Draaks (Dragons)
The Dragons are creatures of Aiers typically with serpentine or reptilian traits, some winged and some wingless, with some being capable of breathing fire, poisonous air or ice, having extensive inherent magic attributes, existing many types of different dragons:
Types of Dragons[]
Aside of their physical characteristics, the dragons themselves divided their kind in three: Worms, Draaks and Great Dragons.
Worms[]
The Worms (or Wyrm) -a descriptive name- are the animal-dragons: instinctive creatures with an animal intelligence. These are creatures that are wingless, and tend to be long and sinuous in body. These are the monsters that most commonly require being hunted down by humanoid settlements as they will prey upon livestock and people and might be the apex predators in a region.
- Land Wyrms
- Sea Serpents
Draaks (main group)[]
A Dragon (Draak or Drake) is an intelligent dragon, but who can't speak. Most commonly with wings, are most likely to the be non-social sorts of dragons, they are the smallest dragons, but the best and fastest flyers. They are not an uncommon threat to livestock.
Great Dragons[]
The Great Dragons, Dragon Lords or Wise Dragons are the larger, more intelligent dragons, great manipulators of maná, who can speak and live centuries. As well, the great dragons get easily offended if they are confused with other types of dragons.
- Great Dragons (Main) -- Great dragons with wings and flight
- Great Dragon Wyrms -- Great dragons without wings, shoulder spikes where wings would be. Not to be mistaken for the simple animal-like Worms. A Principal group are the Black dragons of Brûm.
Dragon Behavior and Roles[]
All dragons are dangerous predators. How a dragon goes about its business of living is largely dependent on what sort of dragon it is, followed by individual inclination.
Worm Roles[]
Worms (or Wyrms) are powerful creatures that lack intelligence, and breath attacks, but are often singular, apex predators. They might be seen by land or by sea.
Land Wyrms[]
Large land based dragons, usually lacking any breath weapon, but having great size and power. These are monsters that a lord might need to gather men and Monster Hunters out in force to destroy. They often live in desolate areas as they can survive with less water and sustenance, but will rarely be an unknown threat. They will sometimes prey upon Ogres and Trolls for larger meals as they might share similar habitats in some wastelands or barren or unsettled regions.
They often have little fear, and will prey upon settled regions if they can find a secure home to lair. These are the worms that cause the most trouble and are swiftly dispatched if the authorities can raise sufficient force against them.
Sea Serpents[]
The 'Sea Serpents' being much feared, and capable of attacking ships, but otherwise being isolated from interactions with humanoids as they typically prey upon fish, seals, or whales. Although they might well emerge on coasts to threaten those living near the water, or where they lair, typically in island environments.
Draaks (Drakes)[]
The smallest sort of dragons, but have some intelligence and the ability to fly, and fly reasonably well, although they generally don't use maná. These sorts of dragons--drakes--are wise enough to avoid more hazardous conflicts with larger creatures or large groups of people, but are perfectly willing to attack livestock or lone people if they think that they can get away with it. And very frequently they can. Particularly if multiple drakes live together.
They, too, are common coast dwellers on barren shorelines or islands, and live off of fish, or might menace sailors on ships or on islands.
Great Dragons[]
These are the dragons of greater size, maná manipulation, breath weapons and so on. They frequently operate singly, but have relationships with other such dragons, or they live in proximity to each other in small groups. Rarely to they develop complex or material based societies due to their low numbers and relative anti-socialism--but they do communicate with each other to impart information and ideas. They often do operate in simple societies and have rules and hierarchy for interacting with each other as the numbers of their members grow.
It is not uncommon for families and clans of dragons to form cooperative interactions for long periods of time. Also, these are the dragons that spend the most time with child rearing.
Winged Dragons[]
These dragons may live in small societies or singly as apex predators of a wide area. Due to their size, they are not very good flyers, and the largest of these dragons are typically ponderous in the air, but being able to fly at all is a great boon. Like drakes, they can carry off prey from the air, and they can carry off much larger prey, and use maná based breath attacks to kill from the air as well as grab.
Being able to hunt in this way, or to fly away from trouble, keeps them safe. But they are more vulnerable to missiles such as arrows and bolts. The ability to fly and use breath attacks might embolden predation or unwise conflicts until the dragon in question learns better.
Their breath weapons, or other maná based attacks or spells that they might learn, makes them a great danger beyond their obvious physical size and jaws and claws.
Great Wyrms[]
Due to lack of wings, (they have massive 'shoulder' spikes where the wing joints would be) these dragons may grow to larger size, and might become the largest land creatures in the world. They are also of heavier and tougher physicality, so they might well live singularly as unassailable predators and masters of their territory. However, they pay a high price for size and toughness, with their lack of flight, they have limited options for lairs, hunting territory, or the ability to retreat.
Due to these problems, these are the dragons that are frequently the most social, and some have developed larger and more complex societies so as to share territory and resources and manage disagreements without resorting to violence. These dragons sometimes are able to impose rule over whole countries by their cooperation making them capable of overcoming threats deadly to individual dragons, and watching over each other making them unassailable.
Although it should be noted that these societies might break down with the rise of particularly large or powerful alpha members that break the rules.
The Black dragons of Brûm are the greatest example of these more larger and complex of draconic societies.