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Dragons
Jun 30, 2007 18:10:56 GMT -5
Post by thewriter on Jun 30, 2007 18:10:56 GMT -5
Dragons are an intergral part of the planet of Kyrandor. Both its ecosystem and its magical balance is connected to the dragons. they come in all shapes and sizes with three different species being prevalent on Kyrandor.
Sea Drake Not to be confused with the Sea Serpents of the Irodian Straight(A seaway whose current flows from Drandel to Sulwani. Its quick speed makes it a way that most pirates or dare devil Captains like to use but its dangers, like the sea serpents, make sure their careers are short.), these relatives of the greater dragons have a head shaped like a greater dragons and and a body like a serpent. They lack any limbs besides wings, which are used for swimming and gliding, and the natural breath weapons of other dragons but make up for it with intelligence on par with a greater dragons and the ability to use limited magic and speak. They are able to move on land but not as fluidly as they would be able to in water since they would have to maneuver like a snake would. On average they grow to about 13 feet but larger ones have been spotted battling multiple 20 foot sea serpents and winning, you do the math.
Lesser Dragons Lesser dragons are very much like big, humanoid, lizards. The possess two hind legs that they can walk on with a long, supple, tail for balance, and two arms with four fingers and an opposable thumb. They usually stand about nine to eleven feet tall and weigh at least a couple tons. They lack the wings and breath weapon of their larger brethren as well as the ability to speak or use magic. But they can use a form of telepathy to communicate and are as smart as your average human.
Greater Dragons-Restricted (Please Pm an admin for permission before use) Dragons. The great beast of the sky that rule everything they survey. Subjugated by the god-blessed Suliwei they fought as mounts for them and some had their wings removed through a powerful spell and were so traumatized that they lost the ability to talk. These becme the lesser dragons. But the dragons simply bided their time and studied the Suliwei’s magics and tactics and during the Final Battle the Greater and Lesser dragons rebelled against their slavery masters. The greater dragons are highly intelligent and long-lived. They are armed with armor like scales, and sharp teeth and talons. Along with a pair of massive wings that give these creatures flight and powerful magics they are a force to be reckoned with but as they were one of the first races created by Lyath to populate Kyrandor they find all other races beneath them and now tend to stay to themselves, interacting with other dragons and on rare occasions with humans. But there are more different types of greater dragons than specs of sand in the desert it is said (an exaggeration but it makes a point) and each of them interacts with other races in its own way. Dragon Age Categories Category Age (Years) Wyrmling: 0-5 Very young: 6-15 Young: 16-25 Juvenile: 26-50 Young adult: 51-100 Adult: 101-200 Mature adult: 201-400 Old: 401-600 Very old: 601-800 Ancient: 801-1,000 Wyrm: 1,001-1,200 Great wyrm: 1,201 or more
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Dragons
Jun 30, 2007 18:12:06 GMT -5
Post by thewriter on Jun 30, 2007 18:12:06 GMT -5
Colored Dragons
White dragon • Maximum Height: 14 feet • Maximum Weight: 160,000 pounds • Maximum Wingspan: 60 feet • Breath weapon: Cone of Frost • Diet: Anything that moves, but it must be frozen first! • Alignment: Chaotic evil • Notes: White dragons are the weakest and the most feral of the classic chromatic dragons, but they are by no means harmless, if somewhat dimmer than other dragons due to the inbreeding necessary to create an animal that could resist the frigid temperatures that white dragons endure. They are still powerful enough to overwhelm most humans and have exceptional long-term memories. They are physically distinguished by several features: their heads and necks seem to blend seamlessly into one another, and their wings appear somewhat frayed along the edges. They have a flap of skin (dewlap) lined with spines beneath their chins. Their heads are very streamlined, and they have a high crest atop their skulls. They have a crisp, vaguely chemical odor. White dragon eggs must be buried in snow or encased in ice while incubating. The parents do not bother to tend or protect the eggs in any way, although they will usually lay them near their lairs. A new hatched white wyrmling has scales as clear as ice, which become white as the dragon matures. They are expected to survive on their own from the moment they hatch, although some white dragon parents will permit their young to live in their lair until they reach adulthood. Adult white dragons have several abilities well suited to their arctic habitat: they can climb ice cliffs with ease, fly very high and fast, and are exceptional swimmers. They love to swim in cold water; the more frigid, the better. Much of their diet often consists of aquatic creatures, even whales. White dragons are always hungry, and tend to become more savage as they mature. Knowing that they are the smallest and weakest of dragons, many whites harbor inferiority complexes. They take any opportunity to bully beings such as giants and younger dragons of other species. White dragons lair in ice caves, often dug into the side of an arctic mountain. Their lairs often contain many more tunnels and chambers than those of other chromatic dragons. More powerful white dragons will sometimes turn a large iceberg into a floating lair. Such lairs always have an underwater entrance as well as one to the open air. White dragons are not strong combatants as dragons go, but they should never be underestimated. Their icy breath can freeze an unprepared foe solid in an instant. They typically avoid fights with more powerful dragons, but will avail themselves of any opportunity to take their frustrations out on 'lesser' creatures. Whites also have exceptional memories, and will often hunt down beings who cross them, no matter how long it may take.
