Dragon, Ferrous, Chromium

Chromium Dragon Also known as chrome dragons for their silvery color, chromium dragons are as greedy and spiteful as they come. Only red dragons match or exceed their greed and love of riches, but these dragons are a bit more subtle than their red cousins. That is, until combat breaks out. Where reds simply destroy, chromium dragons take their time, enjoying inflicting as much pain as possible.
The scales of a chromium dragon shine like polished silver, reflecting the dragon's surroundings like a warped mirror. Its frill running down its back is similar to that of a silver dragon's, only not as tall and with more pronounced spines. it has a short crest on its snout and a mane of short horns behind its head. Its wings are wide, and its profile is sleek from any angle, with lithe limbs and its natural armor shaped like bands wrapped around its muscular body. Its many needle-like teeth are smaller than those of other dragons, but no less painful.
Hateful and Merciless. Chromium dragons are filled with resentment and hatred for what befell them after they listened to Gruaghlothor's promises of rulership and wealth. They blame all other creatures and events that led up to their fall, but they refuse to blame themselves. After all, they, their motives, and their performance during the war was faultless. Therefore, by definition it must have been the combined faults of everything around them that brought their dreams of riches crashing down around them, left to rust like their fallen reputation.
Since then, that hatred has only grown and is ingrained within the subconscious of each chromium dragon. Hatred toward everything. No matter what the subject, a chromium dragon can somehow construe it as a factor in the war between the ferrous and metallic dragons, and therefore as something to be punished and destroyed. Their logic in this realm is often flawed, but their hatred blinds them and they refuse to see it any other way. They fall upon their enemies (which, as far as they are concerned, includes anything that can't grant them wealth or revenge) coldly and without mercy. They tear apart each enemy as if that creature alone had been the cause of their defeat, and nothing will satiate them but that creature's eventual and painful demise.
Cruel and Vengeful. Out of their spiteful hatred has grown a cruelty to rival even that of the black dragons'. A chromium dragon can't imagine a punishment long and painful enough for a creature to atone for its sin (which in the dragon's eyes is simply existing). They toy with their prey when they can, watching it run and allowing it a glimmer of hope before again diving from the sky to freeze off its legs (or some other act of cruelty). Its freezing breath proves useful for drawing out the end of a fight, the dragon allowing its opponent to wear itself out before unleashing a barrage of merciless melee attacks.
If it is defeated or wronged in some other way, the dragon becomes obsessed with obtaining revenge. They aren't as patient as other kinds of dragons and often act out of passion, stopping at nothing to destroy those who wronged it.
Silver Dragon Doppelgangers. Inexperienced adventurers mistake chromium dragons for silver dragons. The mistake can't be blamed, as they are quite similar in appearance, but the main differences are that the chromium's scales are highly reflective, and their crest and horns have a different shape. Chromiums both appreciate and despise their similarity to silver dragons. On one hand, naive creatures offer themselves as an easy meal, believing it to be a noble silver. On the other, they have traits in common with those backstabbing silvers that have the audacity to call themselves metallic dragons.
Obsessive Hoarders. Chromium dragons collect anything and everything of value. Their hoards rival even those of red dragons in terms of sheer size, and they don't discriminate when it comes to riches. They accept everything from gems to coins to weapons and armor to books to tapestries to fine dwarven ale, and everything in-between. Its favorite treasures, however, are those won from challengers or silver dragons. If the dragon kills an especially powerful foe, it might choose to preserve the corpse or take some sort of souvenir from the broken carcass as a momento.
The one "treasure" that it cannot stand is slaves and servants. Other dragons love having creatures fawn over them for nearly any reason, but chromium dragons abhor attempts to get on their good side. They see such flattering only as an attempt to manipulate them, which they take offense to and then punish without mercy. Even if a creature is somehow able to convince a chromium dragon to accept its service, the dragon perceives everything the poor creature does as wrong, insignificant, and undeserving of anything other than the dragon's wrath. The relationship inevitably ends with a slow and painful death for the creature and an early dinner for the dragon.
A Chromium Dragon's Lair
Chromium dragons live in mountainous or subterranean places in the arctic, favoring naturally-formed caves for lairs, especially those within mountainous glaciers. Occasionally they settle in less extreme locales such as hills or plains, as long as there is enough snow to sate the dragon's desire for cold.
The lair is always layered with snow and frost, whether brought in by the dragon or placed there with its cold breath. One of its favorite traps is to create a pit lined with sharp spikes of ice, and then place a thin sheet of ice over the top. Even the slightest pressure over the pit will cause the ice to shatter and send everything on top tumbling downward.
The caverns of the lair are usually spacious and open, to allow the dragon space to fly in case it needs to make a quick retreat (or let the opposition think that it is retreating).
Regional Effects
The region containing a legendary chromium dragon's lair is warped by the dragon's magic, which creates one or more of the following effects.
