Dragons are quadrupedal, winged creatures sporting horns and scales, and they are also the most numerous race in the mainlands and perhaps the most well known race of Arcardia. They are mono elementals, and often hold positions of power in the mainlands; such as elemental masters, researchers, generals, and leaders - besides of course the council, those spots being reserved for the seraphs.

As a species, they’re rather good generalists and vary greatly between individuals. There is much evidence to believe that dragons are relatives to the chimeras due to their highly adaptive and varied nature, but the dragons... don't much like this theory.

Appearance, physiology, life span, unique traits, and reproduction.

Dragons are an extremely diverse race. Besides keeping their base body plan (two wings, four legs, a tail, horns, small ears), their size, anatomy, wing shapes, scale texture, traits, colours, and snout/facial structure can vary greatly. Their bodies can sometimes be longer as well, making them slightly more serpentine-like, but never enough to actually be considered serpent length. They're usually covered in scales, or sometimes fur - just never feathers. They always have belly plates however, which vary in shape and length (not all dragons will have the belly plates along their entire underside).

[ above ] - Colourless 'base' dragon; basically as plain as a dragon can get. Their required and most basic traits.

In terms of the optional traits, dragons can have spikes, spines, fins, manes, or crests. Some dragons may also possess a sickle claw on their foot, and very, very, rarely, webbed hands and feet. Dragons can also be a wide range of colours; from bright and flashy, to earthy and dull - though like most mono races, the latter is not as common, not at least without some brighter colours here and there. In the extremely rare case that a dragon is born without an affinity (making them an omni elemental) they are typically browns, desaturated blues or greens, and greys.

All dragons have small and somewhat flexible ears. They can come in various shapes but in terms of size, they're always rather small. They also always have at least one pair of horns on their head, which naturally have a smooth appearance. They can have many more though, and come in many shapes and sizes. Some horns can even branch off to create two or three tines, but never enough to look like antlers. Dragons horns are always the same colour as their claws, which usually comes in very dark and desaturated browns or blues. Sometimes their horns and claws may be lighter colours (cream/bone colour, or light grey), but it's not as common.

Each of a dragons paws has five digits. On their forelimbs, they have four fingers and an opposable thumb. Their hindlimbs are digit-grade (in some positions they can almost be plantigrade) and have four toes and a dew claw that doesn't make contact with the ground. They do not have paw pads.

Being omnivorous, dragons possess canines at the front for ripping and tearing, and molars at the back for chewing. Their teeth are pigmented cream/white. Dragons also have forked tongues. The colours of their tongues and gums (and insides) are natural pinks, reds, and purples.

Their eyes have round pupils with an average sized iris, and their sclera is white. Like all mono elementals, their iris always comes in colours matching their affinity/magic colour. Desaturated iris colours are not common.

Dragons wings can be a wide variety of shapes and sizes. Broad, narrow, short, long, sharp, rounded.. anything goes. They usually have about four digits, and always one wing claw.

Unlike a lot of other races, the dragons can easily find their homes in all sorts of terrains and biomes. This is thanks to their adaptable physiology, and though nothing compares to the chimeras’ adaptations, the dragons still have a little something that gives them an edge. it's during the incubation period that a dragons’ physiology may be greatly affected by the environment. A dragons egg developing in the cold northern mountains of Arcardia may be more likely to have fur and a thicker build; or a dragon born in the dry deserts may be more likely to sport rough scales and a better resistance to heat.

However, unlike the chimeras, as they are born, is as they stay. Much of a dragons’ genetics is still affected by their parents, but this extra ability is what makes them as diverse and successful as they are. Despite this however, most of the dragon population resides in the mainlands where the weather is warmer.

Due to all this, looking for specific traits via breeding, which the seraphs and equines in particular like to do, is not something as easily attainable with a dragon. While dragons will still very much look like their parents, there's more chance for deviation. As a result, dragons may often look for specific climates or environments to reproduce and have offspring in a way to regain some control.

Dragons are known to be very good generalists - all rather decent at running, flying, swimming, and climbing, and whether they excel in certain areas, or sometimes lack, just depends on the dragon. Their adaptive physiology does also play a role in this, but even without that, dragons just don't have anatomy that's super specialised for any specific climate or terrain. Being opportunistic omnivores also aids with this generalist nature greatly.

