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The Dragons; colors
Topic Started: Mar 21 2011, 10:26 PM (893 Views)
Ichigo
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Contents:
Dragon Colors (Please refer to this thread for newer Dragon Color information: [Link])
Dragon Impression Listings
Basic Anatomy
Eye Color and Sounds
Mating Flights
Clutches
Hatchings & Impression
Clutch Probability
Size Charts



DRAGON COLORS



Gold
Gold dragons, also called queens, are the largest dragons (27-32 feet long) and the original fertile females. Gold dragons are by far the rarest dragons on Pern, at just less than 1% of the population. They are dominant over all other colors; any non-gold dragon will invariably obey a queen's orders, even against the wishes of its own rider. Queens are incapable of digesting firestone and producing flame; however, they do fight Thread - they fly in a special wing, with their riders armed with specially designed flamethrowers. Queen eggs are significantly larger than other dragon eggs, and bear distinctive coloration. Gold dragons Impress only to women.
Please note that in Maori's reality Golds in the south will be extremely rare, if non-existent. So if a Gold egg EVER appears on the sands, then know that it will NOT be given out lightly.

Gold-Green
Gold-Green dragons, also called Green-Golds, and occasionally queens, were an accidental tweak in the the genetics. They're about the same size as a green (18-21 feet), and often have the same flirtatious tendencies. The very first came from an accidental tweak in the genetics of Fire-Lizards and hatched from the same clutch that the 4, mutated Whers hatched from. Unlike golds they can flame, and it appears that they can clutch as well. They can command any color below a Bronze, but even blues have difficulty obeying. Gold-Greens have to be determined and willing to push and shove, otherwise other dragons will treat them just like greens. If, however, there are no golds a Gold-Green can become the Senior Female. Their eggs usually show no sign of what lies inside, though sometimes the egg can be mottled with gold flecks. They are about as rare as Golds, but less vain and demanding. If a Gold-Green is the only female capable of leading the Weyr (no Gold around) then the other Dragons of the Weyr will obey them without question.

Bronze
Bronze dragons are the largest males (24-29 feet long), although they are significantly smaller than the queens. Bronzes only comprise of about 5% of all dragons. They are almost always the ones to mate with queens, as the smaller colors generally lack the stamina to chase and catch the gold dragons. More rarely, they may mate with greens, but their size puts them at a disadvantage in chasing the agile greens. Bronzeriders are always heterosexual men.

Brown
Brown dragons are the next largest color (21-27 feet long). About 15% of all dragons are brown. They may occasionally mate with queens, although this is rare, and becomes even more rare as the dragons increase in size; by Ramoth's time in the Ninth Pass it is unheard-of. All brownriders in the Pern novels are men, either straight or bisexual.

Agate
Agates, also known as "Brown-Bronze-Blues" or "Bronze-Brown-Blues" or any combination of the three colors, seem to be a mix of all the positive traits of the male colors. They're jolly, empathetic, brave, determined, and love to help others. There are the occasional Agates that are very shy and reclusive, but for the most part they are all very lovable. They can range from the size of a blue all the way up to the largest of bronzes. (22-28 feet long) Some love to lead, others prefer to stay in the background and help out where they can, but they always consider themselves with a rank equal to that of a brown. They are always male and almost always impress to heterosexual men. The occasional bisexual or homosexual man is accepted, but rarely will a women bond to an Agate.

Blue
Blue dragons are the smallest males (20-25 feet long) and make up about a third (30 %) of all dragons on Pern. They are nearly as agile as greens, but unlike the greens, they have enough stamina to last for an entire Threadfall. They mate only with greens, as they are simply too small to keep up with a massive queen over a long mating flight. There are few prominent blue dragons or blueriders in the books. The blueriders who do appear in canon books are always male and can be straight, masculine homosexual or bisexual. McCaffrey's guidelines allow for the possibility of masculine lesbian female blueriders in role-playing games.

Green
Green dragons are the smallest normal color (15-19 feet long), and make up about half of all dragons on Pern (50%). They are female, but unlike the queens, they are usually infertile and can produce flame. They are extremely valuable in Threadfall because of their agility, but they lack the stamina to last an entire Fall and generally fly in 2 or three shifts. Greens will impress to both Heterosexual and Homosexual females, as well as Homosexual Males, or feminine Males.



DRAGON IMPRESSION LISTING



Gold - Heterosexual Women Only
Gold-Green - Heterosexual Women Only
Bronze - Heterosexual Men Only
Brown - Heterosexual or bisexual men (though they tend to lean towards the former). Female Riders are almost non-existent.
Agate - Heterosexual men, Sometimes bisexual or homosexual men
Blue - Masculine homosexual, bisexual, or on occasion a heterosexual man. Bisexual, heterosexual or a homosexual woman (rarely).
Green - Feminine homosexual or bisexual men. Heterosexual or bisexual women.