* Once per day, the dragon can alter the weather in a 6-mile radius centered on its lair. The dragon doesn't have to be outdoors; otherwise the effect is identical to the control weather spell. * Freezing precipitation falls within 6 miles of the dragon's lair, sometimes forming blizzard conditions when the dragon is at rest. * Within 1 mile of its lair, the dragon leaves no physical evidence of its passage unless it wishes to. Tracking it there is impossible except by magical means. In addition, it ignores movement impediments and damage from snow and ice in the area.
If the dragon dies, these effects fade over the course of 1d10 days.
Preferred Spells
A chromium dragon usually chooses spells that enhance its control over weather or ice, such as: ray of frost, pass without trace, gust of wind, wall of ice, ice storm, cone of cold, eyebite, and control weather.
Ferrous Dragons
Few know that the ferrous dragons exist, let along their tragic origins. The chromium, cobalt, nickel, steel, and tungsten dragons are each members of this mostly forgotten category of true dragons. Each is vain and greedy, as dragons are wont to be, and each type sees the circumstance of their species in a different light. All, however, no matter their viewpoints, want only to regain their race's former glory, and depose the metallics from their throne of nobility.
Gruaghlothor's Rebellion. The title of "ferrous" often confuses those who first learn about the dragon type; or at least, those that know anything about ferrous metals. Few of the dragons within this category take after ferrous metals, so why call them ferrous dragons at all? The reasoning is linked to their original place, which was as metallic dragons under the watchful and good-natured deity Bahamut, the Platinum Dragon.
Gruaghlothor the Supreme Dragon was a powerful demigod and one of Bahamut's most powerful and trusted advisors. He chafed under the rulership of the Platinum Dragon, despite having gained his power as a result of Bahamut's trust, and planned to overthrow him and take his place as the sovereign lord of metallic dragons. He sowed the seeds of rebellion in the minds of all metallic dragons, but those seeds only took root in the chromium, cobalt, nickel, steel, and tungsten dragons. The others proved too resolute in their reverence of their deity. He told them the power they would gain with him at their head, tempted them with promises of godhood and lordship that weren't his to give.
Eventually, after many centuries of preparation, Gruaghlothor launched his assault with his army. Bahamut and his faithful dragons retaliated in kind, but the Platinum Dragon attempted to approach his beloved advisor with diplomacy. Gruaghlothor refused all attempts at a peaceful resolution, insisting that Bahamut must be destroyed, and so Bahamut ordered the eradication of those who dared rebel against him. He wounded Gruaghlothor, but the rebellious demigod escaped. His army was destroyed and the survivors fled into the dark corners of the world.
Thusly, the title "ferrous" comes from the metaphorical rusting of the honor and beliefs of the once-metallic dragons, and represents their fall from nobility and honor into bitterness and betrayal. Those that survive insist that Gruaghlothor, the new lord of the fallen ferrous dragons, lives on, waiting for the imaginary moment in which he can exact his revenge.
Creatures of Law. Gruaghlothor's arguements appealed to the dragons that have a strong sense of law. Their plots are well thought-out and methodical, and they rarely act impulsively. Most have lost their good nature as a result of their fall, becoming neutral or evil. Over the millenia and eons since their great defeat, each type has come to hate the other ferrous dragons out of spite, blaming their fall on anyone but themselves. Despite their loathing, they never attack each other because of a decree supposedly from Gruaghlothor himself, stating that they are to preserve their numbers. Infighting is not tolerated. As dragons of law, they obey, albeit begrudgingly.
Within their society, the ferrous dragons follow the vague outline of a hierarchy. Though they hate one another, they respect the hierarchy set forth by Gruaghlothor. Several dragons of the same type and in the same region are organized into clans. Each clan is led by its most powerful member, and each clan leader answers to a sovereign great wyrm. Each species of ferrous dragon is led in this way, and the sovereigns of each type are said to be able to commune with Gruaghlothor himself. No one species has any measure of authority over another, but ferrous dragons always defer to a dragon that is older or of higher rank.
Bitter and Resentful. Each ferrous dragon harbors bitterness within; bitterness toward Bahamut, toward Gruaghlothor, toward the other ferrous dragons, toward the metallic dragons who defeated them, and most importantly toward their own species. Despite this bitterness, some ferrous dragons look forward with hope, determined to regain their place at Bahamut's side through a show of good nature and penitence. Others look forward with violence, desiring to destroy those who saw fit to destroy them.
Relations with Other Dragons. To chromatic dragons, ferrous dragons are still metallic dragons, and the two do not tolerate each other. In general, ferrous dragons get along with (or at least tolerate) gem dragons, but especially with amethyst and emerald dragons.
When it comes to metallic dragons, the ferrous dragon's attitude depends on its type. Tungsten dragons, for example, are noble, and recognize the fault of their ancestors in following Gruaghlothor. They view metallic dragons with the highest respect, but with an air of jealousy, admiring their devotion while wishing that their ancestors had it as well. Steel dragons regard them as metallic only in name, but otherwise ignore them unless confronted with them. Chromium dragons look upon metallic dragons with spite, believing that the ferrous dragons are the true rulers of dragonkind and that the metallics stole that privilege away from them.

Genetic Ancestor(s)

• Dragon, Ferrous