All About Dragons

## Dragon

Different tail types

> A dragon without its rider is a tragedy. A rider without their dragon is dead.
>
> Chapter 1, *Fourth Wing*

**Dragons**, also referred to as **dragonkind**, are one of the species able to bond with humans and sharing their powers with them.

## General Information

There is little known about the ways of dragons, or how they govern themselves. There is a clear hierarchy among the most powerful, and deference is paid to elders and a dragon only answers to the eldest of their den. A dragon's lifespan is around 200 years.

### Life Stages

* Hatchling
* Feathertail
* Dreamless Sleep (short transition period)
* Adolescent
* Fully Matured

As baby dragons, who are unable to fly yet, they are commonly referred to as hatchlings before they become feathertails. It takes roughly 3-4 years for a dragon to become fully grown, however it can sometimes take longer. Dragons are generally taught that they should not bond until they are fully grown. Professor Kaori stated that 100 years is roughly considered middle age for dragons.

Dragon scales are larger and thicker than a hand, and they are layered into the scales above them in an intricate pattern. This pattern does not leave handholds or paths for a rider to climb. One of the biggest dangers with their scales is that if a small object gets stuck under their scales and they're unable to remove it, it could cause an infection.

The details of the way dragons govern themselves is unknown. There is, however, a clear hierarchy among the most powerful, and deference is paid to elders, but the way that they make laws for themselves is indiscernible to humans. The Empyrean is the name for their government/leadership. During a meeting of the Empyrean, Dragons do not communicate with their bonded riders because humans are not permitted to know what is said within the Empyrean.

Possible Empyrean Laws

* Dragons only give their full name to their bonded rider
* bonding a relative of a previous rider is typically forbidden
* It is considered a violation to share a riders memories with dragons outside of the mating bond.

## Bonding

> They choose for reasons they don't see fit to share with us.
>
> Professor Kaori, Fourth Wing, Chp 8

Dragons started bonding with humans so that humans could develop signet abilities and weave the protective wards that they power around Navarre. Their main motivator is so that they can protect the Vale - the valley behind Basgiath that the dragons call home - from gryphons. It created an unlikely partnership.

>
> > In the six centuries of recorded history of dragon and rider, there have been hundreds of known cases where a dragon simply cannot emotionally recover from the loss of their bonded rider. This happens when the bond is particularly strong and, in three documented cases, has even caused the untimely death of the dragon.
> >
> > Navarre, An Unedited History by Colonel Lewis Markham
>
>

Dragons must obtain their Right of Benefaction before they are permitted to bond with humans. They are able to obtain this right before they reach maturity, while still being a feathertail, however it is extremely rare for a feathertail to bond to a human. When a dragon requests the right of benefaction, the head of their den must approve the request.

## Powers & Abilities

### Abilities

* **Flight**
* **Dragonfire**
* **Telepathy:** with each other as well as their bonded rider, in the case of mated pairs dragons can communicate with the mated rider as well.

### Powers

* **Powers**: Every dragon has a certain level of inner power, which they channel through their riders in the form of lesser magic, and to create an individual signet
	+ **Lesser Magic:** With this channeling, riders are able to; open doors without touching them, preternatural speed, manipulating mage lights, and powering ink pens. Lesser magic also allows riders to place runes.
	+ **Signet**: After a rider bonds and when the dragon thinks they are ready, they will start channeling their power through the rider, which gives them the ability to produce a signet.
		- "Signets are the result of the unique chemistry between rider and dragon and usually say more about the rider than the dragon. The stronger the bond and the more powerful the dragon, the stronger the signet."
	+ **Dragon Relic**: A dragon uses its magic to mark the skin of their bonded rider, symbolizing honor and power. The relic generally appears in the shape of the dragon who gifted them.

## Mates

Dragons can mate and it is said that there is no stronger bond than that between two mated dragons. It goes beyond the depth of human love or adoration to a primal, undeniable requirement for proximity. One cannot survive without the other. Once mated, dragons mate for life and they cannot be separated for long or their health diminishes. Mated dragons usually bond to cadets in the same year so they can graduate in the same year and be assigned to a post together.

>
> > There is no stronger bond than that between two mated dragons. It goes beyond the depth of human love or adoration to a primal, undeniable requirement for proximity. One cannot survive without the other.
> >
> > Colonel Kaori's Field Guide To Dragonkind
>
>

## Important Locations

The Vale is the valley behind Basgiath that is the dragons' home and they protect it from gryphons. Dragons eggs are laid at the Vale and it is their sacred hatching ground. Hatchlings and Feathertails, both terms for different stages of a baby dragon's life, are protected at the Vale until they are old enough to protect themselves.

