DRAGONS

DRAGON FACTS AND INFO

Dragon Facts
Dragons on Kreysthahl can breathe fire or ice on their own, with no help from their human counter parts except for giving directions of looking out for clumps in the Shower.

All dragons can breathe either fire or Ice except for the Queen who cannot breathe both or the King who can breathe both.

All dragons will do anything to stop Ribbon from Raining on Kreysthahl.

All dragons Port into the Void if they are near death so there are no dragon corpses left behind.

Dragons do not shed hide or scales.

Wild dragons can live up to two hundred fifty cycles. As for dragons who have Impressed, depending on the depth of the bond between rider and dragon, a dragon may Port into the Void when his/her Rider dies; or choose to become wild, usually Greens; or very rarely, if the dragons are young enough, they may choose another Rider at the time of their Rider’s death.

The dragon chooses the Rider not the other way around.

No dragon, wild or otherwise, will seek to intentionally harm or hurt a human being. However, for those dragons who have Impressed, if their Rider is in danger from another human being, all they do is get their Rider away from harm i.e. porting to someplace safe.

Wild dragons usually stay away from humans which is why they have their own place west of Kreyshahlia called the Dragon Vale. That stated, no wild dragon will let any human being near enough to get any sort of memento (i.e. claw, tooth, etc.) from him/her.

A few wild dragons are territorial but most of them live in a group of no less than fifty with a maximum of three Iridescent dragons in the group.

Unlike the dragons who have Impressed, the wild dragons communicate to each other very much like dragonlings, by images and emotion.

Dragon Appearance
Female dragons have soft smooth scales almost feels like hide and no spikes/ridges on their spine.
Male dragons have hard rough scales and spikes/ridges on their spine.
Dragons have cat-like eyes and have an inner and outer lid. Like humans, their eye color varies from dragon to dragon.

Dragon Colors
Note: I started DRK since August of 2004 at EZBoard. I then moved the board to Invision on June of 2005. However, since I joined Acornrack, I have opted to make a different version of DRK wherein the setting starts at the beginning of history and created yet another DRK board here in Acornrack. As far as I'm concerned I thought of these colors before anybody else thought of them. If you see someone copying DRK's colors, please let me, Houka Ryuu, know. Thank you.

There are six Primary dragon colors on Kreysthahl. They are listed here from largest to smallest.

Iridescent - These are one of largest of the dragons on Kreysthahl. They are also called the Queen of the dragons, being as that all dragons obey them. All iridescent dragons are female and have females as their riders. Their color changes with every different light angle. Their color is prismatic in nature. Iridescent dragons are the bearer of the young, the queen is traditionally mated by whichever Silver can catch her. Although Bronzes can mate with queens - and sometimes do, in the case of junior queens - this is unusual and not encouraged. The queen is fertile and bears eggs which she oversees until they hatch. Clutch sizes range from fifteen to forty; generally, the larger clutches occur during a Shower. The senior queen, usually the oldest dragon among the Iridescents, is the most prestigious dragon and is responsible for all the dragons in the Den and for the propagation of her species. Iridescent dragons cannot breathe either fire or ice.

Silver - Silvers are another of the largest dragons on Kreysthahl. They are around the same size as an Iridescent, but an Iridescent will hardly take orders from a Silver. Although, the Silvers are considered the Leaders of the dragons. All Silvers are male and have males as their riders. All Silvers compete to mate with the Iridescent queens. It is only this combination, an Iridescent and a Silver, that another Iridescent egg can be clutched. The rider whose dragon succeeds in catching the senior queen becomes the Kingrider. Silvers are generally trained for leadership and for assuming Wing Commander and Wing Second positions along with Bronzes. Silvers and their riders often act as Hatchling Masters, training the young dragons and riders. Their colors range from pure silver to silver with tinges of blue, grey, or Black. Silver dragons can breathe fire and ice.

