Dragons
(written by jlynn518, updated 8/20/06 by Rivi)
- Dragons. What are they? Where do they come from? How does one know if they even exist? It is time you found out! This is Dragon's Eye Weyr, after all!
The most famous kind of dragon is the Draco occidentalis, or European Dragon. With four strong legs and two wings, they are the only known species of flying animal with six appendages. Like the European Dragons, our dragons have four legs and two wings.
The similarities stop there, however. Unlike European dragons, who can be any color in the spectrum, the dragons bred here follow a distinct color sequence which determines their sex, rank, abilities, and size. They are listed below, beginning from the smallest (greens) to the largest (golds).
Dragon Personality/Intelligence
Dragons are incredibly intelligent creatures, capable of feeling complex emotions. Their minds are very advanced, and they are just as clever as humans (if not more so). They have the same five senses as humans-- smell, touch, sight, taste, and sound, though their smelling and sight senses are much more advanced than that of a human being. Dragons have extremely sensitive hearing, and their sharp sight can pick out small animals from the landscape thousands of feet in the air.
Dragons are extremely talented at math and linguistics-- they have the gift of tongues; they pick up new languages very quickly, and are often very useful in translating for their dragonriders. They love puzzles and riddles, and are also attracted to shiny objects, like gold. They will often create a "hoarde", or a cache of assorted, random objects that they jealously guard.
Going "Between"
Born with a slight magical gift, all dragons are capable of what the dragonriders call "going Between". This is like teleporting; a dragon flies into the "Between" and comes out in another location. They are able to transport dragonriders with them, and riders have described "Between" as a "great void of nothing, absolutely blank... it's hard to breathe, and it's very disorienting if you're not used to going Between."
Bonding with a Human
Dragons live a very long time in the wild. The oldest dragons are thousands of years old. If a dragon is bonded with a human, however, the two minds and lives are linked. If one dies, the other follows soon after. When a human rider passes away, a dragon is believed to go permanently "Between".
Dragons bond with humans of the same sex as themselves, which means that girls get three choices of color and boys get three choices of color. Within those colors, any shade is possible (for instance, a blue can be a nice sapphire color, or maybe mediteranean blue).
To learn even more about dragons, visit the "Dragon Anatomy" thread.
Colors and Statistics
Green Dragon Statistics
Sex: Female
Length (from the tip of the tail to the nose): 33-36 ft. long
Wing Span: 35-38 ft.
Height (sitting upright, from ground to shoulder): 11-12 ft.
Rarity: Common
Top Speed in Flight/Across Ground: 66-72 mph/15-18 mph
Agility: High; most nimble of dragons
Strength: Low; weakest of dragons
Egg Count: 27-36; small eggs
Range (fire): 22-25 ft.
General:
Greens are the smallest of the dragons, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. They are very graceful as a result of their size, and love the attention of humans-- a great deal of the time it is the greens who are first to greet a guest, thrusting their nose at the visitor and whimpering to be pet. However, they can be rambunctious-- noisy, lustful, aggressive and vain.
Green hatchlings are attracted to everyone, but the passionate souls seem more likely to Impress one. Green riders often become quicker and more graceful through the mental link with their dragon, reflecting the green's natural abilities.
These dragons rise often to mate and lay many eggs. Their Hatchings are the most common at the Hatching Grounds.
Blue Dragon Statistics
Sex: Male
Length (from the tip of the tail to the nose): 36-39 ft. long
Wing Span: 38-41 ft.
Height (sitting upright, from ground to shoulder): 13-14 ft.
Rarity: Common
Top Speed in Flight/Across Ground: 63-69 mph/14-17 mph
Agility: Excellent
Strength: Low; weakest of male dragons
Egg Count: N/A
Range (fire):24-27 ft.
General:
Blues are the smallest of male dragons. They prefer to mate with green dragons, but will chase after purple ones should there be need to. They are sharp and quick-witted, and often Impress people of intellect or "bird-like" qualities. Though relatively weak in dragon terms, their speed makes up for the lack in muscle mass.
