Dragons

Summary: Dragons are gigantic reptilian lizard or snake-like beasts that have intelligence on par with and sometimes beyond humanoids. These beings of legend used to be much more common on Earth, however a great sickness exterminated most of their population. All is most definitely not lost, however. Rumor has it that their population is bouncing back, and a cure for the fey sickness that butchered most of them has been obtained. The tale of this adventure is surely a mighty one. In addition to this, a lost city of dragons has also been found but is currently unreachable due to the very strong magical blocks around said city. No doubt some heroes will be attempting to access it at some point. 

Dragons originated on Earth and are not modified by either the underworld or fae realm. They had societies more advanced than humanoids at their peak. 

Diet: Dragons are a purely carnivorous lot and can eat a variety of species. From humanoids to cattle, some dragons specialize in different types of meat. If you anger a dragon, however, they won’t have any qualms with putting you on the menu. 

Dragons can also eat various types of metals, which do little for their nutrition, but aid in their defense. For example, if they devour some silver, they will add it to their scales for a temporary amount of time, along with the tips of their claws and teeth. This is where the myth started in which they collect precious metals and guard them. In reality, they are consuming said metals on a need-basis for natural armor.

Immune System & Aging: Dragons practically have mana woven into their DNA, therefore they live for an extremely long period of time, as in up to hundreds of thousands of years. That being said, they can be killed by normal means, this is just in regards to aging itself. On very rare occasion can a dragon contain the genes that allow them to grow a significant amount larger than other dragons as they grow older and older. This, in the same vein, increases their power in general. 

Unfortunately, most dragons have an extreme weakness to Fey Iron. This material will poison and kill them if not purged from their systems in time. Even the most powerful of dragons can be taken down in this way. Luckily Fey Iron isn’t a very common material, however it was still used to wipe out most dragons on Earth in the Vampire Wars. 

On the bright side, dragons with an immunity to this issue have most likely been given a chance to bounce back. However, they currently remain very hidden, so many oracles say. 

Western Dragons: Western dragons are more lizard-like than snake-like. Their bodies are shorter than eastern dragons, and they tend to have elongated necks ending with a skull that has a long snout full of teeth. Western dragons have gigantic bat-like scaled wings of which they use to fly.

Eastern Dragons: Eastern dragons are serpentine, some having manes of hair if they have a particular bloodline. Typically at the end of their tails do they have a tuft of fur, though again this depends upon the bloodline. Eastern dragons slither through the air with the absence of wings, propelled by their mana-based magic. As such, they need to consume slightly more mana than Western dragons.

Notable Features of All Dragons: Every dragon has reptilian scales of which are stronger on their backs than on their bellies. Additionally, there are sharp spikes on every dragon that go down spines all the way to their tails. Most dragons have two horns on their head poking out from the back of their skulls. Generally, dragons are gigantic, though there can be size variations based on bloodline. 

Dragons have very powerful venom that varies based on dragon. Some have neurotoxins, or paralytic venom, whereas some have hemotoxins, which cause the breakdown of cells. Immunity to this venom is rare but not unheard of.

Note: All dragons can speak with other reptilian species, including animals without any capability of humanoid speech. 

Subspecies: Wyverns: Wyverns look like very small dragons and are not capable of speech. They are about as intelligent as a corvid and make good pets. Generally they can produce tiny fireballs which work as a good defense. In the wild, they form flocks. 

Magical Proficiency: 

Fire-Dragons: Dragons have natural chemicals that form layers upon their inner organs for fireproofing. They can withstand extreme heat and are capable of billowing fires in a special organ and spewing it out. Some of the most powerful fire dragons can actually create blue fire, which is the hottest.

Ice-Dragons: Dragons have natural antifreeze within their systems that can spew out freezing cold water that will freeze upon hitting a target. This costs mana for the final step of that process, of course. They can also swim through freezing water without much difficulty and have claws specialized for cutting through ice. 

Spell-Dragons: These dragons have an incredible capacity for holding mana and therefore can cast various mana-based spells. They can be on par with legendary human magic-users, of which like these dragons need to practice for decades to become extremely powerful. 

Ancient Dragons: Powerful dragons that have aged and grown into gigantic proportions in terms of both size and power are known as ‘ancient dragons’. Not much is known about these mysterious creatures, but despite their huge presence, they remain very well hidden unless they’d like to be found.