Pen Y Fan Breeding Grounds

Real World Pen y Fan

Located in Wales, the breeding grounds are featured heavily in Victory of Eagles.

## Overview

The size of the dragon population is unclear. See *Size of dragon population* at the bottom of this article for discussion of this topic.

Food is limited to cattle and sheep, all of it raw. The Dragon Council is responsible for solving disputes.

Compared to Russian breeding grounds, Pen Y Fan treats the dragons rather well, yet Temeraire, who witnessed the excellent Chinese treatment of dragons, as well as their privileged position in the Incan Empire and Tswana Kingdom finds much to dislike. Most other dragons within the ground seem content however, and are only enticed to leave by Temeraire's promises of treasure and prizes.

## Geography

Named after the barren mountain at their center, the Pen y Fan breeding grounds include a lake, moorlands and a large number of caves the dragons use as shelter. These are however often damp, and in Temeraire's opinion do in no way equal Chinese pavilions. The autumns at the breeding ground are described as cold and wet, with ice already covering the top of the mountain.

## Organisation

### Human involvement

The grounds-master, Mr. Lloyd has very little regard for the dragons, only being interested in them being fed and mating. He furthermore has a habit of talking down to the beasts, answering his own questions when addressing them, and ignoring any of their remarks he finds displeasing. Temeraire does not take this very well and ultimately gives him a sharp dressing down.

Feedings occur irregularly, so that no dragons may move too far away from where the bells are rung, or thus risk going hungry. This assures that the dragons stay within the breeding grounds. There is enough food so that as far as Temeraire can observe no dragons go hungry.

The ground-keepers do pay meticulous attention to the dragon eggs produced, which are carried away in wagons lined with straw and hot water bottles, as well as blankets for the winter. Furthermore, the dragons receive reports until the eggs are hatched. As such, the eggs are actually safer with humans than with the dragons themselves, resulting in even ferals handing over their eggs voluntarily.

Furthermore, the ground-keepers, especially so Lloyd, set up pairs of dragons to mate, although it may be assumed that especially amongst those dragons that were previously feral, much mating occurs without the immediate meddling of humans.

### Dragon self-governing

As other than in regards to feedings and mating the humans leave the dragons to themselves, these have their own rules as well as a Dragon Council and own informants. The rule most important to the plot of Victory of Eagles, and thus most discussed, is that caves are to be divied up by dragon size and fighting ability. Thus the larger and stronger the dragon, the nicer the cave it possesses. This rule brings Temeraire into conflict with Requiescat, a large Regal Copper, and the largest dragon in the breeding ground at the time.

Within the breeding grounds, the Dragon Council is responsible for solving such disputes, in order to avoid them turning violent. The council's decisions tend to be based on the premise of the previously discussed rule, i.e. that the weaker dragons have to give way to the stronger ones. Instead of actual fights, they assess this by comparison of size and through the showcasing of flying technique. This is for the largest part self-serving, as the council is composed of the "largest" dragons, including a dozen heavy weights and a Longwing, Gentius. Of the the members present during Temeraire's hearing, the most outspoken and seemingly the inoffical head of the council is a Chequered Nettle called Ballista.

Evidence of complete tyranny over the smaller beasts like in Russia is not evident however, and some dragons, like Majestatis, who is a Parnassian and thus in theory has the right to be on the council, help out the smaller ones, making sure they get their share of food when the grounds are on short commons. Minnow speaks of such an example to Temeraire as he prepares to make his case infront of the council.

Information within the grounds about the outside world is scarce, especially because most dragons within the grounds do not care for it. However, Moncey, a Winchester, is willing to slip out of the grounds and into a close by covert, to collect information and pass out questions to those in harness, for any dragon within the breeding grounds that is willing to pay him with cows. Due to his small size and the commonness of his breed, he is not missed during feedings nor noticed at the covert. Humans are thus ignorant this avenue of information. This process is semi-reliable, as showcased by Moncey's ability to find out about the sinking of the HMS Goliath within less than a day of it occurring, but his inability to confirm that Laurence was alive, rather suggesting that he drowned with the sailors.

## Size of dragon population

During *Victory of Eagles* there are a couple of hundred dragons said to be in the breeding grounds, 60 of which ultimately follow Temeraire into war. It is unclear however if this discrepancy of numbers is a mistake of the author, for other than in regards to this Novik writes as if all the dragons in the breeding grounds leave with Temeraire, not just a third of the population. As the number in the hundreds is given shortly after the Dragon Plague killed off many British dragons, one may assume that beforehand this number was much larger. This large scale seems illogical considering the repeatedly talked about impossibility of feeding such a large force of dragons (add citation: Blood of Tyrants) and the 60 dragons mentioned later in *Victory of Eagles* may be seen as a retcon.

Only a dozen of those living in Pen y Fan in 1808 are heavy weights, and the entire breeding grounds only include one, very old, Longwing.

## List of named dragons that have lived in Pen y Fan

* Temeraire
* Gentius
* Minnow
* Perscitia
* Moncey
* Laculla
* Requiescat
* Majestatis
* Ballista
* Gladius
* Chalcedony
* Cantarella

* The unnamed Dakota dragon that is said to have carried the dragon plague from America to England was originally intered at Pen Y Fan. He is however no longer mentioned in Victory of Eagles and was thus likely transferred out of the breeding grounds beforehand.

## References

1. ↑ Novik, Naomi. Victory of Eagles: A Novel of Temeraire (p. 3). Random House Publishing Group. Paperback Edition.
2. ↑ Novik, Naomi. Victory of Eagles: A Novel of Temeraire (p. 143). Random House Publishing Group. Paperback Edition.