Bronze - Bronze aren't as large as the silvers or Iridescents. They are more numerous than the Iridescents & silvers. Their riders often fill positions of second-in-command. Bronzes are larger than Greens, Reds, and Blues. Some well-grown Bronzes are as big as the smallest Silver and could actually mate with the Queen if they so dared, but this is usually in cases of junior Queens or when no Queen egg is needed. Bronzes are male and males are their only riders. Their colors range from the brightest bronze to copper bronze. The Bronzes are the real wheel-horses of the dragons, reasonable agile and strong enough to go through a whole Rain without faltering. They are more intelligent than Blues, Reds, or Greens, with greater powers of concentration. Bronzes and their riders sometimes act as Hatchling Masters, training the young dragons and riders. Bronzes can breathe either fire or ice.

Blue - These dragons are smaller than the Bronze. Their riders can be male or female, but more often than not male. The dragons are males themselves. Though they are small, they are quite quick. If a Bronze isn't filling in second-in-command positions, then the Blue is. Blues may take chase of the Queen, but never catches her; they don't have the long lasting stamina like the Silvers or the Bronzes. They are more likely to catch a Red or female Green. Blue dragon color ranges from the Darkest Blue to the Lightest Blue. The Blues are the workhorse of the dragons. Medium-sized, the Blues are as tough as the Reds but not as maneuverable. They have more stamina under pressure and are capable of sustaining ice longer than male Greens. Blue dragons can only breathe ice.

Red - One of the most numerous of dragons on Kreysthahl. These dragons will often bond to females, though they do bond to males. Reds are not as light as Greens but they are still highly maneuverable and agile. In addition, they have more endurance than a Green and breathe a longer burst of fire from that of the Greens. Reds are females and don't lay eggs due to the fact they are encouraged to breathe fire. They become sterile through breathing fire once in their life. If Reds were fertile then all of Kreysthahl would be overtaken with Blue, Red, and Green dragons. Reds are even more agile than their male counterparts (Reds and Blues are the same size). Red dragon color ranges from the Darkest Red to the Palest Red. Red dragons can only breathe fire.

Green - Greens are the smallest and most numerous of the dragons on Kreysthahl. They are very different from the above dragons. Green dragons can be either male or female and will take male or female riders. Light, highly maneuverable and agile, the Greens are the sprinters of dragonkind. They breathe very short bursts of ice or flame. Female Greens are also encouraged to breathe fire or ice as the Reds to render them infertile. Green females become sterile through breathing fire or ice once in their life. Their color ranges from a Dark Green to a Blue-Green to a Pale Green. Both Female and Male Green dragons can only breathe one kind of breath, either fire or ice.

Available Colors for Underbelly: (If dragon is two-colored)
Rainbow colors: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet
Pastel colors: Pink, Skyblue, Lavender, Light Green
Metallic colors: Gold, Silver, Bronze

Available Colors for Spike/Ridge: (If dragon is three-colored)
Gold, Silver, Bronze, Platinum, Steel Blue

Available Colors for Claws:
Iridescent, Pink, Grey, Silver, Black

Available Colors for eyes:
Blue, Light Blue, Blue-Grey, Blue-Green, Yellow-Green, Green, Hazel

Dragon Sizes
Obviously, dragons will not have these same exact sizes each time. There will be dragons that fit in their medium-large areas for their color, or whatever. These are just to give you what the average large, medium, small, and in some cases x-small, dragon sizes are.

Iridescent & Silver Dragon Sizes
Large: Length -150 ft, Wingspan - 290 ft
Medium: Length -100 ft, Wingspan -190 ft
Small: Length - 75 ft, Wingspan -140 ft
Bronze Dragon Sizes
Large: Length -100 ft, Wingspan -190 ft
Medium: Length - 85 ft, Wingspan -160 ft
Small: Length - 70 ft, Wingspan -130 ft
Blue & Red Dragon Sizes
Large: Length - 85 ft, Wingspan -150 ft
Medium: Length - 75 ft, Wingspan -140 ft
Small: Length - 65 ft, Wingspan -120 ft
X-Small: Length - 60 ft, Wingspan -110 ft
Green Dragon Sizes
Large: Length - 70 ft, Wingspan -130 ft
Medium: Length - 60 ft, Wingspan -110 ft
Small: Length - 50 ft, Wingspan -100 ft
X-Small: Length - 45 ft, Wingspan - 90 ft

Impressing Information
Iridescent – Females ONLY
Silver – Males ONLY
Bronze – Males ONLY
Blue – Usually Males but sometimes Females
Red – Usually Females but sometimes Males
Green – Females or Males

Note: Occasionally, a Bronze will Impress a Female Rider or a hatchling will choose not to Impress at all and become Wild.

