Dragons

**Dragons** are an ancient race that are prominent throughout *The Legend of Spyro* series. They were revered long ago before the Dark Master Malefor rose to power. After years and years of war against the Dark Armies, the dragon race was driven to near extinction.

## Origin

Dragons are fictional creatures based on reptiles. They are mainly depicted as huge lizards with horns, wings and possess the ability to breathe fire. Common in many folklore and cultures, beliefs and legends about dragons are different in many regions of the world.

## Description

### Anatomy

Dragons resemble large reptiles with batlike wings. The color tones of their scales and/or eyes give indication to the elements they wield. They have opposable thumbs that they use to hold and grab objects; although this trait didn't carry over to the final versions of *A New Beginning* and *The Eternal Night*.

### Abilities

Dragons have the power to harness different elemental abilities. Based on the color of their scales or eyes, each dragon is assigned to one element: red for Fire, yellow for Electricity, blue for Ice, green for Earth, or purple for Aether. Dragons who are corrupted by dark magic (such as Cynder) are gifted with abilities that are most uncommon amongst Dragons: Shadow, Wind, Poison, and Fear.

The Purple Dragon breed is a rare species of dragon that can master multiple elements that are known and none that possible, including their signature element Aether. Those who are corrupted through Dark Aether are also granted the power to use the Aether element.

Dragons are notably the only known creature who draw strength from the gems that are found throughout the realms. The Spirit Gems serve as their lifeforce. Ignitus has stated that when a Dragon dies, their spirit becomes a part of nature and with the elements (which may explain where Spirit Gems came from).

### Culture

Although not much is known about dragon culture in *The Legend of Spyro* series, there have been confirmed roles in their society. The Dragon Guardians are the warrior monks of dragon society, keepers of elemental dragon magic and wisdoms of their race. They raise and train young dragons in the ancient ways. Dragon Knights are the templar class, the warrior dragons, that participate in wars in times of conflict under the command of the Guardians.

## History

Long ago, the Dragons were proud and just, revered among the inhabitants of the Realms. They had an alliance with the Moles, and the Moles in turn made a city in dedication of their friendship. The Guardian Dragons created the Dragon Temple to raise and train young dragons.

    During an unknown time period, Malefor was born; the first purple dragon and the first specimen of dragon to wield more than one element. The Dragons believed Malefor to be the shining hope for their kind and the one who would usher them into a new age for the Realms. The elders encouraged and willingly taught the purple dragon their elemental secrets, but his power was limitless and grew far beyond what was expected, turning Malefor arrogant with a lack of restraint. He was then cast into exile by the Dragons when he wouldn't stop, and in his seclusion, Malefor constructed a fortress and recruited an army of Apes that would combat his former allies. The Gems, the life force of all Dragons, were harvested and used against them by the Apes under Malefor's teachings.

In response to the threat of Malefor, who was now called the "Dark Master", the Guardians and their dragon knights fought against Malefor's army of Apes, dubbed the Dark Armies, while other Dragons protected the dragon eggs that were their very survival. The war would last for over a thousand years, raging on and on, with inhabitants of the Realms coming to fear the Dragon race due to Malefor's maniacal quest for power. Eventually Malefor was stopped; his soul imprisoned within his mountain fortress, the Mountain of Malefor, and by extension, within the altar in Convexity. Despite this setback, the Dark Master was still able to enforce the Apes from beyond, continuing the war for many years. Many of the Guardian Dragons lost their lives during the struggle, leaving only four to remain. One notable attack on the dragon race was the raid that took place at the Dragon Temple which lead to the destruction of the dragon eggs hidden there; the only eggs that survived the attack were Spyro and Cynder's.

As a result of the war, and a corrupted Cynder devastating the realms under her rule, the dragon race suffered a rapid decline. It is presumed that the survivors had gone into hiding after losing the war. The entire Dragon civilization had greatly diminished; remnants of what was once an ancient race are littered throughout the land, serving as a reminder of what had happened and what once was.

Around the events of *The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night*, Hunter of Avalar informed Spyro via letter that the Ape King Gaul had placed a bounty on all of the surviving Dragons, including Spyro, when the Night of Eternal Darkness drew near. Before and during the start of *The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon*, Dragon soldiers took part in battling against Malefor's Grublin army and the Destroyer, revealing that there are other dragons that survived the isle-wars.

## Gallery

Ignitus leading his war dragons, “Inferno Battalion”, against the Dark Armies with the banner-bearer, Pyra by his sideThe constellation of a dragon at the end of *The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon*
## Trivia

* According to *A New Beginning* concept artist Jared Pullen, the dragons are capable of holding and manipulating objects with their front paws. However while they have opposable thumbs in some art pieces, they lack them in the final version of the games. The Chronicler is able to scribe in more than one tome at once through the use of spiritual magics, which includes levitation and object manipulation.
	+ A few artwork of the Guardians by Jared Pullen illustrates Terrador and Cyril having opposable thumbs, and a book illustration of Cynder upon her corruption in *The Eternal Night* also shows her having opposable thumbs.
* One of Jared Pullen's inspirations for his anatomy of the dragons in *The Legend of Spyro* came from the physique of the lion characters from Disney's animated classic, *The Lion King*.
* Dragons are long lived in *The Legend of Spyro* series, with one known specimen (the Chronicler) having lived over a thousand years or more.
* According to the Chronicler, most of dragon history is recorded in the Books of Time that nearly dates back to the beginning of time.
* For female dragons, Jared Pullen states that they are more lengthy than the males, with elongated necks, long whip-like tails, slightly higher hips, and larger and more delicate wings. In Cynder's case, since she was corrupted by Malefor's dark magic, her adult form is more hard-edged.
* In *The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon*, the dragon spirits that imprison Malefor in the world's crystal core all share the same character model as Ignitus. This was likely done to save time and game budget.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 *Q/A with Jared Pullen, lead concept artist of TLoS*. (Date Posted - Feb 19, 2016). *DeviantArt*.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 *TLoS StoryScroll Spyro Phrophesy*. (Date Posted - Apr 14, 2016). *DeviantArt*.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Comment on "TLoS DragonGuardian Terrador"*. (Date Posted - Apr 7, 2016).* DeviantArt*.*
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 *If 'passion' were dragon magic...*. (Date Posted - Apr 25, 2016). *DeviantArt*.
5. ↑ *The Dragon's Vault Opened Once More*. (Date Posted - Mar. 31, 2011). *Blogger*.
6. ↑ *A new beginning...*. (Date Posted - Apr 12, 2016). *DeviantArt*.
7. ↑ *TLoS DragonGuardian Terrdor Elevations*. (Date Posted - May 5, 2016). *DeviantArt*.