Dragon Information and Colors

[Bellatora]

Dragons
Physiology:

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Dragons are described as carnivorous, egg-laying, warm-blooded creatures. Like all of Pern's native large fauna, they have six limbs - four feet and two wings. Their blood, referred to as ichor, is copper-based and green in color. They have multifaceted eyes that change color depending on the dragon's mood. Their head and general body type is similar in shape to those of horses. On their heads they have small headknobs, similar to those of giraffes, and no visible ears. They don't have scaled skin like the dragons of Earthen legends, but rather a smooth hide. The texture of their skin is described as being reminiscent of suede with a spicy, sweet, slightly musky scent when clean. The ends of their tails are either forked or have a spade shape to them.

Newly hatched dragons are the size of very large dogs or small ponies, and reach their full size after eighteen months. Because young dragons grow so fast, their riders must regularly apply oil to their hides to prevent the skin from cracking or drying out.

Dragons, like their fire-lizard ancestors, can breathe fire by chewing a phosphine-bearing rock, called "firestone" in the novels, which reacts with an acid in a special "second stomach" organ. This forms a volatile gas that can be exhaled at will and ignites upon contact with air. The flame was originally used to burn Thread from the sky before it reached the ground. It may still used in combat today. However, the chewed firestone must be expelled from the body after it is used up, for the dragons cannot digest it. Queens cannot chew firestone at all and often carry flamethrowers into battle.[/blockquote]

Psychology:

Unlike their fire-lizard ancestors, dragons are fully sapient. They communicate fluently in human language (although only telepathically), and have personalities and opinions distinct from those of their riders. Dragons' telepathic communication is usually limited to contact with their rider and with other dragons, however a dragon sometimes communicates well with a person with whom their rider has close emotional ties. They do understand spoken human language and occasionally reply telepathically to people whom they choose to speak.

A dragon's intelligence does seem to be somewhat lower than that of the average human. In particular, their long-term memory is severely limited, for some dragons, sometimes not spanning back more than a few months to a Turn. Some dragons tend to have better memories, however, but they, too, are still severely limited.

As a safeguard against the possible damage that could be caused by such powerful creatures, dragons were programmed to be profoundly psychologically dependent on their riders. Any dragonet that fails to Impress to a human shortly after hatching will die. If a dragon's rider dies, the dragon immediately suicides by going between without a destination. The only exception is when the rider of a queen dragon dies while the queen is close to clutching or has a clutch on the sands; the dragon waits just long enough to lay her eggs and see them hatch before disappearing between. A Rider who loses their dragon will often commit suicide, though there are some that do not and live a rather depressed life with very little to no chance at ever re-Impressing.

Dragons were originally designed to be rather calm in temperament. They never fight one another, unless two queens are close to rising at the same time. They are also not dangerous to humans except shortly after hatching, when it is common for confused and frightened dragonets to maul or even kill humans hoping to Impress.

When a dragon hatches, they announce their names to their new riders upon Impression. A dragon's name always ends in -th. They will also give a male Rider an Elided name upon their Impression.

Color Ranking and Maturity:

Dragons have a ranking system generally based on color and size. The Senior Queen of a Weyr and her mate are the leaders. However, with changes that have happened over the past several thousand turns, this is no longer the case.

Different colors mature at different ages. Otherwise, they all mature at about the same time, though they may all start rising at different times. Check the colors for this information.

Mating and Reproduction:

All female dragons experience a periodic mating urge, which leads to their mating Flight. Larger dragonesses will rise less frequently and will produce larger clutches, however, even they may not always clutch. Smaller dragonesses will rise closer to once or twice a Turn with smaller clutches and also may not clutch every time they rise.

Although any male my Chase in any female's flight, generally the larger males are the ones picked to catch the larger females because they have the stamina to continue in the Flight. Smaller males tend to catch the smaller, more agile, quicker females while larger males tend towards catching larger females, however, cases of smaller or large males catching larger or smaller females is not unheard of.

Usually, the Flying female will choose their victor, however, an inexperienced female or one weighed down by meat may be caught before they make their choice. Females tend towards choosing the male who Impresses her most in the Flight for whatever skills she may be looking for the most.

The pair mate in midair after the female has been caught. Generally, the higher the Flight, the longer the mating between the two dragons. It is commonly believed that a longer mating Flight results in larger clutches for females if they should clutch.

Info from or based on info found here: Pern Wiki Originally created for Silence Wery by Bellatora (aka Hayvn)

[Bellatora]

..::Queens::..

Gold
Size: 80 to 85 feet in length
Gender: Female
Impresses: Females only
Rank: Queen
Clutches: 5 to 30 Eggs (95 to 100% clutch rate)
Clutch: Any Color
Caught by: King colors, sometimes a Brown
Stock Hex Color: FFD000
Description: Golds are only clutched every so often by other Queens. They are currently the largest dragons of all and have quite a bit of stature in their nature as well. Most Golds are aloof and solitary. Despite this, Golds have a strong maternal instinct and want to protect, lead, and care for their Weyr, though not entirely directly, as it is not fully possible. They like to know everything that is going on and can be quite out of sorts if they don't. Most Golds are very regal creatures with a lot of pride, but on some occasions, they are very laid back. Like all Queens, Golds cannot chew Firestone, so it is necessary that their riders carry flame throwers to combat thread. Golds fly about every three Turns or so. However, a Gold does not necessarily stick to this pattern. Golds tend towards impressing very opinionated girls who show leadership qualities and a strong determination, but that isn't always the case. A dragon knows who it will Impress better than anyone else.

