A somewhat comprehensive guide to dragons. This will explain how dragons function in this world as well as dispell some common misconceptions.
Dragons are large, reptile-esque creatures known for breathing fire, but they have much more variation than that!
There are Drakes which are wingless dragons, Wyverns which are dragons that have wings for arms, there are even Wyrms which are dragons that look like giant snakes.
Dragons can typically breathe fire, but some breathe ice or electricity or nothing at all. Some can fly, some can't. But they are all sapient beings, often with human levels of intelligence. Dragons are NOT reptiles, nor lizards, this is a common misunderstanding.
Dragons have human level intelligence and thus some species do have their own settlements. These are often not the wood and brick built buildings that humans build, but rather large underground caverns turned into dragon kingdoms.
For example, there is a Donnlach and Modebrun town up in the kingdom of Scotland beneath Suilven. It is a sprawling cavern where the two species live together with their own culture, written language, livestock and community.
To put it simply, a dragon rider is someone who rides a dragon. But it goes deeper. Dragon riders have to bond with their dragons, tend to their needs and ensure the health and well being of their dragons. A dragon is a companion, a friend, or a brother in arms. There is NO magical bond, they are simply a team, a partnership, or family.
- Dragon riders are typically soldiers and use their dragons to assist in missions. particually operations where typical infantry cannot suffice
- Military dragons are bred and trained specifically for the military, though some dragon riders get their dragons through other means
Dragons hold many misconceptions resulting from either misunderstanding behavior or taking an edge case and assuming all dragons act that way.
A myth often caused by humans triggering a dragon to act defensively because the humans acted aggressively first. Dragons do not kill without reason, just as all animals do not kill without reason. If a dragon attacks you, you more than likely did something wrong.
A myth caused by a similar reasoning for the killing machine myth. Dragons fill a niche in their environment and have food preferences. Humans are rarely on the menu unless their main food source is gone. Humans deforesting dragon territory or overhunting a location can result in dragons targeting humans because the humans themselves took away the dragon's natural food source.
A myth construed from ignorance towards dragon behavior. Dragons are highly intelligent, emotional and often social creatures. This belief of them being monsters stems from the same reasons that lead people to believe dragons are killing machines.
It's important to remember that in all of these situations, a dragon will never prioritize food or hunting over their own safety. If a Dragon feels threatened or unsafe, they will prioritize escape, shelter and defending themselves.
Alpha animals are a myth based on a severe misunderstanding of animal behavior. There are NO alpha dragons. Leader dragons often called alphas are usually just parental figures or a chosen leader of the community. Dragons do NOT lead their groups through fear and domination, they lead through care and trust. Fear and domination is a strictly human notion.
Dragons are not domesticated and will never be domesticated. Dragons who work alongside people are tamed at best, but it could be misleading to call a dragon tame when they often of equal intelligence to humans. Despite this, many humans use the word tame to distinct dragons used to human contact compared to the "feral" dragons in the wild.
When frightened or startled, a dragon may instinctively try to make themselves appear larger. raised hackles, raised wings, rearing up on hind legs.
The goal of a frightened dragon is they want to feel safe and get away from whatever is scaring them.
Many seemingly aggressive threat displays are often caused by fear, and mistaken for true aggression.
An aggressive or angry dragon is not an immediate threat, but can become one if whatever is triggering that anger or aggression is not dealt with.
A dragon shaking their head and body can be a sign of frustration. Raised hackles, aggressive vocalizations and tail thrashing are also aggressive behaviors.
These are warning signs that, if ignored, may result in a dragon lashing out. These signs may, in some cases also signal a dragon is afraid and this distinction must be discovered as a fearful dragon is not the same as an angry dragon.
Gaining a dragon's trust is never as simple as just offering food. If the dragon doesn't trust you, they will not accept food from you or do anything that lowers their guard.
Dragons are analytical, they can read you better than you may think. They may smell the gunpowder from your gun, or the scent of poison, or even nearby humans.
If you want to gain the trust of a dragon, you have to work for it. You have to prove you aren't a threat.
Dragons raised in isolation, like any animal, will develop abnormal behaviors. Isolation means they do not develop the social behaviors that others of their kind developed through natural social interaction with siblings, parents, other dragons or even humans.
Dragons raised in isolation are unpredictable and dangerous because they will not follow the anticipated behavior of their species.
Dragons are a diverse group and thus may not all respond to stimuli in the same way. However, there are many universal signs of distress, fear, agitation, etc, that can be used as clues for a dragon's current emotional state, or intentions, in the case of dragons who have either chosen not to, or cannot speak a human language. In certain cases a dragon may act in an unexpected way and should be treated with caution in case a trainer, rider, etc, misunderstands the dragon's emotional state or intentions.
Dragons are highly intelligent beings. There are good dragons and bad dragons, just as their are good humans and bad humans.
Dragons can make an assortment of sounds that can hint towards their emotional state or intentions if spoken word is not an option:
Growling, hissing, and snarling indicates a fearful, defensive or an aggressive dragon.
Lowing, chirping, trilling or chirruping are typical neutral sounds that could mean, calm, relaxed, curious, etc.
Whimpering, whining, and squealing indicates a dragon that is terrified or in pain.
Dragons capable of purring may purr to indicate contentment, or a means of trying to relieve their stress
Roaring is typically a universal sign for "GO AWAY"
Dragons tend to be more analytical compared to other animals. Often times they will not full on brawl unless it's a last resort. They are more likely to analyze movements, focus on putting space between themselves and their opponent. A dragon rarely runs into battle blind.
The exception to this rule is a dragon who is actively being commanded by their rider. They will trust their rider's commands and act accordingly.
Dragons will still think for themselves and make decisions on their own, but they put trust in their rider's commands.
A dragon's sense of smell is so strong that they can smell food more than twenty miles (thirty-two kilometers) away.
A dragon's sense of hearing is so acute that they can hear the heart beat of animals to help them locate their prey. They can hear frequencies as high as 175 kHz.
Dragon species known for their excellent sense of hearing such as the Scarlet-Screamer can hear an even wider range including infrasound.
Dragons are large creatures with often active lifestyle and thus need a high caloric diet. The average adult dragon needs around 150,000 calories a day. This, however is doubled to 300,000 on days where they are extremely active, such as flying long distances or in active combat. To achieve this caloric need, dragons on average can eat the following, as examples:
1 adult cow = 700,00 calories
1 cow could feed 4 grounded dragons or two flying dragons
1 adult red deer buck = 230,000 calories
1 adult red deer buck can comfortably feed 1 grounded dragon with leftovers
1 adult sheep = 45,000 calories
a grounded dragon would need around 3 adult sheep
Why dragons typically won't target humans (Continue from Misconceptions)
Although humans are rather large animals compared to many prey animals, humans simply are not an appealing meal. There is a reason many carnivourous animals do not target humans, and even when they do, they tend to be edge cases, or in the case of sharks, they often will spit us back out.
One, Humans are very bony, we don't have a lot of meat or fat on us to make us worth the effort.
Two, we taste bad. our diets make us rather gross to try and eat.
Three, we simply are not seen as a food source. Dragons are raised by their families who teach them to eat certain things. Dragons raised on deer aren't going to be interested in a human because humans aren't deer.