Pseudodragons are not an uncommon sight in the fens of the Coreland, and neither are firedrakes, one of the most well-known species of dragonet. But these clever, and cunning creatures are not what bring naturalists from across the continent to study the wildlife of the swamps. No, the main attractions are the multitude of even smaller dragon-like animals, the microdrakes and Dowarbys. Scholars seeking to study these wondrous little beasties arrive in Slothjemia every spring to try and learn more about their habits, diet, and mating tendencies.

Microdrakes are, generally speaking, the larger of the two types, and are carnivorous in nature. Dowarbys are herbivores for the most part, although some tend to be omnivores. The largest of the microdrakes are about the size of a falcon, and the smallest Dowarby species, the Tea Leaf Dowarby, is only slightly smaller than a hummingbird. There are five types of microdrake that are found nowhere else on earth outside of the Coreland, and twenty-three types of Dowarby, the largest unique gathering thus far discovered. The most coveted of these is the Hemblin Dowarby, widely prized for it’s vivid orange and red coloration. Export of both microdrakes and Dowarbys is carefully controlled, but smuggling is a constant problem. It seems anti-climactic that a nation filled with rogues and ruffians should have as one of it’s most dangerous professions the covert transport of tiny flying lizards, but there you go.

On a side note, one of the first people to make an exhaustive study of Slothjemia’s microdrakes and Dowarbys was King Beoreich, a studious fellow who made that his primary quest in life. Again, rather anti-climactic, when one considers that his father had made a name for himself slaying actual dragons all across the region. But like their Dowarbys, it only highlights that Slothjemia is not always what you expect it to be.