Dragon

Magical masters of the sky.

Abstract​

Dragons are an ancient and magical race surrounded by a myriad of Myths and Legends. Few facts are known about the reclusive beings, except that they once lived among the 'lesser races' and were driven into hiding by the threat of extermination. They are reputed to be a winged race, stocky and covered with armor-like scaling. Gold and silver dragons, believed to be those of a kind heart, are under the protection of the Aelyrian government, while black dragons are nearly as feared and reviled as the dreaded Cyraxians.

Further Reading: The Legend of the Dragons

Physical Appearance​

Dragons have been depicted in all manners of shapes and sizes over the eras, ranging from the wingless and lithe, to flying monsters of considerable girth. While there are any number of dragon-like creatures in existence, such as Faerie Dragons and wyverns, the dragons of antiquity fall primarily into the latter category: a big-bodied, four-legged race covered in hard scaling with a set of membranous wings and a long, dexterous tail. A full grown dragon varies in size, ranging from a petite 60 feet in length (from snout to tail tip) to an overwhelming 165 feet in length, with a wingspan often two-times the length of their own bodies designed to support their full bulk when in flight. These wings are built much like a bat's, with a bone frame across which membrane is stretched. When in flight these are the most vulnerable areas on a dragon as they are typically spread wide, making great targets for arrows.

Their four legs end in long narrow feet ending in sharp, curving talons that allow them to dig the tips into solid rock, gaining profound stability on even the most precarious of perches. The legs themselves are short and stocky and positioned at the front and back of the body on either side, the feet angled slightly outward. Their long tail, ending in a simple point and typically equal in length to the bulk of their body, assists in balancing out the body whenever their wings are spread, either on the ground or in the air.

When it comes to the skull of the dragon, each one is shaped individually, ranging from the small and narrow to the large and bulky, sometimes with the addition of ridged scaling or hardened spikes. Regardless of the exact shape, each head is set atop a long, narrow neck and boasts a strong jawline. Dragons are possessed of a fine set of sharpened teeth, perfect for breaking apart the ore that makes up their diet. Dragons have two rows of thirty to forty teeth per row, each of which is embedded in their flesh and not attached to their jaw. Should a tooth fall out or be removed, a tooth from the second row will work its way forward to eventually be replaced. A new tooth grows in every 70 to 80 brightenings.

A dragon's scales, perhaps the most defining part of their race, cover nearly the entire surface of their body, barring several places where important joints meet. These places--where the neck meets the base of the skull and the legs and tail meet the body--are also some of the dragon's most vulnerable areas, leaving stretches of soft skin where a sword or other such weapon might easily penetrate. Their scales are extremely difficult to pierce, but not impossible. Along with the exposed spaces at their joints, working a blade up beneath a scale may also yield positive results, although this is by no means an easy feat when faced with an enraged dragon. Scales cannot be pierced except by extremely strong metal types, such as high-grade dwarvish steel.

Just inside of the mouth, past the jawline, round sacs are located that contain a highly acidic jelly. These sacs draw in bits of ore to mix with the jelly, which will eventually produce the devastating gaseous breath they are known for. These sacs, when empty of ore, will not look obvious beneath the jaw. When the dragon has recently eaten these sacs will puff outward, giving the dragon's throat a somewhat swollen appearance. These expanded sacs are somewhat uncomfortable to the dragon and will signify when the forming gas needs to be released, least the gas escape into the dragon's body and damage the interior.

Coloration​

Dragons, although few in number, have been known in any myriad of hues, ranging from the commonplace colors of blue, green or red to shimmering shades of gold, silver and brass. The origin of their colors is mired in myth and truth. Many believe their colors, which are not hereditary, to be solely derived from personality, the good or evil of their hearts, the flash of their scales displaying the sort of behavior one might expect from such a dragon. This is one popular misconception, although it has its roots in something akin to truth. Dragons do not alter in coloration depending on their personality, but are a result of a combination of factors, one of which happens to be the dragon's own personal whim and wish, which may contribute to the continuing belief of the personality myth.

