The Tarnish Dragons

An Overview of Tarnish Dragons

The scholars of the World traditionally divide dragons into two sub-groups. The chromatic dragons are evil, avaricious and cruel, while the metallic dragons are good but can often be aloof.
However more recently, a new class of dragon has been observed. Carbadoc Magus, famous for his diverse (and frankly, bizarre) menagerie was the first to give them a name; Tarnish Dragons.
These Tarnish Dragons do not (as far as we know) breed true. They are, instead, a terrible transformation of the metallic class of dragon. Something is corrupting them, taking small seeds of doubt they may have and amplifying them until they assume physical form. It may be a dragon that starts to love it's hoard of gold and gems just that little bit too much, or a dragon who chose to wander the land in human form to do good but has become disenchanted and discouraged by human duplicity and cruelty.
There is a rumour that the reason this has only started happening recently is due to the influence of some artefact which has fallen into the hands of the Drow and is being used as some kind of trigger for the change, but this is as yet unconfirmed.

Abilities and General Characteristics

Over time, these Tarnish Dragons start to adopt the behaviour, and even the abilities, of their chromatic equivalents. As the evil becomes stronger, their colour changes and their scales become more and more tainted with the tarnish.
It is not yet known whether the tarnish in turn then gives way to reveal the shade of the chromatic counterpart of the original metallic dragon.
These dragons retain all the characteristic attack forms of their original species. However, an additional danger is that they gain the ability to choose to use the breath weapon type of both the metallic and chromatic dragon of their kind. Thus (for example) a Cadmia Dragon has a choice of breathing the lightning of it's Blue counterpart, or the fire or sleep breath of the Brass. It is suspected that this ability also extends to lair and legendary actions, making them truly terrifying opponents by virtue of their unpredictable versatility.

Types of Tarnish Dragon Identified To Date

The types of Tarnish Dragon so far identified include the following;

Cadmia Dragons

These are Brass Dragons turning to Blue

Carbonate Dragons

Bronze Dragons turning to Black

Verdigris Dragons

Copper Dragons turning to Green

Sulphide Dragons

Silver Dragons turning to White. This variant appears to have a slightly different and more complex progression to the others. Rather than transitioning directly, the silver scales first blacken and become matte in the way of silver oxidising. Finally when complete, this then starts to crack and fall away, to reveal white scales beneath.

Rust Dragons

The most terrifying of all the Tarnish Dragons, these are Gold Dragons corrupted to turn to Red ones. The fact that with both it's origin types having fire as a breath weapon, giving it just a choice of two, rather than three, types of breath weapon is small consolation compared to the awesome power and intelligence of these monsters.

Basic Information

Genetics and Reproduction

So far, Tarnish Dragons are thought to be metallic dragons warped into a new form. It is not known whether then end of this transition will render them as a true chromatic dragon, or whether the process ends with them as a half-and-half kind of creature. If it is this latter, it is not known if they will be capable of breeding true. We hope they are all exterminated long before we have the opportunity to find out !

Growth Rate & Stages

Tarnish Dragons appear to grow at the same rate as their original dragon species, over a lifespan of centuries or millennia. However, it has been observed that the initial transition or corruption can begin at any age.

Behaviour

These dragons are misanthropic in the extreme, appearing to have a hatred of all life and a desire to wreak the maximum harm and terror. They retain their intelligence, however warped it becomes, so they are by no means mere brutes, and exhibit high levels of malicious cunning.
They show little proclivity to talk to humans other than to occasionally torment them. An insight into this was provided by Nainunzig in a candid comment, when he mockingly asked "Do you talk to your sheep just before you roast them ?"

Additional Information

Social Structure

Tarnish Dragons are solitary creatures. So far, no two have been seen together, and it is unknown how they would react to another of their kind. It is expected, however, that they would probably fight to the death for dominance of the region. Unless they can mate. Which is, frankly, a terrible idea.

Domestication

Tarnish Dragons are not creatures to be domesticated. They will never make good pets. They are awful monsters to be hunted down and exterminated. Although intelligent, they are far too warped in mind to be trustworthy as a domesticated animal.

Uses, Products & Exploitation

It has been suggested by Carbadoc Magus and others that the scales of Tarnish Dragons could be made into armour and shields in a similar way to other dragons. Their blood is known to be corrosive and toxic, but too few samples have yet been retrieved to determine how long these properties are retained for, or whether other organs might have uses. It is expected that their bones might form a useful material for structural purposes, magic wands etc.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Tarnish Dragons are still (thankfully) quite rare. They have been found in quite a few of the wilder, more out of the way places in Northern Argull. The most recent specimen culled was a Verdigris Dragon which had become known as "The Beast of Yarhill" in the region of the Eyelan Hills.

Average Intelligence

Tarnish Dragons appear to have a similar intelligence to their original form. However, it has been turned to very dark and warped paths; it is almost as if they need to prove they have turned away from all that is good by being more twisted than their evil counterparts. 
They appear to delight in inflicting psychological torment on their victims, in addition to physical harm. For example, they might raid a village and slay or steal the children while leaving the parents alive when they could so easily have killed them as well, or slaughter all of a farmer's livestock so that he will starve over the winter.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

These dragons have the same awesome sensory abilities as their metallic and chromatic cousins.

Scientific Name

Draconidae

Origin/Ancestry

Aberrant

Conservation Status

The Council of Northern Monarchs has declared that Tarnish Dragons are terrifying and unnatural corruptions, and should by no means be conserved.

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Tarnish dragons gradually take on the taint of their tarnish, spreading from the edge of each scale, and generally more pronounced on their undersides, insides of limbs and similar body areas. It is thought (although not yet observed) that when much of their original metallic colour has been covered, that the colour of their chromatic equivalent will begin to appear.  It's not yet known if the transformation eventually becomes complete or if they become frozen in some kind of halfway state.

The Beast of Yarhill

This monster is a good example of the wickedness of Tarnish Dragons. His actual name was Nainunzig, although the people of the village of Yarhill didn't know this.
The dragon arrived from nowhere, and over several months managed to cow the entire village into a state of terrified stupor. It killed the village chief, and anyone who claimed to succeed him. Anyone who tried to escape the village was slaughtered, and their remains spread across the countryside as a terrible warning to others. Then it engaged on a campaign of stealing wives and children back to it's lair, consuming them at leisure and flying over the village periodically dropping bones.
Nainunzig used his powers to take control of the feeble-minded village drunk, Maleric, and that is why he had such good inside information on who was who, and what everyone was up to.
His reign of terror was finally bought to an end by a team of intrepid adventurers who tracked him back to his hidden lair and slew him after an epic battle.