We can all agree that dragons fly and look remarkably like lizards (there might be some dissenters who disagree with lizards as the reference. Some might argue they’re more like seahorses or birds). There are also two camps regarding whether they are mere transportation or intelligent companions. What about enemy or friend?
The list could continue, but I am going to focus on the seven species of dragons distributed among my series. Categories seem important, so I’m limiting my examination to the following parameters: size, magical features, goal/purpose, friend/foe, society, relationship to humans, communication, weaponization.
None of my dragons are mere transportation. So, I’m clearing that up at the start. I like the challenge of having an intelligent dragon, as it opens up greater depth of interaction rather than just having them be a dangerous beast to contend with.
Here are the dragons of L. Darby Gibbs’ worlds.
Solstice Dragon World
Solstice Dragons
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Size full grown
Two wagon lengths, twice human height at the shoulder
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magical features
Bargaining, curses, illusion, and healing. All of these features require magic. Curses require serious fury. They don't toss curses willy-nilly.
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Goal/purpose
Live amicably with humans and follow The Bargain in addition to all standard dragon laws. Occasionally, that includes interfering with human actions. (See Rasmuth for an example.)
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Friend/foe
Definitely friend. At the very least, they cause no disruption to human society. At the extreme, they meddle in human affairs, usually with good intentions, even if you measure their reliability based on Rasmuth.
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Society
Solstice dragons have a society built on laws set down to ensure appropriate behavior, care of their young, and human interaction. (Rasmuth may bend these laws somewhat, but he manages to stay within the bounds of his society.)
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Relationship to humans
Their laws insure that they are fair with their interactions. However, solstice dragons are naturally interaction and fair. The laws related to humans are meant to give confidence to any humans involved in those interactions.
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Communication
Spoken audibly. Intellectually equal to humans and in the same language.
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Weaponization
Solstice dragons flame, flip their scales which are razor sharp, and use tails and talons in battle.
Marsh Dragons
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Size full grown
One wagon length, human height at the shoulder. They are smaller than a Solstice dragon.
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magical features
They can heal themselves and have a sense of direction that is quite acute. Otherwise, they have no magic outside of being a magical creature.
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Goal/purpose
Since there is only one known marsh dragon, Skrhak, I'll focus on his personal goal to one day return to his home marsh.
He was caught in a hurricane and crash-landed. Since then, he has had no sense of direction, except for visual or sound cues. He recognizes the landscape and can follow the sounds made by another dragon. Or if flying low, he can hear human society. Nighttime is especially dangerous for him as he cannot tell his elevation or direction.
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Friend/foe
Friend. Skrhak has a close social group largely made up of solstice council dragons and one human who he "accidentally" has grown fond of.
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Society
Skrhak follows the social rules of solstice dragons as he landed in their territory and was cared for by a solstice dragon until he was able to take care of himself.
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Relationship to humans
His relationship with humans is limited to one specific human and later her friends and family.
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Communication
Spoken audibly.
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Weaponization
Unlike solstice dragons, marsh dragons have hides, similar to lizards, rather than scales. Sharp teeth and talons are present, but a marsh dragon's chief weapon is the poisonous gas he secretes from orifices along the spines running down his back.
Annals of the Dragon Dreamer
Void dragons
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Size full grown
Two wagon lengths, twice human height
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magical features
They use magical prime element produced by Lynkyn Forests to maintain health. They can heal quickly, but can not heal others.
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Goal/purpose
To survive the Void and ultimately escape and return to Rigaria to live peacefully in the Lynkyn forests. They also wish to be close to their dream-linked melder (high magic using human).
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Friend/foe
Friend. Void dragons wish to live close to their dream-linked melder (high magic using human).
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Society
Void dragons have been isolated for centuries from Rigaria as well as each other. Their society is limited to occasional meetings across a Void wall or their melder dreaming into the Void. These are rare events, so society is present only vaguely. They can observe the dreams their melders have.
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Relationship to humans
Every Void dragon links with a melder through a dream channel. If the melder does not acknowledge them, they are purely an observer. But, if the melder does interact with them, they can build a strong relationship. The link between them breaks when a melder dies. The dragon then links with another new born melder.
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Communication
In the Void, their communication with others is an audible voice (due to the dream state), however, if they are able to escape the Void, communication is mind to mind.
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Weaponization
Void dragons can breath fire. They have claws and talons.
Companion dragons
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Size full grown
Companion dragons are quite small compared to their larger cousins. They are about the size of a Chihuahua and enjoy sitting on a person's shoulder.
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magical features
Companion dragons have one very special magical feature. They are a prime element magical sink. The companion dragon pulls element from whichever source is available, the environment it is in or via a dream connection to a sleeping melder. It then slowly releases prime element to the large dragon it is paired with, supplying the much needed element that keeps the dragon healthy.
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Goal/purpose
Its most important purpose is to keep its paired dragon healthy by providing it prime element. Without the element available, the larger paired dragon would go mad, much like one would do anything to inhale air into one's lungs. Its secondary purpose is to be a trusted companion to the larger dragon who shares that same purpose with the companion dragon.
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Friend/foe
Friend, unless its paired dragon is in danger. Then the companion dragon will defend its friend in any way it can.
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Society
These small dragons are socially tied to its paired dragon, but they are normally very gregarious and attach themselves emotionally to the dream-linked melder.
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Relationship to humans
Companion dragons grow quite attached to the larger dragon's dream-linked melder. If they lose their paired dragon, they will attach exclusively to a human (melder or caster).
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Communication
Companion dragons have limited communication. They share images which the receiving melder must interpret. They also make squeaks, hums, and other noises to express their emotions.
