Dragons

Basic Information

Anatomy

Dragons possess a tail and six limbs: two arms, two legs, and two wings. Dragons are not to be confused with other Draconic species such as Wyverns (who possess only two wings and two legs), and Drakes (who possess four legs and no wings).

Biological Traits

As far as anyone has discovered, Dragons are virtually immortal. Though they can starve, get injured, or be killed, a Dragon who remains well fed and healthy can live as long as they desire.
In turn, though their growth slows significantly once they reach adulthood, a Dragon never fully stops growing. They can reach immense sizes given enough time to do so.

Genetics and Reproduction

After a pair of Dragons mate the mother usually carries one to four eggs for anywhere from one to five years until she finds somewhere she feels comfortable making a nest. Once the egg is laid it usually does not take longer than 2 years to hatch.

Growth Rate & Stages

A freshly hatched Dragon Wyrmling is capable of taking care of itself, more or less. It can speak (usually being taught languages by its mother and/or father during its gestation as an egg), hunt for bugs and small animals, and even begin using its elemental breath. At this stage they are about the size of an average adult human and their scales are dully coloured.

It takes about ten years for a Wyrmling to grow into a Juvenile. A Juvenile Dragon usually has left the protection of its parent and has begun to make its own way in the world. About the size of a large horse, Juvenile Dragons are capable of hunting down creatures far bigger than they are. Their scales have started to gain a bit of brightness but otherwise maintain that dull Wyrmling shade.

When a dragon reaches forty years of age it is considered an Adult. Adult Dragons can be about the size of a single room house. Their growth rate slows but a Dragon never actually stops growing.

Dragons who live past their second century are generally considered in the beginning stages of becoming an Ancient Dragon. Most Dragons that reach this stage are incredibly powerful, able to destroy entire armies and cities with their elemental breath.

Additional Information

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Many dragons possess the ability to see without their eyes, however the ability comes in many different forms. Some can sense vibrations in the earth, some have a highly acute sense of smell, and some can even use magic to sense to world around them.

Civilization and Culture

History

As far as anyone knows, Dragons have existed on the Material Plane long before most other sentient species. In Ovenica especially, the Ancient Dwarves have texts of battles with dragons from a time long before the gods war. However, since the gods war, Dragons have become less and less prevalent. Today they are virtually extinct, at least as far as people remember them. In truth Dragons live on in three ways:

In rare cases there are Dragons that have chosen to live among humanoid society, shedding their true forms in favour of safety. Additionally, while not true dragons, those with Draco Puer carry on the heritage of their ancestors in their blood and appearance. Finally there are the dragons who live to the north, in Giant Country. These beasts are true monsters, so the stories say. Some of them as large as a mountain, fighting each other for domination of the landscape

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Stories tell that before the gods war, dragons exhibited a multitude of colours. Nowadays dragon colours seem to be restricted to shades of grey, black, and white, often a mix of the three. It is believed that this shift to more muted, natural colours is another side effect of the world shattering; though some minds believe that they are in fact an entirely new species.

The only remnant of the old dragons left can be found in the Dragonborn, who's scale colour dictates things like resistance to elements as well as their elemental breath.