Post by Topaz on Feb 1, 2010 1:38:43 GMT -5
Dragons
The dragons of Pern are the reason that humans now inhabit the planet. Genetically engineered from firelizards, dragons are much larger and more powerful than anything the planet has ever seen before. It is their incredible abilities that keep Pern’s inhabitants safe from Thread. Ever since Kitty Ping began altering the innocent Pernese firelizard, she had made some subtle - as well as some not so subtle - changes to the physiology of the creature.
Dragons of today’s Pern - and now Earth - are very much the same as their tiny ancestors to firelizards. Please make sure to read the Guide to Firelizards first to observe their basic biology, as this section will only discuss the differences between the two.
Body
The first settlers of Pern intended to make firelizards into their own flame-throwing mounts, therefore the first change needed to make this happen was an enormous size increase. The first dragons were 10-12 feet long and consecutive growth spurts after that were quite dramatic until they began to taper off to much smaller increments. After centuries of breeding, giants like Ramoth appeared.
Maybe to give them a better grip, dragon’s front feet were modified from Tridactyl to Pentadactyl. So now, instead of a pincer-like hold, the clawed toes work more like hands, with all phalanges pointing forward. Also, whether it was intended or not, dragon’s headknobs have increased in size over the centuries.
To make the loss of a gold dragon less likely on Pern, the queens were developed - whether on purpose or by accident is unclear - to be unable to chew firestone. It was widely believed on Pern that chewing firestone makes female dragons infertile, as would support the fact that green dragons chew the stone and therefore cannot clutch. However, there is debate on this, since when the gold dragons were first introduced to firestone, they became nauseous and regurgitated it. The Pernese had no recollection of this phenomenon, and instead adopted the notion that firestone causes infertility, not wanting to risk their precious golds. This being said, it stands to reason that if not exposed to firestone, green females may still be able to clutch perfectly healthy dragons.
Eye Colors
Red: Anger, Hunger (Active Appetite), Fear, Mating, Pain, Excitement.
Red/Orange: Mating, Alarm, Eagerness, Arousal.
Orange: Uncertainty, Suspicion, Anger, Mating, Alarm, Hunger, Agitation, Panic.
(Note: It would appear that Red and Orange are quite interchangeable, and the same could be said for Green and Blue, which are "Happy", "Content", "Pleasure", (and lots more words like that) and "Normal" colours.)
Yellow: Anxiety, Fear, (Reproachful?) Worry, Excitement
Pale Yellow: Concern.
Green: (See note above) Delight, Tranquility, Placidity.
Blue: (See note above) Longing, Interest, Mischief, Excitement.
Purple: Worry.
Lavender: Stress.
Grey: Great Worry/Stress/Sadness/Pain (Grey tones come to a dragon's hide too).
Compiled from here.
Abilities
The dragons have both the flame-throwing and teleportation abilities as their tiny ancestors, with one addition. Kitty Ping used mentasynth, a chemical compound, to heighten the empathy of the dragons, compared to firelizards. This allowed the dragons to be able to use telepathy, speaking in full, understandable sentences to their riders. Dragons can freely talk to their riders, other dragons, and even other humans in this fashion, even if they are entire continents away.
Dragons can also ‘give’ their sight to their rider. This means that, with consistent practice, a rider can see through his dragon’s eyes at will. This can be very useful, as a dragon’s eyes are far better than a human’s.
Colors
Dragons come in five colors; gold, bronze, brown, blue and green. Golds and greens are females and the rest are males. Each color has it’s own unique features and abilities, mostly due to their size. Golds are the queens of a Weyr, larger than any other beast. They command attention from their subordinates without a question; a feat that the Pernese attribute to sheer respect rather than any biological factors. Bronzes are second in rank and size. They sit beside the golds as leaders of a Weyr, but obey them like all others. Bronzes are large and very powerful, the powerhouses of any wing with stamina to match. Browns are smaller than their bronze brothers, yet have a stockier build. This makes them slightly less agile in the air, but they make up for it with incredible stamina. Blues are next on the totem pole. These males are small, but very maneuverable in the air and quicker than any of the higher ranks, yet they pay for that skill with a shortage of stamina. Greens are the next agile and swift in the air, yet they have even less stamina than the blues. Whites, the very strangest color of all the dragons are very tiny, just large enough to carry a rider. What they lack is stature however, they make up for in blinding speed and unrivaled agility, besting even the quickest, and most slender of greens.
Gold: 38-42 feet long (Ramoth was 45)
Bronze: 35-38 feet long
Brown: 30-35 feet long
Blue: 25-30 feet long
Green: 20-25 feet long
White: 15-20 feet long
Development
Dragons hatch at a mere 30% of their full grown size. They mature and are fully grown by a year and a half.