..::Kings::..

Bronze
Size: 70 to 75 feet
Gender: Male
Impresses: Males only
Rank: King
Flies: Any color, most often Queens
Stock Hex Color: 8c7853
Description: These are the largest male dragons of the Weyr. They are commanding and dignified, always ready to take the lead. A few of them have a vain streak in them, though many grow out of it with time. Some Bronzes are more level headed than others, which gives them an edge in tactics and planning, while others may be temperamental and hotheaded, just rushing into whatever is set before them. Most Bronzes have great leadership ability and are often wingleaders. A Bronze dragon will often choose an ambitious young boy who may be seeking respect or may believe himself to be superior, however, this is more true of a Bronze who is vain himself. Often times, Bronze Riders are seen as flirtatious, though that is not always the case as they grow older. A Bronze will always choose a Rider who has great potential as a leader.

..::Fighting Dragons::..

Brown
Size: 65 to 70 feet
Gender: Male
Impresses: Typically Males
Rank: Sub-King
Flies: Any non-royal color, occasionally Queens
Stock Hex Color: 663300
Description: Brown dragons are the most levelheaded of dragon kind. They have rather even tempers. However, they tend to be somewhat lazy or too relaxed as compared to other dragons. Browns have long been the largest non - royal dragons of the Weyr, however Blacks seem to be catching up with them. Brown dragons tend to be accountable. They are generally willing to help, despite their very laid back nature. They keep cool and calm under pressure and often make very good wingseconds. They are very loyal. Browns tend to be kind and loving dragons. There stamina is well know and they must only keep a bag of firestone handy when flying thread. Browns often Impress to levelheaded, kind - hearted young men who tend to be very loyal to those they love.

Blue
Size: 50 to 60 feet
Gender: Male
Impresses: Either Gender
Rank: Fighter (Often SearchDragons)
Flies: Greens
Stock Hex Color: 0000FF
Description: Blue dragons are hard workers and capable leaders, often becoming WIngseconds at some point in their life. Their Riders are often WeyrlingMasters or CandidateMasters. They make the best search dragons of all the colors. Despite all these things, they don’t mind being followers in the least. They are very kind hearted and empathetic (or in tune with the feelings, emotions, and mindsets of others). They chew firestone when fighting Thread and posses a great deal of speed and agility even beyond a brown. However, they lack the stamina of their Brown brothers. They are known for their long tongues of flame. Blues usually Impress Candidates who are hard workers, but willing to accept following others with grace and ease. Candidates who Impress a Blue are often kind hearted or sometimes a bit troubled.

Green
Size: 40 to 50 feet
Gender: Female
Impresses: Males and Females
Rank: Fighter
Caught by: Any male
Clutches: 0 to 3 Eggs (Rare if they clutch at all and often 1-2 eggs are duds) (30-50% clutch rate)
Clutch: Green or Blue, rarely a Brown if a King or Brown father
Stock Hex Color: 00990
Description: Greens tend to be very arrogant and flirtatious dragonesses. They are generally easy for a Queen to put in their place, however. They Impress to Candidates of varied personalities. Greens rise often and rarely have a permanent Weyrmate. Because Greens always chew firestone, it is exceedingly rare for a Green to clutch. However, if they do, the clutch is very small, generally consisting of one egg, which will often not hatch. Greens are lowest ranking and most abundant dragons on Pern, but they can be very good dragonesses. They are not as motherly or protective as other dragonesses, but they take great interest in their Bonded and any who are particularly close to that person. They have a very short memory as most of the colors do. Greens are flighty and sometimes have a hard time focusing. They are often playful and energetic as well.

Important Note: Non - Canon colors will be added as time goes on. For now, we will start with the original five!

[Bellatora]

..::Mutation Colors::..

..::King/Queen Colors::..

Grayscale
Size: Males: 78 to 90 feet Females: 70 to 78 feet
Gender: 95% Male, 5% Female
Impresses: Males and Females
Rank: King/Sub-Queen
Caught by: Kings, sometimes browns
Clutches: 0 to 15 Eggs (30-70% clutch rate)
Clutch: Any color
Chase: Commonly Queens, sometimes Greens
Mature: Males: 1 year (reach full growth at 2 Turns), Females: 2-3 Turns (full growth at 2 Turns)
Stock Hex Color: 000000, cccccc, or fcfcfc (or just white)
Description:
Grayscale dragons are a true oddity. Males are much larger than females. They range in personality so much that there really isn't much of a baseline, and they tend towards being prideful and rather knowledgeable.

Grayscale females are considered sub-queens due to the fact that they cannot clutch reliably. They are capable of chewing firestone, and the more they chew, the less common their clutches become. They have a minimum clutch rate of 30% and a maximum of 50% if they have chewed firestone. If they have never chewed, then their maximum clutch rate is generally between 50% and 70%. They will always be outranked by any gold because of this, but can be queens if there are no golds present at the time or all golds present are too young and may retain the position if they are well liked as a leader.

Male Grayscales are, as stated before, simply huge. They come in at a whopping 90 feet sometimes. They are wonderful stamina fliers. However, they are not guaranteed to catch a dragoness just because of that...

The hide of any grayscale consists of only colors ranging from white to black at the most.
{Still will be refined.}

..::Fighter Colors::..