Dragons

Two dragons fighting each other in Frostfall

Dragons are a unique type of reptile-like creature that can usually fly and have fire-breathing capabilities. They are native to Doras Edrossi, but there are some purported to live in the mountains of Andoras; indeed, events such as the Dragonsteel Mine crisis seem to confirm this, and when the Dragomári invaded Andoras, they brought their dragons with them, and some of these dragons or even their kin are believed to still persist somewhere far from human habitation.

Dragons were once common beasts in the Drakonian Empire, but when The Shadow infested the minds of many Drakonians and dragons alike, the Dragon Wars began, causing many of the dragons to either kill each other, be killed out of retaliation or fear, or simply wither away in captivity. The population of dragons is estimated to have dropped by at least 90% of its average during Drakonia's reign in present day, and House Dragomárus were the only ones known to consistently breed and tame dragons into the Eighth Era, and even this has faded after the Dragomári were overthrown.

Dragons are gauged to have some sort of intelligence, and seem to have their own language. Dragons can be heard roaring in different pitches and tones, and making other sounds like squeaking, clicking, and growling to indicate a message. They are also reported to gather in a large regional group, usually a pit or chasm with amplification qualities, and occasionally roar together to make the local dragons' presence known.

House Dragomárus takes part of their name, and the image of their sigil, from dragons, and it was Aenarion Dragomárus who was the first to hatch and tame dragons.

Gavarex, Aenarion's oldest and largest mount, was a dragon, possibly the strongest of his time. Gavarex was reportedly able to speak like a man in Drakonic, and his wingspan would shroud an entire village in darkness.

Dragon physiology

Dragons can live far too old, and their rate of metabolism can be slow enough, for any one man to watch a dragon and actively mark it's life stages. The only definite observation of dragons is that they grow horns when they reach an adult phase, especially during mating season, and they slowly recede as they get older. These horns, made of dragonbone, can take the appearance of two large horns protuding from the side of the head, spikes, or bony scales. Crests have also been seen growing on dragons, as well as cockscombs. Because of the relatively obscure nature of dragon anatomy, the reason for these are not fully understood.

History

Historically, dragons have only been used as mounts by the Drakonian people, in particular, House Dragomárus. Prior to their domestication by Drakonians, dragons were most likely large reptiles who dominated the food chain wherever they went, and drastically affected the environment around them. As dragons are large creatures with relatively slow metabolisms, they are somewhat sparse, and their numbers have dwindled to perhaps a few hundred since the death of Aeganar IV Dragomárus. Dragonriders are even more rare, and it is believed no true dragonriders still exist. However, Taeronys Dragomárus is reputed to have survived the Siege of Dragonspire (he did, but this is unbeknownst to the Andorasi), and so was his dragon, Serellion, so it's plausible he's one of the last dragonriders still alive.

Andorasi attitude of dragons

The Andorasi have always been fearful of dragons. From the first tales they heard of them in the First Era via the missionaries of the Two Paragons, to the outright invasion of Andoras by the Drakonians using dragons in battle, they have been seldom trusted and even less revered. In Doras Edrossi, a similar fear exists, but it is more out of respect, as the Edrossians far better understand the bond that a dragon and its tamer can share, but also the wanton destruction a dragon can cause. Neither culture can truly say they understand the mental states of dragons; it is only the Drakonians who are known to have such a close bond with them. Most notably, in all of recorded history, there has never been a native Andorasi dragon tamer. Edrossian dragon tamers were quite rare, but some were able to forge a bond with a dragon prior to the Dragon Wars, after which point the Drakonian Empire collapsed and the majority of dragons died in the War of the Shadow. After this, the only culture known to still extensively use dragons were the Drakonians, and even now this has faded in the present. It seems dragons and the Andorasi share similar sentiments of each other, and on Andoras dragons (aside from those of the Dragomári that eluded capture) are almost certainly extinct or quite far away from any human life.

