World: Any
Diet: Shrubs, tree saplings
Length: 58″4′
Lifespan: 400 years
Habitat: Forest, scrublands
Activity Cycle: Diurnal
Two souls shackled together, a brilliant madness and dull stability housed in one body, amphicaera are considered unpredictable even for dragons. On one end, there is the head that controls most of the body. In terms of intellect, it barely outclasses a numbskull, just barely intelligent enough to wander around and find food. It is this head that directs most of the pair’s activities, choosing where to go and what to do, which is usually simply finding food. On the other end there is the mastermind, a head packed with genius beyond measure, and almost no ability to use it. This is the head that schemes for power and treasure, but its plans can only be enacted when the rest of the body is coerced into helping.
This coercion can take many forms. Threats and violence are a common choice, although generally ineffectual. With a tough hide and little response to verbal abuse, these angry tails usually find themselves dragged around helplessly, never amounting to any of the glory they believe they deserve. More effective masterminds lead their partner with patience and the supply of tasty treats and glittering treasure. Both sides of the amphicaera have a lust for treasure that rivals that of a pyrosaurolophus, with their favored treasures being glittering gems and glass. To go with its mental prowess, the tail also contains a natural mental magic that allows it to move objects without touching them; they use this ability to bend branches around their nest to form a more defensible den. Anything that enters risks a mind-shattering scream and the brute force the dragon’s massive body can offer.
The greatest masterminds have vaster lairs, staffed by scholars and soldiers the tail has found common ground with. While not as common as sphinx, some are even seen guarding the greatest halls of learning, in exchange for the opportunity to trade banter with the great minds who lurk there. The half with lesser intellect is quite content in such places so long as they have a steady supply of food and some shiny gems to watch over as well.
