Bronze Dragon Species in The Crossroad Realms | World Anvil

Bronze Dragon

The third-eldest of the Metallic dragons, Bronze Dragons are semi-aquatic and highly social, living in family groups alongside small-folk communities.

Basic Information

Anatomy

While most of its scales are the eponymous bronze colour, most Bronze Dragons gain increasing amounts of a greener tinge on their bodies as they age, especially about the wings and fins.
Bronze Dragon Anatomy by Richard Sardinha
  They have eight facial horns, three projecting from each cheek-fin, and two nearer the top of the head, sweeping backward toward the tail. A long fin-like frill runs the entire length of its spine down to the tail, and its wings have a hooded shape that helps propel water when swimming.   For some reason, bronze dragons always smell like the salt spray of the sea, even if the dragon has been far from the water for a long time.

Genetics and Reproduction

Bronze eggs can be identified by the many, tiny bronze flecks that appear on its shell when inspected under white light. Bronze dragons usually lay between one and three eggs in a clutch, with one or two being more common.

Growth Rate & Stages

Hatchlings, or "Wyrmlings" are nearly all a bright, yellowish color, which darkens into a more mature bronze and gains more green pigmentation as they age. Young dragons are marked by the full expression of their facial horns and fin, as well as their size. As with most dragons, the progress from juvenile to adult is mostly cultural, as the dragon will continue growing its entire life.

Ecology and Habitats

Brass Dragons often lair close to small-folk settlements and trade routes. They prefer coastlines, and are especially well adapted for the salinity and humidity of ocean coasts. Their lairs are often built into rocky shores, with submerged entrances.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Fish and marine mammals compose the greater part of a Bronze Dragon's diet. Like many dragons, Bronzes swallow their food whole or in large chunks without chewing. To aid digestion, they swallow stones and pieces of metal, which work in a gizzard-like second stomach to break down the food.

Behaviour

Bronze dragons are semi-aquatic, able to hold their breath for upwards of a full hour, depending on the dragon's size and experience. They can often be observed swimming, diving, and splashing with their massive wings for the simple enjoyment of it.

Additional Information

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Bronze dragons have a lightning breath weapon that is just as lethal to travelling ships as it is to any swimming creature. They also can use their incredible lung capacity in a forceful breath attack that can propel even large objects such as battleships.
Bronze Dragon.png
Scientific Name
Draco Gerus Aeneus
Origin/Ancestry
Metallic
Geographic Distribution
Related Ethnicities
Discovered by


Cover image: Bronze Dragon by Audy Ravindra