Dragons can live up to 140 years, with an average life expectancy of 100-110 years (when counting only cases of death related to old age). Their physical development is also rather slow at some stages; it can take up to 50 years for a dragon to reach their full size, so the size between an adult and an adolescent is often quite large.

[ above ] - Size chart for each age excluding elder. From right to left; egg, hatchling (0'5 - 1ft at shoulder), glider (1 - 1'5ft at shoulder), adolescent (2 - 3ft at shoulder), young adult (3 - 4ft at shoulder), and adult (4 - 7ft at shoulder).

After about 2 months of gestation, a dragon lays their eggs, and the hatchlings inside continue to develop. When first laid, the eggs will be solid dark grey colours. It's in this period that the dragons’ affinity will begin to fuse with them, determining (with a mix of their parents genetics), their appearance, and in turn, the eggs appearance as well. After about 4 or so months, the hatchlings inside will begin to break free. Of course there are unfortunate cases where the hatchlings may break too early, late (in both of these cases it can also cause issues with their affinity) or sometimes not at all - which is called a frozen egg.

[ above ] - The egg the neross dragon from the top hatched from. The eggs colours and patterns change depending on the dragons affinity - in this case, neross. On the right, it dipicts the egg when first laid (dark grey), then 1-2 months in, and finally 3-4 months in.

While it is rare, in cases where the dragons affinity doesn't fuse with them, the egg will remain its dark grey colour. If they hatch, the dragon will be born as an omni elemental. Their appearance will also resemble this - as their colours will typically be greys or browns, like other omni races. Being born like this, despite what some may say, has no negative effect on the dragons health.

Unless you count their mental health, because depending on what family they were born into, or where, they will most likely cop ill treatment, pertaining but not limited to; bullying, abuse, and even disowning or abandonment. A dragon born without an affinity is viewed as a bad omen to the family, as well as making said family look like they have weak or impure bloodlines.

Dragons are considered hatchlings after they... well, hatch from their eggs. Hatchlings are physically rather independent. They learn to walk within a few hours and are even known to be able to hunt and kill small creatures. Clumsily. While they are physically quite capable, that's only compared to some other races at this age. Dragons still require their parents or guardians to raise and feed them, and so hatchlings have a natural instinct to stick close.

[ above ] - Hatchling version of the neross dragon from the top of this page.

Hatchlings have tiny horns, ears, and in general, many of their features will appear 'stubby'. Their tails, necks, legs and bodies are also much shorter. These features grow as the dragon ages. Similarly, some of their body colours, particularly markings, will also appear more faded than their adult counterparts. They will also darken as the dragon ages.

A hatchlings’ sleep cycle does differ slightly from older dragons. Hatchlings typically need about 8 hours of sleep a day, and their cycle is biphasic - usually sleeping on 3 - 4 hour intervals. Hatchlings are usually able to start speaking by the age of 3, though of course this varies between individuals.

This age range is typically when a dragon will discover their affinity, and also when they may start to fly as their wings become large enough - though it's usually more like gliding - hence the name for this age group. What age specifically a dragon starts using their element or starts to learn flight varies greatly, but for the upper class, they try to get their children to learn as early as possible. Especially when it comes to their elements.

Physical growth ramps up in speed, and so they suddenly require more food and more sleep. A dragons’ natural sleep cycle at this age will shift to about 2 hours ahead as well. Dragons have not seemed to care much for this natural change however (especially for the fact that seraphs and equines don't experience the same thing) and commonly force adolescent dragons to have the same sleep cycles as adults - which is actually not good for their development and often leads to sleep deprivation.

Dragons may experiment with romance at this age, but they don't actually reach sexual maturity (as in, they cannot reproduce) until they're about 20 years old. Most dragons however do not reproduce until they're in their 30s or 40s. A lot of the reason for this is the size of the eggs dragons tend to lay. They aren't small.

After reaching sexual maturity, dragons spend another 20 odd years slowly growing into their full size. Their sleep cycle also returns to normal. As mentioned previously, this is also the period that dragons will typically reproduce and/or settle down into a relationship. Or be forced to settle into one.

