Dragon

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This article is about the creature. For the Dragon named Dragon, see Darastrix.

A Dragon is a creature whose shape mimics various draconic factions, gods, and powers—a form that seems to originate from Quelmar's Prehistory, or even earlier.

Dragons were considered extinct several times in Quelmar, only for them to come back again. Dragons worshiped various gods and were categorized not just by their external colors and shapes, but also their own moral compasses. Generally speaking, Chromatic Dragons were nastier and followed Tiamat whereas Metallic Dragons were more benevolent and followed Bahamut.

Rarer than the Chromatics and Metallics, Planar and Gem Dragons came from other planes and worlds. They were rarely seen in Quelmar history until their presence exploded during the great Dragon watershed known as The War of Many Names, where Bahamut's return included the ushering of Dragons from all over the Great Wheel to come join the final fight against Tiamat.

About

Because of their ancient heritage and connection to Kiston's crystals, Dragons could not see or otherwise perceive any constructs that incorporated Kiston Crystals, such as the Warforged.

Some have said that Dragon's blood can be drank as a liquid to grant the ability to speak with animals.

History

Prehistory

Prehistoric Article This article contains information said to be from Prehistoric Times. The validity of prehistoric content is dubious at best due to poor recordkeeping in the era, and should be considered unreliable, or at best: Legend.

Since the dawn of time, Dragons have been said to have an ongoing feud with the elephantine creatures and people of the realm. Historically even when the realm was young, it was the elephants who were the original slayers of dragons.

"It was said in ancient conflicts, the dragon would impale the elephant and in this conflict they die:

both the one and the other.

The elephant he falls down dead as conquered,

and with his heavy weight crusheth and squeezeth the dragon that is wound and wreathed about it" - Loxo Mythology

Though based on mythology, scholars have noted that dragons tend to desire elephantine blood over other creatures, perhaps because it runs exceedingly cold for mammals, and thereby refreshes a parched dragon. Dragons have been seen in written historical accounts to lay at the bottom of lakes and surprise elephants by jumping up and sucking them dry of blood (but still sometimes finding themselves under the dead beast). Based on this info, many agree that Dragons likely squabbled with elephants for as long as both creatures coexisted.

BR Era

By the time Humans came to the realm proper, it was established that all of the realm's residents were familiar with the Metallic Dragons and Dragonkin of Bahamut. However, lurking in secret, even at the beginning of written history, were the Chromatic Dragons of Tiamat which lurked on the central island of Kiston.

The War of Many Names

The many dragons of Kiston returned to Quelmar after its unlocking, kicking off a new war against the dragons all across the realm, which would start as simply "The Draconic War", but evolve over time into many different wars of different fronts, hence its name: The War of Many Names.

In some cities, such as Ahol, dragons were called Leviathans, and Tiamat herself would sometimes be called The Leviathan Queen.

Types of Dragons

Dragons come in many forms, often called "Echoes" to scholars, who insist that many of these dragons are not, in fact, related biologically, but all imitate the same supreme template dating back to the primordial.

Chromatic Dragons

The oldest of the Chromatic Dragons (sometimes called Evil Dragons) were known to speak Infernal, a language passed down from their creator Tiamat who had a long, storied history with The Ten Hells.

• Black Dragon (Acid)
• Blue Dragon (Lightning)
• Green Dragon (Poison)
• Red Dragon (Fire)
• White Dragon (Cold)

Less common variants of Chromatic Dragons include:

• Brown Dragon (Sand)
• Orange Dragon (???)

Metallic Dragons

Metallic Dragons (also called Good Dragons) often needed to snack on precious metals, which would replenish their body's own minerals and ensure clean scale growth. For some Dragons such as the bronze general Tenorixion, this would even include eating copper or silver pieces.

Their creator is Bahamut, a Platinum Dragon believed to be the only of his kind.

• Brass Dragon (Fire)
• Bronze Dragon (Lightning)
• Copper Dragon (Acid)
• Gold Dragon (Fire)
• Silver Dragon (Cold)

Gem Dragons

Gem Dragons (also called Neutral Dragons or Psionic Dragons) are predominantly solitary beings, favoring secluded locales far from common paths and displaying a lukewarm reception to unanticipated guests. Like their other draconic kin, they revel in the comfort of sprawling atop their hoarded treasures. Named after various gemstones, they exhibit a particular affinity for sparkling jewels and precious metals. Although these dragons tend to be smaller and less swift than their counterparts, they compensate with their exceptional intellect and the striking force of their dynamic presences.

Characterized by their remarkable charm and sophistication, Neutral Dragons excel at engaging in enigmatic conversations. They revel in the art of verbal sparring, aiming to ensnare those they meet with their enchanting eloquence and captivating speech.

The creator of the Gem Dragons is Sardior, a Ruby Dragon believed to be the only of his kind.

While they existed throughout all of history, it is believed that the Psionic Dragons went to great lengths to erase the memories of those who encountered them, keeping their presence in the realm a great secret up until 826 PR, when their god and leader Sardior returned to the realm, and they once again felt it was safe to appear in public.

Types:

• Amethyst Dragon (Force)
• Crystal Dragon (Radiant)
• Emerald Dragon (Psychic)
• Sapphire Dragon (Thunder)
• Topaz Dragon (Necrotic)

Less common variants of Gem Dragons include:

• Obsidian Dragon (Bludgeoning)

• Pearl Dragon (River)
• Jacinth Dragon (Air)
• Jade Dragon (Aural)

Planar Dragons

Arborea is suspiciously absent from this list.

• Abyssal Dragon (The Abyss)
• Battle Dragon (Acheron)
• Bright Dragon (Elysium)
• Chaos Dragon (Limbo)
• Clockwork Dragon (Mechanus)
• Gnomish Dragon (Bytopia)
• Hellfire Dragon (Baator)
• Howling Dragon (Pandemonium)
• Liondragon (Beastlands)
• Oceanus Dragon (Arcadia)
• Nawing Dragon (Ysgard)
• Pyroclastic Dragon (Gehenna)
• Radiant Dragon (Mt. Celestia)
• Styx Dragon (Hades)
• Tarterian Dragon (Carceri)

Troverth Dragons

"False" Dragons created by the demonic experiments during the The Holy War and Realm War I,

• Yellow Dragon
• Lung Dragon
• Azure Dragon
• Umbral Dragon

Epic Dragons

• Force Dragon
• Prismatic Dragon

Fairy Dragons

Fairy Dragons are the smallest type of Dragons, never growing more than twelve inches in length, although many of them only reach half that size. Despite being bird-sized, Fairy Dragons are still extremely intelligent and capable of deceiving other creatures.

Tiamat was known to employ swarms of Fairy Dragons to infiltrate caverns, tunnels, vaults, and other hard-to-reach places.

List of Notable Dragons

The above link leads to an incomplete list of many of Quelmar's Dragons.

Behind the Screen

• Dragon's blood granting 1 minute of Speak with Animals is inspired by the nordic tale of Sigurd and the Dragon, where Sigurd drinks the blood and can understand the language of birds.

See Also

Related Creatures

• Dragonborn
• Dragonkin
• Draconian
• Kobold