DRAGON MATING INFORMATION

A mating flight occurs when a female dragon (Iridescent, Red, & [f] Green) rises to mate with whatever male (Silver, Bronze, Blue, [m] Green) catches her.

NOTE: Riders of female dragons that will clutch must get permission to have a mating flight. Riders of female dragons that will not clutch may RP a mating flight any time. Do not RP any graphic content. Just hint at it.

Before the Flight
A Red and female Green will become very irritable a day or so before the flight. A female Green will glow slightly, a Red will glow a bit brighter than a female Green and an Iridescent will have a golden hue and reflect golden under the sun or light, to let everyone know that she will mate soon. A Red on the other hand, will just be more irritable a few days before she mates. Before the blooding, the female dragons' and female Riders' minds haven't merged yet. For Reds and female Greens, if they haven't feed yet, they will need to blood (not too little but not too many) a number of animals in the feeding grounds. For an Iridescent, she will most definitely need to blood but remember to be firm and let her blood only and not eat the meat. After blooding, female dragons will bellow to let the whole den know that she is ready for the chase by aspiring males. By this time, the male dragons' minds and their Riders' minds have already merged. After the bellow and after launching off the ground or ledge, the female dragons' and their Riders' minds have now merged and think as one where the dragon personality is dominant.

During the Flight
This is the only occasion when a dragon will fly for a long time without her Rider. When the flight starts, the Riders of the males will form a circle around the Rider of the female. The female will try to avoid the males for as long as possible. For the Reds and female Greens, the chase is not too long, but female Greens are more flirtatious than Reds. However, for an Iridescent, she will want to get away from her pursuers until only a handful of dragons are left. This way it will cause those who aren't "worthy' to fall out of the chase. However, the female is eventually caught in the end by the one, she deems the worthiest, or the one that can outmaneuver her. (NOTE: The owner of the female Rider chooses the winner)

After the Flight
When the female is caught, the two dragons mate in midair, they twine necks and tails, but with the male dragon guiding and supporting them. Since the dragons' and Riders' minds, have merged, the Riders duplicate the act themselves. Those dragons that fall out of the chase usually just fly away to rest, or find somewhere to hide. Everyone in the Den is affected in one way or other. Riders whose dragons have fallen out of the chase, or didn't catch the female, will often find themselves in the arms of another willing female or given a very strong drink to sleep away the tension. Non-Rider folk at the Den will just experience what the Riders feel, mildly, and continue functioning as if everything was normal. After the dragons mate, they will return to the Den and sleep next to each other in the female dragon's Rider's Den. When the Riders wake, they are themselves again, and may not recall all the details, but each knows what eventually happened. Relationships occurring from flights are very rare. If the person is already in a relationship and their mate's dragon (or if they don't have a dragon) doesn't catch their dragon and another's does, they will not or should not take offence to this, since the Rider can't affect the outcome of the mating flight.

Green Flights
This is very common. The day or so before she rises, the Green will be irritable, thus cause her Rider to be so. A Green rises 6 to 9 times a Cycle at around 2 Cycles of age. Most often, Blues and male Greens will catch a female Green. However, a Bronze or Silver will occasionally catch a female Green. If they never breathe fire or ice, they could produce a clutch of 2 -10 eggs. They would be pregnant for three weeks, lay the eggs, and the clutch will hatch in one week.