All dragons emerge at hatching as a pale gray hue, a blank canvas on which life will eventually paint its colors. The gray first begins to change as dragons ingest ore, their primary food source, around them. These ores are the foundation of a dragon's first colors and will vary depending on the dragon's immediate location; it is rare that any two dragons, spread out as they are, encounter the same types of ore. As a dragon grows and develops, wandering to locate a territory of their own, their colors change accordingly with the ores that they encounter, gradually settling to the color that they will maintain based on their chosen territory and only until they are fully matured.

When dragons reach adulthood their colors begin to change again. As their minds become open to arcana, the dragons are touched with essences as they drift through the arcane planes. These begin to affect the ores already in their body. As the two substances react with one another, the scale shading alters again. The more a dragon surfs through a particular plane, the more that plane in particular affects the dragon. As such, a dragon's coloring can shift continually up until the dragon becomes acquainted with one plane (or arcane sphere) over the others.

Further Reading: Primer to Arcana

A dragon that does not spend much time Plane Drifting will often retain the color of their ores over that of any essence contamination. This aside, even those who spend little time surfing the planes can still use the essences to manipulate their own coloring. Through experimentation dragons will channel the essence on and into their scales, sometimes drawing from one plane and then another until obtaining the color that best pleases them.

There have been instances known where a dragon has been permanently imprinted with a color against their own choosing, which is also referred to by dragons as branding. These dragons are perhaps the main reason why so many individuals believe scale coloring to be derived from personality. This occurs when a group of dragons, usually numbering five to seven, gather together and decide to brand a dragon for his or her behavior. This is sometimes a reward for extreme generosity and kindness or a punishment for cruelty. In these cases, the best of dragons are often permanently awarded with golden scaling (by their own consent), while the worst of dragons have been marked with a deep ebony-black to give warning against those who might encounter the dragon. This, of course, does not limit the dragons from choosing these colors for themselves. Sometimes dragons will select these stereotyped colors to give off the associated impressions and may or may not give truth their appearance.

Shapeshifting​

Most dragons are fully capable of assuming a shape other than their own from the time of their ascendence into adulthood onward. Shapeshifting, or shrouding as it is known among the dragons, is initially difficult for them as they begin to learn how to alter their massive shape into something more petite in nature. In many cases, dragons will study those with their desired form for long lengths of time before beginning to work their frame into the alteration; a form they have not studied will be far more difficult to change into, making for a lengthier process, sometimes taking upwards of a couple of hours to complete the transformation. In contrast, a dragon who has taken the time to study the race of their new form will take approximately a full hour to alter. The shape-shrouding experience is known to cause them some considerable amount of pain, attributed to the fact that they are compressing themselves into something smaller. It is incredibly less painful and less time consuming to shift from their altered form back into the natural form. Much like Trelorean Minor Magic, the more a dragon shrouds himself, the easier and more fluid the change becomes, although it can take decades and even centuries for dragons to finally master the ability, making older dragons much more competent than the younger.

Dragons are nearly undetectable in their altered forms. This is particularly true for dragons that have a habit of altering themselves with arcana; dragons that barely touch the ]Astral Planes] may find themselves safe from detection. This is due largely to the quantity of essences built up in a dragon fond of using arcana, where as a dragon less inclined to use arcana would not show such an intense cloud of essences. Aside from this, dragons in their altered forms are almost entirely undetectable up until mortals among them begin to realize that their neighbor is not aging at the same rate among them, for dragons maintain their longevity regardless of their form.

In their shrouded forms dragons are more vulnerable to gas seeping into their bodies due to their compressed size. As a precaution, dragons that have consumed ore prior to shrouding their natural shape will expel any gas that might have formed within their sacs. Dragons are incapable of expelling the gathered material once they are in their shrouded form, rendering a belch of gaseous breath impossible.

Because dragons typically take so long to get comfortable with the process of shifting to one form, they are known to have only one alternate form, not several. Dragons are quite capable of changing into whatever race they prefer and will even (very rarely) choose the form of an animal.

