Dragons

As the two gods fought, their blood and magic spilled over the lands of Edarlein. From this spilled essence arose great beasts: the dragons. Those that sprang from Bahamut were the metallics, naturally inclined towards good, while those that sprang from Tiamat were the chromatics, who were drawn to evil...

Dragons are the powerful beings that most rulers in Edarlein are descendants of. They are naturally gifted at magic, and they can shape shift into different species to interact with others without alarming them. It is said that when the world was first created, dragons were created when the blood of Bahamut (the goddess of good dragons) and Tiamat (the goddess of evil dragons) mixed with the Eight Elements which had not yet coalesced into their respective planes. Long ago, Dragons were plentiful and lived all across the world. However, during The Nocturne War, many dragons died or went into hiding. In the present day, it is estimated that there are only about 100 dragons of any color living, most of them being very old.

Basic Information

Anatomy

While exact features such as horns and wing shape depend on the dragon species, all dragons are quadrupedal, with four clawed toes on each foot. They also have two wings, two eyes, and are at least mostly covered in scales. These scales show what species of dragon they are. Despite popular belief, dragons are not in any way, shape, or form related to reptiles. Despite their shared scaly exteriors, internally and psychologically they are incredibly different.

Genetics and Reproduction

Like birds and reptiles, dragons hatch from eggs. After finding a suitable nesting spot (usually within and around her lair), a female dragon will lay a clutch of two to five eggs. One or both parents will usually watch over the eggs for the gestation period of 330 to 450 days. When the dragon children (known as wyrmlings) hatch, how long the parents stay with them depends on the dragon. Chromatics don't usually stay with their children longer then a few days before "pushing them out of the nest" so to speak. Metallics usually stay with the wyrmlings until they learn to fly and use their innate magic (usually no longer then three years) before leaving. While this may sound heartless, dragons are naturally intelligent, and it's theorized that the young may somehow receive some of their parent's knowledge at birth.

Draconic Heirs

Dragons are incredibly odd in that they can reproduce with just about any other sapient species, a trait only shared by Humans. Beings with dragon blood are called Draconic Heirs, and tend to be incredibly physically or magically gifted. When a dragon and a mortal have a child, the child is always physically similar to the mortal, apart from some draconian traits (such as scales, sharp teeth, or rarely wings). Most times the dragon parents will not stay long after the child is born, mostly due to the inherent problems of a transcendent being raising a mortal child. However, dragons who are more comfortable in human society (especially Silver Dragons) will occasionally visit or even take up residence in the same area to watch over their offspring.

Growth Rate & Stages

As incredibly long-lived beings, Dragons are one of the few species that are naturally classified as "transcendent". Dragons typically reach adulthood after 300 years, and any dragon younger then that is not likely to be taken seriously by older dragons. If a dragon reaches 1000 years of age, they are known as a "Great Wyrm" and usually become sort of a mentor to other dragons. It is incredibly rare for dragons to live over 1500 years, and the oldest dragon on record is estimated to have lived 1700 years.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Dragons can eat most anything a human can eat, but they will eat in much greater amounts. Due to both giant size and impressive metabolism, a dragon eats about 24,000 lbs. of food a day (about the weight of two elephants).

Genetic Descendants