Dragons

The creatures of myth, giant winged lizard-like creatures with a deadly breath. They are very real in Aeternus, though sightings are rare as those creatures tend to keep to themselves. Usually dragons are hunted on sight, as they tend to prey on peasant's cattle and are greatly feared by those who know little about the flying wyrms. Their appearance changes depending on the breed and the individual dragon. Age is also a factor to a dragon's colouring, as elder dragons will possess a lighter tone of colour. A dragon's personality depends on the individual, but they tend to be highly territorial and aggressive when a stranger comes close to their lair.

Dragons have a few major strengths; mainly their ability to fly, their size, overwhelming strength and hard scales. Their fiery breath is their most deadly weapon, able to set entire towns on fire, yet even such grand creatures possess certain weaknesses. For one, they are unable to use magic. Dragons also have certain weak spots where their hard scales do not protect them, mainly the eyes and wings.

Dragons possess the ability to take on a humanoid form, which allows them to mingle with other bipedal creatures. Should they breed with another species, the offspring would be of the non-dragon parent's species, and would be able to unlock their draconic heritage only later on in their lives, through a particular experience or simply time. An half-breed that unlocks his or her draconic potential would be able to take a dragon-like form, though that form would be smaller and weaker than a true dragon. Unlocking one's draconic heritage removes the ability to use magic.

Life Cycle: Birth
From 0 to 12 - Childhood
From 12 to 150 - Adolescence - Intelligence Adulthood
From 150 to 900 - True Adulthood
From 900 to 1100 - Elder
From 1100 to 1300 - Death of old age

A dragon's size will greatly increase during his childhood and adolescence, though its growth will decrease as it comes closer to adulthood. While the dragon's full size is reached only at 150 years, his or her intelligence will follow the rate of a human. As such, at 18 it will have reached the intelligence of an adult, while still not possessing a body fully grown. It is worth noting that a dragon will still be large by the time it reaches his or her adolescence stage.

Dragons have different breeds, and while they all breath fire, certain breeds are adapted to certain regions of the world. For example, a volcanic dragon is perfectly at home in extremely high temperature, but will be harmed by cold ones. A sea dragon will possess webbed feet, and will not be able to survive for long in desertic areas where water is rare. Mountain dragons are the most adaptable of the dragon breeds, but tend to be smaller than the others. Ice dragons must live in cold regions, or die from overheat.

Dragon Breeds: Desert, Volcanic, Sea, Mountain and Ice.