Climate and Terrain​

Dragons have from the very beginning been able to exist in nearly all geographical terrains and climates. From the icy peaks of the Great Mountains to the sweltering sands of Arakmat Desert, dragons are fully capable of enduring extreme temperatures without feeling a change from one to the next or experiencing the effects of the cold or heat. They do, however, prefer to be comfortable. To that end, dragons will not make their homes in the dark, squeezing depths of the ocean or within boiling caldrons of active volcanos.

Typically a dragon that is maintaining its dragon form will remain in an area where it can easily hide and protect itself during a long sleep or from an unwanted altercation. This often gives rise to the belief that dragons prefer to live in deep caves throughout mountain ranges, where dragons can easily be lost to sight by flying behind peaks; for a race determined to hide over many centuries, open grass plains and rolling sand dunes do not offer much by way of safety. Despite this, dragons have managed to adapt to their surroundings and may be found just about anywhere, often hiding their whereabouts through the use of arcana.

All dragons lay claim to what are considered territories, stretches of land (or whole cities) that are exclusively theirs. Most dragons are solitary individuals and do not appreciate the intrusion of other dragons on their territories, exceptions occurring when a dragon is seeking a mate or the council convenes at the Caldera. There have been known cases of dragons living among one another, although these are almost always siblings or blood-related dragons that formed a close attachment shortly after hatching. If a dragon impedes on another's territory, the sitting dragon's reaction will vary depending on the individual. More often than not they will be driven away, although many have been known to at least ask civil questions before ejecting the intruder.

Dragon Dens​

Popular rumor (and legend) suggests that all dragons have a hoard of fine possessions, such as uncut gemstones and rare magical artifacts. This is also reported to be a reason for why dragons were heavily pursued in the Age of Chivalry. The truth is highly dependent on the individual dragon--some are prone to hoarding objects, while others are not. Because of the long lives that dragons lead, it is natural for them to accumulate belongings, some as ordinary and plain as a worn leather glove, some as extraordinary as a magicked sword.

Regardless of the possible clutter in a dragon den, a space inhabited by a dragon often fits to their size, making them typically large in scale. These caves (or other such dens) may be naturally formed or crafted through the use of arcana. Dragons will often enlarge their space through physical or arcane means over the course of their lifetime, both to give themselves more room or to get at the precise ores on which they thrive. More often than not this results in a warren of tunnels of various sizes with the dragon making its primary chamber at the end of any of them.

The Caldera​

The Caldera is an island whose location is known only to the dragons. Its existence is a well-kept secret and remains one of the few places where multiple dragons may be found. The island is usually home to a single dragon, but its primary function is to act as the meeting ground of the Emerald Council. The Caldera is a place strictly for dragons and no lesser race may be brought to the island without express permission from the entire council.

The island is not a large one, only several miles long in each direction, with a shoreline constructed primarily of cliffs; there are no ideal shore-landings for ships seeking to disembark. The best places for a dragon to descend onto the island are by flying down into the bowl-like caldera of the former volcano, wherein there are wide stretches of grass and trees. There is no evidence of any freshwater in the caldera, barring the fresh underground springs that dragons have unearthed within the network of tunnels in the swells of mountain rock that encase the valley.

Most dragons are governed by a group known as the Emerald Council. It was formed during the Age of Chivalry when the dragons were hunted and killed for their Magic. Its purpose was to see to the protection of the dragon race and prevent their kind from being hunted into extinction. Together the dragons created laws by which to live, and determined the measures they would take to ensure their survival.

Further Reading: The Legend of the Dragons

Originally formed around the four elements, which were the dominating forces in the dragons' infancy, the council is headed by four elder dragons, each representing one of the elements. These figureheads, also called Esani, are respectfully referred to as "Lord" or "Lady" and usually named for the element that they represent (ie: "Lady Fire" or "Lord Air"). Neither holds more power than the other, instead balancing one another out, much as the elements act as a counterbalance one to the other.

There are four governing laws that the Emerald Council enforces, each represented by one of the elements.

Air Law: As the Air is free, so too are the dragons. Individual customs and traditions cannot be infringed upon.

Earth Law: As Stone endures, so must dragons. Dragons must not kill their own or they become no better than the lesser races that seek to destroy them.