Black dragon • Maximum Height: 16 feet • Maximum Weight: 170,000 pounds • Maximum Wingspan: 80 feet • Breath weapon: Line of Acid • Diet: Fish, mollusks, aquatic critters, some red meat from terrestrial animals • Preferred Treasure: Coins • Alignment: Chaotic Evil • Notes: Black dragons (a.k.a. "Skull Dragons") are the most vile tempered and cruel of all chromatic dragons. Physically, black dragons are most distinguished by their horns, which protrude from the sides of their heads and wrap around, projecting forward. A large frill adorns the upper part of the neck. They smell like rotting vegetation and foul water. Black dragons are fierce hunters that will normaly attack from the water. They will often prey on fish, crabs, birds, turtles, crocodiles, lizardfolk, chuuls, hydras, and green dragons that are smaller and younger then they are. Their enemies include green dragons and swamp landwyrms. Black dragons are not noted as very good parents, relying more upon disguise and hiding to protect their eggs than upon guarding them personally. Black dragon eggs must be submerged in strong acid while incubating. Their wyrmlings (babies) are noted for their exceptional cruelty and their utterly insatiable appetites. They will eat almost anything organic they can kill, even plants. As a black dragon matures, its scales will very gradually grow lighter. The most ancient black dragons appear almost purple in color. A black dragon typically lairs in a large cave or underground chamber next to a swamp or murky pond. Their lairs always have two entrances: one underwater through the adjacent swamp/pond, and one above-ground, disguised amidst the undergrowth. In combat, black dragons prefer ambushes to straightforward fighting. They are vicious and ruthless adversaries, and their acidic bile can work its way under the heaviest armor with ease. Their only disadvantage is that their heavily wooded habitats tend to prevent them from flying very high in combat.
Green dragon • Maximum Height: 19 feet • Maximum Weight: 185,000 pounds • Maximum Wingspan: 90 feet • Breath weapon: Cloud or cone of Chlorine Gas • Diet: Small humanoids such as gnomes are preferred, will eat any animal if hungry. Preferred Treasure: Mementos of particularly exciting victories • Alignment: Lawful Evil • Notes: Green dragons are the third most powerful of the classic chromatic dragons. Physically, they are most notable for the large, waving crest or fin that starts at the dragon's nose and runs the entire length of the dragon's body. They also have exceptionally long, slender forked tongues. They smell like chlorine gas and are highly adept at magic. Green dragons are reasonably good parents, with both mother and father typically staying close to their eggs while they are incubating. Green dragon females either keep their eggs in a solution of acid or bury them in leaves moistened with rainwater. The green wyrmling is easily mistaken for a black, due to their nearly black scales. As the wyrmling matures, its scales become steadily lighter in color until they reach the striking green shade of an adult. The wyrmlings typically stay with both parents until they reach adulthood (approximately 100 years). The typical green dragon lair will be a complex of caves and tunnels, with its main entrance hidden behind a waterfall. The preferred green dragon lair is a cave high up on a cliff, but such locations are usually hard to find and thus only home to the oldest and most powerful green dragons. Green dragons revel in combat, and will often attack for no apparent reason. They are highly territorial, and will often view any intrusion into their domain, voluntary or not, as a personal affront. They are extremely cunning and duplicitous foes, and love double-crossing others. A traveler who stumbles into a green dragon's territory may be able to bribe the dragon for safe passage, but more often than not the dragon will pretend to agree and then attack the unsuspecting offender once their guard is down. Though aggressive, green dragons prefer to use magic before attacking physically.