Blue riders often find themselves becoming attentive to detail, and many take up painting or other such recreations as a result of it.
Purple Dragon Statistics
Sex: Female
Length (from the tip of the tail to the nose): 39-42 ft. long
Wing Span: 41-43 ft.
Height (sitting upright, from ground to shoulder): 14-15 ft.
Rarity: Uncommon
Top Speed in Flight/Across Ground: 63-66 mph/13-16 mph
Agility: Medium
Strength: Medium
Egg Count: 17-26; medium eggs
Range (fire):26-29 ft.
General:
Purple dragons are your average Joe- er, Josephines. Like browns, they are of the "middle" class, but purple dragons have an ability that none can match. Their maternal instinct is strong. Rather than being a "scout" like greens and blues, or the "footsoldiers" like browns, or even "leaders" like bronzes and golds, these dragons are the "healers".
Purple dragons are the only ones with a vestige of magic, which other dragons have lost the ability to use. At a touch, a purple dragon can heal scratches and bruises, and with an hour of powerful concentration, they can mend bones and close open wounds. However, this ability does not stretch to anything having to do with organs, and they cannot remove poisons from a human or dragon's bloodstream.
Brown Dragon Statistics
Sex: Male
Length (from the tip of the tail to the nose): 42-45 ft. long
Wing Span: 44-47 ft.
Height (sitting upright, from ground to shoulder): 15-16 ft.
Rarity: Very Uncommon
Top Speed in Flight/Across Ground: 60-63 mph/12-15 mph
Agility: Medium
Strength: High
Egg Count: N/A
Range (fire):28-31 ft.
General:
Brown dragons are not exactly the smartest by dragon standards, but this they make up for in strength. Protective and caring by dragon standards, they are the only color that does not need to be forced into training Weyrlings. They act as "spokesmen" for the bronzes and golds, taking orders and acting them out to the best of their ability.
Those of loyal, sturdy and courageous heart often win over newly-hatched browns.
Though brown dragons are incapable of magic, brown riders often find that they learn the ability to go between, or teleport, just like their dragons. The same rules apply for a human with this ability as for a dragon.
Bronze Dragon Statistics
Sex: Male
Length (from the tip of the tail to the nose): 45-48 ft. long
Wing Span: 47-50 ft.
Height (sitting upright, from ground to shoulder): 16-17 ft.
Rarity: Rare
Top Speed in Flight/Across Ground: 57-60 mph/11-14 mph
Agility: Medium
Strength: High
Egg Count: N/A
Range (fire):30-33 ft.
General:
Bronze... what to say of the mighty bronze dragon? The largest and strongest of male dragons, they are the leaders, acting as "alpha males" within the Weyr. Even in a queen's clutch, there are usually no more than two bronze dragons. They are a formidable foe, intelligent, and well-rehearsed in using tactics against an enemy dragon.
Bronze dragons have the most stamina of any dragon-- they have to, for only a bronze or a large brown can outfly the sturdy golden females in a mating flight. They are fiercely loyal to their queen, supporting her in eveything she does.
The rider of a bronze dragon must be strong in almost every aspect of their character, for they lead the weyr in day-to-day life and combat. Each bronze rider is responsible for a "wing" of dragons, twenty riders and their partners who take orders in pressure situations from the bronze and his life-partner. Lording over the wingleaders is the Weyrleader, whose dragon is the only one allowed/powerful enough to mate with the senior queen (see "Gold Dragon Statistics").
Gold Dragon Statistics
Sex: Female
Length (from the tip of the tail to the nose): 55-58 ft. long
Wing Span: 57-60 ft.
Height (sitting upright, from ground to shoulder): 23-24 ft.
