Dragons
Dragons (or wyrms) are very powerful and magical creatures.There are several types of dragons, the most common of which were chromatic and metallic, which are evil and good respectively. They are an ancient race. Few species that still exist can claim longer lineage. Dragons were the bane of Ghemjana; their line was so old, they had their own realm during the first recorded histories. In recent times, the dragons of Gjemjana are nearly all recluses or at the very least deceptive to their true nature, living amongst other species in polymorphed form.
Basic Information
Anatomy
Dragons are inherently magical beings, and in no case should dragons be considered reptiles, despite obvious similarities such as a scaled epidermis and reproduction by laying eggs. In fact, they are more akin to feline creatures than reptiles, particularly in regards to their posture and movements, as well as being inherently warm-blooded and an eye composition similar to felines, although far more complex. A good example of this is the placement of the legs: dragons also tend to place their rear foot where their front foot was previously, much like most stalking feline predators.
Genetics and Reproduction
The number of eggs a dragon lays each brood depends on its race, but is usually low, between one and ten. Evil dragons of adult age often lay and abandon clutches of eggs, leaving the wyrmlings to work together to raise themselves until they are old enough to go their seperate ways. Good dragons of adult age, and some more intelligent evil dragons, will form families consisting of the mated pair and their offspring. The children generally leave the family by the time they reached young adulthood. As dragon couples get older, they became increasingly likely to split apart as the desire for treasure begins to outweigh interests in families. Older dragons will continue to mate, but will assign a single parent to the duty of raising the offspring.
Thanks to their shape-shifting, dragons can also cross-breed with virtually any other creature, creating a half-dragon. The most commonly heard of are in the humanoid races, particularly with human and elves. Any combination is possible, however, even with devils or angels. Most of the time when dragons of different types crossbreed it results in no offspring. Whenever offspring do occur between different types, the offspring's biology would almost always favor one of the parent's "type" over the other and might display characteristic that varies from its norm. In very rare instances of crossbreeding yielding offspring, the resulting child's biology might favor neither parent. This might result in them being born as a new type or with albinism.
Ecology and Habitats
Each dragon type has a favored terrain. Some prefer swamps and marshes, while others soar over mountaintops and valleys.
Dietary Needs and Habits
All dragons are omnivorous and can eat almost anything, thanks to their innate elemental nature that allows them to consume and digest all sorts of food, including substances that wouldn't qualify as food to other living creatures. Most dragons prefer a carnivorous diet, but a few of them have developed unique dietary habits. Metallic dragons, for instance, prefer to eat primarily inorganic fare. Although they are true apex predators, dragons are not above scavenging for food if necessary.
The great "spellwyrm" Helgaldegar believed that each dragon had its own "unique body chemistry" so that their specific, individualized diet would effect their longevity, vigor natural proficiency for casting magic and proclivity for other activities.
Most dragons usually consume half their own weight in meat every day. Dragons seldom get fat, as their bodies convert all the eaten food into elemental energy, storing it for later use. Much of this stored energy is expended using their breath weapons and when their bodies changes because of them advancing in age. When eating inorganic materials, dragons need to eat as much as their own body weight per day to maintain healthy bodies.
In some instances, dragons also eat magic items. These instances are rare however. While dragons can inherit" the magical properties of sole magic items for a day or so, and as such this will had some tactical value, few dragons would resort to do such a thing unless they are starving to the point of death.
Behaviour
Dragons are greedy. It the most distinguishing feature of all dragons, good or evil. All dragons have hordes, though these will change from type to type.
Additional Information
Social Structure
All dragons are inherently territorial and covetous. They hoard wealth—although "wealth" could mean different things to different dragons—and jealously protect their hoards. For most dragons, there is no such thing as enough treasure. They enjoy collecting mountains of gold, gems, coins, and magic items. They find these treasures radiant and enticing, and will make nooks and beds for themselves in their money piles. The habit of sleeping on their wealth mean that most great wyrms have hundreds of coins and gems embedded in their hides.
Evil dragons are quick to attack anyone they perceive as a threat to their hoard, even other dragons. Good dragons are more likely to attempt diplomacy, but their desire to protect their hoard is no less intense.
Uses, Products & Exploitation
The meat of a dragon was said to be similar to white bustard meat but with a much more intense flavor. When news of a fallen dragon got out, it often brought "snatch teams" to the site to carve up and transport the carcass to the nearest big city to be butchered and rendered into saleable parts. These teams were typically well-equipped and well-armed because the potential profit from such a windfall was tremendous. Any offer of meat billed as "dragon tail" (or any other part of the creature) was usually a ruse or a get-rich-quick scheme. The largest and best tasting joints were said to come from the wings. This area of the body also yielded large slices of fat with the consistency of jelly. It was used to make fine stews when harvested in time, or as bait for bears and other large carnivores and scavengers if not.
Dragonhide was valuable for crafting armor, and the other inedible parts of a dragon had many uses, both magical and mundane. The tendons from the wings were very strong and flexible, for example. Indeed, there were a few shops that specialized in dragon parts, such as the Wyrmworks in Telcoviel. Some alchemists claimed that properly prepared dragon organs, blood, or other fluids had magical healing or anti-poison properties. The same sort of claims were made for alicorn (the horn of a unicorn) and for wyvern-tail juice so it was often difficult to separate fact from fiction. Many spells could use dragon parts as material components, such as create baneguard, Daltim's proof against fire, dragon scales, dragonbane, time conduit, and weapon bless, for example.[citation needed] Powdered dragon bone was one of the components of the talismans of spell turning created by the orcs of the Thousand Fists tribe.
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Dragons are superior in most ways to other creatures - like any predator, they have exceptionally acute senses, which only increased with age. Dragons have excellent depth perception and comparably good peripheral vision, able to see twice as well as a human in daylight; they have great night vision, and are able to see even when conditions had no light to offer, though not in color. Dragons can also pick up scents very well, utilizing both their sensitive nose and forked tongue, much like a snake. Their hearing is on par with human hearing, although their minds can filter what noise it hears. Dragon taste is also refined, although they do not respond well to sweet flavors, and most dragons didn't discuss why. They are able to eat almost everything, but each type has a preferred diet; some prefer flesh, other to eat precious metals or gems, and so forth. Of all its senses, a dragon's sense of touch is the only one to decrease with age, due mostly to the development of thick, hard scales.
Dragons are capable of blindsense, the sense in which eyes, ears, and other senses are used to detect invisible persons or objects.
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