Dragon Guide

Names

• All dragon's names must end in '-th'.

Origins

Pern Dragons were bioengineered by Kitti Ping from Pern's native firelizards (Flits).

Dragon Anatomy

Dragons have six limbs, two front and two hind, plus two wings. Their blood is referred to as ichor and is copper-based and green in color.

Eye Colors

Dragons' eyes whirl in different colors representing their emotional state.

• Red: Anger, Hunger(Active Appetite), Fear, Mating, Pain, Excitement.
• Red/Orange: Mating, Alarm, Eagerness, Arousal.

• Orange: Uncertainty, Suspicion, Anger, Mating, Alarm, Hunger, Agitation, Panic.

• Yellow: Anxiety, Fear, Worry, Excitement.

• Pale Yellow: Concern.

• Green: Delight, Tranquility, Placidity.

• Blue: Longing, Interest, Mischief, Excitement.

• Purple: Worry.

• Lavender: Stress.

• Grey: Great Worry/Stress/Sadness/Pain (Grey tones come to a dragon's hide too).

• White: Terror.

Color & Size

Dragons come in only five different colors:

Gold

• The largest of all dragons, golds are between 38-42 feet in length. Ramoth (Dragons Flight), the largest gold ever recorded, was 45 feet in length. Golds are female and the only dragon that lays eggs. The largest bronze may compete in size with the smallest gold.

Bronze

• The second largest of all dragons, bronzes are between 35-38 feet in length. Bronzes are male. They're known for their strength and stamina. They are the common winners of gold flights.

Brown

• The third largest of all dragons, browns are between 30-35 feet in length. The largest brown can compete in size with the smallest bronze. They are also known for their strength and stamina and may occasionally win a junior gold flight. At Triad browns do not win senior gold flights that determine Weyrleadership.

Blue

• The fourth largest dragon, blues are 25-30 feet in length. The largest blue can compete in size with the smallest brown. They are known for their speed and agility, but not for endurance. They only fly half of Threadfall. Blues often make good Searchdragons when looking for Candidates. Blues can win green mating flights.

Green

• The smallest dragon by size, greens are 20-25 feet in length. The largest green can compete in size with the smallest blue. They are known for their intense speed and agility. They are the fastest of the dragons, but they lack stamina, which is why they only fly half of Threadfall. While greens do rise to mate, they are infertile and do not lay eggs.

At Triad we measure dragons in feet, from the tip of the nose to the end of the haunch. See Dragon Sizes for more information.

Dragonets

• Newly hatched dragonets are the size of very large dogs or small ponies. Imagine golds, bronzes, and sometimes brown dragonets as the small ponies, with greens and blues being the size of very large dogs.
• Dragonets vary in size. For example, a large blue may be bigger than a small brown during adolescences, but by adulthood, the largest blue would be the same size as the smallest brown.
  • EXAMPLE: Dragon Size Chart, End Month 2
    • Greens 9 to 12 feet
    • Blues 10 to 13 feet
    • Browns 11 to 14 feet
    • Bronzes 12 to 15 feet
    • Golds 12 to 16 feet

Please utilize the Weyrling Monthly guide for your dragonet's size each month.

Wings

• Dragon wings are delicate and fragile and require special care when injured if the dragon is to maintain sustained flight. Dragons have an arm-like bone, complete with an elbow and finger joint, that supports about half the length of the dragon wing.
• The shoulder and upper arm provide the power that a dragon uses to lift off the ground by pumping his wings. The arm is slightly flexed allowing for a membrane, called the leading edge, to run from the shoulder to the finger joints.
• The finger joint includes a vesitigial thumb and the joints for all the four wingbones that divide up the large portion of the membranous wingsail.
• Between the dragon's body and the inner bone is the primary mainsail, the largest portion of the membranous wingsail.
• Between the Inner Bone and the Mid-Bone is the Secondary Mainsail.
• Between the Mid-Bone and the Spar Bone is the Spar Mainsail.
• The last bone runs parallel with the Spar Bone and ends middway down the sail.
• The ends of the wingsail is known as the trailing edge.
• Batten ribs are cartilaginous supports that run through the wingsails and parallel to the wingbones.
• The Primary mainsail supports the dragon's weight in the air while the secondary and spar mainsails provide agility by the flexing of the wingbones.

[Source Credit]

Dragonhealers

See the Dragonhealing Craft page for detailed information on the dragonhealer craft.