Blue dragon Maximum Height: 26 feet • Maximum Weight: 220,000 pounds • Maximum Wingspan: 135 feet • Breath weapon: Line of Lightning • Diet: Meat from large animals such as camels, snakes, lizards, plants (in extremis) Preferred Treasure: Sapphires • Alignment: Lawful Evil • Notes: Blue dragons are the second most powerful of the classic chromatic dragons. They are physically distinguished by the single large horns protruding from their heads and also by their ears, which are rather large and frilled. The tail is thick and bumpy, like that of a caterpillar. The wings are more pronounced than most other species'. They smell like electricity or sand. They are more likely to be mocking and manipulative than out rightly cruel or murderous to 'lesser' creatures, aided greatly by their natural talents for hallucination. They are infamous for tricking desert travelers into drinking sand or going miles out of their way to avoid nonexistent dust basins. Blue dragons tend to be carnivorous though they will eat plants on occasion. While almost anything is potential food, a blue dragon prefers camels above all else. They are enemies of brass dragons. Blue dragons are orderly creatures, and are unusual for chromatics in that they keep fairly well-ordered, hierarchical societies. Despite their evil nature, they are actually excellent parents to their young, and will rarely leave their eggs unattended. Blue dragon eggs must be buried in warm sand to incubate. Blue wyrmlings are actually quite cute, but they are quick to taunt any other creature, and even quicker to hunt small desert creatures for food. The typical blue dragon lair is dug into one of the towering rock formations that dominate desert landscapes. As with all dragon lairs, the blue dragon's lair will have two entrances: one at ground level and hidden by the sand, and one opening onto a high ledge on which it can perch and survey its territory. Each lair also has a large subterranean cavern with a large pool of water and a sandy beach, which its inhabitant will use for drinking and relaxation. The blue dragon excels at aerial combat, perhaps more so than any other species of dragon. Their lightning discharges are very easy to aim at other aerial foes, or at creatures below them on the ground. They are one of the most powerful dragons at spellcraft, even more so then a red dragon. They are also extremely adept at burrowing in sand, and often lie in wait just below the surface of the desert for prey. When they are so burrowed, their large horns can easily be mistaken for pointed desert rocks.