At age 40, a dragons’ physical growth slows to a crawl. This is when they are considered physically matured. That is besides their horns, spines, or tail spades, as they may continue to grow until a dragons passing. Dragons are still able to reproduce up until they're about 80 years old, and they may have several clutches of eggs over their years. The time gap between these clutches is usually anything from 5 to 10 years.

A Dragon is considered an elder when they reach about 80 years old, which is generally the age a dragon can no longer reproduce. At this point, depending on genetics and access to healthcare, a dragon's physical and mental capabilities will start to slowly decline. Usually dragons remain healthy and capable until they reach about 110 years though.

Dragons are split into three subgroups; Imperials, terakxs, and caytos. Cayto dragons are the smallest of the three groups, ranging from an average of 4" to 5"ft at the shoulder. Terakx dragons are midsize, ranging from 5" to 6"ft at the shoulder, and imperial dragons are the largest types - ranging from 6" to 7"ft at the shoulder. Imperial and terakx dragons are the most common.

[ above ] - Height chart of the three dragon types. From right to left; Imperial dragon (6 - 7ft at shoulder), terakx dragon (5 - 6ft at shoulder), and cayto dragon (4 - 5ft at shoulder).

These subgroups mean nothing more than the adult size of a dragon, and before a dragon reaches said adult size, it's impossible to tell what catagory they will fall into without looking at their lineage. These groups aren't subspecies at all, simply categories the dragons like to place themselves in due to the highly varied and somewhat unpredictable nature of their appearance.

Before The Pale, dragons were rather widespread across Gia. They formed various nations, each with their own cultures and customs. Some were monogomously populated by dragons, and others had other races living amongst them. In the tropical regions of Gia, a large player was often the seraphs. Since the foundation of Anerc Katyfygio however, the culture of the dragons has become almost entirely intertwined with the seraphs.

This intertwining between the two races has been common throughout almost all of Gia's recorded history, but especially so now due to the population being pushed onto one singular continent. Anerc considers the seraphs and dragons much more closely related than they actually are, which is the reason seraphs are often referred to as 'Divine Dragons'. In some ways, the dragons have essentially sacrificed their natural way of living to appeal to, and appear more like, the seraphs.

Many dragons that live outside the mainlands however, still hold onto the small fragments of their cultures still left from before The Pale.

Dragons are usually named after the affinity they were born with, or sometimes after certain flowers or plants (a naming convention of the seraphs that the dragons like to borrow) but most of the names come from old script and are altered from the original words, so you won't see dragons being named 'flame' or 'quake'. Their names are always one word, never hyphenated or separated by an apostrophe. Dragons also do not have surnames. Instead, for identification, they will refer to themselves as follows,

[ name ], son/daughter/child, of [ parent ]
example: Frist, child of Glaciun.

They will usually name the parent of their same sex; daughters will name their mothers and sons will name their fathers, but in the case of non-binary identities, they will just choose whichever parent they prefer. If a dragon is part of a clan (clans are something adopted from the seraphs), they may also refer to themselves by that instead, which would go as follows,

[ name ] of [ clan name ], (and sometimes), son/daughter/child, of [ parent ]
example: Igrin, of Skypeak, daughter of Elemental Andrelis.

If a dragon does not know their lineage, or they were adopted, they will refer to themselves by the place they were hatched, which will either be the city, or if they don't know the city, it will be the region - so either the Mainlands or the Outlands.

[ name ], son/daughter/child, of [ city/the mainlands/the outlands ]
example: Vetrei, son of the Mainlands.

Adult dragons will usually refer to themselves by their profession or rank instead (as they don't want to be recognized by just their parents' accomplishments), like 'master', 'general', or 'healer'. Though officially they will still be recorded by their lineage. High ranking dragons who are also part of clan will often refer to themselves as both,

[ profession/rank ] [ name ], of [ clan name ]
example: Elemental Adurere, of Skypeak.

Dragons are fairly social creatures, but they also have a higher tolerance when it comes to being on their own as well - or perhaps a lower tolerance for being around others for extended periods. It's very common for dragons to live on their own, sometimes even as early as 14 years old (if they have the means to). As far as family units go, dragons will often live with their partners, and then children if they have any - but there are some rare cases of dragons who are in active, healthy relationships, sometimes with children involved, who still live separately.

