads full of intricate harmonies. While this might be the performance of a lifetime, it's a dangerous concert, as incautious audience members frequently become meals for the nuptial couple. (The famous Chelaxian composer, Gretezi Valtros, disappeared on such an expedition in 4275 ar, after he set out to teach a wailing dragon High Azlanti and "instruct it in the decorous art of opera.") Most creatures also find the close-range subsonic vibrations emitted by wailing dragons extremely uncomfortable, reinforcing the idea that it's best to observe them from a distance.