Dragon

Dragons are large magical reptiles with four limbs and two wings. They are possibly the rarest of the magical creatures rumoured to live in the world. Humans are sure that they are just myths, and most creatures of The Frontier would even express shock at learning that dragons truly existed. 

High Dragons & Low Dragons

Many humans consider dragons merely monsters to be feared. The type of dragon they fear is usually considered a Lower Dragon by others of its race. Lower Dragons are those that have given into base or primal instincts perhaps by overfeeding, being violent, or greedy. As they do so, they lose their capacity to reason, speak, and eventually their sentience. They are then reduced to essentially a beast. They retain their core attunement abilities but otherwise lose all other forms of magic. 
Higher dragons are those who, through learning, restraint, empathy or knowledge, have nourished their higher mental functions. They turn innate telepathy from their time as a wyrm into the ability to speak the tongues of other races. They learn to channel their attunements into higher, more complicated magic such as shape-shifting and enchantment. High dragons are not always good, but are rarely cruel and maniacal. They may be logically efficient and ruthless, but are at least highly-self aware of their actions.
A dragon's position as a high or low dragon is on a scale. Their higher mental functions must be reinforced by consistent action and use. If a high dragon gave in to cruelty, they would lose their higher dragon abilities and become beasts. This can also happen when a dragon is bound and forced to serve another creature. If their masters requests are brute and low, the dragon may fall from grace. 
Conversely, a lower dragon is not entirely lost. They - like other beasts - may acknowledge empathy, love and sacrifice, which can spark up their higher functions and help them start climbing back up the scale towards being a higher dragon once again. This usually first appears as a sudden capacity for telepathy, as with wyrms.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Dragons have four legs with large claws, two large wings, small horns, and a tough scale hide. They are colored and adorned differently depending to which element or natural phenomena they became attuned to as an egg.

Growth Rate & Stages

The stages of life for a dragon are usually:

• Egg (0 - 1 year old): Remains in a guarded underground nest and begins to attune itself magically to a nearby magical phenomena. 
• Hatchling drake (1 - 10 years old): Learns walking and hunting. Does not yet possess wings so learns to run quickly. Manifests its attunement. 
• Adolescent wyrm (10 - 25 years old): Wings sprout early but take years to develop. Wyrm learns to fly, as well as begins to develop telepathic powers that open up its access to higher learning. 
• Dragon (25 years+): Fully winged dragon. May become a Lower or Higher dragon depending on its upbringing and environment. Higher dragons may learn speech and complex magic such as shapeshifting and enchanting. May reproduce slowly.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Dragons feed on the energy that they are attuned to, but also may eat meat and other food. Spring Dragons are nourished in spring then hibernate through other seasons; Fire Dragons may feed upon flame or magma, so will starve in icy conditions.

Additional Information

Domestication

Dragons may be bound by powerful magic-talents, especially those with powerful powers of influence and mind magic. Powerful enchanters may also produce collars that simulate this magic.
Once bound, a dragon has to obey commands given to it by the master. Additionally the dragon is magically influenced to protect their master and could not, say, devour them to break the binding. If their master dies, the dragon is usually freed from the binding, but suffers physically by this suddenly severed connection. 
A master of a dragon may release the dragon at any time. It is unclear if these protective feelings endure after a dragon is released.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

As an egg, a dragon will attune to natural phenomena that surround it. This can be an element, a season, a climate, or natural mineral. The attunement of the parents of the dragon also has some impact. The appearance and abilities of the dragon are impacted by this attunement. 
As a hatchling (drake) and adolescent (wyrm), the dragon will learn to perform innate magic according to his attunement. For example a winter dragon wyrm may develop hide that is as cold and tough as ice, or a storm dragon wyrm may emit lightning when it grows angry.

Genetic Descendants

• Wyrm

Lifespan

Unknown