Dragons

Believed to be the oldest living things to walk this Earth, the dragons disappeared during the Age of Night and the coming of Mortal Man. Once the supreme rulers of Elthir, guiding the ways of the world in wisdom and justice, they were chased out by the advance of human settlement and technology. They have now become mere legends, a remnant of a time long since past.
In this present age, many men do not believe that they still exist and most believe that they never existed at all. They are the stuff of fairy tales, created to please the imagination and thrill the senses. A ridiculous notion, the people say.
But is it?

Basic Information

Anatomy

Elthirian dragons are huge, winged, fire breathing beasts that usually weigh between 30,00 and 50,000 pounds. They are four-legged, their back legs several feet longer than their front legs, allowing them to sit in an almost human-like position. They have long, ferocious looking tails that help them in flight and keep their balance while walking. The length of the tail depends on the variation.

Genetics and Reproduction

No one really knows how dragons reproduce or if they reproduce at all. Ancient scientific manuscripts tell of dragons mating and reproducing sexually, but the general belief is that dragons reproduce by magic, although that is doubtful.
The most logical conclusion is that dragons mate, the female producing between one to three eggs, which take around 2 years to hatch.

Growth Rate & Stages

Since dragons live to be centuries old, their growth rate tends to be fairly slow.
Beginning Stages (0-10): It usually takes up to two years for the wyrmlings(s) to hatch. They break from their shells with already well formed wings and tail and they are able to fly within a couple months of hatching. They are born with their scales.
Mature Stages (10-30): After approximately ten years, a dragon possesses his fire breathing abilities, fully developed wings and tail, and small horns. Usually, dragons do not continue to grow physically beyond this point.
Middle Stages (30-100): Once dragons stop growing physically, they being to develop their magic powers. Although most dragons are born with great wisdom, their knowledge continues to grow and expand throughout their life.
Elder Stage (100-1,000): Extremely wise and powerful, dragons are considered great at this point. They possess their complete magical powers and an incredible source of wisdom and understanding.
Ancient Stage (1,000-5,000): Although most dragons reach this stage of life, many do not live beyond it. These are the sunset years of a dragons life. The usual age of death is 5,000 but there have been some who live to be 8,000 years old, but this is rare.

Ecology and Habitats

The ideal location for Elthirian dragons is forests, but they have been known to inhabit caves and wastelands.
When a dragon is nearing the end of his life, he will usually hide away deep within a cave or some other secluded spot, to spend his remaining years in peace.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Dragons are omnivores, although their ideal diet is meat.

Biological Cycle

A dragon's scales will change color along with the different seasons, but it is usually not very noticable.

Additional Information

Social Structure

Although, dragons are loners and thus don't need much of a social structure, they are fiercely loyal and protective of their fellow dragons and in times of war or other dangers that threaten the species, will ensemble and work together. In such times, some type of order is called for.
The oldest dragons are held in positions of supreme authority, and the older the dragon the more power he possesses over the others. In times when a large number of dragons are gathered together, it is common for the dragons to appoint a leader, usually the oldest dragon present. The selected dragon will then choose an attendent/advisor and a small party of two or three dragons as his confidants.
Once the leader is decided upon, his authority is supreme and he is followed completely and without question.

Domestication

Ancient manuscripts preserved from the Age of Night tell of friendly relations between dragons and Mortals. Tales of the dragons holding communtication with Mortals and teaching them many great things. Tales of dragons and Mortals living in peace and harmony, some dragons even serving as means of transportation for the humans.
All connection between dragons and men were lost during the dawn of the First Age.

Uses, Products & Exploitation

After the friendship of Mortals and Dragons was sundered, men began to hunt dragons for sport and material purposes.
Because dragons are almost impossible to kill, it was considered one of the highest honors in the world to own the head of a dragon. Few ever attained this degree of glory and those who did, gained it illegitimately through the ensnaring and killing of wyrmlings, who were at a far greater disadvantage than mature dragons.

Facial characteristics

The heads of dragons closely resemble those in the reptile family, although it is uniquely adorned with spiky plates.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Most dragons are loners, so they rarely live in communites/groups. In Elthir, the dragons tend to live in the western and northern lands, although legend says that there were dragons frequenting the Penellgath Mountains of Balnavia.

Average Intelligence

Dragons are legendary for their wisdom, knowledge, and prophetic abilities.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

The dragons have an exceptionally good sense of hearing and smelling. Their eyesight is also very good, although not as developed as the rest of their senses.
Dragons are known for possessing incredible magical abilities, such as precognition, hypnotism, and telepathy.

Origin/Ancestry

Legends say that the dragons originated in the lands beyond the Southern Seas, a place untouched by Mortals.

Lifespan

5,000 years

Conservation Status

There are no known dragons alive today. Dragons have not made an appearance for over 500 years and the common people believe them to be extinct.
If there are any dragons still alive, they are hidden away, deep within the bowels of the earth.

Average Height

It depends on the species, but on average somewhere between 50 and 70 ft.

Average Weight

50,000 lbs.

Average Length

50-60 ft long.

Average Physique

Dragons are extremely strong and muscular. It is believed that they can crush an entire village with their body and distroy a line of soldiers with a swipe of their tail.

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

The coloring of dragons vary from individual to individual. Most are of red, orange, or deep green color, and almost all have undertones of black and grey within their scales.
Markings also depend on the indiviual, although this is more limited to family genes, then coloring is.