Dragons.
Everyone has heard of the legendary beasts of old: their massive stature, their leathery wings, their fiery breaths. They were both heroes and villains in ancient tales. Every culture has its own idea of what a dragon was and looked like. However, no one knows for sure. Why? Because dragons are extinct.
Two centuries ago, the entire race just vanished, leaving not a trace to their name. As time went on, the humans eventually forgot about the stories, or dismissed them as legends. They moved on to build up their own societies, letting the glory of the dragons fade away. Statues of famous dragon riders were taken down and ancient stories were lost.
Fast forward to the year 921A.E. In the land of Erith, there was a peninsula that was impossible to reach. The weather was perilous, the path was treacherous, and the waters around it were never without heavy storms. However, a group of foolhardy young men dared to do the impossible: they crossed the deadly boundary. On the other side they were astonished to see dragons. Hundreds of them; all hidden away in this little haven where no human could ever previously reach them. Eager to prove their findings to the rest of their village, the men captured and slayed a young drake and brought the carcass back with them.
The village discovered that every part of the drake’s body was useful. The meat was delicious, the scales were impenetrable, the bones were tough, and witchdoctors believed certain organs could cure illnesses. Now, with a way to reach the dragons’ nest, the humans could go back to slay more.
Thus began the new age of dragon poaching.
Dragon Mythology Applicable to This RPThe Hierarchy
The dragons had built up a large nest that functions in a similar fashion as a bee hive. There is a
queen that rules over and protects all the other dragons on the peninsula. They work to feed and care for her in return, bringing her wild pigs, deer, horses, and anything else they can get ahold of without appearing to the humans. It is not a dictatorship by any means. The queen merely maintains the peace, and her mountainous stature provides the others with a sense of comfort.
Moving down the hierarchy, there are the hunter/gatherer dragons. They make up the majority, typically consisting of creatures the size of anything from horses to humpback whales. These dragons are free to live their own lives, apart from spending one day each month tending to the queen. The dragons in this class all originated from Far Water, Wimborne, Mirfield, Irragin, Aramoor, and Ecrin.
At the bottom of the chain are the serfs. These dragons are about the size of a pony and they serve the hunter/gatherer dragons. There are very few of them in number, totaling at about fifty. This is because their eggs are fragile and often don’t survive the harsh weather of the peninsula, which makes reproduction difficult to accomplish. The serf dragons were the original dragons of the land of Erith.
Dragon Language: “Drakkin”
Male dragon names are a bit peculiar. A male hatchling takes on the first syllable of his father’s name. For example: SoRuu is the father of SoNem. There is one other detail. The second syllable remains lower case until the hatchling reaches dragonhood. Example: Sonem (Sah-nehm) becomes SoNem (Soh-nehm). The pronunciation also differs slightly with the change.
Female hatchlings do not follow this pattern.
Foua – Liquid product of the fire gland
Torf – A small amount of foua used to provide a few moments of illumination
Griff – Armored fans that descend from the forehead and jaw to protect throat pulse-points in battle.
Pruum – A low thrumming sound dragons make when pleased or content
Saa – The rear legs of a dragon
Sii – The forelegs of a dragon
Dragon Life Cycle
Hatchlings are as defenseless as it gets. They have no wings or flame and the only protection they have for their bodies is a coat of flimsy scales. Upon birth, if there is more than one male hatchling, they will instinctively duel each other to the death so claim dominance over the nest. Because of this, there are about half as many male dragons as there are females.
When a hatchling breathes its first flame, it enters into drakehood (females are known as drakkas). Drakes and drakkas have stronger scales and are about the size of a small horse (hunter/gatherers) or a big dog (serfs). It is at this time that the young dragon is kicked out of the nest by its parents so they can have another batch of eggs. Drakes and drakkas often suffer from wanderlust and find it difficult to stay in the same place for very long. As they age, two long bulges appear on their backs. These are the sacks that protect their developing wings until they are ready for use. The cases begin to itch as the wings get close to maturity.
When a drake reaches the age of approximately thirty years, its wing cases burst, and it becomes an official dragon (dragonelle, if female). At this time, the body is fully developed, but the dragon will never stop growing. To the well-trained eye, the size of a dragon can be a good indicator of how old it is. Most dragons live to be about five or six centuries old, however some – like the queen – survive longer than ten.
Dragon Fire and Anatomy
Dragons produce a liquid in a special gland that ignites when it touches oxygen. This liquid is not endless, so dragons have a limited supply of fire. The gland refills itself when the dragon eats, converting certain compounds into the aforementioned flammable fluid.
