on Dec 9, 2015 17:37:38 GMT -8
Last Edit: Dec 10, 2015 3:21:42 GMT -8 by Seirye
(Artist KaiserFlames has given permission with credit.)
The Dragons of Pern are large, winged creatures resembling the dragons from Terran myth. They come in six known colors: Gold, Bronze, Brown, Blue, Green, and White. Only one white dragon exists in canon Pern, and so far, none have been found in D'Sanctine or the Pern it takes place in.
Dragons have shorter front legs and longer back legs, forked tails, and they breathe fire by chewing something called firestone. It is believed firestone renders a female dragon infertile, so Golds do not chew it; instead, their riders carry flamethrowers. Dragons can go between, an icy cold place that allows them to move from place to place near instantly, though this is dangerous and takes training. Dragons breathe flame and go between to battle Thread, the deadly silver 'rain' that falls on Pern every ~250 Turns.
Dragons take a full 18 months to reach their full size. At hatching, they are only around 15% of their full size. Some of the smaller dragons can even be picked up and carried--but that is not encouraged, as they are intelligent and may not take kindly to such handling, especially if they have not Impressed to a human yet.
At a full Turn of age, a dragon is about 80% of their full size. Green dragons will usually rise to mate for the first time around sixteen months of age, while a Gold dragon may wait until twenty months for her first flight. Gold flights are much longer, given their immense stamina, and it is said that the longer the flight, the larger the clutch. Green flights are often short and quick, and of course do not result in any eggs.
Gold Dragons
Golds are the Queens, rulers of Weyr and sky. All dragons listen to the Queens without question--even over their own riders.
-Female
-Impress to women only
-Clutching dragons
-Rise to mate up to twice per Turn
-Very rare, with a large amount of responsibility
-Average length is about 60 feet long fully grown
Bronze Dragons
Bronze dragons are the longest-lasting in Threadfall and are the dragons that make Weyrleaders, Wingleaders, and many Wingseconds.
-Male
-Impress to men only
-Weyrleaders and Weyrseconds
-Will chase Golds, sometimes Greens
-Rare, with a large amount of responsibility
-Large amounts of stamina
-Average length is about 55 feet
Brown Dragons
More agile than Bronzes and with more stamina than Blues, Browns are a staple of any wing during Threadfall.
-Male
-Impress to men only
-Wingseconds, Wingthirds, Weyrlingmasters, etc.
-Will chase Greens, sometimes Golds
-Slightly uncommon, with some responsibilities
-Can last an entire Threadfall without lacking all agility
-Average length is about 47 feet
Blue Dragons
Agile, often with enough stamina to last a full Threadfall, Blue dragons are incredibly important to a wing's structure.
-Male
-Impress to men, very rarely women
-Weyrlingmasters, Candidatemasters, Searchdragons
-Will chase Greens, never Gold
-Common, with some responsibility
-Average length is about 40 feet
Green Dragons
The fastest and most agile of the dragons, Greens are nonclutching females. They have less stamina, but they are numerous.
-Female
-Impress to men and women
-Rise to mate 3-4 times per Turn, infertile
-Search dragons, Watch dragons, Candidatemasters, etc
-Most common, with as much responsibility as they strive for, within reason
-Average length is about 34 feet
Dragons have shorter front legs and longer back legs, forked tails, and they breathe fire by chewing something called firestone. It is believed firestone renders a female dragon infertile, so Golds do not chew it; instead, their riders carry flamethrowers. Dragons can go between, an icy cold place that allows them to move from place to place near instantly, though this is dangerous and takes training. Dragons breathe flame and go between to battle Thread, the deadly silver 'rain' that falls on Pern every ~250 Turns.
Dragons take a full 18 months to reach their full size. At hatching, they are only around 15% of their full size. Some of the smaller dragons can even be picked up and carried--but that is not encouraged, as they are intelligent and may not take kindly to such handling, especially if they have not Impressed to a human yet.
At a full Turn of age, a dragon is about 80% of their full size. Green dragons will usually rise to mate for the first time around sixteen months of age, while a Gold dragon may wait until twenty months for her first flight. Gold flights are much longer, given their immense stamina, and it is said that the longer the flight, the larger the clutch. Green flights are often short and quick, and of course do not result in any eggs.
Gold Dragons
Golds are the Queens, rulers of Weyr and sky. All dragons listen to the Queens without question--even over their own riders.
-Female
-Impress to women only
-Clutching dragons
-Rise to mate up to twice per Turn
-Very rare, with a large amount of responsibility
-Average length is about 60 feet long fully grown
Bronze Dragons
Bronze dragons are the longest-lasting in Threadfall and are the dragons that make Weyrleaders, Wingleaders, and many Wingseconds.
-Male
-Impress to men only
-Weyrleaders and Weyrseconds
-Will chase Golds, sometimes Greens
-Rare, with a large amount of responsibility
-Large amounts of stamina
-Average length is about 55 feet
Brown Dragons
More agile than Bronzes and with more stamina than Blues, Browns are a staple of any wing during Threadfall.
-Male
-Impress to men only
-Wingseconds, Wingthirds, Weyrlingmasters, etc.
-Will chase Greens, sometimes Golds
-Slightly uncommon, with some responsibilities
-Can last an entire Threadfall without lacking all agility
-Average length is about 47 feet
Blue Dragons
Agile, often with enough stamina to last a full Threadfall, Blue dragons are incredibly important to a wing's structure.
-Male
-Impress to men, very rarely women
-Weyrlingmasters, Candidatemasters, Searchdragons
-Will chase Greens, never Gold
-Common, with some responsibility
-Average length is about 40 feet
Green Dragons
The fastest and most agile of the dragons, Greens are nonclutching females. They have less stamina, but they are numerous.
-Female
-Impress to men and women
-Rise to mate 3-4 times per Turn, infertile
-Search dragons, Watch dragons, Candidatemasters, etc
-Most common, with as much responsibility as they strive for, within reason
-Average length is about 34 feet