Gylarians are space-faring dragons from the works of Steve Simshauser:
'Dragon of the Valkyr' comics published by RCG, a division of RAK Graphics.
'The Abrasax Chronicles' book series by Daniel Mickle, Book 7.
'Free·Time' a short story published in All Worlds Wayfarer, Issue XI (#11).
Gylarians are a key part of the Miriakon interstellar cooperative.
Gylarian on viewscreen, talking to Abras Royalty
Appearance and Abilities
They physically resemble a pterosaur or wyvern.
Nominal adult parameters:
length (nose-to-tail): 48 ft.
wingspan (tip-to-tip): 78 ft.
total height (quad stance): 16 ft.
shoulder height (quad): 12 ft.
head (nose-crest tip): 14 ft.
neck (head-to-shoulder): 17 ft.
body (shoulder-to-hip): 11 ft.
tail (hip to vane tip): 13 ft.
head/jaw width (at hinge): 23 in.
Coloration: usually tri-tone scheme in brown or grey.
Velvet-like down covers most of the body&wings.
The underside of the wings has less dense -but fine and short down (airflow sensing).
The underside of the neck & body is clad in scale-like scutes of variable hardness.
Physiology Gylarians have four eyes (two pairs--one large and one small):
Gylarians are consummate carnivores: diet is meat & by-products (80%), sweet fruit (15%), other (5%).
The length of the lower jaw is about half the length of the head (i.e. almost 7 ft.).
The mouth is a hybrid of avian and reptilian structures,
The tongue is attached to the top of the throat by means of a hyoid mechanism.
Extending the tongue forward pulls the throat up into the oral cavity to envelop prey.
At a stretch, something nearly twenty inches in diameter could be swallowed whole.
Bird-like digestive system: mouth, gullet, crop, proventriculus, gizzard, intestine, bowel, cloaca.
Gylarians are warm-blooded, with a nominal internal temperature 5degF/3degC above human.
The body temperature setpoint can change at will. If entering hibernation, body temperature drops.
The fire-spray is part of their thermal management. 'Thermosynthesis' converts surplus heat into fire-spray gel.
Tissues that provide thermosynthesis are mainly in the flight muscles and around the pouch.
The fire-spray mechanism is in the beak. the aperture forms a small notch in the beak-tip.
Thermosynthesis keeps the pouch environment comfortable for the occupant.
Vision: Gylarians have excellent eyesight owing to its four eyes (two pairs--one large and one small):
small pair senses visual spectrum (tetrachromic plus tapetum lucidum), with a feline appearance,
large pair senses infrared (trichromic thermographic vision)--milk-white orbs with swirling iridescence.
Key abilities include:
Flight - they are strong and agile fliers. They don't fly in space unaided - they use spacecraft.
Fire-spray - Like a spitting cobra -but high-energy gel that spontaneously reacts with the air .
Telepathy / Mind Reading / Memory Absorption / Mind-Sense / Life-Sense.
Soul Capture - see 'Gylarian/Human Symbiosis'.
Neural Scramble - to trigger a cascade of random neuron activity (trigger a grand mal seizure).
Mental Illusion - some can induce illusions/hallucinations throughout the local area.
History
The first Gylarians were bio-genetic constructs developed by a group of aliens (the Ancient Lords), who were displaced from their home universe. The Ancient Lords established and directed a development program with the goal of producing creatures whose bodies would serve as survival vessels and replacements for their own. Their starting point was a race of pterosaurs that had been bio-engineered and bred to be used as terror-weapons. The weapon-race was assigned the name 'Chalethan' which translated to "of/like demons" -primarily due their ability to capture and absorb the memories and vital essence (the soul) of their prey. The weaponized pterosaur was used to wreak havoc and gather intelligence on target human populations. Humans would be swallowed whole and, while the body was being digested, the mind (and soul) would be extracted. The absorbed information would help in further hunting and evading capture - and be harvested by the Overseers. Part of the effort to de-weaponize the demons was to eliminate sex-linked aggression by inhibiting gender development. The Gylarians are descendants of an advanced prototype that was in testing phase when the Ancient Lords reached their end.
Gylarian/Human Symbiosis
Over the years since the demise of the Ancients, the saurians and humans developed a symbiosis. Teams of a Gylarian and a human pair-up and telepathically bond to share mental faculties and effectively operate as a single intellect with two bodies. The Gylarian has vast memory and linear logic intelligence, while the human provides synergistic problem solving, and intuitive wisdom.
The Gylarian lives four-to-eight times as long as the human. Successful bonding results in the formation of an Elder-one --and the symbiosis shifts to its final form. While the Team exists as two bodies (comates), the Gylarian establishes a second center of consciousness into which the human psyche (soul) can take up residence when the human body dies. The two psyches then share the one body. In return for extended existence, the human vital essence unlocks the gender development inhibition and the Gylarian becomes capable of procreation.
The pouch:
Key to the symbiosis is what looks like a marsupial pouch.
Located in the upper abdomen, at the aft (lower) edge of the keelbone sternum and pectoral flight muscles.
The pouch is somewhat elastic and can accommodate a human.
The opening (proper) has a shallow 'V'-shape. Strain-relief folds of skin flanking the opening, making it appear a broad 'M'.
The normally diamond shape of the scutes, deviate to accommodate the opening.
Headrest Pocket. the pectorals extend slightly below the sternum - forming a pocket behind the pouch upper lip.
The resultant socket that can hold the human's head so a slight opening allows the human to see and breathe easily.
The lining is bare skin with a texture like soft suede. Soul-Catcher Ganglia surround the pouch.
©2025™ S.Simshauser Character Design and Background elements are copyright and trademark protected. all rights reserved.
External Links[]
- RAK_Graphics review on TV_Tropes/Creators