Dragons and Dragon Classes

[Daze]

DRAGONS

    Unlike other average companion animals like a dog or a horse, Dragons are highly intelligent, magical, and, at a stretch, sentient. They are considered equal to the lives of their tamer, and treated with the highest level of respect (probably more so than other fellow tamers). The average wild dragon (unbonded, not debonded) is highly aggressive, powerful, and, relatively, reclusive. Bonding seems to increase their empathy and sentience, but acts more as an expanding and opening of one’s mind rather than a strict no exceptions rule, as wild dragons can express these traits of intelligence, self-control, and gentleness— they just often choose not to, or have never learned to. Bonded dragons come off as more subdued initially, or, at least, possessing more restraint or thought before action than their wild brothers. The actual intelligence and sentience of a dragon is hard to gauge, as faerie dragons tend to display traits of birds and the intelligence of them, while Eastern Dragons (and Faerie dragons, rarely) can sometimes communicate telepathically in varying degrees of thought and sentience beyond a normal bond. Long story short, Dragons are respected, revered, and treated as more than your average pack-animal or companion. Often, they are a tamer’s best friend. Below lies a more detailed description of the various classes, species, and attributes of the dragon folk. To see more on human/dragon relationships, see Bonds/Bonding under the Metaphysical thread in the World Archives.

Dragon Type

The following is a list of various dragon classes. These classes refer to a wide range of dragon species that fit the generalization of several unique types in that class. For example, ‘toy dogs’ fit Yorkies and Maltese, Miniature Terriers, but they all have their own unique traits, fur colors, abilities, and recommended lifestyles. They possess more similarities than differences. This is the same concept below-- each type/style/class giving a general description of dragons that fit under that class, but there are further details and attributes to each species of dragon under the class. After the description of the class, a few examples of significant species will be listed, though listing each and every species of dragon under that class would be impossible.

• Western Class: Your traditional dragon. Eggs oriented in the western hemisphere of Caeton, these larger dragons almost always possess flight and fire-breathing capabilities. The Western style of dragons are the most diverse of the dragons, and can be seen with a wide range of attributes-- from leather to scaly skin, earthy colors, and anywhere from four to eight limbs (wings counting). A western dragon can be identified as flight capable, fire-breathing, earthly colors, and a size range of a height from 5 feet to 30, a full length (nose to tail) of 15 to 60 feet, and a wingspan to fit. Most commonly, a Western Dragon remains in the lower end of the scale. Second most common dragon.
         Origin: As the name suggests, Western Dragons originate from the Western side of Caeton, in the far mountains in unexplored territory. However, shifting migration patterns and, most significantly, the Aeri and Nord Clan have gradually brought the Western Dragons to become most common in the Eastern Mountains of Caeton. However, the class-name has stuck.
         Pics: here and here


• Eastern Class: Intelligent, exotic, magical, and powerful are all good words to describe Eastern Dragons. With elongated bodies, four limbs, a lack of limbs, and often patches of fur, whiskers, scales, and claw-like hands, Eastern Dragons are unmistakably different from their Western counterparts. They are more commonly brighter colors than the Western ways as well, and look majestic with their decoration from the most common selection of fur and whiskers to horns and barbs, to webs, fangs and claws. With boxy-face shapes, the Eastern Dragons look intelligent and wise, furthered by the magical way they achieve flight in their serpent like bodies and occasional telepathy or blue-fire-breathing. Eastern Dragons are quite large, usually five to ten feet tall, and from ten to sixty feet long with powerful long bodies and tails. Eastern Dragons are probably the rarest of all dragons.
         Origin: Originally the sole residents of the Eastern Mountains, the Eastern Dragons eventually had to make room for their Western brothers. However, Western Dragons enjoy a vast variety of habitats, while the Eastern ones reside in very tall mountain-tops and places with a serne magical feel—lagoons, mountain-peeks, underground lakes, enchanted forests and places just generally quite difficult to reach. Eastern Dragons are also well known for their seasonal migration patterns.
         Pics: here 


• Earthen Class: Quite large, earthen dragons are almost always flightless and as tough as nails. They are usually well over fifteen feet tall, (with, again, a very small percentage of exception species) and thirty-feet long. Usually equipped with an array of horns, sturdy scales, and bulky, impenetrable bodies, if you can’t outrun these guys, chances are you won’t be seeing tomorrow’s first light in one piece. Earthen dragons are probably the second least common dragon next to the Eastern Dragon, with the exception of the seadragon (whose numbers are unknown).
         Origin: Earthen Dragons are found at the bases of mountains and in rocky, dry atmospheres where they can lumber and sleep in baking sun and blend with the large boulders about them.
         Pics: here


• Faerie Class: Faerie dragons are undeniably exotic and beautiful to look at. With wings that range from feathers to leather to butterfly patters, faerie dragons are just a little less common than your average bird. From only a few inches tall and wide to about the size of a large bald-eagle, Faeries travel in flocks or by themselves about Caeton—and there are about as many types of these sometimes magical and sometimes no more special than a crow miniature dragons as the birds the compete with. The faeries are, by far, the most common dragon, with the notable possible exception of the seadragon (as no one really knows exactly how many there are of).
         Origin: It is hard to tell exactly where the Faerie types of dragons originated. Many believe the Southern lands are as good a guess as any.
         Pics: here and here


• Seadragon Class: Seadragons are quite the sight to see. No one knows how many there are in existence exactly, as sea travel hasn’t quite advanced to advanced enough to forego underwater exploration as of quite yet—even the merfolk have only guesses and estimates, or, if they do know, they aren’t telling. (However, it is quite uncommon to see a seadragon just swimming out by the sea, so, technically, you’d be more likely to catch a glimpse of a Western, Faerie, or Earthen dragon before spotting one of these guys—the number count of the populace is just unknown). Seadragons pose to be the most diverse in size of the dragons, from small tiny fish-like creatures that drift in the coral reefs, to massive giant creatures that are told about in fables and legends. It is hard to generalize this species, the only real linking factor between all of them being their home under the sea—even if a few odd breeds live in fresh-waters or can enter land or periods of time. One final notable fact about the seadragons is their bonding with the Ocea Clan almost exclusively, and the recent knowledge that merfolk have been able to do so as well—which raises some interesting questions in the genetics department of the metaphysical plane. T
         Origin: The sea, of course.
         Pics: here


• Miscellaneous: Some dragons don’t quite fit any generalization. Cross-breeds are not common but possible between certain groups (faerie/eastern, sea/western, sea/faerie, earthern/sea, earthern/western, most notably) , as well as breeds such as this fellow with no real classification. Never fear. The unexplored, the misunderstood, the shunned, the lost and the forgotten often prove to be the most extraordinary of them all—if you only give them a chance.  
    Pics: here and here