On the anatomy of Dragons

Well met travellers,

As I said previously, I think a lot about dragons. In fact, I have been obsessed with how their anatomy works. How do their breaths work? Why are ecosystems not devastated by massive predators?

Dragons are large reptilian creatures - most of whom bear large, leathery wings and scales as strong as dwarven steel. Their defenses are complemented by an equally powerful offense with long, muscled tails, claws the length of longswords, and teeth like spearheads. This alone means that adult dragons can tangle with small armies, but all dragons can also bring to bare a menacing breath of fire, lightning, death magic, or even liquid glass.

The potent physicality of dragons is coupled with equally powerful mental and magical abilities. As aerial predators, dragons have exceptional eyesight. Unlike other traditional predators, dragons have an intelligence that rivals and often surpasses most mortals. Adding to this, the average lifespan for a dragon is 100,000 years, giving most dragons time to master more than a little sorcery. 

While dragons are seemingly immortal, nearly unkillable magical beasts, they share much in common with mundane reptiles.

They do age, and rumours persist that the oldest of their kind will succumb to the passage of time. Dragons do not wipe out animal life in their hunt for food, for like many reptiles, once a dragon has fed, its meals take long to digest and sustain the dragon for extended periods of time. Additionally, dragons often hunt sky whales, the corpses of which can provide a dragon with multiple meals.

For all dragons, save black dragons, the underbelly is softer, making this the dragon’s weak point. Many dragons have taken great effort to shield this area. This could be why dragons sleep on treasure. Black dragons are heavily armoured on their underside as their upper scales. One of the most delicate areas of a dragon are their wing membranes. Weakening these membranes can render a dragon flightless until they heal.

Dragons are often known for hoarding treasure and valuables, but the nature of these hoards vary as much as the personalities of the dragons who hoard them. Some dragons prefer the traditional mountains of gold and gemstones, while a dragon focused on magic may seek out mystical relics and spellbooks. 

Farewell and Stay Safe,

~Crazy Weasel