Red Flights
They don't rise as often as a Green does, but it is common. A Red rises 4 to 6 times a Cycle at around 2 Cycles and 8 months of age. Bronzes and Blues most often catch Reds; occasionally a Silver will take flight and catch her, or a sly/quick male Green will sneak on in. If they never breathe fire, they could produce a clutch of 2 -12 eggs. They would be pregnant for four weeks, lay the eggs, and the clutch will hatch in two weeks. If a Red and Green rise to mate at the same time, the Red will challenge the Green, but more often than not, the Green will back down and let the Red have the males. In addition, when an Iridescent and a Red rise to mate at the same time, some Reds have been known to challenge an Iridescent. However, more often than not, a Red will defer to the Iridescent.

Queen Flights
These are rare, compared to the others but their mating flights are far more dramatic. An iridescent only rises 1 to 3 times a Cycle, beginning at the age of 3 Cycles old. When the Queen wakes on the day of her flight, she will show a mental ferocity that can overwhelm most Queen Riders at first, or she can appear calm until she wishes to feed. She will then find herself starving, and will seek to devour several animals held in feeding pens. One must prevent the Queen from devouring the meat for it will be harder for the dragon to rise for her mating flight and maneuvering will be difficult. Instead, the Iridescent Rider must force her dragon to only blood the beasts. When the Queen has blooded three to five animals (one cannot let her blood too many either), she will be ready to fly. Queens give off a much stronger golden glow, and their challenging call is louder and stronger. Silvers usually catch Iridescents, for they are often the same size as a Queen. An exceptional Bronze might also be able to do so, and is acceptable for junior Queens. A Blue or Green mating with a Queen is unheard of though some join for the honor and the chase. All Queens are fertile, so after a flight they will be "pregnant" for five weeks, developing her eggs, which then laid in a clutch of about 10-60 eggs (both extremes are rare, but more for a longer flight). After another three weeks, the eggs will hatch. If a Red or Green rise at the same time an Iridescent does, these dragons, the Red and Green, will most certainly back down. A Queen Rider must be in tune with her dragon to know when she will rise, for if another Iridescent is due to rise around the same time, this can be disastrous. For the rising Queen can cause the other Queen, who is due to rise soon, to rise early. Neither Iridescent will back down, and will often engage in fighting. This is why it is important to get Iridescents out of the Den when another Iridescent rises, and all Reds and female Greens who are due to rise soon, just to be safe.

DRAGON CLUTCH SIZE

Iridescent and Silver Dragon Mating -10 to 60 eggs
Iridescent – Up to 1
Silver – Up to 6
Bronze – Up to 8
Blue – Up to 10
Red –Up to 15
Green – Up to 20 (Males outnumber females)
Iridescent and Bronze Dragon Mating -10 to 30 eggs
Silver – Up to 2
Bronze – Up to 4
Blue – Up to 8
Red – Up to 6
Green – Up to 10 (Males outnumber females)

NOTE:  The following is only applicable if the female dragon never breathed fire or ice.
Red and Silver Dragon Mating - 8 to 12 eggs
Silver – Up to 1
Bronze – Up to 2
Blue – Up to 4
Red – Up to 3
Green – Up to 4 (Males outnumber females)
Red and Bronze Dragon Mating - 6 to 10 eggs
Bronze – Up to 2
Blue – Up to 6
Red – Up to 3
Green – Up to 4 (Males outnumber females)
Red and Blue Dragon Mating - 4 to 8 eggs
Blue – Up to 5
Red - Up to 4
Green – Up to 4 (Males outnumber females)
Red and Male Green Dragon Mating - 2 to 4 eggs
Red – Up to 3
Green – Up to 3 (Males outnumber females)

Female Green and Silver Dragon Mating - 6 to 10 eggs
Silver – Up to 1
Bronze – Up to 2
Blue – Up to 4 Red-Up to 3
Green – Up to 5 (Males outnumber females)
Female Green and Bronze Dragon mating - 4 to 8 eggs
Bronze – Up to 1
Blue – Up to 4
Red – Up to 3
Green – Up to 5 (Males outnumber females)
Female Green and Blue Dragon Mating - 4 to 6 eggs
Blue – Up to 2
Red – Up to 2
Green – Up to 4 (Males outnumber females)
Female Green and Male Green Dragon Mating - 2 to 4 eggs
Green – Up to 4 (Males outnumber females)

THE HATCHING AND IMPRESSION PROCESS

The first sign of an imminent hatching is the humming of all the dragons in the Den. This usually occurs for about two hours before the first egg hatches. This allows time for riders to Port and retrieve the families of Candidates. In addition, candidates have time to change into the robes they will wear for the Hatching. The sound is so powerful that it can be felt through a person's bones.