Rarity: Extremely Rare
Top Speed in Flight/Across Ground: 49-52 mph/15-18 mph
Agility: Medium/Low
Strength: Extrememly High
Egg Count: 7-16; large eggs
Range (fire): N/A
General:
Nothing compares to the majestic power of a queen dragon. Like the queen bee, everything in the Weyr answers to her. Her exceptional size and strength make up for the lack of "fire power"-- queen dragons cannot breath fire. They are the mother dragons, fiercely protective of their nests, unlike the rambunctious greens, who lay their eggs and leave.
The other five colors of dragon are usually only marginally larger than the next color up. It is not so with the queen-- a bronze dragon's shoulder reaches about her elbow height, and with a wing span of over sixty feet, an angry queen is a force to be reckoned with. Gold dragons are also slower in the air than other dragons, but her size makes it easy for her to cover ground as quickly as a green.
Queen riders consult the bronze riders on how things happen within the Weyr, and it is they who organize special events such as Hatchings and Gatherings (parties). Like any elite club though, all queen riders answer to the rider of the oldest dragon-- the senior queen. Her rider is known as the Weyrwoman (also called Weyrleader, like the top bronze), and it is she who makes the final decisions on what happens/doesn't happen.
Other Creatures Within the Weyr
Tunnel Snakes
Tunnel snakes share a common ancestor with dragons. They are about two feet long, with six legs-- two in front, two in back, and two in the middle. Blind with exceptionally strong senses of hearing and smell, they are the "mice" of the Weyr, stealing food, ruining stores, and making a general mess of things. They are slightly poisonous, and small children/infants should be watched if you know there are tunnel snakes around, but the venom is too weak to cause more than a few hours pain in adults.
It is a sport to some people to set snares for the beasts and catch them, but tunnel snakes cannot be eaten, as their flesh is tasteless and causes the mouth to sting with their venom.
Wherries
A "wherry" is actually the name for two species of large birds that frequent Weyrs. The first type of wherry is a large, ostrich-like bird kept with the cattle. They taste something like spicy chicken, and is the main ingredient in a favorite dish of the Weyr's-- wherry pot pie.
The other form of wherry is like a game bird. They have four limbs like a dragon, but are indeed like small griffins-- feathered, with a falcon's head, and the rudiments of a dragon's tail. Another past time in the Weyr is to hunt these, as a full-grown game wherry makes for an excellent game of "chase" for a playful dragon. Feeding off of fish from the lake, they taste somewhat like a cross bewteen the spicy chicken flavor of domestic wherry and salmon.
Watch Whers
Whers are dragons gone horribly wrong. Nocturnal, hoofed beasts, their only wings are foot-long stubs springing from overly-muscled backs. Their eyes are faceted like a dragon's, but are always a milky white, with only traces of color. They follow the same color patterns as dragons, a small indication that whers are descended from the majestic, winged figures.
Only wild whers are aggressive-- domestic whers are quite tame, if solitary. They answer only to people they've been introduced to, and at night, if someone they don't know is lurking around, a wher will raise the alarm before pouncing on the unknown visitor. This is why the act as "watch dogs" at night in the Weyr-- during the day, they hide in dragon weyrs too low to the ground and deemed too small to house a dragon.
Whers are telepathic, like dragons (if not as intelligent), but bond exceptionally well with the blind. It is thought that this is because a wher itself is nocturnal, and it senses the darkness that a blind person must struggle through. They are extremely friendly, loyal and protective to people they are comfortable with, which doesn't happen often, as most find their looks repulsive.
Whers can be Impressed upon, like a dragon. Wherriders are beginning to be more popular as an alternative to dragonriding.
Fire Lizards
Fire lizards are the creatures from which tunnel snakes, whers, wherries and dragon are descended from. At only about three feet long, they are perfect miniatures of dragons in every way except two, the first being that they have no "spikes" down their back. Second, an adult fire lizard may be smart when taken into consideration with other animals, but they can hardly speak-- instead, they express their wants and needs through pictures and emotions. Though dragons have this ability, they tend to use words, not emotions.
Fire lizards are acquired only through the Senior Queen. Take it up with her rider if you want one.