Fire Law: As Fire must be controlled or be devastating, so too must anger. No dragon may violate another dragon on the Caldera.

Water Law: As the Water hides and protects things, so too will the Caldera remain secret. No dragon may reveal the existence of the Caldera to any being not sworn to the dragons. The Caldera must be protected by life, limb and Magic

Violation of these laws is handled dependent on the situation. In most cases the dragon will be ejected from the Caldera, exiled. In rare and extreme events, often in direct violation of protecting the sanctity of the Caldera, the dragon will be killed. Dragons do not undertake the punishment of death lightly, knowing too well how precious their numbers are.

Diet​

Despite their history as a blood-thirsty monsters bent on gobbling whole armies, dragons generally do not prefer the taste of meat. Typically the consumption of people and Animals is the province of a hunger-mad or even below level intelligence dragon who has set its sights on filling a very empty stomach. The actual diet of a dragon consists entirely of ores found throughout Aelyria, harvested from the ground through the use of talons and teeth or with arcana. Dragons locate ore primarily through smell, although they will sometimes augment their ore search by utilizing arcana to find large deposits that may support them for long lengths of time. Although a dragon's sense of smell is not extraordinary by any sense of the word, their nostrils are sensitive to the presence of minerals. Because dragons are not known to live in one specific geographical region, the ores that any given dragon consumes vary from one kind to another. Ores range from the commonplace minerals to various metal ores. The purity of the ores does not seem to make a difference to dragons or their bodies and are digested without issue or variation.

These ores are known to be the source of the dangerous gaseous breath produced by dragons. While the ores are not of themselves a danger, when digested by the dragon bits of the ore are drawn into sacs just below the dragon's jawline. It is within those sacs that the ores are corrupted with a thick acidic jelly. The ore and jelly intermingle, breaking each other down to create a thick, gaseous substance that fills the sacs. The gas will build up within the sacs until the dragon expels the material in the form of flammable breath. As the dragon ages, the sacs become more permeated with the material and the produced gas becomes more violent and brilliant. Eventually the sacs become corrupted by the ore and acid, causing elder dragons to deteriorate.

As a note, dragons that do not regularly expel the gas run a risk of the gas spreading from the sacs throughout their body. While their exterior forms are relatively immune to its effects, their interiors are particularly susceptible to it and will become deteriorated the longer the gas remains in their systems.

While a dragon's primary diet consists of ore, they are fully capable of consuming 'regular' materials, such as meat or vegetables. These food stuffs do sustain the dragon up to a point, allowing the dragon to go eras and sometimes decades without exposure to ore. The most common situation wherein a dragon eats these foods is when they are maintaining their shape-shrouded form and living among lesser races. However, a dragon that has not eaten ores for a long length of time runs the risk of weakening, not only in physical strength, but in mental fortitude. A dragon in its natural form would notice a pale dullness to their scale colorings and a weakening in their talons, teeth and scales. A dragon in a shrouded form will inevitably feel fatigued.

When a formerly shrouded dragon does return to a normal diet of ore, the recovery time will vary depending on how long it has been since their last ore ingestion, but will typically range from one cycle to several months. Ore build up for the production of gases is relatively quick in comparison, usually taking a single brightening to restore the use of their gaseous breath.

Dragons are not known to rampage the countryside in search of their food source. More often than not dragons will quietly resume their search for ore, seeking out deposits well away from settlements. This provides them a certain degree of privacy and solitude, allowing their presence to remain secret. There have been rare instances of dragons who have gone a little mad from ore deprivation, attacking the nearest and largest supply of ore that they can hunt out. These are usually extreme cases and occur only if or when the dragon has been long starved for food.

Organization​

Dragons are a solitary race, although this has not always been true. Regardless of the past, dragons of the present live alone more often than together. As such, the only societal rules that govern the dragons tend to be their own (unless they are restricted by Emerald Council law). A dragon can have peculiar customs and rituals, expectations and habits that are entirely different from their fellows and shaped through their own individual experiences. Because dragons are ejected from their mother's nests moments after hatching, they do not have the benefit of parental guidance in developing their personalities and preferences. In many cases, a dragon that opts to live in an altered form among the lesser races will outwardly adapt the local customs.

