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The dragon is a large, serpentine creature that appeared in the folklore of many cultures around the galaxies. It turns out these stories are so common because they can fly through space- Even intergalactically (though this is a once
Stories about various heroes slaying giant dragons are found in every major society, though planets with atmospheres incompatible with humanoid life are less common. In all major cultures, dragons are portrayed as monsters to be tamed or overcome with ravenous appetites (often for virgin sacrifices) and to live in caves, where they hoard treasure. In reality, dragons are predatory carnivores, but humanoids are not popular food sources. The "treasures" they hoard are the armor of the heroes sent to kill them which they hoard to signal a den to their own kind. Dragons have a gland in their throats that produces a flammable substance; this can reach very impressive distances, with one reported on Terra reaching 200 feet with enough effect to damage Power Armor. The shortest ranges seen to date for an adult is about 20 feet, with the dragon in question clearly choosing to control his flame. Nobody can figure out exactly what world dragons first evolved on; Several ideas have been floated, including Flyjt and Mordor, Terra (the archological evidence is against it), Tirol, Remulous, Atran, Coruscant, Tarn-Vedra, Mimbar (the Mimbari deny it), and several others. The simple fact is, nobody really knows. Attempts at domestication have been made, but very few successes in this have been noted. There seems to be some 'secret sauce' for those who are able to tame a dragon. Absolute confidence is clearly one of the characteristics noted though this has been noted in several unsuccessful attempts; All unsuccessful attempts have ended in death for the person making this attempt. One curious successful attempt was Westeros' Daenerys TARGARYEN'S Drogon, Rhaegal, and Viserion, who obtained eggs and raised her dragons. Another was Berk's Crown Prince Haddock III (also known as "Hiccup" and later as "Horrendous III"), who injured an all-black local breed called a Night Fury. Rather than kill the beast, Prince Haddock treated him, began training him, and named him Toothless. Other attempts have been made to replicate these feats to varying results. Dragons can understand humaniod and other speech, but can not replicate it per se. They can in some cases create a language that their handlers can understand. In the REF there has only ever been one Dragon Handler, Melanie WATSON of the Wayside RDF (most of the WDF joined the REF after the defeat of the ZMS). She would eventually retire as a Lt. General in the Galactic Information Bureau at Riken Point, days after the death of her beloved Dragonfly. Evolution Viturally nothing is known about this, since their homewolrd has never been identified. Once a matable pair of dragons settle on a world their offspring will begin to develop as a sub-set of the species within about 5 generations. If multiple matable pairs settle on the same world their various offspring will initially begin developing differently, but as the offspring begin to intermingle they will either fight for dominance of the world or interbreed, depending on a system that scientists still can not fully discern. Physical Characteristics warm blooded egg laying mammalians Habitats Dragons can be found in every habitat that scientists have noted as existing to date with the exception of airless worlds; The gas giant Fantoma, the Terran planet Venus, the jungle worlds Yahveen and Minos, the deserts of Rose Five, the CO₂ rich Epsilon III, and even the Lesser Markarian Nebulea. The Epsilon and Markarian breed appear to be dying off. Behavior and ecology Dragons are very cathemeralatic (irregular intervals of day and night activity), with polyphasic naps of 20 minutes to 2 hours 6 to 12 times per day and one dedicated slumber of 4 to 6 hours at the time frame the individual seems to prefer at the time. Feeding Dragons are super omnivours, bested only by the poricine species. They have been noted to eat meats and plants in the same meals, and can vary the plant life from tree trunks to grasses to fruits and vetables- If any creature can eat it, they can. However, they have never been noted eating refuse or feces. Long duration observance in the wild has revealed that dragons will eat a specific portion of diffrent sources when possible, indicating a need for balance in their diets. Communication Dragons are parrot like mimics, bulding a language around the sounds they hear. They can discerne between natural and unnatural sounds, rejecting unnatural sounds. From this collection of sounds they develop a language unique to themselves which their counterparts can understand as can suffuecently observant third parties. Reproduction and development Starting around age 10 dragons will pair up for 8 to 12 years with an average of 10 years, then part ways for roughly the same amount of time. If no other potential breeding partners present, they will pair up again. Hibernation Once per year a dragon will hiberante for about a month, not waking for the entire month. There is no scientific reason for why, but nobody tries to stop it, as waking a dragon is a sure way to die. Mortality Dragons have no natural predators. The only predators they do have are humanoids, and as other various species of the universe began farming they can come in conflict. Advancing weapons such as firearms are a significant factor in hunting dragons, but is not typically a death knell. Dragons do suffer from as many as 2,000 different parasites species, though these are rarely deadly until old age sets in. Dragons are susceptible to various virii, with some being especially dangerous. The Terran dragon population is believed to have suffered an extinction level outbreak of an unknown virus that didn't effect other species, though what and how is still unknown. Relationship With Humanoids Dragons don't generally like non-dragons, but htey can co-exist- As long as you don't try to anger them. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||