Red dragon • Maximum Height: 35 feet • Maximum Weight: 260,000 pounds • Maximum Wingspan: 150 feet • Breath weapon: Cone of Fire • Diet: Absolutely anything; they claim - female humans and young elves taste best • Preferred Treasure: Absolutely anything with some monetary value • Alignment: Chaotic Evil • Notes: Red dragons are the largest, most powerful, and most (in)famous of the classic chromatic dragons. Physically, they are distinguished by their enormous size and wingspan. They have two large horns upon their heads, which point backwards toward their wings. They smell of smoke and sulphur. The eggs of a red dragon must be kept in open flame at all times while incubating. Incubation takes approximately 660 days. After the eggs are laid, the younger of the two parents (either male or female) will remain behind to guard the eggs and keep their nest of flames burning. Once they hatch, the wyrmlings are left to fend for themselves. They usually have little problem in doing so. Despite being no larger than a housecat, a red wyrmling is highly dangerous. They are fully capable of breathing fire, and revel in wreaking destruction and havoc on almost anything that moves. The latter trait is carried fully into adulthood. Red dragons have an amazing eye for value, and can determine the monetary worth of absolutely any material object at a glance. All dragons are known for hoarding treasure, but the red dragon far surpasses all other species in this regard. The gaining and keeping of treasure is the complete focus of a red dragon's adult life, and they tend to amass incredible hoards with amazing rapidity. At any given moment, a red dragon will be able to tell you the precise monetary value of all the objects in its hoard, down to the last fraction of a coin. The preferred home for a red dragon is (naturally) inside an active volcano. If a volcano is not available, however, they will reside in any mountain, provided that it has a good ledge from which the dragon can survey its territory. A red dragon's lair will (surprisingly) often have only one entrance, which will be very high above ground level. The entrance leads to a narrow tunnel, which drops off into a steep pit. At the bottom of the pit lies a pool of water, surrounded by several chambers. One chamber will typically be the dragon's sleeping quarters, while the other will contain its hoard. In combat, red dragons are exceptionally dangerous. Proficient in magic, they are also very fast in the air, but somewhat clumsy, so they prefer to do their fighting on the ground. They often spend years designing battle strategies, and will wait patiently until the precisely best moment to call upon them. Their massive blasts of fire end most battles before they truly begin, however. As a result, red dragons will use their powerful breath weapons as their favored method of attack, followed by power strikes from their massively powerful bodies, followed by magical attacks. Many red dragons hoard women and children in their lairs, along with their wealth. In some genres they have the 'power of persuasion', which means they can get someone to do anything, as long as their mind is weaker than theirs. As a result, they often convince the chieftains of villages outside their volcanoes to give them sacrifices of young girls.
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Dragons
Jun 30, 2007 18:12:46 GMT -5
Post by thewriter on Jun 30, 2007 18:12:46 GMT -5
Metallic Dragons
Brass dragon • Maximum Height: 14 feet • Maximum Weight: 160,000 pounds • Maximum Wingspan: 60 feet • Breath weapon: Line of fire, cone of sleep gas • Diet: Dew drops • Preferred Treasure: Objects made of plant matter (For example: a rare piece of wood, a finely woven garment, et cetera) • Alignment: Chaotic Good • Notes: Brass dragons are the weakest of the metallic dragons, and one of the most benign of all species of dragon. They love to talk, to the exclusion of much else. They love to engage friends and foes alike in hours of long-winded conversation. It is not unusual for a brass dragon to be fluent in several hundred different languages, although they (obviously) prefer to converse in Draconic whenever possible. Physically, the brass dragon is highly distinctive. From below, its outstretched wings form a triangular shape, as they are attached to its body all the way to the tip of its tail. The wings are longest at the shoulder, and taper gently as they reach the tail. Their scales seem to radiate heat and light. The shape of the head is quite unusual, as it includes a large, curved plate that extends from the dragon's eyes and cheeks on either side and curves upwards into two points. They have two sharp horns on the chin, which become steadily pointier as the dragon ages. They smell like metal. Brass dragon eggs must be incubated in a nest of open flames. Incubation takes approximately 480 days. The eggs are typically tended by both parents, so that they can talk together as they maintain their vigil. A newhatched brass wyrmling is not remarkable in appearance; its scales are a dull brown. The scales become lighter and more brilliant as the dragon matures. Brass wyrmlings probably learn to talk more quickly than the young of any other sentient species. They talk constantly about anything and everything, and they will talk to anybody: friends, family, enemies, small creatures that cannot talk back, or even to itself if nobody else is near. When exposed to a new language, a brass wyrmling will usually become fluent in under an hour. As it matures, a brass dragon adds a love of fire to its love of speech. They can stare into burning flames for hours, entranced by their beauty. Older brass dragons often become discouraged with the world, believing that others are ruining it. Yet as they mature, they seem to accept the follies of the world, and may even donate some of their treasures to aid a cause they believe to be worthy. Ancient brass dragons are some of the best - and most willing - sources of advice. The brass dragon prefers to dig its lair inside a desert peak or spire. They also prefer to have the bulk of their lairs face eastwards, so that the rising sun will warm the lair for the bulk of the day. A brass dragon's lair is well-constructed and quite extensive, with many twisting corridors and dead ends to confuse and discourage hostile intruders. The centerpiece of any brass dragon's lair is the Grand Conversation Hall, where it spends the majority of its time entertaining friends and visitors. A typical lair will also contain an elegant foyer, a gallery for the artwork the dragon has collected, a sleeping chamber, and a storage room. All brass dragon lairs have several small entrances, known as bolt holes. These multiple entrances allow a brass dragon to easily escape an attack by a blue dragon or other predator. Brass dragons very rarely engage in combat, preferring to talk rather than fight. If they consider a creature threatening, they will subdue it with their sleeping gas. In the face of true danger, a brass dragon will most likely fly away and hide in the sand. It will fight and use its fire breath only as an absolute last resort.