Despite their differences, dragons are still a distinct culture in and of themselves. Their deeply ingrained individuality has made them a race concerned with personal identity and territory. They have a strong sense of self and what is theirs; once a dragon makes a claim of possession to something, anything claiming otherwise may be in for a rude awakening. In addition, nearly all dragons have an obsession with the arcane, although some of them manage to redirect their obsession in less dangerous pursuits, some becoming scholars and dedicating their lives to becoming expert in the ways of warfare and combat. Regardless of their focus, dragons may come off as consumed with uncovering information or objects related to their area of concentration.

Combat​

Arcana is one of the preferred weapons for dragons, allowing them to combat others from a distance rather than at close range. The other distance weapon they are well-known and documented for is the highly flammable gaseous blast that they release from their mouths. Many images have depicted dragons swooping over towns and armies, spewing the gas over their enemies, reducing towns to kindling and armies to flaming masses. Their breath is more dangerous against combustible items (or persons) and is not known to be corrosive; inflammable structures, such as stone, prove resistant to this dragon attack.

Dragons can produce the gas naturally from the ores that make-up their diet. The gaseous blast tends to be the most dangerous coming from an older dragon whose long life has typically provided a healthy store of ore, while younger dragons produce a weaker burst of gas. Dragons tend to be externally immune to the damage of these gaseous blasts due to the protection of their thick scales.

Additionally, dragons are also capable of altering the substance of their gaseous breath as it is expelled by manipulating it arcanically. In this fashion dragons have been known to produce a breath that is ice, poison or any range of creative projectile imaginings that a dragon may think up, such as glass fragments or bits of rock. These sorts of weapons are usually taken up to secure a unique identity for the dragon or simply out of experimentation. However, gas remains the preferred method of expelling ore because it is quick and easy, requiring nothing more than opening the mouth and forcing out the gas.

Dragons tend to be at their most formidable when they can strike from their air, due largely to the fact that they are agile and swift creatures on the wing, and aided significantly by their protective scaling, which arrows and similar weapons have a difficult time penetrating. On foot, dragons are slower and less nimble. They have a hard time pivoting because of their bulk and need also to worry about their wings, which they will tuck against their body. A dragon's foot combat has sometimes been compared to a Cat playing with its catch, the use of talons and teeth primary in dispatching their enemy. Their tails and necks are their alternatives in close-range combat, used when their foot movement is limited and the quick lash of their longer extensions might hamper their enemy, providing them an opportunity to come in with their teeth and talons. In close combat, the dragon is assisted by their protective scaling in deflecting dangerous blows.

Arcana Proficiency​

Dragons are arcanic by nature, although the form of their Magic differs from what is considered 'normal' in Aelyria. Born unbound, dragons are able to sense and navigate the energies within and around them without it clouding their vision of the physical landscape. This state is combined with a fluidity of movement, both physical and mental, between the various arcane planes, which allows the dragons to shape spells as they go. Called Plane Drifting, dragons have explained the experience by comparing it to flying, 'drifting' from one plane to another as if grabbing different air thermals. For them it is natural and easy to shift from the Material to the Astral Plane, with recognition of the different arcane planes nearly second nature. Instinctively, a dragon wishing to cast a specific spell can sift through the planes, drawing out the essence appropriate for the occasion. This is not to say that mishaps or fumbles do not happen, with results varying from fizzled to backfiring spells.

It should be noted that dragons are not entirely held to the same restrictions as normal Mages in terms of how many spheres they can cast from. A dragon at an Archmage proficiency is still quite capable of drawing essence from other planes, although of a significantly lesser scale than their primary sphere. Because dragons do live very long lives, it is highly possible for them to explore multiple spheres. This is the result of extreme dedication to learning and experimentation and may be considered atypical; a dragon of this strength would be tremendously old. Dragons do not require a blue diamond to explore their arcanic abilities.

