Dyakcon Akxinis
An Introduction
Life cycles:
Another common element among dragons is their life cycle. Most but not all dragons come from eggs, past this point dragon can take anywhere from 7 to 35 years to reach maturity depending on the species. Best 7 to 35 years comes in the form of a juvenile stage. Once the juvenile state has completed and the dragon reaches maturity, it is an adult dragon. Unlike other species who grow old and die, dragons are biologically immortal. After about a thousand years the dragon reaches another stage of its life cycle. Wizened or ancient Dragons tend to be incredibly docile unless provoked. Highly intelligent dragons usually gain their sentence during this stage although it depends on the species.
It can take eons for a dragon to reach final stage of its life cycle. Archdragons are assumed to be extinct, as it is very unlikely a dragon would be able to survive this long. Dragons on the stage are said to be incredibly powerful, though none have been able to study them. According to Legend, the Jotunn wiped them out. There have been excavations that revealed massive skeletal structures, and the apparent causes of death support the legends.
It can take eons for a dragon to reach final stage of its life cycle. Archdragons are assumed to be extinct, as it is very unlikely a dragon would be able to survive this long. Dragons on the stage are said to be incredibly powerful, though none have been able to study them. According to Legend, the Jotunn wiped them out. There have been excavations that revealed massive skeletal structures, and the apparent causes of death support the legends.
Offspring
Dragons vary when it comes to their young but apart from a select few species, they almost always care for their young after hatching as opposed to abandoning their offspring. Once the hatchlings become juveniles, they leave the nest. Different species vary on which parent cares for their young.
Some species of dragon to not actually procreate at all. The celestial dragons of Lartasia are known for not laying eggs, and it is unclear how new members of the species appear.
Dragons can interbreed with any other Dragon species leading to further complications when it comes to properly categorizing them. It is not uncommon for a dragon to be found that can easily be placed in both the Primal and Celestial family, for example. In such cases both families are used in its name. The combination poses issues forever seeking to properly categorize dragons, as the combination necessitates the creation of a new species. The combination is based on a comparison of dominant and recessive genes however. feathers will always dominate while celestial is considered a recessive gene and will only occur if both parents are celestial.
Some species of dragon to not actually procreate at all. The celestial dragons of Lartasia are known for not laying eggs, and it is unclear how new members of the species appear.
Dragons can interbreed with any other Dragon species leading to further complications when it comes to properly categorizing them. It is not uncommon for a dragon to be found that can easily be placed in both the Primal and Celestial family, for example. In such cases both families are used in its name. The combination poses issues forever seeking to properly categorize dragons, as the combination necessitates the creation of a new species. The combination is based on a comparison of dominant and recessive genes however. feathers will always dominate while celestial is considered a recessive gene and will only occur if both parents are celestial.
Fun fact: Dragons and Universal Vertigo
Dragons are migratory, and some have noticed that when they migrate they are seldom affected or inhibited by the effects of universal vertigo. In fact it almost seems that they can control it. There are some dragons that migrate and aren't affected by the stretching of time and space, where others seem to intentionally allow it to affect them allowing them to reach higher stages of their life cycle, quicker. Scholars have a few theories the most prominent among them being that dragons have evolved and adapted to Universal Vertigo through their arcane connections. It was once believed that they caused Universal vertigo, leading to a high demand of armor and weaponry made from dragon scales and hopes that it would make crossing areas affected by vertigo easier.History
There is no true origin of the dragons. Even the divine claim in hushed and confused tones that the dragon seem to have popped into existence from nothing. Eons past and eventually the Archdragons were wiped from existence by the Jotunn. Despite this, archdragons have appeared in more recent history occasion. The dragon that exist today or a far cry from what they once were. Many of them are simply creatures just like any other. Celestial Dragons are fewer than ever before. Dragon slayers from all walks of life across the world has shown that they are capable of doing their job quite well.
In recent years, Scholars have furthered the study of dragons to the point where they can actually discern which ones are a threat and which ones are not. Drakes tend to be far less hostile when compared to Wyverns, forcing the hand of several government groups to outlaw hunting of drakes, and pursue their far more violent cousins.
Dragons currently tend to be found in the most remote areas of their preferred environment. They are a dying race and it is unclear how much longer they have.
Order- Caro'vorax:
(Car-oh-vor-ash = Meaning Eaters of flesh)
Dragons are carnivores by nature. Some are omnivores, but will always choose meat over fruit and vegetation.
(Car-oh-vor-ash = Meaning Eaters of flesh)
Dragons are carnivores by nature. Some are omnivores, but will always choose meat over fruit and vegetation.
Each of these creatures can have their own biological distinctiveness and may not even be anywhere near the same branch on the Tree of Life. Dragons are grouped together in their own special category due to a select few common traits found in every one of the potentially thousands of species.
- Each species is connected to the arcane, though this does not necessarily mean they have Arcane power, biological traits that are magical in nature, or sentience. Is this Arcane connection that makes them anomalies when compared to other organisms.
- Every species of dragon is an impossible organism. When looked at through the lens of nature and nature's laws, most every species has at least one biological trait that contradicts those laws, and makes the species nearly impossible to categorize. This makes the term "dragon" a miscellaneous category. This category is starting to gain more scientific merit as individuals are discovering the similarities between species in it.
General Dragon Behavior
Almost all dragons are migratory, venturing to more favorable climates as the seasons change. When they travel, it is almost always in groups that grow larger over time. Dragons often wait for a flock to fly above them before taking flight themselves as a defensive behavior due to any dangers that could be lurking below. The side of a single dragon flying alone during their migration is considered a bad omen. The dragon is usually sick, insane or badly injured. These lone dragons can be easily provoked.
