About Dragons

Fearsome, intelligent creatures, dragons feature in many of Thedas’ legends and myths. They are large, serpentine beasts that are capable of full flight, and some dragons are even able to perform various magics. The mature females, known as High Dragons, are some of the most powerful creatures on Thedas.

“Dragons prefer to live in old ruins and cave complexes. Through the Steel Age, humans often destroyed such locations to discourage dragons from nesting close to settlements. Such precautions fell out of practice after dragon hunters from Nevarra hunted them to near-extinction. Most people thought that dragons had been extinct for centuries, but a notable rampage by a high dragon during the end of the Blessed Age caused Divine Faustine II to name the next Age as the Dragon Age.”

           -Dragon Age Wiki

Their blood can confer various abilities on those that drink it.The "dragon cults" of legend were notorious for their fanatic devotion to their particular High Dragon, wherein the dragon might allow such devoted followers to help care for their young in exchange for blood. This suggests a level of intelligence on par with man - if not even beyond it.

There are several subtypes of dragon recorded. Each subtype tends to be adapted to specific environments, and often as a result boast a unique elemental affinity. Some subtypes are more rare than others, and there is little research available on whether or not they are capable of interbreeding.

Index

• Life Stages
  
• Types of Dragons
  

Lifestages

Egg - Dragon eggs are roughly the size of a watermelon, and are characterized by their pale cream-colored shells. Clutches can range from 15-35 eggs, and must be kept warm at all times in order to hatch. Depending on the subtype of dragon, it can take up to 3 years for a dragonling to emerge from its egg.

Dragonling - Males aged 0 - 45. Females aged 0 - 65. Newly hatched dragons are slender, wingless, and roughly the size of a small deer. They live in their mother's lair until they reach maturity, at which point they venture out on their own. Few survive to adulthood. Older dragonlings are capable of spitting small volleys of elemental energy.

Drake - Males aged 45 - 110 years. A drake is a mature male dragonling. They are much smaller than their female counterparts and never grow wings, instead possessing (at most) vestigial stumps. They are known as intelligent, ferocious fighters, slaying enemies with tooth, tail, and claw, and are able to breathe short gouts of elemental breath. A high dragon will have a dozen or more drakes guarding her young, constantly fighting among themselves for the right to mate.

Dragon - Females aged 65 - 300. Dragons are intermediate-aged female dragons. They grow more slowly than their male counterparts, but it is at this stage that the females have formed wings and accessed their elemental breath attacks. Although they are still too young to mate and bear young, they are nevertheless driven from their mothers’ side as competition for resources. These young females will travel great distances in their search for a suitable future nesting site, and they are particularly known for their voracious appetites. Because of their nomadic habits, these are the dragons most frequently encountered by man.

High Dragon - Females aged 300-1100. High dragons are fully mature adult female dragons. They are known to hollow out massive lairs for themselves in order to house their harem of drakes, raise their dragonling offspring, and shelter their eggs. High Dragons are known to be extremely territorial and will typically attack anything that trespasses in their claimed area.

Once every hundred years or so, the high dragon prepares for clutching by emerging from her lair and taking wing. She will fly far and wide over the course of several weeks, gorging herself on prey and leaving a path of devastation in her wake. She will then return to her lair to lay her eggs and will not appear in the skies again for another century.

Great Dragon - Females aged ????-????. The great dragon is the rarest and most ancient form of dragon, larger and more powerful even than the high dragon. Their blood is rumored to have ‘godlike’ powers.The last remaining great dragons are still sleeping within the Hall of Sleepers in the Silent Grove, and can only be awakened by the blood of the line of Calenhad.

Types of Dragon

Ferelden Frostback - Known for being excessively territorial. Favors temperate scrubland. Elemental affinity: Fire

Northern Hunter - Gluttonous, omnivorous eaters. Found in marshy lowlands. Elemental affinity: Electricity

Abyssal High Dragon - Extremely rare, but possess powerful elemental breath. Desert hills habitat. Elemental affinity: Fire

Gamordan Stormrider - Famous in Orlais, depicted in several well-known art pieces. Found in marshy swamps. Elemental affinity: Electricity

Greater Mistral - Colorful, decorative scales. Favors lush forest terrain. Elemental affinity: Cold

Hivernal - Rich fatty deposits beneath their hide once made them a prime target for hunters. Found in arctic tundra terrain. Elemental affinity: Cold

Vinsomer - According to legend, an especially large Vinsomer was the last dragon hunted by the infamous Caspar Pentaghast. Can be found primarily near temperate coastlines. Elemental affinity: Electricity

Sandy Howler - Nocturnal hunters who prefer cooked meat. Native to deserts. Elemental affinity: Fire

Kaltenzahn - Legendarily stubborn. Prefer isolated, mountainous territory. Elemental affinity: Cold

Highland Ravager - Surprisingly social and willing to share territory with other high dragons, the Highland Ravager is also known to be one of the most destructive to human settlements. Highland habitat. Elemental affinity: Fire

Ataashi - Typically claim tropical forest territory, especially known to be found near Rivain. Characterized by their neon green markings and unique toxic affinity. Elemental affinity: Poison

Sunless Snowfang - Smaller than their northern cousins, these dragons are almost smooth to the touch, and adapted to living in extreme winter weather. Elemental affinity: Cold