Copper dragon • Maximum Height: 16 feet • Maximum Weight: 170,000 pounds • Maximum Wingspan: 80 feet • Breath weapon: Line of Acid, Cone of Slow Gas • Diet: Scorpions and other venomous creatures • Preferred Treasure: Valuables from the earth: metals, precious stones, finely crafted sculptures, well-made ceramics, et cetera • Alignment: Chaotic Good • Notes: Copper dragons are the second weakest of the metallic dragons. They are born tricksters and jokesters. They are quite devious and clever, but their intent is purely benign. They do not seek to harm 'lesser' creatures, but merely wish to impress them with superior intelligence and wit, and to fool them with clever pranks. Physically, the copper dragon is very striking, with scales of a warm copper color tinged with blue. Like the brass dragon, the bronze dragon's wings connect to its body all the way to the tip of its tail. However, its wings have a pronounced bend to them, giving them the appearance of a "V" from below, rather than the brass dragon's triangular appearance. Copper dragons are powerful jumpers and climbers, with massive thigh and shoulder muscles. Their two horns are broad and flat, pointing backwards towards the tail from the top of their heads. They also have a distinctive frill protruding from either jaw. When the mouth is closed, the teeth are completely hidden. They exude a stony odor. Copper dragons lay their eggs in a nest of cool sand or clay. Both parents watch over the eggs and raise the wyrmling until it reaches adulthood, whereupon the parents separate. When newhatched, the scales of a copper wyrmling are a muddy brown in color, which gradually shifts to a glowing copper as it matures. Adult copper dragons are quite social, mainly due to the desire to play tricks upon each other. A visitor to a copper dragon's layer can expect to be entertained at length, although the dragon will become angry if the visitor does not appear impressed with her tricks, riddles, and stories. A typical copper dragon's lair is a cave, whose entrance is concealed by rocks and boulders. Upon entering, visitors find themselves in a huge labyrinth of tunnels. Copper dragons compete amongst themselves to see who can design the most confusing layout. If a friendly visitor becomes hopelessly lost (which is rather common), the copper dragon will rescue her before she is actually endangered. Once through the labyrinth, visitors find themselves in a spacious foyer, beyond which is the Main Entertaining Chamber, where the dragon will spend the bulk of its time. Opening off the MEC is a much more straightforward escape tunnel, whose outside entrance is often fiendishly difficult to locate even when one knows exactly where it is. The copper dragon will know, however, and often uses its 'back door' to get into its lair instead of taking the time to navigate the maze. Obviously, it is far easier for a visitor to enter via the secret door if she can find it, but doing so is considered impolite, especially if she is a first-time visitor. When it comes to combat, copper dragons prefer to avoid it. Rather than fighting openly, they prefer to taunt, humiliate, and tease their opponents until they simply give up and run away. Their ability to dramatically slow opponents often gives them ample time to run away. When forced, however, a copper dragon will fight to the very end, and is an incredibly devious antagonist. Their acid breath is not to be taken lightly.
