A Dissertation on Dragons Dragons are a curious phenomena. They appear throughout the universe in many shapes and sizes.

It is generally agreed upon that they are reptilian in form. They also come in all levels of intelligence, ranging from mindless beast to unfathomably wise.While many forms of life appear on multiple planets, none are as universally recognizable as the dragon. The classification of different types of dragons can be tricky since they are so varied. The simplest method is to divide them based on their evolutionary origins. Dragons are special in that they span virtually the entire spectrum of life in the universe. That is to say they are naturally occurring, Fae-born, or divine. First are the dragons which arise from naturally occurring evolutionary processes. These dragons tend to be of lower intelligence. The second are the Fae-born which arise from a comingling of life and the energies of the Weave. These dragons are considered a type of Fae and possess mid to high intelligence. These first two groups are, by a vast majority, the most common and are often referred to as lesser dragons, though some particularly strong or intelligent specimens are sometimes classified as greater dragons. In this description the different levels of intelligence are grossly generalized. Some natural dragons are known to be highly intelligent and some Fae-born are about as smart as a lobotomized squirrel. In cultures throughout the universe these are generally what people consider dragons; but there is yet a third group. These are the true greater dragons. These greater or celestial dragons are exceedingly rare with an estimated population of less than a hundred in all the living realms. The celestial dragons share a common ancestry with the natural dragons but have an important distinction. In the universe's infancy, when The Dreamer first spoke into the sea of stars, the first celestial dragons heard and remembered those words. In this way they transcended the mortal realms and became divine in nature. The Dreamer made them into a type of cosmic guardians, they and that entire class of beings are universally translated as Keepers of the Word. In those ancient times they were more numerous and were some mankind's greatest allies. When the Adam fell the celestial dragons were mercilessly hunted by the demons and their followers and for a time disappeared from the universe. Eventually they returned, in greatly reduced numbers. They had become somewhat solitary and chose to settle far from one another. Despite their great power they are almost impossible to identify on a personal basis and are only really known through vague stories and somewhat unbelievable sightings. This is probably due to one of their supposed powers: shapeshifting. Unlike most life, they are not bound to a single form, possessing the ability to change their bodies as they will. Little is known about them and are next to impossible to study. Scholars are unsure if a celestial dragon ever resided on Espril, certain signs seem to indicate the affirmative, but there are certainly populations of lesser dragons. On the continent Aorepa most dragons have been hunted to extinction. Fae-born dragons are servants of Mythyriel usually acting as guardians of the natural order and the elemental planes. Such were the Fae-born dragons of Aorepa. During the time of the Faerie kingdom some dragons chose to forsake their duty and began attacking their neighbors. These dragons, and other such Fae dragons are given a special classification: fel wyrms. The Fae, including those dragons still faithful to Mythyriel, managed to subdue the fel wyrms and proceeded to exterminate them. Unbeknownst to the Fae, many fel wyrms were able to escape the purge, choosing to hide from their enemies. The fel wyrms reappeared during the Goblin king Zarvast's retaliation against the Tysebrians. The fel wyrms attacked both sides, creating much chaos. Once the Fae armies dispersed the humans turned their attention towards the fel wyrms, initiating another purge.

The clever wyrms once again went into hiding and their cousins, the remaining Fae and natural dragons, were hunted to extinction. It is believed that the fel wyrms remain in the world, hiding in their remote lairs, waiting for another opportunity to sow chaos. Today few dragons remain on Aorepa, existing almost exclusively outside the Holy Alliance. There are only three species of dragons known to exist inside the borders of the Holy Alliance: the storm wyrms of Vahon, the megapodes of the Gaufonel Highlands, and the shilitheer drakes of T' Hatvoran. None of these dragons are Fae. Scholars speculate there may be other species within the Alliance but have, as of now, remained undiscovered. The storm wyrms of Vahon are undoubtedly the most intelligent of the Alliance's dragons. Though most of the Alliance is unaware of the fact, these dragons are easily as intelligent as any human. The Storm Riders of Vahon, their elite military branch, keeps this information strictly secret as if it was widely known the backlash would be deadly for both the nation and the dragons. The Storm Riders and wyrms share a singularly strange relationship. The dragons allow the humans to ride them in battle, in exchange they receive protection and a home. The storm wyrms actually began their relationship with humans with a group of Svadir. When the Svadir befriended the Vahonians they negotiated a way for the dragons to live within Alliance nation. These dragons have an average lifespan of 200 to 350 years which is on the lower end of dragon life expectancy The storm wyrms are also the only one of the three dragon species that has the ability to fly, even when burdened with a human knight and his equipment. However what truly separates this species is their ability to store and release electricity. Special glands within their mouths allow them to project arcing streams of electricity as if they are breathing lightning. This ability is what earned them the name storm wyrms. While the storm wyrms are the most intelligent, the megapodes are, by a wide margin, the largest species of Alliance dragon. They are a flightless dragon native to the Gaufonel Highlands. On average they stand 24 to 27 feet at the shoulder with their necks and heads adding another 7 to 10 feet. They have wide, stocky bodies and thick legs. Because of their immense weight their wings can no longer support flight. Instead the muscles of the wings have greatly increased in strength and turned the wings into a of claw-like appendages which allows them to climb the mesas of the highlands. The megapode lives for about 1000 to 1300 years, with truly ancient specimens living for over 3000 years. Their size is directly proportional to their age so those oldest specimens shatter even their mammoth averages. They are omnivorous, eating whatever they can catch but, because of their great bulk, they tend to move slowly and are thus restricted to plants or scavenging carcasses. People have tried to harness their great strength but they proved difficult to train and do not do well in civilized areas, they tend to devour anything or anyone that comes too close. Finally there are the shilitheer drakes of T' Hatvoran. These are very small when compared to other dragons, measuring, on average, 6 feet, with the head neck and tail taking about half of that length. These dragons are actually comparable to hunting dogs of other nations. T' Hatvoran officers, the only people allowed to own them, use them in much the same way as other people would use guard, herding, or hunting dogs. They are even similar in temperament: loyal and obedient. The drakes developed within the nation's mountains and are extremely sensitive to light. As such they prefer nocturnal lifestyles. Thanks to their subterranean evolutions, they have an acute sense of smell and a type of thermal vision. The shilitheer drake, like all drakes, wingless, no doubt as a result of their natural habitat. It should be noted that all wingless dragons are considered drakes but it is often used to mean different things depending on the species (i.e. it can be used in reference to a young dragon which has not developed wings or to describe a species which never develops wings). The drakes are almost exclusively gray with a single dark red hatchling for every hundred hatched. The red drakes are highly

prized and are worth a small fortune. Of the three dragons the shilitheer drake is the shortest lived with an average lifespan of 55 to 70 years. More species pending.