Basic Anatomy


Compiled From Wikipedia

Dragons are carnivorous, oviparous, warm-blooded creatures. Like all of Pern's native large fauna, they have six limbs - four feet and two wings. Their blood, referred to as ichor, is copper-based and green in color. They have multifaceted eyes that change color depending on the dragon's mood. Their head and general body type is described by McCaffrey as being similar in shape to those of horses. On their heads they have small headknobs, similar to those of giraffes, and no visible ears. Unlike the dragons of Terran legend, they have a smooth hide rather than scales; the texture of their skin is described as being reminiscent of suede with a spicy, sweet scent when clean. They are described as having forked tail ends with a defecation opening between the forks. The dragons usually get from one place to another by going through a teleportation process known as between.

Kitti Ping designed the dragons to gradually increase in size with each generation. The dragons of the first Hatchings were not much bigger than horses. Six Passes (1500 years) later they had reached their programmed size. The largest Pernese dragon on record, Ramoth, hatched twenty-five centuries later and (according to the novel All the Weyrs of Pern) was roughly three times the size of the largest first-generation dragons. Her great size is often attributed to mutation and the genetic isolation of Benden Weyr for over 400 years/turns. Newly hatched dragons are the size of very large dogs or small ponies, and reach their full size after eighteen months. Because young dragons grow so fast, their riders must regularly apply oil to their hides to prevent the skin from cracking or drying out.

Like their fire-lizard ancestors, dragons can breathe fire by chewing a phosphine-bearing rock called "firestone," which reacts with an acid in a special "second stomach" organ. This forms a volatile gas that can be exhaled at will and ignites upon contact with air. The flame is used to burn Thread from the sky before it reaches the ground. However, the chewed firestone must be expelled from the body after it is used up, for the dragons cannot digest it.

For a more advanced description of draconic physiology I suggest referring to Dragonhealing/anatomy.

Curious about what a Pernese Dragon Skeleton may look like? Click here. Photo-manipulation done by Ichigo, separate images belong to their corresponding owners. This image may eventually be updated.



Eye Color and Sounds



Sounds
Dragons use a wide variety of sounds to communicate with other than their telepathy. Certain sounds usually mean certain things, though they may, occasionally, mean other things depending on the tone. These sounds also transfer over to firelizards and dragonets, though in the smaller draconics a bugle is not really going to sound like a trumpet.

Roar: Anger, confusion, pain
Bugle/screech: Joy, triumph, happiness, challenge (The latter will occur more often in firelizards and dragonets)
Trill/warble: Curiosity, pleasure or enjoyment, satisfaction
Chirp: Confusion or embarrassment; sometimes meant to be playful. (Usually among hatchlings)
Croon : Love, affection
Bark: Surprise, astonishment
Mew: Sadness, hunger (Less Common)
Keen: Death of a human, dragon, or other
Wail: Sadness, worry
Gurgle: Calmness or enjoyment
Rumble: Amusement or happiness, draconic equivalent of a laugh
Grumble: Minor annoyance or frustration
Growl/Hiss: Anger, warning
Purr: content, assured, happy (more common in firelizards and dragonets)

Eye Colors
Along with their sounds and mental speech a Dragon's eye color can also help in conveying emotion. The stronger the emotion the faster the eye seems to "whirl".

Red: Extreme anger, ready to rise, extreme pain/sorrow/grief, lust
Orange: Slightly annoyed, still fairly calm
Yellow: Frustrated, confusion/pain
Lime green: Astonishment or surprise
Dark green: Contentment, normal coloring
Light blue: Nervous excitement or light worry, excitement
Dark blue: Contentment
Light purple/pink: Jealousy
Dark purple: Worry
White: Terrified, scared
Gray: Pain, dying



Mating Flights



Greens generally tend to rise to mate as soon as they are mature. However, Golds, and occasionally Green-Golds do not seem to rise until well after their second Turn and sometimes it is later than this. The reasons for this are purely speculative, but may be in some part due to the egg-laying process. As a rule Greens rise to mate approximately four times a Turn. Golds rise less often, about twice a Turn.

Female Dragons generally show a change in color as an indication of rising to mate. This color change occurs a few days before a Green will rise, her Rider generally becoming irascible and displaying uncharacteristic behavior. In Golds this may differ. A Gold generally shows no color change until the day she rises to mate and, on that day, she is usually sleepy, wakening from a deep slumber only when she is ready to rise. Her Rider may show signs of 'proddiness' a day or two before she rises. Threadscoring and similar traumas can cause a Dragon to rise unexpectedly, with little or no warning.