Hatching (20%)
Gold: 7-8 feet long
Bronze: 6-7 feet long
Brown: 5-6 feet long
Blue: 4-5 feet long
Green: 3-4 feet long
White: 2-3 feet long
Five Months (40%)
Gold: 16-17 feet long
Bronze: 14-16 feet long
Brown: 12-14 feet long
Blue: 10-12 feet long
Green: 8-10 feet long
White: 6-8 feet long
Nine Months (60%)
Gold: 23-25 feet long
Bronze: 21-23 feet long
Brown: 18-21 feet long
Blue: 15-18 feet long
Green: 12-15 feet long
White: 9-12 feet long
Fourteen Months (80%)
Gold: 32-34 feet long
Bronze: 28-32 feet long
Brown: 24-28 feet long
Blue: 20-24 feet long
Green: 16-20 feet long
White: 12-16 feet long
Eighteen Months (100%)
Gold: 38-42 feet long
Bronze: 35-38 feet long
Brown: 30-35 feet long
Blue: 25-30 feet long
Green: 20-25 feet long
White: 15-20 feet long
Mating
Dragon mating is the same as firelizard mating except for a few extra items.
Golds Rise at around 2 years of age, greens at only 1 year.
Just before the female Rises, both her and her suitors will blood their kills. This means that they will kill a heardbeast, or cow, and suck it dry of blood. This gives both males and females a boost of energy to last as long as possible in the Flight. The urge will be to eat the entire beast, flesh and all, but the rider - especially those of the females, must mentally force their dragon only to blood. If any dragon intending to fly would do so on a full stomach of meat, they would be slow and sluggish, and possibly give themselves a serious case of indigestion.
When gold or green dragons Rise it effects the entire Weyr and even the area surrounding it. Powerful emotions of haste, aggression, and lust are broadcasted by the Rising female, daring any males in the area to Chase. Weyrfolk of all kinds are effected by the dragons emotions and may be inclined to promiscuity, no matter how against it they might have been beforehand. Gold’s Flights and the emotions they broadcast are much more powerful than green’s. The entire Weyr usually stops what they’re doing as a gold Flight occurs.
Make sure to read more about the consequences of dragon Flights in the Dragon & Rider Procreation Guide.
Gestation/Clutching
The gestation period for dragons is three months, and then the eggs must harden for five weeks before hatching. Golds can clutch around 40 eggs if Caught by a bronze, and more like 25 if Caught by a brown which is unlikely. Greens, assuming they have not touched firestone, can clutch around 20 eggs if Caught by a brown, and around 10 if Caught by a blue. Bronzes do not Chase greens, mostly on principle.
Hatching/Impression
As soon as a clutch of dragon eggs begin to hatch, the mother will announce it to the entire Weyr, urging all who need to be there to hurry. Candidates are rushed to the Hatching Grounds, and are placed in front of the eggs wearing the traditional white robes and sandals. If there is a queen egg, obvious because of it’s golden hue and larger size, the girl Candidates will be clustered around it to heighten the chance that it Impress quickly and is not distressed.
The length of a hatching can vary drastically, spanning from a single minute to hours. The entire time, the dragons and flits that gather will hum from deep within their chests in an expression of anticipation and joy. As the hatchlings begin to emerge from their shells, they search for their one and only bonded. Sometimes they’ll make a b-line right for them, but others may wander around the Sands, looking each Candidate over thoroughly before deciding which belongs to them.
One of the more dangerous sides of a Hatching may be displayed at this point. After breaking out of their shell, some hatchlings might be disoriented, and certainly clumsy. This leads to the occasional injury, be it a Candidate, the hatchling itself, or a clutchsibling. However, another more disastrous outcome, is that a dragon could be come enraged and attack another sibling or a Candidate. It could be because another dragon was looking at their intended bonded, or maybe they are just violently inclined; it is never immediately certain. For this reason, there is always at least one healer/doctor present at every hatching.
Once a dragon and their bonded lock eyes, the hatchling’s gaze swirls with a magnificent display of colors and the mindlink is made. This connection, called an Impression, allows the new weyrling pair to speak telepathically with each other, and the hatchling quickly tells their bonded their name. Impression is often an overwhelming experience for the human counterpart, and it is not uncommon for a new weyrling to cry, possibly even faint.
At this point, the hatchlings realize that they are ravenously hungry, and must be led to food right away. Bowls of meat chunks will be provided on the sides of the Hatching Grounds, where the weyrlingmaster will be waiting, ready to help his new students care for their companions properly.
Care
Being so much larger than their firelizard ancestors, dragons require ample amounts of time and devotion. Their entire bodies must be washed and oiled just as firelizard’s do and they have equally ravenous appetites with much larger stomachs to fill.