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Weaponization
Though small, companion dragons have sharp teeth and talons, and maneuver swiftly on wing. They also can flame and detonate magic assaults before they reach their target.
Bellyful of Bones
Forest Dragons
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Size full grown
Three wagon lengths, three times human height.
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magical features
Forest dragons are excellent at camouflage. They can appear to melt into the background if the surrounding colors are homogeneous. Variations of brown, for example. But if there is a streak of purple,f or example, they cannot match that. Think chameleon.
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Goal/purpose
Forest dragons are family oriented and their goals are to protect their mate and keep their hatchlings safe. Retribution for damages or lost companions is the immediate destruction of those responsible.
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Friend/foe
They are neither until riled. Then they are foe. Unfortunately, forest dragons are often attacked by humans as a means to show bravery and strength. If left alone, they live peacefully.
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Society
Though forest dragons are social with other dragons, they generally live in small family groups in territories that can sustain the group without overtaxing the prey animals in the area.
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Relationship to humans
Generally, they avoid them. When interactions occur, they are often brutal as humans hunt dragons for sport. It has dangerous consequences that are usually blamed on the "beast" rather than the human who provoked the dragon.
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Communication
They speak audibly with the spoken language of the humans in the area.
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Weaponization
Forest dragons can fly, are especially strong and ferocious, with talons and fangs. They can also flame.
Fifth Flight
Ogre/Shartres dragons
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Size full grown
These dragons come in several sizes that are based on their position in the clutch. Dragon firsts are the largest and lead the flight formation, about two wagons in length, and two times standard human height.
Dragon seconds are a step smaller than dragon firsts. They fly directly behind the first and are like lieutenants. They pass on instructions to the rest of the clutch.
Dragon thirds protect the right horizontal section in flight. They are smaller than seconds.
Dragon fourths are smaller than thirds and protect the left flank. These two dragons (thirds and fourths) fly side by side.
Dragon fifths are the smallest, about half the size of a dragon first. They are responsible for the rear, above, and below airspace of the flying clutch. They are like spitfire planes: fast, spin on a dime, and notice everything.
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magical features
The dragons in this world carry magic inside them. It is the basis of how they are able to bond with humans. However, they cannot do any magic.
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Goal/purpose
It depends. If they are slave-bonded to an ogre, then their purpose or goal is to do whatever their ogre tells them. This includes harvesting humans and domestic animals from Shartres. They have a secondary goal which is part of that slavery. They do as they are told because if they don't, the fifth dragon of their clutch is held captive and could be punished. These dragons will not leave their dragon fifth behind, so they stay enslaved.
Once their dragon fifths have been rescued, their goals and purposes change. They take revenge on their ogre riders, protect humans, and battle other ogre attack groups.
Their personal goals are to protect their clutchmates and bonded humans.
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Friend/foe
If slave-bonded to an ogre, they are foe to humans. If skin, side, or heart bonded to a human, they are foe to an ogre. The opposite is only true with a human, i.e., friend to a human if skin, side, or heart bonded.
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Society
These large dragons are tightly social with their clutch. They also form large associations of clutches if they fly or fight together. They are loyal, intelligent, and have the sometimes annoying habit of commenting on the personal emotions or interactions of their bonded humans.
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Relationship to humans
If bonded to an ogre, they have no relationships with humans because they are housed in Ogreland. Once they have escaped Ogreland and taken up residence in Shartres, the human realm across the strait, they form strong bonds with humans. Following this bonding, they integrate usually into society as part of the defensive forces.
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Communication
They do not have vocalizations outside of general sounds of contentment, fury, or injury. However, if bonded with a human, they share emotions, images, and "words." The first word they share is their name, and that is proof that they have bonded, as the only way a human would learn the dragon's name is through a bond.
Dragons can only communicate with their clutch, their associated clutches, and their bonded human. Dragon firsts have proved to be capable of communication with non-clutch/group dragons and share the option of throwing off their slavery to ogres.
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Weaponization
Though it was initially believed these dragons could flame, they cannot. Their ogre riders are capable of magic and can set villages on fire. Their power lies in their size and strength, talons, fangs, and the musculature of their tails.
Veshari marsh dragons
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Size full grown
Veshari, also called mirefangs and marsh fliers, are tiny dragons, about seven inches in length, including the tail. They perch on one's shoulder.
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magical features
Though they are not magical, their bite,which carries venom, attacks the magic in other beings, particularly ogres.
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Goal/purpose
They are a clutch-based dragon much like their larger cousins. They protect their clutch and their territory.
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Friend/foe
Foe to ogres.
On initially meeting humans, they were foe. However, they are similar to their larger cousins and do bond with humans, which leads to them being friend.
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Society
Much like their larger cousins, they are attached to their clutch and form social/relational groups. If bonded to a human, they will form family groups around that human.
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Relationship to humans
Since they live in marshlands, they have not had much contact with humans. But one clutch has integrated into human society via a bond.
Potentially, they could become part of the defenses of a human realm.
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Communication
Their communication is much more limited than their large cousins. Images and some emotions pass through a bond to a human.
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Weaponization
Veshari have a poisonous bite that attacks the magic in ogres and the few human (thaumaturgists/healers) that exist. Their bite will kill an ogre if they are not immediately treated with the antidote produced by the larger dragons when they chew on a specific marsh plant.
One bite will kill a thaumaturge and destroy a dragon bond since it is magic based.
It requires several bites to kill a human who is not magical, but even one bite will make them ill and destroy their dragon bond. Several bites will incapacitate the a non-magical human for weeks if not treated.
They have talons and fangs also.