Dragons and Wyverns

**Author:** NineOfSpades

The first thing you must understand about dragons is that they are unlike any other species which dwells upon Al-Jura or the lands beyond, and indeed, are not a species in the traditional sense. Each dragon is a unique entity, a race of one. While they all share several common characteristics, such as massive scaled bodies, wings with which to fly, serpentine features and immense magical power, attempts to categorize them into specific branches or determine an underlying pattern are doomed to failure. The challenge is made more difficult still by the fact that they are so rare. It is estimated that less than one hundred dragons exist, though scholars debate over the accuracy of the claim.

One of the few things that is both well known and well understood is how new ones arise. Rather than being born from other dragons, individuals within all other species will occasionally produce a child who bares draconian characteristics. At birth, these traits are often so subtle as to go unnoticed, but become more prominent over time. Such individuals can come from anywhere, and are no more or less likely to appear among humans as they are to appear among rats. It is believed that these different origins connect to dragons varying traits and intelligence. Regardless of where they arise from, all those who carry the legacy of dragons are known as Wyverns. A Wyvern is often described as a larval stage for a Dragon, in that they are immeasurably weaker than their final form, and that they undergo a metamorphosis to ascend and become a True Dragon. It is a long road, however, and few Wyverns make it. To transform, a Wyvern must live to see its 500th birthday. Were there no other obsticles in place, it is likely that most Wyverns would ascend. However, Wyverns seldom live that long. Given the immense and terrifying power of a fully matured dragon, there are many souls who have dedicated themselves to hunting down and eradicating Wyverns before they can transform, thereby preventing new dragons from appearing. Additionally, Wyverns who draw near to the day of their ascension are frequently attacked by True Dragons, who attempt consume the Wyvern, adding the infant dragons power to their own.

While it is known that Dragons come from Wyverns, it is still very unclear where Wyverns come from and how they can appear so suddenly. Many theories have been put forth. Some claim that Wyverns are a form of divine intervention, create by gods to serve a part in some grander cosmic plan. Others believe that they are the result of chaotic magical energies, a theory bolstered by Dragons innate connection with magic. A third competing hypotheis, though often dismissed by scholars, is that Dragons secretly take the form of lesser creatures to breed with them, with the offspring becoming the next generation of Wyverns. As Dragons have never been observed changing their shape, and even otherwise identical twins have been found where one is a Wyvern and the other is not, this genetic theory remains a far fetched notion more frequently used to try and dismiss claims of infidelity rather than a source academic insight. Regardless of how they appear, Wyverns are considerably more common than True Dragons, with a few hundred new ones arising each year.