Creature Spotlight: Dragons
Picture: A Ruby Dragon guarding his hoard(Note: Dragons do not actually hoard gold. That rumor began as a result of Vandar the Undying, a Snow Elven warrior who tamed the dragon Angador and chained him in his treasure chamber. The dragon was young when Vandar captured him, but he grew to an immense size and was unable to leave the chamber. As such he slept on the piles of gold in the room, and a legend was born.)
The story of the dragons is a sad one. They once inhabited nearly every region of Endura, though due to an incredibly slow reproductive cycle they were always relatively few in number. When the Tathians arrived, they saw the dragons as a threat, and they slaughtered all of the dragons in Tania. The dragons in Andal-Kar were also killed by the new human inhabitants, and those in Dessia met a similar fate at the hands of the dwarves, who thought that the dragons were part of their end time prophecy. As a result, the only dragons to survive fled far away, some of them making homes in the Shattered Isles only to die hundreds of years later, alone and lost, and others deciding to hide in obscure corners of the world. The only place where dragons were not hunted down was Lanendar, as both the Lanendarii and the Draconarii treat dragons with great respect, viewing them as the vessels of Chune's will on Endura.
Dragons varied from region to region, having hundreds, if not thousands, of years to adapt to their environments.
Ruby Dragons(Featured at top of chapter):
Ruby Dragons were once the most common of the dragons. Thought to be the original species, they could be found in almost every region that dragons inhabited, often among other dragon populations. They breathe fire and can grow to immense sizes, though it is thought that a Ruby Dragon does not fully mature for hundreds of years. Usually sporting solid red scales, Ruby Dragons were easy to recognize and distinguish from the other species. Now, however, it is believed that Ruby Dragons are completely extinct.
Titanic Dragon:
No man has ever seen a Titanic Dragon. Meldanori literature seems conflicted on the matter, some books stating that Titanic Dragons were an entire species while others say that there was one dragon, named Titanus, that grew to be the size of a mountain. All sources agree however that this creature breathed fire like a Ruby Dragon, but its scales glowed orange in places as though the fire within its body was seeping through. They were said to be huge, and Meldanori books state that "Titanus was the size of a great mountain, his wings blocking the sunlight" and that "the dragon flew overhead the city, its great body nearly the length of the city itself." To think that such a dragon once existed is a terrifying thought, but what's even more terrifying is that one could still be out there.
Fisherman's Dragon:
Men once thought that this dragon was a sea serpent, until they saw one burst above the waves into the sky and spread great transparent wings. Whalers eventually began to hunt them, designing great roped spears that could be fired from massive crossbows on their ships and used to pull the dragon into the water nearby, where the hunters could finish it off. These dragons breathe scalding hot steam, hot enough to incinerate just as effectively as fire. They prefer to hunt underwater, but will occasionally fly along the shore in search of seals and other animals.
Wingless Devil:
More commonly referred to as Salamander Dragons, these beasts still inhabit many of Endura's rivers and streams. Smaller and far less aggressive than their winged relatives, Wingless Devils manage to easily elude death by retreating to their underwater caves, which they can stay in for days before having to return to the surface for air.
Mountain Dragon:
Mountain Dragons and Ruby Dragons are very similar, and some argue that they're the same species. The main difference that officially makes them separate is their skull structure. Ruby Dragons always have long, protruding horns which Mountain Dragons lack. Mountain Dragons also on average grow to larger sizes than Ruby Dragons, often nearly doubling them in length. Mountain Dragons are less aggressive however, preferring to stay high in the mountains where they live off of mountain goats and the occasional troll. Also unlike Ruby Dragons, Mountain dragons tend to have drab, mottled scales that help them blend in to the rocks of their homes.
Soul Demon:
Soul Demons are mentioned only in stories. Believed to be the spawn of Maveth himself, Soul Demons are said to be not dragons, rather Maveth's creations made to look like them. Regardless, such creatures are again only legend, and whether they're real or not remains to be seen.
Volcanus Draconis:
This species of dragon is by far the most aggressive, though stories say that they can be tamed by arcane spells of fire magic that are no longer known. These dragons mostly inhabit Lanendar, though some occasionally travel to Dessia or even Candellia. Feared and reviled, if one of these were to come upon a city it would be the end of that city.
Fairy Dragon:
Fairy dragons were incredibly small, some growing to no more than a few inches in length. The Meldanori kept them as both pets and bodyguards, as they were unintrusive and easy to train. When Meldanor disappeared however, the Fairy Dragons disappeared with it, never to be seen again.
Chief Wyvern:
The largest of the wyvern species, the Chief grows to be about ten feet tall, with a wingspan of around fifteen yards. Aggressive and fierce, wyverns are almost universally hated. From stealing sheep to attacking buildings for no apparent reason, there are plenty of reasons justifying the intense manhunt against them. Now, if a wyvern is seen in Tania, dragon hunters are immediately dispatched to kill it. They cannot breathe fire, but they're more than dangerous enough with their long claws and sharp teeth.
Whitewing Wyvern:
Whitewing wyverns are purely nocturnal, and for the most part never come out during the day. This is partly because they're blind, and they use echolocation to move through the sky at surprisingly fast speeds, where they hunt down large bats and other flying creatures. During the day, they find dark caves to dwell in, and are incredibly sluggish if awoken. Hunters take advantage of this, and track them back to their caves where they kill them in their sleep.
Fool's Wyvern:
The smallest of the wyverns, these strange creatures usually only grow to about a foot tall and only have a wingspan of around six or seven feet. They can usually be seen hunting small birds high up in the sky, and for the most part they leave grounddwellers alone, only occasionally hunting a rabbit or gopher. Most consider this species harmless, and they're only hunted if its convenient.