Bronze dragon • Maximum Height: 19 feet • Maximum Weight: 185,000 pounds • Maximum Wingspan: 90 feet • Breath weapon: Line of Lightning, Cone of Repulsion Gas • Diet: Aquatic plants, shark meat, pearls • Preferred Treasure: Pearls, coral, intricate shells, and gold • Alignment: Lawful Good • Notes: Bronze dragons are the third most powerful of the metallic dragons. They truly enjoy observing and interacting with smaller creatures, most especially humans. They will often go out of their way to help them, such as rescuing humans from a shipwreck or a dangerous foe. In many of these instances, the bronze dragon will transform itself into a human, so that those who it helps never know who really did the rescuing. They never seek payment for their help, in any form. They always seek justice as best they can, and cannot abide to see any creature being treated with cruelty of any sort. The older the dragon, the more pronounced that this passion for justice becomes. They are probably the most social species of dragon, and often swim and play together in groups. They also love to attend human festivals and parties, although usually in human form. Physically, the bronze dragon is quite fierce in appearance, despite its good nature. While most of its body is a reflective copper color, the wings are often tipped with green. The dragon has three large horns protruding from each cheek, pointing back towards the tail. The tips of these points are black and very sharp, and are often used for grooming. The tongue is purple-gray, long and pointed, and not forked. A large frill runs down the upper part of its neck. They smell like sea-spray. Bronze dragons mate for life, and take their duties as parents with the utmost seriousness. They will protect their eggs and their wyrmlings at any cost. Although bronze dragons always live near water, they lay their eggs in a dry cave. Apart from a dry, relatively warm environment, bronze dragon eggs require no special conditions for incubation like those of most dragons. Upon hatching, the wyrmlings are raised, taught, and protected by their parents. A newhatched bronze wyrmling appears yellow with a tinge of green, and the scales will gradually shift to bronze as it matures. Bronze wyrmlings love to swim in the ocean, and frolic in much the same manner as dolphins. Given its exceptional abilities as a swimmer, the entrance to a bronze dragon's lair is quite naturally underwater, and often disguised with seaweed and coral. The bulk of the lair is above water level, however, consisting of multiple tunnels and large chambers, some as much as a thousand feet above sea level. They prefer to make their lairs in an island volcano, if possible. While bronze dragons are often fascinated with battles, especially fighting to defeat evil, they have strong moral compunctions against killing living beings unless absolutely necessary. They will often join good-aligned armies to fight the forces of evil, either in human form or their own. In battle, their weapon of choice is to breathe repulsion gas, which is so putrid that it forces absolutely everything away. They also like to relocate a foe to a remote location where it can do no harm when possible. When absolutely forced to kill, the bronze dragon is a deadly combatant, roasting enemies with bursts of lightning or ripping them open with its clawed forelegs.
Silver dragon Maximum Height: 26 feet • Maximum Weight: 210,000 pounds • Maximum Wingspan: 135 feet • Breath weapon: Cone of Cold, Paralyzation Gas • Diet: Almost anything; love tasting new things • Preferred Treasure: Beautifully crafted jewelery or finely woven fabrics Silver dragons (aka "shield dragons") are the second most powerful of the metallic dragons, and are true friends to all. The silver dragon enjoys the company of humans and elves so much that it will often take the form of a human or elf and live among them for the majority of its life. It should be noted that silvers, like all dragons, believe themselves the most superior creatures in the world. However, apart from the ability to fly, which they enjoy greatly, they tend to prefer the physical forms of humanoids for everyday life. At first glance, the silver dragon appears very similar to the white dragon. The wings are more curved than a white's though, and the silver has two talons on its wings rather than the single talon of most dragons. They have two long, smooth silver horns with black tips, pointing up and back from the head. They also have a pronounced sharp frill under the chin, which has the rough appearance of a goatee. They smell like rain. Silver dragons lay their eggs in a bed of snow. A newhatched silver wyrmling has scales of a bluish gray, which change to silver over time. Silver wyrmlings are intelligent, kind, extremely curious, and adorable. Unlike the gold or bronze dragon, the silver dragon does not usually go out of its way to bring justice on the world. Instead, it waits for others to ask them for help. They will attempt to right an injustice if they see one, but they have no inclination to intentionally seek evil out and destroy it. Silver dragons are more interested in protecting the humans or elves it has come to care for than in looking for evil. Like most metallic dragons, silvers do not enjoy combat, and are averse to killing. If forced to fight, however, they are as deadly as any other dragon. A silver wyrmling’s scales are blue-gray with silver highlights. As the dragon approaches adulthood, its color gradually brightens until the individual scales are scarcely visible. the pupils of the oldest silver dragons resemble orbs of molten mercury The silver dragon is regal and statuesque, an unusual trait they offer is the love of human dining, and will use the ability of alternate form to take part in large feasts. Silver dragons employ a breath weapon of extreme cold similar to that of white dragons. They also have a second breath weapon, a cone of paralyzing gas.
