This is a Takhic 'Cataphract'; a dragon clad in lamellar armour and wielding a bardiche. Soldiers like these are a key part of the Theskai army, essentially acting as heavy cavalry with the ability to fly. An army without large 'chimeras' (an umbrella term for the various types of sapient dragons, gryphons, and similar creatures) is at a severe disadvantage against an army with chimeras in its ranks (like a medieval army without cavalry or a modern army without air support). Luckily for the Theskais, their kingdom is large and includes many different species and cultures, such as the Rokics and Takhics, two culture-groups of dragons. Since these cultures are more or less integrated into the kingdom, these dragons are recruited in the same way as any other soldier. Far more straightforward than what other human-majority kingdoms might need to do to get chimeras in their armies, such as hiring them as mercenaries or establishing an alliance with a nearby group of them.

A large part of why I wanted to illustrate this was to show how dragons in this setting can wear armour and use weapons/tools, despite being quadrupeds. Their front talons are dexterous enough for them to use tools in the same manner as humans (albeit with less dexterity than human hands allow). They can rear up on their hind legs, holding their wings and tail behind to shift their centre of mass and stand upright, though they still appear slightly 'hunched over' while standing.

Wings are a big obstacle for body armour, so this design cuts off at the wings, with a leather strap surrounding the base of the limb and membrane, attached to the belt and collar of the suit to keep the central lamellar section secure. The rest of the wings are kept unarmoured, since adding extra weight there would only throw off balance and make flight impossible (flight is already difficult enough with the added weight of the armour). This does unfortunately make the wings quite susceptible to injury.

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Very much inspired by the armed dragons of Tobuzzu and Nirvanacuga, two artists in the Wings of Fire community (and whose art I referenced while making this).

less larp in the description this time lol (the spirit of suetonius has left me)