Arcane Obsession​

Dragons may easily become obsessed with arcana, as saturated as they are with it on a day-to-day basis. This is a particular danger for dragons newly matured and becoming acquainted with their abilities. It is very easy for them to become distracted by the different energies and lose themselves to drifting from plane to plane without returning back to themselves. The biggest risk in this instance is in becoming lost in that state, incapable of returning to the Material Plane. This may occur in both a physical and mental sense, although it is arguable about which one may or may not be the worst of the two. A dragon who has become mentally lost in the planes, a state known among dragons as Rapture, is still present in the physical world, senseless to what is going on around it, leaving itself vulnerable to physical injury and thus death (the worst cases have been dragons who have plummeted from the sky in this state). In comparison, a dragon that has lost its physical way in the planes is simply never seen from again and may have simply found itself in a better and perhaps previously undiscovered plane. This, however, is just speculation; no one can truly know what becomes of a dragon who cannot physically return from the planes.

Arcana obsession may manifest in other ways as well, ranging from the harmless to the dangerous. In some instances dragons have been known to compulsively collect arcanic artifacts, hoarding them in their dens. These objects are not necessarily used, but are often experimented with just to see what happens or sometimes even simply tucked away in the collection as another piece successfully found and obtained. Other dragons have been known to flock to areas where arcana has been heavily in use, drawn by the thick energies that remain. This is particularly dangerous for dragons as they are known to mindlessly expose themselves to unwanted attention, thinking only of the arcane knowledge they might uncover at these sites.

Special Abilities​

Arcana Affinity/Plane Drifting: Dragons are unbound to the arcane world from the time of their hatching, but do not open to their full potential until their maturity. Dragons are able to easily 'drift' from the Material Plane into the Astral Plane, both physically and mentally. This enables the dragon to easily craft spells from multiple spheres, not just one.

Gaseous Breath: Dragons are capable of producing a blast of gaseous breath, originating from the ore they consume. This gas is highly flammable and has reduced many towns and armies to nothing in the past. Some dragons have been known to manipulate this breath into another material, such as ice or shards of glass, with the use of arcana. Shrouded dragons are not able to use this ability.

Memory: Dragons have long memories and are able to draw on even the most seemingly pointless of recollections. This memory bank may sometimes give them some semblance of great knowledge or scholarly repute, for their memories can span centuries or even millennia.

Mind Control Repulsion: Dragons are known to repel most major attempts for mind control regardless of the sphere (be it Druidism or Mysticism). It is widely held that consumption of the ores, as well as their high intelligence, is mostly responsible for this, as rare instances of dragons who are ore deprived have been known to fall victim to these spells.

Shapeshifting/Shrouding: Dragons are able to change their shape into the form of any race they have encountered in Telath, although they must have first encountered the race to be able to do so. While capable of taking any form, racial or animal, due to the length of time it takes them to learn shape-shrouding, they will adhere entirely to one shape for the duration of their life.

Wakefulness: The capacity to remain awake for long lengths of time, sometimes up to several decades, so long as the dragon is feeding on ore to maintain themselves. A dragon who has not been eating ore may find themselves struggling to stay awake until finally dropping off to sleep in possibly awkward situations.

Weaknesses​

Arcane Obsession/Rapture: Wholly submerged in arcana, dragons can become obsessed with arcana and may sometimes be drawn to a location of recent copious spell-casting to draw it in without thinking. In their obsession, dragons can become lost either physically or mentally when they Drift through the Astral Plane. Should a dragon become mentally lost, known among dragons as Rapture, while flying they are extremely vulnerable to physical injury in this condition. Dragons who are physically lost to the Astral Plane are simply never seen from again.

Control via Their Scales: Scales are shed by developing dragons every few months until they reach their full size. These scales provide a considerable danger, as they may be used to control the dragon with the correct spell or alchemical potion. As such, dragons are very protective of their scales and either hoard them or outright consume them. Scales come in a variety of different colors, each which produces a different effect; a gold scale is rumored to heal any wound, while a red scale is said to create a volatile fluid useful in battle. These are prized possessions of Mages and alchemists alike.