Conventional attractiveness in the mainlands is whatever looks similar to the seraphs. Tall, slender dragons with a big wingspan and impressive horns is the 'ideal'. Slim imperial dragons are often preferred because of this- and bigger bodied dragons, or cayto dragons, are usually seen as a the least conventionally attractive. Having symmetrical horns is also a big thing. Due to all these pressures and the social stigmatization it causes, there tends to be a lot of self-image issues with dragons that don't fit these standards.

Marriage ceremonies exist within dragon culture, and unlike a lot of other aspects of dragons culture in present times, it was actually the marriage customs of the dragons that got adopted by the seraphs - as originally, seraphs didn't really have 'marriages'. Though this was a very, very long time ago, well before The Pale.

A marriage is when two dragons become unified in the eyes of the primordials - or in other words, the elemental gods. Neross, aer, and raequa dragons must be unified after sundown, while ignis, astra, and terra dragons are to be unified before sundown. Ignis dragons will preferably be united in the middle of the day, when the sun is at its highest point. If the individuals unifying are of opposite affinities, such as ignis and aer, the older dragon will take priority.

While unities can be just done legally with no extra fluff, it's almost always accompanied by a formal celebration. First is the legal stuff, done by a high up religious figure at a temple. This temple must be partially outdoors. Cover is fine, but open walls are needed. They do their vows, and then afterwards they have the formal party. Sometimes the event is contained to one day, but it can commonly have smaller events leading up to it as well. Dragons will often wear a single horn ring, close to the base of their horns, to signify their unity with another. The ring has specific insignia on it to show this, as horn rings are also a very popular accessory - so this is done to differentiate them.

Unity is most common among the upper class, and may often be arranged for political and/or elemental reasons. Of course unity can come from genuine love, but if the families or clans of said dragons don't like it for whatever reason, they are free to refuse it as well. If the unity goes ahead anyway, the dragons may be disowned from their families; and if either of the dragons were part of a clan, they can loose their clan status altogether.

Divorce is legal in the mainlands, but heavily looked down upon, and in some cases dragons may be disowned from their family by doing so. There are exceptions however; for instance if a unified dragon is found to have an impure bloodline, their unified may file for a divorce under those pretenses. With all that said, dragons have no problem with romance and copulation before unity, so long as it doesn't involve having offspring. Due to this, dragons partaking in same-sex relationships is often seen as the favourable option for sexual activity before unity, so in turn, a lot of dragons try it out.

Dragons also don't give much of a second thought towards romantic or sexual partners with any gender, so long as they fulfill the eventual duties they may have- which is where these two things can sometimes clash, as these 'duties' are about having offspring; but outside of that (like the rest of Arcardia), dragons do not care. Dragons are also socially monogamous, but polyamory isn't completely unheard of either, it's just not really socially accepted in the mainlands.

Eggs are taken in by local hospitals, where they are then kept in hatcheries and taken care of by the dragons working there. The eggs in hatcheries are separated into their own 'nests' as to avoid mix-up. This service does incur a fee, however, and so dragons who are unable to afford it will simply take care of their eggs in their own homes, which can sometimes have varying results.

Upper class dragons (especially ones that are part of a clan) may also have their own private sections of the hatchery for their eggs, as well as special treatment - such as, with an extra fee, requesting specific environments for their eggs. For instance, ignis dragons requesting their eggs be placed among burning coals, or raequa dragons requesting their eggs be placed in shallow pools of water. While part of this is believed to make the hatchlings within the eggs stronger, the other reason is for the dragons adaptable physiology and this obsessive need to control it.

Dragons can lay multiple clutches throughout their lives, with an average of 2 - 4 eggs per clutch, though they usually only do it once or twice throughout their lifetimes. So, some dragons can have anywhere from 1 sibling, to 7 of them - technically, at least. A dragon may have 6 or 7 siblings, but only 2 clutch mates, for instance. Siblings from different clutches are often viewed as something more like cousins, or more distant siblings. This is mostly due to the fact that the time between clutches is usually upwards of 5 years. This is a common phenomenon among egg laying species.