Dragons have three hearts. Two are located in the chest and one in the neck. Because of this, they are extremely difficult to kill, as they can repair the damage if one heart gets injured.
Dragon scales are notoriously tough, but the dragons do not develop them like this naturally. To get the thickness and bright colors, dragons consume precious metals. There is a special pouch in their stomachs that convert the metals into components for their scales. When a dragon hasn’t eaten metal for a long period of time, its scales thin out and turn dull.
Male dragons can be identified by the crests on their heads, while females have fringes running down their backs. Also, male dragons tend to have more horns, spines, and other defensive weaponry.
Dragon Ancestry
Dragons from the region of Far Water have longer, lankier builds. They are the best fishers and swimmers, able to hold their breaths for up to twenty minutes. Their scales range in shades of blue, green, and yellow.
Dragons from Wimborne have massive wings and slightly smaller frames than other dragons. They are built for speed, and can be matched by no other species. Their scales are either silver or black.
Dragons hailing from Mirfield are more muscular. They are the most powerful species, and the biggest. Their scale colors consist of gold and bronze.
Irraginean dragons have the thickest scales. While they might not be as strong as the Mirfielders, they closely rival them in size. These dragons are always white.
These dragons have the thinnest scales, but their fire glands are the largest. They are the fastest dragons on land, as well. They range in colors of red and copper.
Ecrinese dragons may be the oddest of all. They have no scales. Instead, they have skin that can change color like an overgrown chameleon. Thus, they are physically defenseless, but are the stealthiest dragons. Their skin’s natural hue is a stony gray.
The serfs of the dragon kingdom, Erithian dragons are smallest. They are quick, but they tired easily and can’t cover long distances by flight. Their scales are often a multitude of colors.
This RP will take place from the dragons’ perspective as they fight to survive and migrate to a new home where the humans can never reach them. Some people could potentially RP as a poacher or a dragon sympathizer (there are a few humans who want to bring back the old ways of the dragon riders), but I want a majority of people willing to play as the dragons.
1. All standard RPG rules apply
2. You may make no more than two CS's
3. Romance is fine, but please keep it PG-13
4. No OOC posts in the IC
5. No supernatural powers. All dragon abilities are explained above, and humans have no special abilities
6. Each post should have a minimum of two good paragraphs
7. Post at least once every two weeks, unless you pm me ahead of time to tell me if you can't
Name:
Gender:
Stage: (Hatchling, Drake, or Dragon?)
Ancestry: (Where did your dragon come from before they all migrated to the peninsula? If under two centuries old, where did his/her parents come from?)
Appearance: (Picture or description. Be sure to fit the proper ancestry descriptions above)
Personality:
Name:
Age:
Appearance: (picture or description)
Stance: (Is your character for or against killing the dragons? Explain.)
Personality:
Weapons: (most people carry at least one)
Accepted Characters1.
SoNem – Summer
2.
Istaria – Summer
3.
Feneya – Sheikarah
4.
Seulki – CoyoteKisses
5.
NeDro – LowKey123
6.
Ignasius Permato – enkas
7.
RoShan – Pyro V
8.
Dovah – Charter
9.
E – Skepic
10.
My CS
Name: SoNem
Gender: Male
Stage: Dragon
Ancestry: Far Water
Appearance:
Personality: SoNem is very full of himself, to say the least. He always wants to be the best in everything and as a result, he is extremely competitive with the other dragons – especially if there is a dragonelle involved. He is a fairly young dragon, so his mind is always focused on finding a mate. However, none of the dragonelles are interested in his haughty attitude. They ignore him when he attempts to court, but he is oblivious to their rejection so he never gives up.
While SoNem is inept in the ways of romance, he has a sharp mind where it counts. There was a reason he defeated his two brothers in the hatchling duel. He isn’t completely ignorant. He is tactical and quick-witted in battle, able to outsmart the dragon poachers that were invading Drake Nest and even kill two of them. He follows his instincts, and his instincts are telling him the worst is yet to come.
Name: Istaria
Gender: Female
Stage: Dragonelle
Ancestry: Erith
Appearance:
Personality: Istaria is everything a serf is supposed to be: quiet, submissive, and attentive to instructions. She never speaks her own opinion to the dragon she serves (SoNem), and rarely does so even with the other Erithian dragons. Instead, she is a silent observer, listening and taking in a situation to assess in the privacy of her own mind. Because she is so quiet, none of the other dragons know much about her. She is a mystery in every way.
(But with more back fringe if you want)
ccanujusttakeoffthattinysidecrest*takesoff* 
but with slightly smaller wings. Not larger than his body. Well, maybe a bit larger. 
