[Daz]

Dragon Information
A reference point for the dragons of Iayla Shattered

Contents
-History
-Physiology and Behavior
-Color and Size Guide

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History
Kitti Ping designed the dragons to gradually increase in size with each generation until they reached pre-programmed final dimensions. The dragons of the first Hatchings were not much bigger than horses. By the Sixth Pass (1500 years later) they had reached their programmed size and remained at that size until a single isolated dragon population suffered severe inbreeding, resulting in much larger beasts.

In Iayla's history dragon have been the subject of cruel northern experiments to eliminate certain traits such as passivity. Their experimentation has led to more territorial dragons who are more independent than previous generations. These damaged genes have also lead to strange new color ranks.


Physiology and Behavior

Physiology
Dragons are described as carnivorous, oviparous, warm-blooded creatures. Like all of Pern's native large fauna, they have six limbs - four feet and two wings. Their blood, referred to as ichor, is copper-based and green in color. Their head and general body type is described by McCaffrey as being similar in shape to those of horses. On their heads they have small headknobs, similar to those of giraffes, and no visible ears. They have multifaceted eyes that change color depending on the dragon's mood. Unlike the dragons of Terran legend, they have a smooth hide rather than scales; the texture of their skin is described as being reminiscent of suede with a spicy, sweet scent when clean. They are described as having forked tail ends with a defecation opening between the forks; however, most artistic renderings depict their tails as having spade-shaped tips. The dragons usually get from one place to another by going through a teleportation process known as 'going between'.

Dragons, like their fire-lizard ancestors, can breathe fire by chewing a phosphine-bearing rock, called "firestone" in the novels, which reacts with an acid in a special "second stomach" organ. This forms a volatile gas that can be exhaled at will and ignites upon contact with air. The flame is used to burn Thread from the sky before it reaches the ground. However, the chewed firestone must be expelled from the body after it is used up, for the dragons cannot digest it.

Newly hatched dragons are the size of very large dogs or small ponies, and reach their full size after eighteen months. Because young dragons grow so fast, their riders must regularly apply oil to their hides to prevent the skin from cracking or drying out.


Eye Colors

Red - Anger, hunger
Orange - Uncertainty, suspicion
Yellow - Fear, worry.
Green - Excited
Blue - Content, calm
Purple - Lust
Grey - Mourning
White - shock, pain


Abilities
In creating dragons, Kitti Ping intensified the creatures' telepathy, greatly increased their intelligence, and gave them a strong instinctive drive to Impress to a human. Upon hatching, each dragonet chooses one of the humans present (usually) and Impresses to that person; from that moment on, the pair are in a constant state of telepathic contact for as long as they both live. Dragons also use telepathy to communicate with each other and with fire-lizards. They are capable of speaking telepathically to humans besides their own riders, but not all of them will do so except under unusual circumstances.

Dragons and fire-lizards can also teleport. They do this by briefly entering a hyperspace dimension known as between. Both humans and dragons experience between as an extremely cold, sensory-deprived, black void. After spending no more than eight seconds in between, the dragon or fire-lizard can re-emerge anywhere on Pern, along with any passengers or cargo they carried. This ability is explained as having evolved in fire-lizards as a defense against Thread; not only does it allow them to quickly escape from Threadfall, but the intense cold of between kills any Thread that has already burrowed into them. If a dragon attempts to teleport without a clear mental image of the place where they intend to reappear, they may simply fail to emerge from between and thus, be gone forever.

Telekineses and Timing are not permitted here at Iayla.


Behavior
Dragons are fully sapient. They communicate fluently in human language (although only telepathically), and have personalities and opinions distinct from those of their riders. However, their intelligence does seem to be somewhat lower than that of the average human.

Dragons' telepathic communication is usually limited to contact with their rider and with other dragons, however a dragon sometimes communicates well with a person with whom their rider has close emotional ties. They do understand spoken human language and occasionally reply telepathically to people whom they choose to speak.

As a safeguard against the possible damage that could be caused by such powerful creatures, Ping engineered dragons to be profoundly psychologically dependent on their riders. Any dragonet that fails to Impress to a human shortly after hatching will die. If a dragon's rider dies, the dragon immediately suicides by going between without a destination. The only exception is when the rider of a queen dragon dies while the queen is gravid; the dragon waits just long enough to lay her eggs and see them hatch before disappearing between. (Humans who lose their dragons typically commit suicide as well. However, some do survive, although the experience leaves profound psychological trauma.)

Dragons are generally docile and calm creatures their behavior within the weyr has not changed much at all. However the cruel experimentation has led to some significant changes in their overall behavior. They have become much more territorial and aggressive toward others. They can and will attack other dragons if necessary or if commanded (ony by the senior queen or bronze). In battles they will use physical force to injure, maim, and even kill the enemy, but they will never ever flame one another. The only time they will fight without their rider is during flightlust and they will not fight without a very good reason (personal quarrels are not good reasons, protecting the weyr from the north is a good reason).


Mating
When a female comes into estrus, interested males compete to catch her in a mating flight. Usually, the female chooses the male who impresses her the most with his skill in the flight, although inexperienced females may be caught before making their choice. The pair actually mate in midair; thus, the higher they get during the flight, the longer their mating can last. The Pernese commonly believe that longer matings result in larger clutches. For this reason, queenriders are strongly encouraged to restrain their dragons from eating heavily just before a flight, instructing them to drink blood instead for a quick burst of energy.


