Age Of Dragons: Biology

Age Of Dragons: Main Page -> Age Of Dragons: Biology

Anatomy of a Dragon

An adult dragon is quadripedal, with long neck and tail, and a reptillian head. A dragon has two leathery wings, together equal in span to the full nose-tail length. These wings emerge near the shoulders from the dragon's back. On the ground, an adult dragon stands at around four and a half metres tall at the shoulder, with three metres of neck length, four of tail, and three of torso.

Dragon skin is scaled, with huge overlapping armour plates over the chest, the back of the body, dorsal limb surfaces and upper head, and leathery skin with fine scales over the abdomen, ventral limb surfaces, face and wing edges. The wing membranes themselves are not scaled, but are smooth and lightly translucent. Dragons do not have hair, though some sport manes of fine leathery spines that might be mistaken from a distance as such.

Dragon forelimbs end in clawed hands, which have thumb-claws opposed to three jointed foreclaws, and one unjointed vestigial foreclaw. Fore-talons are typically around a third of the length of the foreclaws, and might be compared in size and sharpness to military shortswords. Foreclaws are slightly curved. A dragon has a surprising amount of dexterity for their foreclaws - greater than that of a human hand when taken in size proportion, but limited in fine control by sheer size. Regardless, a dragon is still capable of gentle and controlled touch, able to pick an ant off a leaf without harming it should he wish to do so.

Dragon rearlimbs are more muscular, and though less dextrous have a great deal more power. So long as they have their rear limbs on solid ground, dragons can easily launch themselves into full flight from a standing jump. Rear-talons are slightly longer than fore-talons, but have no opposed thumb so cannot manipulate so well. A dragon will typically bring in its rear talons to fight only when airborne, though of course it will readily use tooth and foreclaw whether airborne or grounded.

A dragon's teeth are clearly suited to a carnivorous diet, and for most breeds are found in a single serrated row each in the upper and lower jaw, with slightly larger canine fangs on both lower and upper jaw. A dragon's mucuous membranes (and indeed its viscera) are purple-red, as is its blood, regardless of scale colour. As the popular dragon-saying goes "our scales are different, but our blood and breath are the same".

Male dragons boast a pair of horns on their head. The appearance of these horns varies according to breed, but they are always specific to the males of the species. There are numerous other "tells" as to the gender of a dragon - males tend to have more elongated facial features and their central chest plates are single-file, whereas females have dual-file chest plates, more angled dorsal spines, and a generally less-shoulder heavy build, but stronger rear limb muscles. Both genders are similarly coloured and sized, with notable exceptions for only a couple of breeds.

For dragons, of course, the difference in gender is intuitive and obvious, and there are many other physical features that might be considered feminine or masculine, though these vary with breed and culture. For both genders, depth and homogeneity of colour, and strong features distinctive to particular breeds are considered to be very attractive.

Physiology of a Dragon

Internal Physiology

Dragons appear reptillian, but have only some reptillian traits. Though they have scales and are hairless, they are warm blooded capable of maintaining their body temperatures in a wide range of environments. Dragons require a diet of meat to survive, and also need to drink water, and sleep regularly just as all other creatures do. They are prone to diseases and other infirmities, but due to their stronger constitution than most creatures are vulnerable only to the most potent of infections.

A curious property of the dragon's physiology is an almost complete immunity to fire. A dragon can be exposed to the flames of a raging blast furnace, and neither feel pain nor come to harm. In fact, extreme heat is a somewhat pleasant sensation for dragons, and courting rituals will often begin with mutual dousing in fire-breath.

Pneuma, Life and Aging

Dragons believe that the key element to animation and life is breath. A dragon feels quite physically nauseous if forced to hold his breath for any length of time, and is most comfortable when taking slow rumbling deep breaths. For a Dragon breath, or pneuma, is synonymous with life and with magic. If something does not breathe, it has no soul. If something does breathe, it is inherently magical. Dragons note that as they are able to breathe so much harder and deeper than lesser creatures, they have greater command of the magic of the world. Dragons know that without animating pneuma their bodies are little more than dead stone and clay.

This belief is not entirely unfounded - as a dragon ages, his internal magic stagnates somewhat, and his body begins to calcify. In the last century of his life (which tends to be around a thousand years in all) his scales will slowly transmute to stone, and his breaths will grow quieter and shallower. Eventually, when he dies of old age his flesh will into grey unmoving stone, and his breath will cease altogether. Dragons call this the "sleep of stone", and those who die in this way will not rot, but their physical forms will last as well as any marble statue. Dragons who die before old age of other causes (such as violence, starvation or disease) do not attain the sleep of stone, but instead rot like other mortal creatures, though the older they are at time of death, the longer they take to decompose.

