Gnetophyte Dragon

Gnetophyte Dragons

Gnetophyte Dragons are one of the nine Vegetative Dragons of Drakomere. They are associated with the Tone of Geneomancy, the Harmony of Conjuration, and the Primal Melody. They originated in Anomella, and are associated with the Origin Ancestry, the Phrenian. Due to their association with Conjuration Magic, they are also tied to the vice of Avoidance, and the virtue of Moderation, as well as a secondary tie to Ouroboros, even though Quetzalcoatl is their primary god, being god of Vegetative Dragons, thus also being related to the Sky.
Gnetophyte Dragons are about as strange as the Region they originate from. Their three Cultikins, the Ephedvern, Gnetovern, and Khorovern are almost nothing alike, and have very few similarities. The only similarities all Gnetophyte Dragons hold, are their woody scales, their pollen based reproduction, their protective casings around their pollen producers, and the fact that nearly every single Gnetophyte Dragon has some form of personality disorder.

Ephedvern

Ephedverns are one of the Gnetophyte Cultikins, they originated, like Gnetophyte Dragons in Anomella, specifically the northeastern desert and subarctic where Zhrrq, Nāekà-á, and the northern territories of Efforella's Bulwark are located. They typically prefer to stick to arid and dry regions. They all are extremely hyperactive and inattentive, minds and attention darting all over the place. They also typically enjoy mountainous regions, and can be found in the southern part of [MOUNTAINRANGE]. They also migrated to the dry and mountainous parts of Drakomere, like in the northern part of the Kzaa Dominance in Steelshroud, or the mountains in the south of [DESERTCONTINENTINWILDPLAINS], especially after [CATACLYSM].
In appearance, Ephedverns have a green and glossy coloration. They are smaller than most Dragons, and from all their joints have small woody shoot-like protrusions bursting out, almost reminiscent of quills. Each of these shoots have little buds over them, and small clusters of leaves sprouting every few inches. Their tail is a large cluster of these shoots of increased size, with little buds on the end.

Gnetovern

Gnetoverns are one of the Gnetophyte Cultikins, they originated, like Gnetophyte Dragons, in Anomella, specifically the highlands and marine coast to the west of Anomella, where Kalakwaela lies. Despite their land of origin, Gnetoverns typically prefer hotter, tropical climates and forests, in addition to the highlands they come from. After [CATACLYSM], many Gnetoverns migrated to the equatorial regions of Drakomere, especially the Stonebloom Plateau.
Gnetoverns are larger than Ephedverns, and initially larger than Khoroverns, but Khoroverns never stop growing so eventually they outpace the Gnetovern. heir bodies are covered in hard, brown, bark-like scales, with long, vine-like limbs, and their wings are large, green, and leaf-like, on tough, stubby, caterpillar-esque stems. Their tale is similar to the base of their wings, a stubby, segmented shoot, and their neck is covered in a frill of many hard, pointed nubs.
Gnetoverns have an abnormal amount of empathy and care, often to their detriment. The nubs on their neck frills are edible, and they often let smaller creatures feed on them. Additionally, they often allow insects to construct nests on them, which does give them an ominous aura of buzzing insects. Despite this, wherever they go, their presence is consistently appreciated and desired due to their benevolence.

Khorovern

Khoroverns are one of the Gnetophyte Cultikins, they originated, like Gnetophyte Dragons, in Anomella, specifically in the taiga towards the southeast, where Renth and the southern territories of Efforella's Bulwark lie. They, like Ephedverns, appreciate hot and dry environments, despite originating in Anomella. Because of this, few Khorovern remain in Anomella, especially after [CATACLYSM], but have migrated to the equatorial desert regions of Drakomere, like Stlaakh in Drakion.
They often have a god complex and enjoy being worshipped, this has caused many to fall to Aberrant corruption. A few city states in Kalakwaela do worship specific Khorovern as gods. They also have extremely long lifespans, some of the longest among Vegetative Dragons. Not only do are they extremely venerable, they never stop growing, even after their final molt, allowing for incredibly ancient, and incredibly large Khorovern, which adds to the mythology that allow some of them to be worshipped so fervently.
Their bodies are rounded, woody, stubby, and rough, with two very large leaf-like wings splitting from their backs. On their backs between their wings is an opening, almost like a split seed, from which many little buds sprout, and a nectar is produced. This nectar is often given to faithful followers of theirs, claiming it to be a reward and blessing. As they age, Khoroverns wings keep growing, and once they reach Elder stages, their wings begin fraying into ribbons, though they are still useful for flight. While juvenile, Khoroverns wings are smaller and pink. On rare occasion, a mutation allows Khoroverns to be born with three wings, instead of two.