Time and Dragons (CWS)

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Long life lends dragons a unique outlook on existence and their place in it. As beings who live more than a millennium, time affects dragons differently than the way it does those who have shorter lifespans. To dragons, even elves seem impatient, flighty, and much too carefree. Humans-who enter the world, live, and die in the span it takes dragons to reach young adulthood-exist in a frenzy that flares brightly and burns out in the wink of an eye. 
A life that stretches beyond 1,200 years gives dragons an outlook few other beings can comprehend. They are infinitely patient, setting goals for themselves that could take hundreds of years to complete. This patience can lead to obsession, and a dragon often becomes totally absorbed in a given task to the exclusion of all else for centuries. In some cases, this patience makes dragons appear indecisive. They will contemplate a solution for decades at a time, for they consider few problems so urgent that a decision must be made hastily. 
A dragon 's wrath can stretch on for many generations, matching its patience. The demihuman who wrongs a dr_agon may escape its wrath by dying a natural death before the dragon gets around to exacting revenge. The demihuman's descendants, however, could live in fear if they know about the situation, for the dragon may strike at them centuries after the original perpetrator has died. 
Dragons have no overt desire to live for the moment, for they have a nearly endless supply of moments stretching out before them. They do not worry about wasted time. If there is anything dragons have in excess, it is time, and they do not worry about haste. They seldom hurry or rush, because their patience has taught them that anything worth doing is worth doing right. Doing something right usually involves spending long periods of time (as far as shorter-lived beings are concerned) contemplating the next step. 
Nearly unlimited time must be filled with some kind of activity, however. In most cases, dragons seek to fill time by exercising their minds. Puzzles and their solutions are particular favorites, though the form that these puzzles take depends on the type of dragon involved. Some, like the bronze and copper dragons, seek out challenging puzzles of a benign nature. Others, such as the red and blue dragons, contemplate a much darker brand of conundrums. They plot ways to satisfy their greed, to def eat opponents, and to gain as much power as they can over other creatures. 
Many dragons seek knowledge for its own sake. Ancient dragons become repositories of ancient wisdom and lore. They spend years studying and gathering knowledge, usually on one subject at a time until their curiosity is sated. This single field of study may become an obsession, and the dragon sometimes acts as an empty chalice waiting to be filled. Some dragons study the planes—one plane at a time—a colossal feat even for a dragon! Others study magical beasts (often those with some common feature), architecture (of a particular style and period), engineering, history, or some other esoteric subject. 
From the dragon point of view, anything can be accomplished with enough thought and planning. Dragons have the ability to plan and think their way through the lifetimes of many lesser beings. 
A single dragon can watch a parade of beings come and go during its long life. How can a dragon consider such creatures as anything more than inferiors when it regularly watches so many of them enter life, grow old, and die? And all the while, the dragon grows stronger and more powerful, proving its superiority, if only in its own mind. Only dragons can hold off the powerful entity of time, whereas lesser creatures succumb and fade with nary a struggle. With such strength at its command, is it any wonder that a dragon believes itself to be the very pinnacle of creation? 
TABLE 19: COMPARATIVE LIFESPANS IN YEARS AND CATEGORIES offers a visual perspective on the years allotted to dragonkind, demihumans, and humans.
==Table 19 Comparative Lifespans in Years and Categories==
 Dragon
0-5 	6-15 	16-25	26-50 	51-100 	101-200	201-400 	401-600	601-800 	801-1000 	1001-2000	1201+
Hatching	Very Young	Young	Juvenile	Young Adult	Adult 	MatureAdult	Old 	Very Old	Venerable	Wyrm 	GreatWyrm
 Elf
0-74 	75-109 	110-174	175-249 	250-349	350-750
Childhood	Adolescence	Adult 	Middle Age	Old Age	Venerable
 Gnome
0-39 	40-64 	65-99	100-132 	133-199	200-560
Childhood	Adolescence	Adult	Middle Age	Old Age	Venerable
 Dwarf
0-25 	26-50 	51-124	125-166 	167-249	250-450
Childhood	Adolescence	Adult 	Middle Age	Old Age	Venerable
 Human
0-12 	13-17 	18-44	45-59 	60-89 	90-130
Childhood	Adolescence	Adult	Middle Age	Old Age	Venerable
To understand the true scope of a dragon's lifespan, simply compare it to those beings traditionally thought of as superior outside the Io's Blood islands. Elves, for example, can live as long as 750 years before they depart from the world (sometimes more, in the case of gray elves). Gnomes and dwarves, on the other hand, may live as long as 500 and 450 years respectively. Humans, at best, can survive a mere 130 years. To dragons, these numbers are insignificant, for some (particularly the metallics) can live as long as 3,700 years. 
During its lifetime, a dragon could have as many as 13 elf kindred, 16 dwarves, or 23 gnomes. (Most dragons retain a kindred demihuman from the start of the demihuman's adolescence through old age. A demihuman entering venerable years is usually allowed to retire to a vassal village.) A dragon seldom fully knows a demihuman before time claims it. It is small wonder that true friendships are not often formed between these two species, for even the most heartless dragon feels sorrow at the passing of those it cares for. 
Demihuman adventurers usually seek fame and fortune through three stages of their lives (ado-lescence, adulthood, and middle age). Dragons, through desire and necessity, engage in the dragon equivalent from the moment they emerge from the egg to the day they finally succumb to time's eroding waves. Even the longest-lived elf attempts to cram as much adventuring as possible into these peak years. A dragon, on the other hand, allows for much longer breaks between quests and adventures. 
If a dragon were to join a group of human adventurers, it might remain interested long enough to complete one or two quests. Then something would catch its interest and it would leave for many years to engage in another activity. Upon returning, its companions would be nearing retirement or already too old to go questing. The dragon, however, would still be young and vital—and growing stronger with each passing year. Although it would feel sadness at the loss of its companions, it would move on to gather the experience and treasure it needs to advance to the next level of its existence.