Reproduction

Dragons reproduce through male-femate mating pairings, with intercourse typically taking place belly-to-belly in mid-flight, but sometimes (less romantically) in mounting position on the ground. Dragon fertility is incredibly low, and a pair of dragons will on average try for pregnancy for anything from a dozen years to a century or more before conceiving. Unlike most animals, dragons reach the peak of fertility in older age. In the last century before death they have a good chance of conceiving from even a single encounter, whereas in the first few centuries of life it is almost impossible for a dragon to become a parent.

Pregnancies last around thirty six months, and at the end of this period the mother will lay a hatchery of one to three eggs. The eggs then become dormant, and will not hatch until exposed to a high degree of heat, usually in the form of fire-breath, though a bonfire will also suffice. A "cold egg" can be left for centuries or even millennia without hatching, and the infant dragon within will come to no harm from this. Dragon eggs are perfectly smooth, and hard as marble. Mortals might mistake them for sculptures of precious worked stones, as there is little that seems organic about them.

When an egg is hatched, the parents will feel a palpable flow of life-force energies from themselves to the egg, permanently weakening them. The more eggs that hatch, the weaker the parents grow, and it is not unknown for parents to die in hatching a large brood. If one parent is already dead, then the surviving parent makes twice the life-force sacrifice. If both parents are dead (or if there are so many eggs that the parents die before feeding the life energies of all the brood), then the orphan hatchling will not be a dragon, but rather a foul Wyvern (see below).

Hatchlings at birth are around half as tall as a human being, and in the first dozen years of life will grow extremely rapidly, achieving two thirds of their adult size during that time. They will continue to grow gradually until the age of fifty years or so, after which they will not get any larger. They reach their adult intellectual capacity at the age of fifty years as well, though by 12 years of age they are already able to outreason and out-think most adult humans.

Though most dragon couplings happen between two dragons of the same breed, occasionally two dragons of different breeds will mate. This is a rare occurence, thanks to societal prohibitions and a tendency to find one's own breed more desirable, but it does happen. In this case, a mating pairing will only ever produce one single egg, and the resultant hatchling will be a Harlequin - a hybrid creature with features of both its parent breeds. Harlequins are always sterile, and often androgenous, and many more puritanical and conservative dragons will seek to destroy them on sight, as an abomination against the Mother Goddess.

Firebreathing

Mortal races often associate dragons with firebreath, and assume it to be a natural ability of dragons. In fact, firebreath is the product of pneuma-driven spellcasting, rather than a result of draconic biology. Though most dragons will learn how to breathe fire (it is the simplest of spells for them) the knowledge of how to do so is not universal.

The Twelve Dragon Breeds

The twelve Dragon Breeds were all created by the Mother Goddess as different facets of a single race, but are distinctive enough in appearance and behaviour that each recognises itself as a separate subspecies.

Pure Dragons have flawless white scales, as well as white eyes and ivory-white claws. Male Pure Dragons also sport white horns, which tend to run long and straight parallel to the length of the head, and which are circular in cross-section. Amongst dragons they demonstrate greatest uniformity of appearance within their breed, and it is not uncommon for one individual to be mistaken for another on cursory examination. Pure Dragons describe their form as being especially noble and regal, with clean curve of upper jaw and a slight beak-shape to their noses. Others regard these features as undeniably aristocratic, but perhaps a little haughty in expression.

Argent Dragons are called "silver scaled" by other dragons, but in actuality a single dragon with have scales varying from the gleaming silver-white colour of mythril, to the dark and shiny black-greys of graphite. Dorsal surfaces (especially the heavy back armour plates) tend to be brighter coloured, while wing membranes and undersurfaces tend to darker silvers. Blue-grey shades tend to be the norm for Argent Dragon eyes, with a distinct blac central pupil. Like Pure Dragons, Argent males have longitudinally aligned horns, though their horns are teardrop shaped in cross section, with the "edge" downwards. Their facial features and body structures are best described as "military", with a certain heaviness and solidity of torso even in females, and often accessory rows of spines along the back.

Solar Dragons have gold-scaled, but like their Argent cousins, this is a gold that runs the range of metallic hues, from bright metallic yellow-white through to burnished bronze. They too tend to brighter colours dorsally, with females more likely to have dappled patches on the border between shades. Solar Dragons tend to have green or blue eyes, which are solid orbs of colour, but brighter centrally than at the edges. Their body shape is slimmer and more elegant than that of the Pure and Argent dragons, and their faces generally regarded as more open and friendly, though perhaps without the regal bearing of those two breeds.

Hunter Dragons are called "bronze-scaled", but the majority of their scales are earthy-brown and non metallic, with only the armoured back-plates having any metallic shine. There is great variation in hue with Hunter Dragons, with males tending towards darker scales, and females towards lighter scales. On close examination their scales are decorated with spirals and whorls, like those found on petrified wood or the shells of beetles. The most distinctive feature of Hunters, however, is their "ferality". To other breeds, the Hunters are primitive and bestial looking, with longer horns, teeth and talons than other dragons, deep set black eyes, predator facies and quill-like spines running in rows across limbs and back. Even their voices are snarling and animalistic. Other dragons respond to Hunters in the same way that a human might respond to a neolithic caveman - they find their appearance primitive, and a little frightening.

