A Question 4 Wyvern

[Efreeti_Genie]

I'm not sure, but I'm guessing you know what a wyvern is (why else would you have that name?). If a dragon and a wyvern got in a mix-up, which do you think would walk away? I feel (sad to say) that the dragon would, since they do tend to be larger (but wyverns have their tails and excellent speed ). Of course, I don't see why wyverns aren't so popular. They are a lot like dragons, except different features. Most people don't even know what a wyvern is!! Well, I have only seen it once (BG and BG2), so I could probably see why they wouldn't. Just a little input on my part, and I would appreciate yours. =>

[Wyvern]

Ah - the nemstory of Wyverns and Dragons!

Long ago and far away when one of the few cyberlands to be visited was Compu$erve and 300 baud was fast, I joined. I joined in order to play an online rpg being run by a online friend of a friend of mine. Naturally I had to choose a name and happened to be reading a book on Dragons and their relatives at the time. I choose Wyvern because they were kin to dragons but unique in their special way. Did you know that in some mythology Wyverns do have four limbs and wings just like dragons? Commonly they are considered to have only the hind legs and their paws/hands/claws on their wings. They are still graceful creatures! Wyverns have been common "monster" types in many CRPGs. I think the first game in which I got to see someone's graphical representation of one was the very first Might and Magic.
I have made one stuffed Wyvern (which now calls the music room home) and several dragons as well as many osts (not that any but a very, very few people would know what an ost was).
Now - isn't "Efreeti_Genie" a *little* redundant? But Djinn maybe I don't know what I am talking about!
Thanks for the post!!
Wyv

[Efreeti_Genie]

Well, just like you, I was reading the BG2 manual, and saw what an efreeti was, so just plain old efreeti doesn't sound all that great (sounds pretty dull to me). So I put in Genie, I guess to let some know that it is a genie, and others that it rhymes (but that isn't all that great). I couldn't think of anything else, so efreeti_genie had to do. Now a djinni (sp) is nothing like an efreeti. Djinni are from the (seem to have forgotten) well they are air genies, and efreeti are fire genies. I don't see an air genie being all that great (or powerful). But I see what your saying

[Wyvern]

hehehe
I like your handle!! Djinn are related to genies et al though I'm no longer (was I ever??) clear on the exact connection! Might be like that of Wyverns to Dragons - close cousins or something!
Picking a handle is always an interesting task. I was quite delighted when I registered here and found that I was able to take up my old handle again and call it mine! Have learned quite a lot asking people about the source of their handles - many an interesting story to be told - maybe that would be a good thread/poll??? What do you think??
Wyv

[Efreeti_Genie]

Well I do know quite a lot (mainly from all my RPG's), like Wolfweres, those genies, Drow (I'm sure most people know that one), many others too (not just from BG though). This game was a little different though. I have never played an RPG where they had different animal classes (maybe haven't played enough of em yet). Of course, a few are a little absurd (the uh Orgrok or whatever {piggies}, I mean you have your Lizords and {elephants} that have bonuses to strength, and the Ratlings and Whiskas with the bonuses to speed. The Orgrok just remind me too much of Orc's from Warcraft (big and stupid). Of course they may not really be stupid (just looks that way ). Ya, if you started a poll on where people get their sources, I would most definitely answer.

[Wyvern]

Okay - I'll do it!! Should prove to be an interesting thread and the board needs a bit of prodding after the holidays!

Balgin rgumbles somthing about the youth of today having lost touch with their ancestors:
Personally my sources are traditional stories (folk tales, ancient mythologies etc) and might have glanced at a re printed medieval bestiary or two in my time.Wyverns are out of my ken but Dragon comes from the Greek Draco, the Norse Drakkr(ever wonder why there are computer games called Drakkhen, Drakkan etc ?),and I think there was some continental European (might have been French or something) involved in the word.Djiin is the Arabic word that was Anglicised into Geenie for us English people to pronounce and it sort of stuck.Efriits or Efreeti are either different words for the same thing or for different things (like the Greek Dryads,Hammadryads,nymphs,undines,gnomes,salamande rs and a lot of others that I can't remember without picking up a book).Now personally Balgin isn't you're stereotypical AD&D type of Dwarf, more of a traditional Norse Dwarf (Dveurgar or Duergar in Old Norse, interesting that TSR made an evil race of Psionic Dwarfs called Duergar and an evil race of half human, half dwarfs called Derro who'd rather steal things than make them).The Norse Duergar are also refered to as Trolls (Trolls), Alfar(elves),Liosalfar(light elves),dok alfar(dark elves) and dok(I think that's dark elves again).Now there are few distinctions between any of these as they are all taken to be other than human and elemental forces of some kind or another.Trolls in Norse mythology were also related to Giants and could be any size therefore these various names could be referring to different personal traits that were dominent in human personalities.However the lios alfar were light and air elementals whilst the duergar (or the dock alfar) were different names for the small craftsmen who lived bellow ground (in the background)and are rather like the Sami tribes of Sweden(pronounced Suomi) and I have it on good authority that they are wonderful craftsmen and that the vikings called them Dwarfs because they were about 2ft shorter (being about 5ft tall, most vikings were about 6'4" according to excavated bones) so I consider Balgin to be a small craftsman, a holder of knowledge and tough as the mountains that he is made of (thanks to Tolkien dwarfs and trolls are more readily associated with Norse mythology than most of the other aforementioned types).

Oh, no doubt the dragon would lose his heart to wyvern in a red hot second. Wyverns are witty, beautiful, captivating creatures who can out spell the toughest dragons and on an even more unusual note it is a battle the dragon will have not regrets about losing so spellbound will the poor creature be. I this case my money is on the wyvern.

[Davros]

Hi Lil, your still awake I see - WWWW???

[Wyvern]

(blushes)