Usually having more than one clutch is something encouraged by the upper class, in cases where families may be trying to breed elementally powerful dragons. This usually happens with arranged unity (marriage), which happens very commonly among the upper class of Anerc.

Dragons are opportunistic omnivores, with a preference for meat and animal products. They'll eat whatever is available in their environment; be it seafood, insects, meat from land animals, eggs, vegetables, fruits, grains... you name it! Their teeth are suited for this lifestyle of course; with canines at the front for ripping and tearing, and molars at the back for chewing. They are also traditionally known to be a big fan of adding hot spices to their foods.

In the mainlands however, under Anerc, dragons are vegetarian, eating plant-based products and occasionally dairy - and often very little of those hot spices. Anerc Katafygio is dominated by the seraphs, and in part, the equines; and both species are herbivorous. They also tend to not have as much of a tolerance for spicy food. Over the years, carnivory has become associated with 'uncivilized' races (something done intentionally by Anerc), so many dragons have sacrificed their natural diet for this idea of a peaceful vegetarian life-style. This choice of diet is mostly fine for the dragons, as they can get all the nutrients they really need from these food groups, but it isn't exactly ideal.

This vegetarian life-style however isn't anything enforced by law, it's really just a status thing, and not all dragons abide by it (usually lower class dragons who couldn't care less about the elites, and of course dragons living outside of the mainlands). What makes it complicated is that getting ones hands on animal-based products in the mainlands is rather difficult and often pricey, as it's not as commonly sold there. For obvious reasons. This makes it especially hard for carnivorous races to live in the mainlands, and most often than not, it forces them to hunt for their own food, and hunting is something Anerc does have laws about.

Anerc is aware that their lack of options in the animal-based food products catagory is significantly lacking, but they're not about to fix that. They don't want those barbarous carnivores in the mainlands anyway. Unless it's for doing the jobs that they can't be arsed doing of course. Who else is going to build all our infrustucture?

Dragons tend to dress very loosely and often lightly. Ponchos, cloaks, scarfs, robes, shawls, large sleeves, something akin to leg warmers, and other random loose fabrics are quite common. Most dragons live in the mainlands where the temperature is more on the warm side, hence their light clothing, but in colder regions, the same style is achieved; just with heavier fabrics and more undergarments.

[ above ] - Examples of dragons clothing and accessories. First one is a formal dress, second is your typical commoner dress, and the third is also formal dress, or neat-casual.

A lot of the dragons clothing comes in dark or somewhat dull base colours, with brighter accent colours. Silvers, golds, and other shiny fabrics as accent colours are very popular. Partially see-through fabrics commonly make it into the mix as well. Natural colours like browns or light greys are rarely seen however, mostly as those colours are associated with omni elementals. Dragons typically wear colours that match their affinities and magic colour, and therefore natural body colours as well - like for instance a typical ignis dragon wearing mostly reds and oranges. Though dragon styled clothing is usually designed to accentuate the natural colours and physical traits of the wearer. The dragons take a lot of pride in their natural attributes and they like to show it off.

Patterning on clothing, while it can be elaborate, is usually subtle. Either by making the colours similar to the base so it doesn't stand out too much, or just making the patterning more simple. A small amount of beading on, or loosely attached to clothing is also very common.

Dragons also like to wear a moderate amount of jewellery. Horn rings and ear clips are very popular, especially with pretty little chains linking between multiple. Body modifications like piercings or tattoos however are looked very unfavourably upon. As mentioned previously, dragons take a lot of pride in their natural appearance, so modifying it is seen as disrespectful. Most importantly however, it's seen as a lower class thing. Dragons are also fond of wearing makeup, such as eyeliner and eyeshadow. Makeup is not a gendered thing, so male dragons will wear it as well. Dragon clothing in general is typically not gendered.

Dragons usually dress in ways that allow them to fly easily, but it has become rather popular among the higher ups to wear clothing that may make flight difficult or awkward as a show of wealth, because who needs to travel via something as energy costly as flight when you can afford private transportation! Seraphs and equines do this also. For dragons specifically, there is also another reason for this dressing. Since dragons can differ so much from one another, it can be a pain to find clothing for less common body types or sizes, or for when a dragons natural traits get in the way (like spikes). So, wearing lots of expensive, tailored clothing can be another way to show off wealth.