Gold dragon • Maximum Height: 35 feet • Maximum Weight: 260,000 pounds • Maximum Wingspan: 150 feet • Breath weapon: Cone of fire, cone of weakening gas • Diet: Small gems and pearls; they do not eat any living creatures • Preferred Treasure: Art, especially paintings and sculptures Gold dragons are the most powerful of the metallic dragons, and the most dedicated to defeating evil. They spend the bulk of their lives in human form, seeking out evil and punishing wrongdoers to the best of its considerable abilities. Its typical mode of operation runs roughly along the lines of a sting operation: the dragon will listen for stories of dangerous or evil creatures or persons, then reveals its true form and metes out punishment. They prefer to turn villains over to law enforcement if available, but will ultimately take whatever actions they deem necessary in order to see justice served. They are best summarized as the paladins of the draconic world. Physically, gold dragons are quite spectacular. Several large horns tipped with umber shoot sideways from their cheeks, and two very prominent horns point backwards along their heads. The most obvious feature is probably the tentacle whiskers that sprout from the top and bottom of the gold dragon's jaw, giving the appearance of a beard of sorts. Their wings, like those of brass and copper dragons, connect to the body all the way to the tip of the tail. From below, the overall shape resembles that of a brass dragon, but the different coloring and dramatic difference in size enables easy differentiation. When in flight, the gold dragon's wings ripple, giving the appearance of swimming rather than flying. They smell of saffron and incense. Gold dragon eggs must be incubated in a nest of open flames. A newhatched gold wyrmling appears similar to an adult, except that it lacks horns or tentacle whiskers. Both parents tend the eggs, and then take intense interest in their wyrmlings' care and education. At some point, however, the biological parents may send the wyrmling to live with foster parents; this allows the parents to undertake their own quests, as well as exposing the wyrmling to new experiences. Unlike many species of dragons, gold dragons have a very firm and hierarchical social structure, encompassing all members of the species. This structure always has one gold dragon as its leader, who serves until he/she either dies or steps down. At that time, all gold dragons congregate and choose the next leader of their kind. Sometimes two dragons may be chosen; in such cases, the two will share the duties of leadership. The position of leader, or 'top dragon,' does not so much involve the maintenance of order - gold dragons are famous for their good behavior - so much as the dispensing of advice and wisdom to any dragons who ask for it. Gold dragons are voracious learners, and they tend to become very wise and worldly as they age. They freely share their knowledge and experience to anyone who asks, dragon or not. In fact, it is not unknown for a gold Great Wyrm to take the form of a scholarly professor in order to spread its knowledge at some human center of higher education. Unlike most other species of dragons, gold dragons devote immense time and energy to the construction of their lairs. The layout of their lairs often resemble those of elegant human mansions, albeit buried underground. Rooms are well-constructed and elegantly decorated with the many art treasures the gold dragon has collected over its lifetime. Typical rooms in a gold dragon's lair include a main hall, a banquet hall, a resting chamber, a study, a kitchen, a lobby, a storage room, and perhaps even a lavatory. Many gold dragons even have a glass-walled observatory, especially if they live underwater. Combat-wise, gold dragons prefer to talk rather than to fight. They will never engage in combat if they believe it is unnecessary. Once they believe it is necessary, however, they are amazingly powerful opponents. Their ability to breathe fire rivals that of the eldest red dragons, and they will pour their entire being into a battle against evil. Gold dragons dislike killing, but they do not hesitate to do so if it is necessary in order to defeat an evil foe.
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