Soot Dragon

* Juvenile
* Baby
* Egg

*The **soot dragon's** favorite sleeping spot is underneath cauldrons--which, while adorable, has given more than one potion-brewer quite the scare. Imagine trying to stoke the "fire" only for it to wake up and fly away!*
    —Nogard's description of the **soot dragon** in The Book of Dragons
The **Soot Dragon** is a rare golden hybrid of the Fire and Earth elements. It's main element is Fire.

## Appearance

Soot dragons among the smallest dragon species known, as they can reach only 3-4 feet long maximum.

## Abilities

### Weapons

Soot dragons, being the smallest species of dragon, stay out of larger enemies' way rather than confronting them. They will bite hard if grabbed or stepped on though.

### Defenses

The soot dragon can produce a cloud of soot to confuse their enemies and cover their vision while the soot dragon escapes. They are small, skinny and flexible like ferrets and can slip away with surprising swiftness.

### Breath Weapon

Soot dragons do have a breath weapon but can cough up a cloud of soot if provoked.

## Habitat

### Sheltering/Nesting

Soot dragons nest in fires or near heat sources. In the wild, this is near wildfires, geothermal vents, sun-baked stones and sand in the desert, or lava, but recently soot dragons have been found in campfires, wood stoves, under cauldrons, and in fireplaces.

## Diet

Soot dragons live off heat. They normally find heat near geothermal vents, volcanoes or on occasion wildfires. They often take advantage of the heat of a cauldron's boiler, leading to some very surprised wizards.

If necessary, adult soot dragons can eat rodents and small birds, but they prefer to draw energy from heat.

## Lifestyle

### Behavior and Personality

Soot dragons are friendly and will snuggle up to anything warm. They are shy, but not aggressive.

### Social Order

Soot dragons tend to live in large groups of 5-20 individuals, clustered around a common heat source.

### Relationship to Wizards

Soot dragons are shy, but if not directly bothered they will happily coexist with wizards. They are common but harmless pests that often slip into houses to cuddle up to cauldrons, fireplaces, and even the body heat of wizards!

Since soot dragons feed off heat, an effective method of lowering a high fever is inviting a soot dragon to snuggle with the patient. The soot dragon will draw off the excess heat. Many young wizards have actually ended up bonding soot dragons this way, as the soot dragons, quick to make new friends, especially warm ones, often annoyingly follow the patient around long after they are cured.

## When in a park

### Breeding

Soot dragons are a rare outcome of two dragons with the Fire and Earth elements.

### Habitats

The soot dragon is comfortable living in Omnitats, Fire, Spooky, and Earth habitats.

### How to care for

Soot dragons require little care except for a source of constant heat.

### Favorite Treat

These dragons like the hot taste of Sarjin Peppers and Fiery Figs.

## Life Cycle

### Birth

A mother soot dragon lays her egg in an open fire. If no fire is available the soot dragon will build one. She will continue to feed the fire throughout the duration of the incubation.

### Infancy

Baby soot dragons are rather helpless. The mother frantically fetches wood for the fire to sustain the baby, which cannot grow without heat.

### Adolescence

The adolescent soot dragon will leave its nest and search for heat sources, often wandering from source to source. Many soot dragons discovered in campfires are wandering adolescent soot dragons.

### Adulthood

In its adulthood the soot dragon will settle down around a constant heat source, often with other soot dragons.

### Life Span

Soot dragons live only about 30 years, a short period of time for a dragon.

## History

### Discovery

Unsurprisingly, the first soot dragon documented was discovered by a group of adventurers who, upon waking in the morning to bank their campfire with ashes, discovered a soot dragon nesting in the embers. They allegedly caught the little dragon before it could slip away and stuffed it in a sack, but it chewed through the sack and escaped. More stories like this circulated over the next few decades, but it was centuries before the creature was realized to be a dragon. No one had ever seen a dragon so small.

### Origin of Name

Soot dragons are named for their black feet, which appear coated in soot.

## Notable Dragons

TBA

**Primary**
*Fire Dragon*

**Hybrids**
*Poison Dragon* - *Flower Dragon* - *Lava Dragon* - *Obsidian Dragon* - *Blue Fire Dragon* - *Frostfire Dragon* - *Scorch Dragon* - *Firefly Dragon* - *Salamander Dragon* - *Coral Dragon* - *Smoke Dragon* - *Blazing Dragon* - *Forge Dragon* - *Brass Dragon* - *Ember Dragon* - *Heat Dragon* - *Dungeon Dragon* - *Watch Dragon*

 **Golden Hybrids**
*Pepper Dragon* - ***Soot Dragon*** - *Inferno Dragon* - *Smolder Dragon* - *Molten Dragon* - *Sulfur Dragon*

**Primary**
*Earth Dragon*

**Hybrids**
*Tree Dragon* - *Moss Dragon* - *Lava Dragon* - *Obsidian Dragon* - *Glacier Dragon* - *Mountain Dragon* - *Quake Dragon* - *Crystal Dragon* - *Mud Dragon* - *River Dragon* - *Dodo Dragon* - *Sandstorm Dragon* - *Scoria Dragon* - *Iron Dragon* - *Sand Dragon* - *Glass Dragon* - *Root Dragon* - *Cave Dragon*

 **Golden Hybrids**
*Forest Dragon* - ***Soot Dragon*** - *Arctic Dragon* - *Geode Dragon* - *Quicksand Dragon* - *Plains Dragon*