Forest Dragons are predominantly green-scaled, though the shade and patterning of this green varies greatly. The majority of Forest Dragons (who dwell in the vast Heartswood) have leaf-green scales with dappled brown patches, and are slight and aerobatic in frame. In contrast the Jungle Dragons are a subspecies that have far darker green colouration, are much more heavily built, and oftem have thin red and yellow bands running along their torso. Finally, the Jade Dragons of the cold north have almost translucent pale-green skin that is entirely unpatterned, and have red eyes in contrast to the yellow eyes of the southern Forest Dragons. Horns vary also, with long horns, spiral horns and other variations found across all the various subspecies.

Storm Dragons are blue scaled, and like Forest Dragons are divided in appearance in according to geography. Those that spend most time by shore or in sky tend to have light blue scales, whereas those who spend most of their time in the deep have dark blue scales, with "horizon breakers" somewhere inbetween. Unlike Forest Dragons, however, this appearance is not fixed by heredity, but rather shifts over decades according to where the Storm Dragon spends most time. A dark-hued "seeker in darkness" who spends a century on dry land will lighten in hue till he is indistinguishable from a "horizon breaker", and a century later in the same environment will appear as light as a true "cloud swimmer". All storm dragons have blue eyes that vary in diametric opposition with their skin hue - a dark scaled dragon will have light blue eyes, and vice versa. Storm Dragons also vary anatomically from other breeds in other ways - all have gills on the side of their neck, allowing their amphibiour lifestyle, and many also have fish-like fins and long dolphin-like faces. Male Storm Dragons do not have horns as such, but rather just a series of keratinous ridges in a crown around their temple.

Ashen Dragons are dark grey in colour, with blackish mottling, but always in non-metallic shades. Their horns are the colour of dried bone, and are like a bull's in shape and position. Most breeds grudgingly admit that Ashen Dragons have a cleaner line to their facial features and physical build than most breeds - they seem nobler, more evolved and more blessed in aesthetic beauty than most, just as a classical sculpture or posed portrait might seem. Ashen Dragons vary in minor ways from family to family - pronounced lower canines might be found in one bloodline, while solid white eyes might be found in another. Ashen Dragons themselves place great stock in these small bloodline differences, basing their society and castes around seemingly minor differences in physical traits.

Chimerical Dragons are rainbow-scaled, with each scale shifting in colour according to how the light falls on it, giving them a shifting irridescent appearance when viewed as a whole. Their entire appearance tends towards the ethereal, with fey thin limbs, enigmatic multi-colorued eyes and gossamer-like wing membranes. Other breeds often joke that the appearance of the Chimericals is such that one expects them to dissolve at the next strong breeze, or fade away when the sun next rises. They are oft-named as the Dragons of Dream, as they seem so ephemeral.

Velvet Dragons are hued a deep and luxurious purple colour, that is so dark as to be almost black, but offset by their deep golden eyes. Dragons of this breed are uncannily beautiful, though in an unsettling way. Dragons of other breeds know that they should not find Velvet Dragons sexually attractive, but they cannot help doing so, and they hate themselves for doing so. The Velvets are graceful in movement, sensual in appearance and always seem to smile faintly. Their horns, claws and teeth are the colour of polished ivory, but have a fascinating curve to them that hypnotically draws the eye to them.

Ghost Dragons are pale grey in colour, with jaundiced-looking yellow eyes, and an overall build that seems sickly and unhealthy to other breeds. Their horns are spiralled and a dirty off-white colour and their skin seems to be drawn a little too tightly across their ribs and limbs. Others cannot help but note that there is a certain intensity to them - they stare too long, breathe a little too quietly and are generally unsettling to be around.

Blood Dragons are red-scaled, with dark crimson on their back plates and bright scarlet on chest and ventral surfaces. They are physically heavy built, have curved horns with underside serrations, and often have chitinous blades protruding in lines from their back armour plates. The entire appearance of the Blood Dragon lends to a sense that they were built for war and slaughter, from their squat bulldog-faces, to their powerfully muscled upper limbs. Blood Dragons regard other breeds as weakling cousins, and their blustering and brutish behaviour mirrors their physical appearance. Blood Dragon eyes are solid black, save for a pin prick of yellow in the centre.

Sable Dragons seem like the negative image of the Pure Dragons, with their scales coloured as the deep black of night, as well as having jet-black eyes and gleaming black long straight horns. Like the Pure Dragons they have considerable uniformity of appearance, though part of this lies in that it is difficult to distinguish facial features with the depth of their skin hue. Sables have an undeniably regal appearance - they move and act as if it is their natural right to rule. Other breeds find them somewhat intimidating, and a little cold and distant, but cannot help but acknowledge their sheer force of presence.

---