Dragons

Dragons, sometimes called True Dragons, is the collective name for a group of sentient and sapient species of the Draconia Ancestry. Dragons are an incredibly powerful and deadly species, considered by many to be the ultimate apex predators of the Universe. Dragons are also an incredibly Magical species, one of the oldest peoples in the universe, followed by Elves, whom they have a long and complicated history with.

True Dragons are descended from the two Deific Archdragons, Aretos and Kakia, with all other creatures of Draconia Ancestry, commonly called Dragonkin, being descended from True Dragons. While there are many Dragonkin species, True Dragons are identified by their high, Elf-like intelligence, innate Magic, their deadly elemental breath attack, and their ability to continuously grow in size and strength as they age. While Dragons resemble Exorsian Reptiles, they are not actually related. Many Dragonologists over the centuries have theorised a reason for this similarity, but they have not come to a concussive answer, with theories ranging from convergent evolution to Divine meddling.

Dragons are usually a solitary and incredibly territorial people, rarely interacting with other creatures outside of mating or territory disputes, though some Dragon species can be found living in family groups. Outside of these family groups, juvenile Dragons usually only stay with their mother for around 10 years, before leaving the nest as soon as they become Young Dragons, setting out to find territory and a lair of their own.

Dragons primarily live in lairs, usually located within subterranean or mountainside caves, but different species of Dragon have their own lair preferences. A Dragon's lair is it's home, it's where they rest and where they frequently return too, as well as where a Dragon stores and aggressively guards their horde of treasure. All Dragon species are recorded to be collectors, innately coveting and hording a mass of items precious to them, ranging from gold and artwork, to knowledge and books.

Dragons are an extremely diverse species, found in almost every environment on Exorsia and across the Planes. This combined with their ancient origins have resulted in many Draconic subspecies, all with their own distinct appearances and traits. These subspecies are often categorised into three groups, Astral Dragons, Elemental Dragons, and Planetouched Dragons.

Appearance

Dragons are usually reptilian and predatory in appearance, with scale covered bodies, claws, horns, long tails, and the ability to fly. Male and female Dragons look almost identical.

An Dragons' appearance is largely decided by their sub-species, while most Dragon species are quadrupedal, with a pair of large, bat-like wings, some Dragons being feathered, some have serpent-like appearance, some are legless, and some are wingless, yet can still fly.

Biology

Breath Weapon. Dragons all have the ability to expel a blast of elemental energy from their maw, in a form of a continuous stream or a quick burst of energy. The type of element a dragon can expel depends on their sub-species, ranging from fire to Psionic energy. A Dragons' breath weapon also grows in power as a Dragon ages.

Collectomania. Dragons have an innate, obsessive desire to collect things, actively driven to horde a mass of precious items, usually storing them within their lairs, ranging from gold and artwork, to knowledge and books.

Diet. All Dragon species are carnivorous, but despite their size, Dragons do not require a large amount of food to survive, with only Wyrmlings requiring constant feeding. As a Dragon ages, they can go for longer periods of time without eating, with elder Dragons going months or even years without food.

Draconic Resilience. Dragons have extremely resilient scales, making them hard to damage. Dragons are also all immune to the damage type associated with their breath weapon, which depends on their sub-species.

Enhanced Senses. Dragons have enhanced sense of smell and vision, allowing them to see clearly in the dark. These enhanced senses improve as a Dragon ages, with older Dragons cable of seeing through illusion Magic and even sense the presence of invisible creatures.

Flight. All Dragons can fly. While a majority of Dragons have wings, their wings are generally too small in size compared to a Dragons weight, suggesting that a Dragons flight is somehow Magical.

Hibernation. Dragons can enter a hibernation-like state, allowing them to efficiently conserve energy. Dragons usually spending most of their lives sleeping, for weeks or months at a time. Older Dragons rest for longer than younger ones, with Ancient and Greatwyrm Dragons sometimes hibernating for years, only awakening to feed, mate or deal with intruders to their territory. While in this hibernation-like state a Dragon can quickly awake without much lethargy and despite seeming unconscious a Dragon's senses are fully active, making them difficult to sneak up on.

Perpetual Growth. Dragons continue to grow in size and strength after they reach maturity, going through 4-5 distinct stages of growth, detailed below.

Sapient Intelligence. Dragons are cunning and intelligent creatures, usually possessing an intelligence that rivals or surpasses most humanoids.

Sex & Reproduction. Dragons have two sexes, male and female, but there are no physical differences between male and female Dragons. Dragons reach sexual maturity around 100 years of age and lay eggs, more details below.

Shapeshifting. Ancient Dragons are able to shapeshift into the form of another creature, usually a humanoid or animalistic one, changing it's size and physical characteristics, but retaining its strength, fortitude, and Magical abilities.

Unchanging. Dragons are unchanging beings, they do not posses Souls or Free Will, and are incapable of acting out of character or reinventing themselves.

Maturity

Dragons have an exceptionally long lifespan, living on average between 1,200 and 1,500 years, and as they age, Dragons go through four distinct stages of growth, with those that exceed their natural lifespan entering a incredibly uncommon fifth stage, detailed in the table below.

Unlike all other non-Immortal species, Dragons continue to grow in size and strength after they reach maturity, with Dragons only beginning to deteriorate once they reach the final 5-10 years of their life, known as the twilight years, when a Dragon finally begins to weaken and become frail with age.

Age (Years)	Life Stage
0 - 10	Wyrmling
10 - 100	Young Dragon
100 - 800	Adult Dragon
800 - 1,500	Ancient Dragon
1,500 +	Greatwyrm

Archdragons

Archdragons, sometimes called Greatwyrms, are the fifth and final stage in a dragon’s life span, an incredibly rare exception to a Dragon's natural lifespan. This stage occurs when an Ancient Dragon comes to the end of its life, but does not enter it's twilight years, and instead continues to grow in size and power, transcending to become Immortal and immensely powerful Quasi-Deities. It is unknown what triggers a Dragon to become an Archdragon, with theories ranging from Magic to sheer willpower.

Once reaching the stage of Greatwyrm, Dragons seem to slow down in growth, potentially ceasing to age all together. Greatwyrms also no longer need to eat or drink.

The current recorded Archdragons are the following:

Reproduction

Dragons hatch from eggs, reaching sexual maturity around 100 years of age, when they enter the Adult stage of life.

A Female Dragon can produce a clutch of approximately 1-2 eggs once a decade, but on average Dragons only mate once a century. Dragon eggs must be kept warm for around 18 months before it hatches. If the egg is not kept in the appropriate climate it will hibernate indefinitely until the right conditions are met.

Some Dragons have the ability to shapeshift into a humanoid form, allowing them to cross-breed with humanoid creatures. This is an incredibly uncommon occurrence, and is said to produce a humanoid offspring with laten Draconic abilities. This is speculated to be the origin of the Dragonborn species.

Ancestry
Draconia

Genetic Descendants

Lifespan

1,200 - 1,500

Related Ethnicities

Draconia

Diet
Carnivore
Native Language
Draconic
Patron Deity
Aretos
Kakia

Dragons

Appearance

Biology

Maturity

Archdragons

Reproduction

Comments

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