In the kingdom of Umbra, the subject of dragons is a controversial one. Most feel that they do not exist, destroyed eons ago. In fact, no one has seen one for over 200 years. But there are dragons only in a very small number on the brink of extinction.

The Umbra dragon is a four legged winged creature up to 20 meters. Almost half of the length is in the tail, and a third of the remaining length in head and neck. Their wings have a wingspan as wide as the dragon is long with a depth front to back comparable to the body itself. All dragons have the ability to breathe fire, although the exact mechanism behind it remains a secret. Some believe it is magical in nature. Their color varies from soot black to forest green, allowing them to hide in dark places and in the forests where they feed. They are omnivorous, preferring live animals, but will forage for whatever is available. Their teeth are rather large for their size and are both serrated and razor sharp.

Dragons may have a fetish with collecting pretty things. Shiny metals are the most sought after. They hoard these collected items in their lair, and defend these items fiercely. This alludes to the legend that finding a dragon’s lair will give a king’s ransom in wealth to the one that finds it.

Dragons tend to avoid contact with the more intelligent creatures, especially mages as they sense magic. This stems from the fact that these creatures usually try to destroy dragons for raiding livestock during their feeding times. There also is the issue with, especially humans, the treasure seekers raiding the dragon’s lair and quite often killing the dragon to get the treasure. Dragons are not good close quarters fighters, so these fights are usually one sided, assuming the raiding party can survive the breath weapon of the dragon. This is also why the dragon’s lair is usually deep inside caverns and caves, and sometimes deep within abandoned dwemer mines.

Dragons have an innate ability to sense magic and those that use it. Since the race of elves almost without exception use magic, they are readily detected by dragons. Only Dwemers and non-magic using humans can approach dragons without being detected. The dragons tend not to associate with magic users either, when they do associate with people. No one is really sure why.

A dragon can be trained to be a mount for a rider, but the process is long and difficult.

It has been rumored that dragons and dwemers have a symbiotic relationship, jointly living deep in the chasms of the earth. The details are not known, but it would seem that they protect each other and assist each other in acquiring wealth.



A dragon starts out life as an egg, laid by a great wyrmm. There exists only one great wyrmm at a time and is typically the oldest female dragon in the area. The great wyrmm mates only once in her life and retreats her lair to lay eggs and raise her young. She will lay only one egg every five years. The egg takes a full four months to hatch after being laid. Once the egg hatches, she rears her new baby for the first year, teaching it everything it needs to know. The hatchling will in this year achieve its full size, although it will not mature for another 100 years. After the baby dragon is taught, it will seek out its own liar and start life of 300 years. The great wyrmm will then retreat back to her lair and go into a quasi-state of hibernation for the next four years until the time for the next egg to be laid.

The hatchling will feed voraciously for the first year, eating constantly. Immediately after hatching the baby dragon will imprint on the first creature it sees, normally the great wyrmm, its mother. It will follow “mother” constantly for the first year, mimicking “mother’s” every move. At the end of the first year it will set off on its own, now grown to its full size but still considered immature. Its eating habits will also diminish quickly to once a month for the first nine months, then to once a year. This alludes to why no one ever sees dragons. They only come out of their lair to feed and at the same time to gather wealth.

CARE OF DRAGONS

The care of dragons is a very time consuming evolution. Hatching is only the first step. In order to salvage a usable dragon that will not revert back to its native instinct, these are the steps to follow.

The first step to gaining a usable dragon is to find an egg close to hatching. This is determined by the shell being rather hard and brittle. Most of the time from laying to hatching, the egg is very soft and pliable, like wet leather. Within a week of hatching, the egg will turn hard to allow the baby dragon the ability to break out of its shell. Once a suitable egg has been found, it must be kept at from 45C-50C (113F-122F) until it hatches to keep from killing the baby dragon.

If an egg cannot be found, a newly hatched dragon can be substituted. It is imperative that the person that finds this dragon assume the role of “mother” as the hatchling will imprint on the first creature it sees. It would also be known that the real mother, if still alive, will not be very far away during this time, so great care must be taken when retrieving a new hatchling.

Once the dragon has hatched, it will almost immediately start feeding. Newborn dragons are voracious feeders for the first year of their lives, eating almost anything. It is most important to ensure that the dragon does not go hungry, or it will cry constantly until it is fed. Not feeding it enough will also cause its growth to stunt affecting its adult usefulness. The good thing about dragons is that they are omnivores and will eat just about anything.

During this first year the dragon will grow very quickly, achieving its full adult size at the end of this period, although the dragon will not actually mature for another 100 or so years. It will also molt or lose its skin. During the first few hours after molting the dragon will be very sensitive to any physical contact as it will likely damage the new skin/hide. Great care must be provided for the dragon during this time not to let anything harm it. The dragon will also need to be bathed daily, lest it develop a very pungent odor that all creatures with a nose can smell. This will attract unwanted predators/enemies causing security issues. It is also good that dragons do like the water, so bathing is a matter of getting the dragon to a suitable body of water and it will do the rest. The dragon will also try to mimic every movement and behavioral pattern of “mother” and will follow “mother” around constantly. If any normal dragon traits are sought, such as flight and the famed breath weapon, they will have to be taught to the dragon by “mother”. The dragon will take up the language of “mother” if it is intelligent enough. If not it will attempt the same, but will not be proficient enough for normal communications. Exceptional intelligence in the dragon can result in it learning multiple languages and even spell use. A dragon within this first year can still be trained, but it is VERY tough and is not recommended. Beyond one year of age a dragon is no longer trainable, set in its ways for life.

It is also during this first year that the “paring” of a dragon and its rider happens. For a person to “pair” with a dragon, the person must first teach the dragon how to fly. He or she also must teach it any fighting skills desired as well how to use magic. Both the person and the dragon must desire to “pair” with each other. If not the dragon will, at the end of the first year, attempt to leave. If it is allowed to leave, nothing more will happen and the dragon will take with it the skills it has learned and revert back to its instinctive nature. If it is forced to stay, it will try to kill its “mother” or whoever is preventing it from leaving until either it succeeds or is killed itself. If it chooses to stay, however, the person must offer his or her hand to the dragon, which it will bite the hand with its incisors, permanently marking that hand with a scar, and forming the bond. It is this scar that allows the dragon to recognize its now dragon rider, and its saliva allows for an empathic link between the dragon rider and the dragon. Once paired, the bond is for life. If the person does not outlive the natural lifespan of the dragon, when the dragon rider dies, the dragon will seek seclusion itself to die as well, mostly of a broken heart. The dragon is also fiercely loyal to its rider, opting to die in place of its rider if the situation warrants it. It is also overly protective of its rider, attacking anything that approaches the pair if it feels threatened. Only the rider can stop such an attack.