## Physical Description

There are several different colors and breeds in dragonkind and between all of them, various combinations are possible. However all dragons have semi-translucent wings, with chest scales that ripple with movement and razor sharp talons. The tip of the wing joint is crowned by a single fierce talon.

## **Dens (Colors) & Elders**

The six known den colors are; black, blue, green, orange, red and brown.

> Keep the temperaments of each specific breed in mind when you decide which dragons to approach and which to run from at threshing.
>
> Professor Kaori, Fourth Wing, Chapter 8

### **Black Dragons**

* Known for:
	+ Being considered to be the rarest type of dragonkind. They are also the smartest, the most discerning, and the most cunning which makes it impossible to outsmart them.
* Descend from: the cunning ***Dubhmadinn line.***
* Elder Dragon:

### **Blue Dragons**

* Known for:
	+ Their formidable size, they are the most ruthless, especially in the case of the Blue Daggertail, the rarest of the blues, whose knifelike spikes a the tip of their tail can disembowel an enemy with one flick. It is advised to simply never approach a blue.
	+ They're all intimidating
* Descend from: The extraordinary ***Gormfaileas line**.*
* Elder Dragon:

### **Brown Dragons**

* It is advised to never show trepidation to a brown.
* Elder Dragon:

### **Green Dragons**

* Known for:
	+ their keen intellect and rational countenance, making them the perfect seige weapons, especially in the case of clubtails. To approach a green dragon, lower your eyes in supplication and wait for their approval. It is advised to never back down from a green.
* Descend from:
	+ The honorable ***Uaineloidsig line*** offered their ancestral hatching grounds for the good of dragonkind at what is now Basgiath War College.
	+ The ***Cruaidhuaine line*** has an especially stable connection with magic, thought to be a result of their more reasonable, defensive nature.
* Elder Dragon:

### **Orange Dragons**

* Known for :
	+ Coming in various shades of apricot to carrot, are the most unpredictable of dragonkind and therefore always a risk. The Northern Esbens are believed to have been the hatching grounds of the orange dragon before unification, though true to their unpredictable nature, they often chose new valleys in the same range.
* Descend from: the ***Fhaicorain line***.
* Elder Dragon:

### **Red Dragons**

* Known for:
	+ It is advised to never look a red in the eye.
	+ Red Scorpiontails, specifically, are the quickest to temper. If you offend them, you're dead. They prefer to be approached from the left and the front, if possible.
	+ All Red swordtails are nasty pieces of work when they get riled.
* Elder Dragon:

## **Breeds (tails)**

### **Clubtail**

* These tails are thick, with extreme bludgeoning force, able to crush thing easily.

### **Daggertail**

* knifelike spikes a the tip of their tail can disembowel an enemy with one flick.

### **Feathertail**

* Feathertails are the breed of which there is littlest information. It is assumed that this is because feathertails reportedly abhor violence and are not suitable for bonding with riders. It is revealed that Feathertails are in fact young dragons, who will then turn into one of the known breeds. Their only form of defense is their teeth. They do not have the ability to breathe fire, do not have claws, and are unable to carry a rider. If bonded, they have the unique ability to gift their powers to their human ("rider" in name only). Unfortunately, since they are so young, they can accidentally gift all their powers fully to humans and drain themselves. For this reason, dragons at the Vale fiercely protect Feathertails, hiding them from view, and (when possible) preventing them from bonding. Feathertails lose the ability to gift their powers once they have fully matured (usually 2-4 years). Prior to the events of Fourth Wing, Scribes believed that feathertails rarely bond because they are unsuited for combat. While in reality, feathertails are juvenile dragons that have yet to reach full maturity. Their tails are made up of feathers, hence the name, rather than a weaponlike tail that mature dragons have. All Feathertails are gold dragons and they change colors when they reach adolescence, often either red, orange, brown, green, blue, or black.

### **Morningstartail**

* Considered one of the deadliest breeds. They have the same bludgeoning power of a clubtail, but the spikes will eviscerate a person just as well as a daggertail.

### **Scorpiontail**

* These tails are tipped with poisonous barbs

### **Swordtail**

* Sharp and sword-like, able to slash and stab.

## Trivia

* A group of dragons is a riot.
* Full grown dragons average twenty-five feet tall.
* It is typically forbidden for dragons to bond a relative of one of their previous riders.
* Cross-bolts are lethal against dragonkind.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 Chapter 8, *Fourth Wing*
2. ↑ Fourth Wing, Chapter 20
3. ↑ Fourth Wing, Chapter 3
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Fourth Wing, Chapter 10
5. ↑ Iron Flame, Page 118
6. ↑ Iron Flame, Pg 237
7. ↑ Iron Flame, 217
8. ↑ Fourth Wing, Chapter 4
9. ↑ Iron Flame, Chapter 14
10. ↑ Chapter 21, *Fourth Wing*