Dragons of the Dunes

Basic Information

Anatomy

These are large reptiles capable of flight. They have a large wingspan to kick up dust and sand around their prey. They have sharp talons and a very durable hide. They have four legs and two wings. They can have feathers or be bare skin, though it's not clear why these distinctions exist. They do have the ability to breathe fire.

Genetics and Reproduction

They are typically solitary creatures outside of mating season. During matting season, they will form big "dancing" congregations. They will build nests and stock the area with lots of carrion before laying their eggs. They don't stick around to parent any dragonlings that hatch, letting the little ones fend for themselves as soon as they hatch. Because of this, little dragonlings can be killed by predators attracted to the carrion. But this also teaches dragons how to hunt early on and nesting sites can prove fatal to the stray human who wanders into them.

Ecology and Habitats

Dragons tend to stay within the dune type ecosystems (the Fair or Blistering Dunes) but they can venture through the Scrub Land Wastes or the borders of the Marshes of Madness. They typically go after larger game like the Tunbe Beetle  or the Raptor Bat . They can breath limited amounts of fire, but typically hunt with their talons, saving their fire breath for making glass bubbles to protect themselves should they get stuck out in a storm. They are meat eaters, but typically humans are too small for them to bother. However, dragons will eat the occasional human if they were hungry or if the human got a little too close to their territory.
Because of the limited resources, dragons are territorial and will fight intruding dragons to the death. Occasionally dragons will make glass "sculptures" by piling sand, turning it to molten glass, and then kneading the molten glass into shapes, usually either pads or pillars. It's unclear why pads or pillars or what differentiates the populations into piling or padding types, but it could be a way of demarcating territory.
Some humans have tried to domesticate dragonlings to aid sadi crews in detecting storms with chaotic success. Sometimes it works out great, sometimes it results in explosions. Typically though, the dragon will not grow to full size in a "domestic" setting.

Additional Information

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

They rely mostly on eyesight to sense their surroundings, but they also have a super sense for storms. Thus they are rarely caught off guard by a surprise storm. It's not clear how these storms are sensed, though some researchers suspect it has something to do with picking up subtle changes in pressure.

Scientific Name

Fiera draconus

Conservation Status

This species is not under protection.

Geographic Distribution

• The Wastes