Auron, a notable dragon.
Dragons are a powerful and influential race in the World, that shaped the future during the Age of Fire. Sometimes they're called "Sky-kings" by admirers, or "Wyrms" by detractors. They inhabit both the Upper and Lower Worlds, and born of all the four elements (according the dragons mythology); fire gives them their fiery breath, water gives them supple strength, wind gives them their great wings, and earth gives them their mighty scales. They are the said to be the third oldest of the known races, preceded by the animals and the Blighters.
Anatomy[]
Dragons are 6 limbed reptiles. At birth dragons don't have their wings. Instead their wings grow after a dragon enters adulthood. Dragons also have at least 3 hearts.
Life[]
Most dragons are born with thick scales that cover the entire body, which are replenished through constant consumption of metal and gemstones, and will start hoards of treasure to ensure that their scales remain healthy. A dragon will also instinctively become aggressive towards anyone who approaches their hoard - or any vast amount of treasure. The color of the scales differs depending on the gender of the dragon; female dragons are almost exclusively green, while male dragons have been known to been colored copper, red, blue, silver, purple, black, gold, orange, and bronze. In addition to this, male or female dragons can have stripes or be completely white - as in the case of Scabia and NiVom - or scaleless; the latter of which is gray, but has the ability to change color to match the surroundings. A scaleless dragon will have no interest in precious metals.
Some dragons are born with different degree and intensity of their color, that appears however to be a inherited trait. Stripes are uncommon to dragons, but some notorious ones were striped like AuRon and DharSii. According Scabia, striped dragons are poorly fertile, but such assumptions were proven wrong because both AuRon and DharSii successfully sired healthy clutches.
Dragons grow multiple horns throughout their lifetime, often having an impressive crest by their hundredth year. They also possess a membrane that runs down their spine, and armored fans, called griffs, that can unfold and protect their eyes and neck during battle. Their eyes are slitted and cat-like, and their bodies are usually long and serpentine. They possess four legs, and they call their backlimbs saa and their forelimbs sii, which can either functions as arms or legs. Dragons usually lope along, and cannot sustain long runs, usually sprinting in short bursts called dragon dashes.
Female have no horns, however both males and females have a pair of elegant and pointy "ears" (membranous extensions) usually collected as throphies by dragon-slayers.
Hatchlings are usually nested in small caves their parents select for a clutch. When males first hatch, they fight to the death, since dragons traditionally only have one male per family. After hatchlings breathe their first fire, which is caused when an organ called a fire bladder shoots out foua, which ignites in the air, the hatchling is then called a drake (male) or drakka (female), and are forced to leave the clutch and wander. Drakkas however can remain with their parents until they produce a 2nd clutch of eggs.
Drakes/Drakka's fledge around their 5th birthday.
When a drake finally fledges, the pronunciation of his name changes. Before fledging, stress is placed on the first syllable. After fledging, the stress is moved to the second syllable. A fledged male is called a dragon. Females do not change the pronunciation of their names, and they are usually called dragonelles, even if older ones (usually of great size and with mate, but there have been exceptions) are called dragon-dames.
Dragons are exceptional flyers, and their wing membranes are thick, like canvas.
Dragons mate by flying into the air, occasionally in competitive flocks, and sing a song of their lineage and accomplishments, called a mating song or lifesong. Both males and females do this, and when two of them find each other, they then mate for life. However a mated pair don't spend much time together unless they have a clutch to raise. Dragons are typically monogamous, although some Lower World dragons have been known to practice polygamy. A healthy clutch of 4 or 5 eggs it is not uncommon, however small clutches of just of 2 or 3 eggs are widespread (especially among dragons with poor fertility): the highest number of eggs for clutch is believed to be 8 (rumored to be a case of one in a thousand). Twins are extremely rare but may happen (a pair of siblings born into a single egg).
Breeds[]
Within the Lavadome, there are three distinct breeds of dragon: Skotl, Wyrr, and Anklene. All three were bred by the wizard Anklamere during the Age of the Sorcerer, for various purposes:
two distinctive hereditary rare mutations are known to occurs.
Other mutations include:
- white dragons (albino)
- striped dragons (can occurs also with other mutations)
It's believed that most of the dragons living outside of the Lavadome, still have roots that came from one of the lines: however they historically tended to merge and the traits of the three lines are easily melted together.
Dragons of Sadda-Vale are also known to feature unique and more balanced traits.
Centuries after Age of Fire[]
In the following years after the Age of Fire, dragons survived and by the year 2966 many lived within the Serpentine fighting on behalf of the Vale Republic. DharSii (eventually known as the Lodger) played a key part in securing a chance of survival of dragons within the newborn democracy, while other dragons enjoyed their freedom in the wilderness and others joined the Republic's main enemy: the Galantine Baronies.
While dragons are no more recognized as distinct Breeds, they retain some rare mutation: gray dragons and white dragons exists, but it's unknown if venomous dragons survived as genetic trait or became extinct.
Female dragons are still sometimes called "dragonelle" (if relatively young like Taresscon) and "dragon-dame" (as for Shrentine).
A cultural change occurred for the naming convention: while male dragons retain the first part of a name in significance of their line or as homage, the second part of the name is no more stressed in capital-letter: "Auron" become "AuRon" once fledging wings, now "Aurue" and "Fesparanax" are names of mature dragons.