Dragons

Basic Information

Anatomy

All of them share a general Western Dragon design, with four limbs, a tail, horns, bat-wings, and spines. They have soft lips, allowing them to make the same range of sounds as humans do, and then some. Their eyes are front-facing, as they are predators. They have sharp teeth like that of big cats.

Biological Traits

The species have differences in size, Dark being the smallest, then Air, then Water, then Fire, then Light, then Earth.

Genetics and Reproduction

There are male and female dragons with similar reproductive parts. Females lay eggs, which they incubate for a period of about a year. Once a dragon reaches adulthood at about 750 years, they can reproduce.

Growth Rate & Stages

It takes about 750 years for a dragon to reach full maturity, although they seem to continually grow bigger the older they get, though this process is slow. Their eggs incubate for about a year, and young dragons are referred as drakes until they reach 750 years. Newborn dragons are flightless for the first twenty-five years of their lives, until their wings develop fully and they can fly. At 50, they will start manifesting thier magic power, and at this point parents will teach them how to control it and do basic things, such as use their breath power that comes with their magic (with the exception of Fire dragons, who are born with the ability to breathe fire; although their magic enhances it). Once they're older than 200, they're considered the dragon equivalent of a teen until adulthood. At this point, they start to learn more powerful ways to channel their magic. Once they pass 500, they might choose to settle on the equivalent of a dragon 'career'--being a sorcerer, making a hoard, in the case of Fire dragons especially, choosing to devote themselves to physical combat, becoming a healer, or a guard, and so on. Though these forays into the adult world aren't serious yet, and a young dragon might choose to settle on something else. Past 750, they usually settle on what they want to do, and stick to it. Once they pass 1,500, they are officially elder dragons--though physically, the older a dragon is, the more powerful they seem to get.

Ecology and Habitats

Depending on the subset, they all prefer different habitats. Dark dragons will like a place with shadows and nooks to hide in, like a cave, and Fire dragons will happily settle into the desert--or, better yet, a volcano. The likes of individuals varies, but they all seem to gravitate towards habitats consistent with their types.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Dragons eat meat, and plenty of it, cooked or raw. They are still subject to magic wear, and so will eat more the more magic they expend. Although meat is their staple, they will happily eat greens and grains and strong spirits. Each individual varies in their tastes, although most dragons will enjoy a well-seasoned piece of meat.

Biological Cycle

Once they reach maturity at 750 years, they stop growing at the (comparatively) faster pace of their youth. They still grow, however, although at a very slow pace. However, the difference between a 1,000 year old dragon and a 3,000 year old dragon is significant. The first Six are considerably bigger than any other dragon still alive, as many of their immediate children and grandchildren were either lost in the failed attempt at creating Draglins or were picked off later.

Additional Information

Social Structure

Their system is highly hierarchical, the hierarchy being based on power and age (although the two almost always overlap). Dragons vie for power both in their own subsets and among all other dragons. In a group, there is almost always a pecking order, and to ignore this is to challenge those whose power in the order you deny.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Many of the dragons gravitated towards the Six Stones initially, although individuals will settle where they feel best, in groups or alone, typically as their subset dictates.

Average Intelligence

They are slightly sharper than humans, but hold about the same intelligence. The only difference is that they have a wealth of experience to draw from, and so tend to be wiser than humans, in a loose sense, as they can be foolish and hard-headed despite it all.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

They have heightened eyesight, hearing, and smell, comparable to top predators. And regardless of their personal affinity for magic, they all posses a great amount of it, being one of the most magical creatures on the planet.

Civilization and Culture

Major Organizations

Draglins (being under dragon rule, they are highly entangled), the former domain of the Six Stones, the Six and their followers.

Average Technological Level

They had a deep understanding of magic and its inner workings before Quinn destroyed much of that knowledge.

Historical Figures

The Six and their children are all significant figures.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

They tend to look down on all other species, since none are as long-lived as them. While they have about the same intellectual ability, their vast depth of knowledge and experience, in their opinion, sets them a cut above the rest--although they mostly just use that to justify their disdain for anything that can't hold its own in a fight against a dragon. They are cordial, the Six more so (living in humanoid bodies for most of the time and sharing thoughts with a very human host does that), but ultimately their species tends to dismiss others, bar a few individuals.

Genetic Descendants

• Draglins
• Half-Dragon

Origin/Ancestry

Dark, Light, Fire, Water, Earth, Air

Lifespan

Unknown--no dragon has ever died of old age.

Average Height

25-90 feet, the average varying between subset, with barely adult Dark dragons being the smallest, and Mirial, the oldest Earth dragon, being the largest.

Average Weight

1,000-25,000 pounds, the average varying between subset, with barely adult Dark dragons being the smallest, and Mirial, the oldest Earth dragon, being the largest.

Average Length

Their body length is approximately 2.5x their height, with the average varying between subset.

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Fharu, the first Fire dragon, passed on to a few of her descendants the gold in her scales. Xaemon similarly had silver scales that she passed on. Besides that, their colors are dictated by their subset, or mix of. Dark has dark colors, ranging from black to deep colors to gray. Light is white to sandy-gold, with the occasional light pastel dusting. Fire is orange, red, yellow, and occasionally black. Water is all the colors of the sea, from deep blue to light green, pale green-white, and so on. Air ranges from blue to white, with grey and the occasional yellow mixed in. Earth is brown--deep, almost black, to dusty--black, green, with amber occasionally shining through.