Deep Sleep: Dragons who have remained awake for long periods of time will, when finally laying down to sleep, fall into a deep hibernation. They cannot maintain any form but their native dragon shape during this sleep and are left vulnerable to attack. In this state a dragon can be extremely slow to wake, which can be both dangerous to dragon and whoever has woken them; the dragon may lash out if it perceives a threat, even if the 'threat' is relatively harmless.

Heightened Vulnerability - Shrouded Form: While in their alternative form, dragons are just as susceptible to injury as any other human or Cether (or other such race). Without their scales to protect them, a dragon dies just as easily by mortal injury as others of their chosen race. In addition, dragons are as weak or strong as their chosen form and do not retain any strength that their massive natural forms may have lent them. Although physically vulnerable, dragons in their shrouded forms maintain the ability to repel mind control attempts.

On-Foot Slowness: Dragons are a terrible threat when they are swooping overhead, blasting gas onto their enemies and casting spells from a distance. Once that dragon lands they are considerably more vulnerable, their bulk making it hard for the dragon to turn or move swiftly, leaving them heavily reliant on their tails and necks to lash out at more agile opponents. Because of their slowness, the soft spots in their scaling at their joint areas, where flesh is exposed and scales are fewer, are easier to access. It is not to a dragon's advantage to fight on the ground and, if possible, they will take off in flight as soon as possible.

Ore Deprivation: A dragon that has not eaten ore over the course of several eras may begin to feel weak and lose color, their talons and scales softening. They also run the risk of reducing the amount of gaseous breath that they can produce, as the quantity and quality of their breath depends heavily on the amount that they consume. In rare instances, an ore-deprived dragon becomes more susceptible to mind control and poisons, their bodies and mind less capable of fending off the attacks. Some ore deprived dragons have also been known to attack settlements containing large stores of ore in their mad frenzy to fill their empty stomachs.

Other Notable Information​

Dragons have long been tied to Beasts that bear a strong resemblance to their kind, including dracons, water dragons and wyverns. Here is a list of various claims and dragons' reactions to the different Beasts.

Water Dragons​

Water dragons, also known as aqua drakes, are a widely intelligent and scaled race that makes their home in the deep waters of the sea. These dragons of the sea have their own set of abilities, although these are considered to be of a lesser power, and are as rare to come upon as sky dragons. There are many stories circulating around the creation of water dragons, varying depending on the culture the tales stem from. It is maintained by some that a dragon was flying over the sea when Markalin took interest in the beast. He snagged one in passing and molded it to his liking, merging it with wyverns that comported nearby. The Thelyri Elves have a different variation of their creation, believing them to descend from their sacred dragon Láur'marillá, a dragon who crossed over from Corrolain and retreated into the ocean depths, and a sea wyrm by the name of Illuyankas. Aerial-bound dragons maintain that, regardless of their true ancestry, the water dragons are a tainted and lesser beast, far inferior to their own strength and beauty.

Wyverns & Drakes​

Aqua drakes aside, the average Drake is of an intelligence level just one step higher than that of a lion. They make use of tools and can work their way through a presented predicament, but they are still of an animalistic nature with a mind to match it. Wyverns vary in smarts, but are often easily trained and, if captured when young or raised from a hatchling, will bond with their handlers. In both respects, drakes and wyverns are Beasts, driven primarily by nature or by those who might seek to govern them. The nature of their origins is unclear, although dragons will contemptuously claim that these creatures were formed by the gods in their desire to have a controllable dragon and are in no way descended by blood from them--it would be an insult to suggest otherwise.

Dracons​

Dracons are held in great contempt by dragons. While this scaled lesser race has quite a bit in common with dragons--the persecution, the ability to hide in another form, not to mention the wings and scales--they are viewed as a pathetic mockery of the real thing. In addition, dragons are extremely sensitive to a Dracon's Call, their innate telepathic ability to sense others of their race nearby. The Call pulses over a dragon like a steady vibration, a sensation that is incredibly distracting to a dragon and often distorts their depth perception, causing significant problems to a dragon in flight. Dracons ought to beware an encounter with the real deal as many dragons might be prone to eliminating the offensive and bothersome race should they encounter them.

Credit​

Credit goes to Nimh