Dragon Healing Manual
A highly recommended site for further information:
http://romany.silvertree.org/dragonhealing/anatomy.html


Information from wikipedia

This post has been edited by Daz on Apr 30 2011, 12:34 PM

[Daz]

Dragon Colors and Size Chart

-Gold-
Female. (40–45 feet long). Golds are named the “queens” of dragons and rightly so. They are the largest and most intelligent of all the dragons as well as having an innate leadership aptitude. As such, their riders always hold ranks of great power or responsibility, the senior queen’s rider holding the position of Weyrwoman. The younger gold riders are all titled Jr. Weyrwomen. During a Fall they are required to use a flamethrower since they cannot digest firestone. In the past, what they said went, but now dragons have more independence from this mindless control the queen once had due to the North’s meddling. A dragon may decide not to follow their queen’s commands – but will feel the full might of her wrath if they do. If anything this difference has bred stronger golds who know how to lead and don’t need silly mind control to do it. They are fierce beasts and very protective of what they consider theirs.

Impresses to Females only
Clutches: Typically only clutch canon colors

-Bronze-
Male. (35–45 feet long).The largest of the male dragons and the most intelligent alongside golds. Bronzes are the born leaders of dragonkind, holding such positions as Wingleaders and, if they mate the senior queen, Weyrleaders. They all seem to be filled with a type of arrogance and assurance of their superiority, though they do not always flaunt it. They have the most stamina of the males, and can last an entire Fall without faltering. In such situations, they make excellent leaders, even under pressure.

Impresses to Males only

-Sunstone-
Male. (34-39 feet long). A mutation that originated from the experimentation of the North, these dragons are the opposite of their twins. Sunstone – like their name implies –is simply stunning in the bright daylight. Their orange red hides blend together and swirls of gold-fire melt and fade and dance across His hide, like some mad painter had taken the very soul of fire and breathed it into flesh. At night, though, their colors are faded and dull reds, oranges, and yellows. Sunstones are slightly larger than their Moonstone twins and with a slight more depth to their chest and strength to their bodies. Loyal to a fault, they would rather Between than break a bond of honor.

Impresses to either gender with masculine qualities. Does seem to prefer males

-Moonstone-
Female. (32-37 feet long). Like their twins, this mutant color is the result of genetic experiments. During the day these dragons appear a washed out deep blue with darker accents and a slight sheen. But once out of the harsh sunlight and into the softer evening lighting, their hides come alive. Blues meld down into black and up into brilliant sapphire. Subtle silver accents make this dragon shimmer and a pearly overly make this dragon glow. Moonstones will almost always have one small light golden marking on them nothing like the brilliant pure gold that covers their twins. These markings are limited to a flash on their side, a toe, a snip, or a tail tip. They are very feminine looking dragons long and lean – some even reaching the sizes of small bronzes. Generally they are some of the smartest dragons in the Weyr they seems to have a capacity for long term memory. They rise about once a turn and can clutch.

Impresses to either gender with feminine qualities. Does seem to prefer females
Clutches: Typically only clutch canon colors

-Brown-
Male. (30–35 feet long). The second-largest of the male dragons. Browns are the base of dragonkind and of a Fighting Wing. Though typically smaller than bronzes, some of the larger of this color can meet the size of a small bronze. They possess the most stamina of the lower colors, enough to last an entire Fall, and can flame almost as long as a bronze. Being more intelligent than their smaller brothers and sisters, browns are trusted with secondary leadership positions, such as Wingseconds and even Wingleaders. It is not uncommon for a brown rider to have the rank of Weyrlingmaster.

Impresses almost exclusively to males

-Garnet-
Female. (28-32 feet long). Garnets arose from the North's genetic experimentation - it's believed that they are mutated from browns due to the similarity in size and colors. But of course no can really know for sure and arguments can drag on for days on the matter. They typically rise about twice a turn but cannot clutch. Garnets range in size from a small to a medium brown and their hides are rich reds, ranging from a garnet or ruby like quality to more earthy brick or clay tones.

Impresses almost exclusively to females


-Blue-
Male. (25-30 feet long). Blues are the smallest but also the most maneuverable of the males, but not so much as their green sisters. They are the hardest working of the dragons, and typically possess such positions as wingriders, Wingthirds or even Wingseconds on occasion. However, they also make excellent Search dragons because of their emotional sensitivity. They can produce a flame longer than a green and have more staying power, but are still not able to last an entire Fall. Blueriders make exceptionally good Weyrlingmasters, and often hold the position in the later years of their lives.

Impresses to either gender with masculine qualities. Does seem to prefer males

-Green-
Female. (20-25 feet long). They are the smallest of all the canon dragons of Pern. Greens are the most numerous of the species, though very tough, and once thought that by some chance of luck are rendered sterile by frequent use of firestone. It is now understood in the Weyrs that it was Kitti Ping's genetic engineering that rendered the greens sterile. The most maneuverable and agile of the dragons, greens can only last about half a Fall. Their powers of concentration are lower than the other colors, and as such they usually hold such positions as wingriders only. They make exceptional Searchdragons, almost as good as blues.

Impresses either gender with feminine qualities

-White-
Unknown. (15-20 feet long). The white dragon is a curious creature, there has only ever been one in the history of Iayla making them the rarest dragon color. They are known to be the smallest dragon, smaller than even the smallest greens but they have very big personalities.

Impresses to the candidate it finds most fitting for itself.


(Posted Image)

This post has been edited by Carni on Jul 17 2011, 02:38 PM