When most of the guests and dragons are assembled in the seating area, called the Stands, of the Hatching Ground, the Candidates are led in. Moments before the first egg cracks, the dragons stop their humming. The Candidates are led onto the hot sands to stand in a semi-circle around the eggs, facing the dragon, usually the Queen. It is considered polite for Candidates to bow to the dragon or to acknowledge her in some way before taking their places around the eggs.

At this point, the hatchlings begin to hatch and look for the candidates who will become their Riders. As hatchlings are clumsy at hatching, it is the Candidates' responsibility to stay out of the hatchlings' way. This is the only time in a dragon's life when it could harm or kill a person, because of it's awkwardness. There have been stories spread about regarding such rare occurrences among the Tree Folk which just scares most Candidates to standing still instead of going out of the way of the hatchling.

When a hatchling finds the person it wants as its life-long partner, the hatchling makes eye contact with the Candidate and initiates telepathic contact. This creates a powerful bond that will last for the life of the dragon and his/her rider, to be broken only by the death of one or the other. During the first moments of contact, the new Rider will usually shout out the dragon's name. Dragons hatch knowing their own names, and their names always end in the letters '-th.' Also, from this point on, a male rider will be known by the shortened version of his name that the dragon uses. This shortened name is called the Rider's Honorific. An example would be the name Larod becoming L'rod. Male riders always use the Honorific and sometimes, the female riders of fighting dragons also use an Honorific.

When the Hatching is over, the Hatchling Master takes the newly-Impressed Hatchlings and their hatchlings out to feed the young dragons freshly-killed meat that have been cut to small pieces so that the hatchlings do not accidentally choke on their food. After which the hatchlings usually fall asleep in their "nest" in the Hatchling Dens. Some, though, will accompany their new Riders to the Hatching Feast.

The Hatching Feast is where the new Riders can reunite with families they might not have seen for several weeks and introduce their dragons to them. It is also the first important social occasion for an Iridescent Hatchling, where she and her dragon are introduced to the dignitaries in the Den's territory, such as the local Tree Lords/Ladies, Branch Lords/Ladies, and Guild Masters.

Anne McCaffrey on Impression

"It’s love at first sight across a crowded room-one of the most magical things that could possibly happen to anybody. To me, it’s like setting up on a horse that’s been schooled, and the minute you give him the aids, he knows exactly what you want, perfectly, only there’s much more of a rapport. Impressing a dragon is the amalgam of everything you wanted in your pet as a child and couldn’t have, because your pet wasn’t up to it. It’s suddenly having the whole candy store window yours.

At the instant of Impression, part of the miracle is that you realize you will never be alone, you will always be supported for the rest of your life-the feeling of total surrender to another mind which understands you totally. It is completely in rapport with you, and suddenly a great weight has been lifted from your shoulders, because you know there is that support system there. And with it comes a tremendous responsibility, because you know if something happens to you, that the dragon will suicide.

Now, the dragon will take care of you, so it’s really up to you to take care of the dragon. You have the feeling of one mind suddenly encasing yours, and every ounce of your blood, every tissue in your body is suddenly linked to another living creature. It cannot be but the most ecstatic moment. If the kids were old enough, they’d have orgasms.

You feel pain through the link, and you would do anything to stop your dragon’s pain. If you were happy or comfortable, the dragon would also share in the pleasure, but not necessarily the sensory feeling. Dragons would be peripherally aware of ‘mechanical duties’ (such as eating, sex or sleeping) and they’d know right away if you were sick. They would start to get worried, not knowing why. Unusual occurrences or sensations would come to the dragon’s awareness.”

Anne McCaffreyThe Dragonlovers Guide to Pern, 2nd ed.
Ballantine Books, New York. 1989, 1997
Pgs 46-7