Dragons and the world
Different cultures view dragons in different ways. Myths and legends have heralded them as vicious monsters, intelligent villains, or Mighty Heroes. Dragons are still misunderstood by most cultures of the world, however, and are often victim to a Kill first ask questions later policy. Some cultures worship dragons and others have learned how to domesticate them.
Fun Fact: Taxonomy
In this world taxonomy varies from region to region and as such little headway has been made in properly categorizing forms of life. As a result subspecies of different creatures often end up being thrown in with the same name as another. Wardens are the only ones who use any form of taxonomy and this taxonomy has developed from the Pathfinder codices that the Ozolithian pathfinders developed. These codices are the only universally acknowledged taxonomy for Flora and Fauna found in the world. Wardens continue to add to the taxonomy as they can, leading to an ever more complex Tree of Life.Family And Genus:
Wyrms:
Wyrms are the most snake like in appearance as they have a long slender body with no limbs. They almost never have wings but that does not mean they are incapable of flight. They are usually reptilian though they may blur the line quite often.
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Coatls:
There are some species a dragon that don't actually retain many other features commonly seen in dragons. The Coatl genus is almost entirely comprised of feathered serpents. Feathers are often the most distinct characteristic of this family of dragons. Not all of them have wings. Some only possess a mane of feathers, and some appear as great serpents covered from end-to-end in colorful plumes.
Amphitheres
A variant of the wyrm that often comes with feathered wings. Amphitheres have been called snakes with wings on many occasions. They come in many shapes and sizes but the key characteristic is the placement of their wings. Amphitheres have their wings begin just behind the neck where the body begins.
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by A. Lundell
Oroboro
A variant of the wyrm, Oroboros are giant serpents. They are the spitting image of snakes with few features that will vary, and are always massive in size, capable of wrapping around mountain peaks, and if the legends are true, around the range of mountains itself. They never have the ability to fly unless they are interbred with another species. Unlike other families of dragon most Oroboros do not migrate.
Drakes
The term Drake refers to any dragon that is reptilian and quadrupedal. They usually possess more muscular bodies and lack the elongated serpentine bodies many other forms of dragons have. Many varieties have wings, though it is not a requirement. There are just as many drakes that don't have them. They come in all shapes and sizes as well.
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Wyverns
Wyverns are noticeably different from Drake's and that they tend to lack the musculature bodies and are noticeably more Serpentine in appearance. Their bodies are long and slender, but are reptiles along with drakes. They can be bipedal or quadrupedal. Wyverns always have at least one pair of wings. Some cross the line between two and four legged, as some varieties are known to have bone structures in their wings that allow them to fold the wing into what would be an arm with claws along the edge of the wings like a bat. This makes them remarkable fast when they land. Many wyverns are highly aggressive and territorial. Seldom does a wyvern possess high intelligence, and only a select few varieties have features associated with other types of dragons like breathing weapons.Hybrids
A hybrid dragon is creature classified as a dragon that combines traits of more than one form of life. Up to this point most dragons have been reptiles, but there are dragons that would be classified in other categories that exist. This classification is vague and far too complicated to go into depth for the introduction.
by Herckeim
Fun Fact:impossible creatures
The term Impossible Creature has a slightly different meaning in a world where magic is commonplace and heavily studied. Dragons are creatures that defy even arcane rules. The largest drakes often possess so much muscle mass that it's impossible for them to even be able to live due to the calorie intake required to keep them alive. Ancient Drakes are actually known to not eat at all, gaining sustenance from the connection they have with the arcane. For many of these Drake's their connection to the Arcane ends here. Dragons are an anomaly that have no true origin.Further Classifications
For the purpose of the RPG, these families act as tags that will be next to the classification of dragon.
Examples: Red Wyvern, Celestial Wyrm, Ember Drake.
Examples: Red Wyvern, Celestial Wyrm, Ember Drake.
Chromatic:
Everything we have said up to this point and nothing else. They're the most common form of dragon in the world. These dragons tend to come in various shades of a single color that many believed represents elemental magic that they send rushing out on their breath. Red dragons were thought to breath fire, while blue dragons were thought to breath ice. These colors do not coincide with elements, and further study led to the distinction between color and elemental organs. As more species were discovered it became clear that there's no true correlation between a dragon's color and breathing mechanism, if they have any at all.Primal
Often called the elemental dragons, this family is where the dragons that possess the ability to breathe fire and ice come from. They're not elementals nor are they necessarily magical. Dragons possess unique organs that allow them to be able to do what they do. For this reason, primal dragons are the hardest to identify. Some have elemental organs that are apparent to their element, but some ice dragons don't breathe Ice, instead breathing fire. The elemental organ is dependent on the female parent. Primal Dragons are named by their element and their classification.
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by T SWCK
Celestial
Celestial dragons often represent specific metaphysical domains and are always sentient. They are highly intelligent and usually benign. They tend to be reclusive unless provoked. What does analog for these kinds of dragons are the Eastern dragons in the real world. The Eastern dragons of the real world are classified as wyrms in Expedition Demeter.Hydra
There are many species of dragon that possess many heads. Regardless of the dragon family, any dragon that has more than one head is classified as a hydra. Hydra can come in many forms with anywhere from two heads with a shared brain to dozens of heads with multiple brains or a single brain isolated in the group. Hydra are rare and likely formed due to mutations in genetic code. The already varied traits may have been quite volatile early in history.
by Jaime Jones
Leviathan
Leviathan is a broad term that refers to any dragon that appears in the ocean. Leviathan are usually massive and terrifying creatures that can come in any form. Leviathan are most prominent in The Weir Ocean. Ozlith Became famous for the killing of Leviathans. The Legion of the Deep even took the name leviathan to describe its members. The term was originally the name of the sea monster the legion killed, and has come to define all dragons of the ocean.
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