Dragons

These colossal creatures of primal intelligence are a scourge upon the land. If a Jaeger is offered the opportunity to kill a dragon, you are strongly advised to refuse.

Due to their size and the lethality of their species, we are simply not equipped but can certainly assist in a hunt of one. 

Dragon slaying is a profession in its own right, and it is not uncommon for Jaeger to become dragon slayers, or vice versa. Where we can conduct our business alone, dragon slayers operate as a cohort. Dragon slayers use highly specialised trapping equipment and heavy artillery, they train for decades in their craft and are highly skilled warriors. 

Nevertheless, sometimes dragon slayers are not available or even in the locality. We have written what we know of these gargantuan reptiles, and how to best survive should you encounter one. 

Drakes

Distinguished by having four limbs and a pair of leathery wings, drakes are the most common species of dragon. These creatures are capable of breathing fire so hot that it can melt stone. Drakes are quick to anger and are highly territorial. Most live in the high peaks of mountain ranges, but some venture down to the low lands in search of food. When villages and towns are attacked, it is most likely that it is a drake. 

If you are unlucky enough to find yourself in the same location as a drake, the best that you can do is run. Do not try to approach, do not try to stealthily leave, just run and pray that it does not have the appetite to roast you for its next meal. If you believe that you have created enough distance between yourself and the drake, quickly work to cover your tracks so that it cannot follow you any further. If you were to lead a drake back to a settlement, it would truly be a tragedy.

Only when you are certain you are not being followed, go to the nearest town and post a notice there for dragon slayers. They will take the matter from there.

Wyverns

Smaller than drakes, wyverns have the physique of a bat with two strong front wings that can act as limbs, and two legs. Wyverns are fast and vicious, capable of tucking in their wings to pursue their quarry on land just as efficiently as in the air. They cannot breathe fire. 

Should you encounter a wyvern, do your best to create a loud distraction to mislead it and allow yourself time to escape. A wyvern is faster than you, and will chase you down quickly even if you were on horseback. The bigger the distraction, the more likely you are to succeed in an escape attempt. 

Unlike drakes, wyverns do not hunt you so ferociously once they have lost sight of you and so you do not need to mask your tracks. However, as always, place a notice for dragon slayers the moment that you reach the next settlement. 

Salamanders

Larger than wyverns, but smaller than drakes, salamanders are crocodilian in stature and have no wings. Their bodies are covered in a viscose and repugnant ichor that they excrete from glands between their scales, which they ignite to turn into flaming monstrosities. They cannot breathe fire, but can create sparks in their mouths, this is all they require to set themselves aflame. 

Salamanders can cause enormous forest fires, but thankfully only set themselves on fire in matters of territorial disputes with other dragons or when under intense threat. They are the least likely to draw aggression if you were to encounter one, but you are still advised to leave quickly should you spot one. Advise dragon slayers at the earliest convenience.

Wyrms

These ancient dragons are few and far between. They sport no limbs or wings but are still capable of flight, they look more like snakes than any other reptile. The last known sighting of a wyrm was almost fifty years ago, in the central plains of Tarquinia. These creatures are even larger than drakes, but only due to their long, serpentine bodies. The only thing you can do if you spy a wyrm is pray that it never sees you, and go with haste in the opposite direction.