Dragon

Anatomy & Morphology
Dragons varied greatly in size, shape, and colour from region to region. The most common type and also the most intelligent was what we call the western dragon. Great beasts whos size challenged that of modern double-decker buses, huge wings that flew them to great heights as well as four more limbs, and a breath and mastery of fire.

Perception & Sensory / Extrasensory Capabilities
magnifying glass. The nose of a wolf, able to smell a creature long before it approached. The ears of a bat, able to hear a wide array of frequencies. Finally magic, a powerful control of the threads of the tapestry of magic, helping or terrorizing their subjects as they willed.

Genetics & Reproduction
In essence Dragons were reptiles, and reproduced as such, laying eggs and incubating over a period of 6 months. The temperature had to be closely regulated, to hot or cold and the offspring would die, cooler they would be male, hotter they would be female. For this a nest of stone would be constructed and the use of their fire breath to keep the stones at the right temperatures, heat senses on their tongs, a little like a snake, would be used to check the rocks heated properly.

Growth Rate & Stages
Dragons lived long lives and their ageing reflected this, there are essentially 11 stages of a dragons life.

The first is that of a hatchling out of the egg with dull grey scales, up to around 5 years of age. These young dragons have little intelligence and spend all of their time on and around their parents, eating, sleeping and growing.

Up to 15 years the dragons are like toddlers, learning the basics of life and beginning to play and explore further than their parents shadow. It is here they begin to develop their own personality and intelligence as they continue to grow in size.

From there they begin to be taught first of the basic subjects like math, science and language, things are kept at a simple level until they reach 25 years. Until then they are like children, small sponges who suck up any and all information, interpreting it in their simple minds.

26 years to 50 they are seen a juveniles, they begin to fledge, learning how to fly gracefully, beginning you use fire and magic. The colours of their scales will also come in at this stage.

50 to 100 the young adult dragons become like wild teenagers, leaving their parents to seek their own fortunes while still not all that prepared for some of the harsh realities of life.

But they soon learn and up to 200 years they will continue to seek and learn and around 125 begin searching for a mate.

A mature adult dragon, years 200-400, should by this point have found a place in the world that they will make as their own, finally settling and beginning a family, from here they sit and gather knowledge and wisdom.

400 to 600 they will try to horde what they find, fear that others will try to steal it.

600 to 800 they will begin shearing it with other dragons, seeking to spread what they find with their own kind to help in developing the understandings of the world.

800 to 1000 will often see a dragon sitting and talking to any and all who will listen, discussing philosophy, shearing knowledge and advising those it deems worthy.

1000+, a dragon would mostly be sleeping, old and wise, those who made it to this age are the most revered, even other dragons would come seeking help from one such as that.

There has never been recorded a dragon older than 1500, though it is a long time, a dragon never stops growing and eventually they simply do not have the ability to sustain that growth, it is believed that a dragon is essentially immortal, if not for the lack of food required to feed such a beast.

Dietary Needs & Habits
Dragons ate meat, they never minded what meat as a race, though each individual would have a preference, and most would only eat cooked meat that they had cooked themselves with their own breath.

Brief History
Dragons were rulers of the world at their height, long lived and well educated they were often the wisest of the creatures of the land baring one other, often even the greatest of minds of the other races would seek their counsel. for eons Dragons did steer the course of progress and society, guiding the other younger races in matters of politics, magic and technology. Each dragon family the head of a small kingdom, these were the times before legend.

As the age of dragons began to draw towards it's end many foresaw the tragedy that would occur. Great and epic battles would be fought between the noble beasts and the growing population of humans, weaving stories and songs that would become legend and prophecy. Once these battles would be held up with honer, often simply to settle a dispute or grudge and would rarely end in death. However, the conflicts would lose the honorable rules and cascade into evil, to the death bouts of pain and suffering. Those that saw this eventuality tried to warn their comrades, though many ignored these warnings, guiding the world down this dangerous path.

Most, if not all the dragons however, listened. The honorable beasts held their soothsayers and even the human wizards in high regard, and they began to prepare. For them the prophecy was a simple one, their kind would not live to see the full extent of the evil, only know of it’s coming, and feel it’s wrath. As bitterness began to infect the world, knights began to hunt dragons, just as the prophecies foretold. Men of power converted the creatures noble hide for their armour, their strong teeth and horn for their weapons, and their skulls as trophies.

Many beasts tried to hide, retreating to mountain top homes and deep forest caves, though this would not save them. Those that heeded the warning began to set in motion a plan they had brewed that would, in part, save their race. A great circle of dragons gathered, the strongest members of their race both in magic and might joined with a few dedicated human and dwarven wizards to cast a great ritual spell. This spell, with the blessing of the gods, would enable dragon and human to bread, allowing the creatures to spare their existence in a different but hopefully still noble form.

The spell was cast, and the dragons flew to many corners of the globe to sow the seeds. Legend would tell of how the dragon became a cruel beast with nothing but a desire for maiden blood, and though in part this was true, it was never blood they took. With their declining numbers the dragons became desperate. Snaring maidens however they could and forcing them into sexual slavery, many children, half dragon or drákōn were born. These drákōn were not as the dragons had hoped, though they had run out of time to change it now, drákōn were however, the prefect result to allow for their survival.

Eventually the race was lost completely to time, few great stories about them survived, only those meant to scare little children into obedience were often uttered and so the nobility of the dragons was forgotten. In the books they became mindless beasts who burned villages to the ground and ate innocent maidens, their true nature completely forgotten.