Dragons
True Dragons are the most powerful species in the world of Otenia, some of them are brutes but others make a name for themselves by leveraging immense intelligence and forging political connections. They are characterized by long lifespans, near unstoppable physical power, and a variety of elemental breath attacks. Dragon Fire is famous as an agent of destruction but different colors of dragons have the ability to use other elements that correspond to the color of their scales. These powerful creatures are considered rare in Otenia, due to territorial wars that they often wage against one another. They have no particular alliance with other species or countries, seeing themselves as above most squabbles as a whole but there are exceptions.
A dragon subspecies that exists outside of the standard colorations called Dargons. These are a smaller draconic species that has a humanoid form covered in scales and often adorned with other draconis feature like large teeth, tails, claws, and wings on occasion. They often coexist with the true Dragon species, acting as envoys or organized socities and cities that have direct ties to a specific Dragon or draconic lineage.
On occasion, Dragons that look to prove their genius will become Tacticians and manage other species to accomplish high profile missions. Even more rare, some young dragons that are looking for excitement or glory will become Mercenaries themselves. They often charge immense amounts of gold to accomplish tasks but they deliver on that power. As Mercenaries, Dragons are the only species that can transcend the career progression system and ascend to a 'Mastered' level in their career and showcase power that other species can only hope to match through coordinated efforts.
Basic Information
Anatomy
Dragons are huge scaled creatures that resemble reptiles with wings. These creatures primarily have four limbs, two wings, a single tail, and often a set of horns. Their body is typically covered in scales that trend towards a distinct color that identifies them as a specific 'color' of dragon.
Their size approaches 60 feet in height and 120 feet in length in the larger examples of the species. Variations of a given body type are not directly tied to the color of their scales but rather to a specific region or lineage that a dragon hails from. These variations include the size and general shape of their body, number of limbs, pronounced or subdued nature of their claws or horns, and the size of their wingspan.
The colors of Dragons that are commonly recognized are associated with different elemental breath weapons:
- Black (Dark)
- Blue (Water)
- Brown (Earth)
- Gray (Metal)
- Green (Poison)
- Orange (Light)
- Purple (Wind)
- Red (Fire)
- White (Ice)
- Yellow (Lightning)
Growth Rate & Stages
True Dragons have a life cycle that is parsed into four major stages:
- Young: The weakest stage of a Dragon's life is during the first ten years after it hatches. The scales are soft, the constitution mirrors frail humanoid species and their control over their elemental breath weapon is less effective than most baseline magic and weapons.
- Drake: The adolescent stage of a Dragon's life is from 11 to 50 years of their life. The scales have grown harder and their physical abilities have begun to catch up to other species. While they are not able to physically overpower creatures of great proportions they can hold their own using physical ability or a breath weapon that is similar in power to most baseline magic or honed weapons.
- Wyrm: The adult stage of a Dragon's life is from 50 to 150 years. The scales are now harder than most conventional armor and few other species can match them in direct physical confrontations without specialized weapons or extensive training. Their breath weapon now rivals the destructive power of most offensive magic used by professional casters.
- Elder: The most powerful stage of a Dragon's life starts sometime around their 150th birthday and can extend indefinitely. Dragons are truly immortal creatures when confronted with the concept of age. Here their bodies are unmatched by any other species, specialized or divinely empowered species that specialize in physical combat would still lag behind them. Their breath weapon now dwarfs the raw power of even the most powerful mages in the world, to directly oppose it with force results in failure.
Ecology and Habitats
Dragons are a powerful species that often bend their environments to suit their needs after dwelling in them. It is often thought that extreme temperatures and weather patterns are a result of their presence in an area.
Depends on the color of the Dragon, they can be found in any environment to include aquatic dwellings. According to their colors their regular habitats are:
- Black (Swamps and Deep Tropical Forests)
- Blue (Coastlines and Aquatic Dwellings)
- Brown (Deserts and Caves)
- Gray (Ruins of long forgotten civilizations)
- Green (Deep Forests)
- Orange (High Altitude Plains)
- Purple (High Mountain Ranges away from the artic areas)
- Red (Deserts and volcanic areas)
- White (High Mountain Ranges and artic areas)
- Yellow (Large bodies of fresh water to include lakes and rivers both natural and artificial)
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