Types of dragons

Dragons are generally divided into two classes; those descended from Messeneth, and those descended from Nveryll, aptly described as Messenethic and Nveryllic. Another class exists, known as "Halfbloods" or sometimes referred less formally to as "mutts", for those who are of equal Messenethic and Nveryllic descent. These, oddly enough, are the most rare of all dragons, due to the Messenethic and Nveryllic dragons' general aversion to mating with each other. Though all dragons have interbreeding in their blood to a fault, these in particular are notable for being in the middle of the spectrum, whereas almost all dragons tend to fall towards one of the two extremes.

Messenethic dragons

Messenethic dragons are typically stronger and larger than their Nveryllic cousins. They are also less varied in terms of color; while Nveryllic dragons can range in a wide variety of colors, Messenethic dragons tend to come in various shades of grey, ranging from a dull white to jet black -- the darker their scales, the more the dragon is said to share bloodline with Messeneth, and generally the stronger the dragon. Although Messenethic dragons were relatively rare even in their time, House Dragomárus was able to procure a set of dragon eggs from the earliest days of Drakonia that remained quite Messenethic, all the way from Gavarex to Serellion. With the loss of many dragons in the Dragon Wars and the near-fatal fall of House Dragomárus, Messenethic dragons seem to have all but disappeared, with the exception of Serellion who was nowhere to be found following the Second Siege of Dragonspire, and is presumed to have escaped. Unlike the Nveryllic dragons, Messenethic dragons never naturally migrated outside of Drakonia and only came to Andoras when the Dragomári invaded. This is attributed to the fact that Messenethic dragons are directly descended from the force of evil in the Dragonlord faith, thus making them far more susceptible to such forces.

Nveryllic dragons

The more common of the two, probably due to their increased tolerance to human interaction and life in general, the Nveryllic dragons should not be mistaken for caretakers of life; they have no problem with defending themselves, but unlike the Messenethic dragons, they do not have an innate need to express their anger and inflict violence upon others, and were the popular choice of mount or working beast for those who could afford to own a dragon in Drakonia. After the Dragon Wars, it was mostly the Nveryllic dragons who evaded the Shadow's plague and managed to migrate elsewhere -- today, Nveryllic dragons are purported to inhabit the ruins of Drakonia, where the blistering heat virtually removes the need for a lair, and mountainous regions of both Doras Edrossi and Andoras, where they could live in isolation.

Halfbloods

Halfblooded dragons are dragons whose bloodline cannot be accurately pinned to either Messeneth or Nveryll, instead being a mix of the two as a result of crossbreeding between the two dragon types. These, oddly enough, are the most rare of all dragons, due to the Messenethic and Nveryllic dragons' general aversion to mating with each other. Though all dragons have interbreeding in their blood to a fault simply due to chance or the inhibitions of a Drakonian breeder in their past, these "mutts" as they are sometimes referred to are in particular are notable for being in the middle of the spectrum, whereas almost all dragons tend to fall towards one of the two extremes. Morphologically they tend to take on the skin tones and temperament of Nveryllic dragons, and the cruelty and blood rage of Messenethic dragons. This puts them at an interesting impasse; they must either give into their vengeful desires like the Messenethic dragons, or restrain themselves like the Nveryllic. Unlike the Messenethics, they can control this, but much like mortals, dragons vary in willpower and some lack in mental fortitude. Due to the rarity of these true halfbloods, not much information was ever produced about their state, and it is assumed that no halfbloods currently exist, or are far from civilization.

Notable dragons

Name of Dragon	Type of Dragon	Age	King when hatched	King when died (Or current king, if still living)	Main rider	Image of the dragon, if available	Current Status
Gavarex	Messenethic	??	Aenarion I Dragomárus	M.I.A, unable to discern	Aenarion I Dragomárus		Deceased (presumed)
Nerion	Messenethic	??, although likely extremely old	??	Draegon I Dragomárus	Draegon I Dragomárus		Deceased
Vhalax	Nveryllic	231-232 at time of death	Alserys I Dragomárus	Aeganar IV Dragomárus	Aeganar IV Dragomárus		Deceased
Serellion	Messenethic	20	Aeganar IV Dragomárus	N/A (Kingdom of Andoras deposed)	Taeronys Dragomárus		Alive (presumed), missing