Dragons

Dragons are among the greatest creatures in the world, possessing awesome power and disturbingly sapient-like intelligence. Their numbers have dwindled over the past several thousand years, leading most of them to hide away in mountains, caves or nigh impenetrable forests.

Notable Dragons

Hadrasithicus Pythone - The first dragon to arrive on Jordfold during an event known as 'The Breach'. Devastated much of Jordfolds' north and was eventually slain by the god Antirop in single combat.
Siffavicrum Ambyphragia - Was one of the most dangerous adversaries during the Disobedience. Fought against both sides of the conflict. Gravely wounded the goddess Kitheria, who has been in a state of 'half death' for two and a half thousand years following their battle.
Thannotrebia Tirthad - More commonly known as the 'Black Death', the undead dragon served as the lich Maldrone Swart's personal mount and one of his great instruments of terror during the Pale Dawn. Slain by the mortal champion Marian Sador, but not before mortally wounding her and killing three of her cohorts.
Medenelet Oxnadacus - The 'White Emperor'. Three headed dragon responsible for the 'Desolation of Karbas'. Fought half the pantheon to a bloody draw. Current whereabouts unknown but is believed to have entered hibernation to heal from his wounds. Regarded as one of the greatest threats currently facing Jordfold.

Basic Information

Anatomy

All dragons share the following traits; four legs, horned crowns and a great pair of wings. The largest dragons recorded tower over mountains. The minerals in their bones are incredibly tough and dense, often making them so heavy as to make flight impossible for the biggest specimens. Their scales are thick and extremely resilient to the elements or weapons.

Genetics and Reproduction

Dragons reproduce asexually, and are neither truly male or female. Unusual for draconids is that dragons are k-selected reproducers - they produce a small number of well-developed young as opposed to a large number of poor-developed young. The gestation period lasts between 16 and 18 months and they typically produce two offspring, sometimes more. According to legend, a dragon 'splits' part of their soul into their children, essentially making them immortal.

Growth Rate & Stages

Wyrmling

Dragons spend their first seven or eight years as wyrmlings, always under the protection of their 'mothers' until they can fend for themselves. Their parents invest heavily in making sure they spend these vital first years honing their survival skills and often, only one wyrmling will survive to adulthood. At this critical stage, they are highly vulnerable to predation from rival dragons (or rarely, non draconid beasts) who see them as future threats to their rule. They are just starting to develop horns and wings halfway through this stage and they are unable to breath fire.

Juvenile

Juvenile dragons are roughly the size of a small horse and it is at this stage where they engage in fierce competition with their siblings. This stage is critical because at the end, when they reach adulthood, the losers will be forcibly exiled from their lairs. Qualities such as strength, vigour and cunning are favoured above all.

Adult

Whoever gained the favour of their parent in the juvenile stage will be allowed to stay with them. They gain the benefit of the 'mother's' further protection and she will continue to pass on knowledge to her remaining child. Those who did not win her favour are exiled from the lair and are forced to fend for themselves, about half of them will die in the wilderness to various causes.
Adult dragons gain the ability of flight and more importantly, to breath fire. Their 'personalities' are beginning to flesh out and their remarkable intelligence begins to manifest. While their hides are tough and provided excellent protection from many threats, their bones remain hollow and can break with ease so they are rather selective of their prey. Any prey that looks like it could put up a decent fight, they will ignore. Settlements, with the possible exception of villages, are also given a wide berth.

Elder

By this stage, a dragon's bones begin to solidify over the course of several decades and it is during this time they will enter hibernation. They are very picky about choosing their lairs, taking care to avoid prying eyes while in this vulnerable state. At this stage, their psychic abilities manifest and they will slowly collect a following of pawns to do their bidding, usually protecting their lair from intruders while they sleep.

Ecology and Habitats

Dragons can inhabit nearly all environments, barring the depths of the sea. They prefer to make their lairs atop mountains or far underground because they are out of the reach of most threats. As dragons can get quite large, the lair can get too small so they search elsewhere until suitable accommodation is located. They also need room to store their vast hoards of wealth.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Dragons can live fairly comfortably for a week or two without eating. Active dragons will need more and will almost always prey on larger animals, such as horses or large marine creatures. When preparing to go into hibernation, they eat much more, sometimes to the point where people notice a scarcity in otherwise abundant wildlife.
Perhaps the most unusual habit of dragons is their desire to amass great wealth and stow them away in their lairs. Some suggest this merely an expression of 'vanity', flaunting their worth i.e a vast hoard of gold and precious stones means they are dangerous and experienced. Others even believe they devour the gold to give them immortality and their 'magic'.

Additional Information

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

They have excellent sight, able to see in superb detail the landscape from many miles around. They can see in ultraviolet light, seeing colours that most can't. Their sense of smell is also impressive, even detecting things far underground. There is strong evidence that dragons possess powerful psychic powers as they are seemingly able to 'hypnotize' other beings into serfdom.
The most famous ability of dragons is the ability to breathe, though they are vastly different degrees to how hot and devastating the flame. The most powerful can boil away lakes and melt granite in seconds. With these powers in mind, dragons are among the most dangerous creatures to kill.

Lifespan

Unknown as no dragon has yet died of old age but the most ancient are believed to be 230,000 years old.