Adamantine Dragon
A metallic species of True Dragon, Adamantine Dragons are the ancestral protectors of Bytopia, and the eldest of the metallics.
Basic Information
Anatomy
Adult Adamantine Dragons can grow a little over 300 feet long from nose to tip of tail, and have longer teeth, claws, and wings than are typical for other dragons. Their wings attach further down their bodies than most dragons as well, though they do not have the glider-like wings of their Bronze cousins. Adamantine horns are back-sweeping and branched, and form a crown-like crest at the back of their heads. Their scales are nigh-impenetrable, a bright white metal that glitters like diamond in even the slightest light.
Genetics and Reproduction
Adamantine eggs can be recognized by the rough, scale-like shells, and radiate intense heat. They are laid in clutches of 1-3.
Growth Rate & Stages
Wyrmlings average about 13 feet long upon hatching, and are hatched with their armour-like scales fully formed. The horns, however, take longer to come in, and the wings will not be expanded enough to carry the dragon through sustained flight until they reach around 20 ft. long. At this stage, they are usually determined as young adults, and continue to develop in size and strength, with the horns reaching full size and claws continuing to grow until they reach their first century.
Ecology and Habitats
Adamantine dragons are native to Bytopia, and rarely found outside it due to their ancestral role as guardians of the realm.
Dietary Needs and Habits
Omnivorous, adamantine dragons can be voracious hunters but can supplement their diets with vegetables when necessary. Citizens of bytopia often send tribute in the form of huge portions of delicious food.
Additional Information
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Natural casters, Adamantine Dragons have a special affinity for abjurative magic. They were able to enchant their breath attacks with an effect that confounded and arrested the movement living creatures, in addition to the white-hot fire attack more typical for their species.
Holding such heat in their bodies, Adamantine Dragons are, like their red and gold cousins, immune to damage from heat-based attacks.
Civilization and Culture
Naming Traditions
Adamantine hatchlings are usually named in draconic tradition.
Major Organizations
Though they fill an important role as protectors against external threats, Adamantines as a species do not play any role in the governing of Bytopia.
Major Language Groups and Dialects
Adamantine dragons speak Draconic among themselves, and many also speak Gnomish.
Culture and Cultural Heritage
As the ancestral defenders of Bytopia, the virtues of vigilance, steadfastness, and loyalty are held most high among Adamantine communities. Among the smaller populations of True Dragons in the world, these communities are very tight-knit, with the loss of any member mourned by the whole.
Their strong ties to the Realm of Bytopia mean that Adamantines are rarely found outside it. While inter-realm travel is not forbidden, it is generally considered only acceptable when accompanied by sufficient reason to leave one's post, which is an extremely high standard.
Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals
When an Adamantine Dragon comes of age, their adulthood is confirmed in a ceremony of fealty, in which the dragon swears to dedicate their life to the defense and preservation of Bytopia as a thriving, living realm. As Bytopia is also the birthplace and ancestral homeland of the dragons themselves, this oath is not generally a subject of contention for young dragons.
History
For as long as any among them can remember, Adamantine Dragons have been the protectors of Bytopia against all who would wish her harm. The space atop the upper level of Shurrock is their homeland, though some lair in Shurrock itself.
Interspecies Relations and Assumptions
Owing perhaps in part to the long friendship between Garl Glittergold and Bahamut, Adamantine Dragons have always had a sunny relationship in general with Gnomes, who originate from the realm under their protection.
Genetic Ancestor(s)
Scientific Name
Adamant Draconis
Origin/Ancestry
True Dragon
Geographic Distribution
Related Organizations
Discovered by