When a female is ready to rise, the males sensitive to her are induced to blood their kills. As she awakens, primitive instincts take over, and she must be prevented from gorging by her Rider. This is extremely important, since a full-stomached female may not achieve the height necessary to successfully mate before crashing to the ground.

Territorial drive within Golds is extremely strong during mating, and all other Golds, unless egg-heavy or attending to a clutch, should be removed from the Weyr since a mating Gold may induce heat which will ultimately result in a battle, each trying to keep 'her' males. It is somewhat advantageous that Greens are less territorial, since their sheer numbers would be extremely disruptive to the Weyr.

During a flight, the male sexual drive is largely competitive. They generally finish blooding before the female, due somewhat to the fact that they started before the female and also to the fact that they watch for the sign of the female rising into the air, seeking to be close behind her as she leaves the feeding grounds. He will seek to out maneuver the other males and catch the female. Different techniques seem to be necessary to catch Green and Gold. The Greens are more agile, but tire quicker, whilst the Golds are somewhat slower but have more endurance than all the males. Aggressiveness is an integral part of some mating flights and a Dragonhealer may need to be on hand.

Greens may mate with any male Dragon, but only Brown and Bronze Dragons have a chance of catching a Gold. No Gold eggs and very few Bronzes are produced from Brown-Gold pairings. They are highly discouraged in Senior Golds, even though the offspring are healthy. Longer, higher flights generally result in a greater number of offspring and a higher ratio of metallics to chromatics.



Clutches



Only Gold Dragons are fertile due to the fact that Kitti Ping Yung, the designer of the dragons, designed the golds to be the only clutching females. However, Gold-Greens, a mutation that is a combination of both Gold and Green Dragons, are also capable of producing clutches. Golds typically produce clutches that range from ten to forty eggs, with occasionally one or two 'dead' eggs, which are generally of no concern. Gold-Greens produce a range of much fewer eggs, though they do tend to have the habit of flying at the same time, thus providing the Weyr with many eggs at once. The babies that hatch from a Gold-Green clutch are usually smaller than would be from a Gold. A Dragon mother is usually gravid for eight to ten sevendays, or roughly 2 months. The eggs then spend five sevendays hardening on the heated sands of the Hatching Ground before hatching.



Hatchings & Impression



Three months after the mating flight, the Gold clutches her eggs on the hatching sands. Then, for five sevendays, the eggs harden, and the dragons develop until they are ready to hatch.

At the onset of a Dragon hatching, the dam will emit a noise that is described as more 'subliminal' rather than actual noise. The Gold will then begin to show external signs of excitement, her chest and belly vibrating with the noise she is generating. The other Dragons start to hum, the sound continually increasing in volume. Riders have been noted as feeling slightly deafened after a hatching.

Dragonets hatch from their eggs complete and in urgent need of food, although they seek to Impress to their lifemates first. They will circle the sands searching for their lifemate, screaming until they do so. Accidents where candidates get trampled by the Dragonet eager to find his or her lifemate are common.

It is unknown what creates an attraction between Dragon and Rider. Nevertheless, it seems to be present from the moment of hatching and Dragon choice can neither be forced nor changed. Once impression is made, they start to feel hungry.

Impression is often described as the most wonderful experience by Riders and they will often get wistful if asked. The sensations overrunning the new Rider are complex and more than one has felt confused because suddenly they have two sets of emotions instead of one. A distressed and agitated hatchling can bespeak every Rider in the locality if need be, and, even with a newly formed bond, Dragonets are fiercely protective. They will, with provocation, attack a human that endangers their lifemate.



Clutching Probability



Gold/Bronze:
  • -Gold (Very Rare)
  • Bronze (Rare)
  • Brown (Uncommon)
  • Blue (Common)
  • Green (Very Common)
Gold/Brown:
  • -
  • Gold (Extremely Rare)
  • Bronze (Very Rare)
  • Brown (Rare/Uncommon)
  • Blue (Common)
  • Green (Very Common)
Gold/Agate:
  • -
  • Gold (Very Rare)
  • Bronze (Rare)
  • Agate (Rare)
  • Brown (Uncommon)
  • Blue (Common)
  • Green (Very Common)
Green-Gold/Bronze:
  • -
  • Gold (Once in a blue moon)
  • Gold-Green (Extremely Rare)
  • Bronze (Rare)
  • Agate (Very Rare)
  • Brown (Uncommon)
  • Blue (Common)
  • Green (Very Common)
Green-Gold/Brown:
  • -Gold-Green (Extremely Rare)
  • Bronze (Very Rare)
  • Brown (Rare)
  • Blue (Common)
  • Green (Very Common)
Green-Gold/Agate:

  • Gold-Green (Extremely Rare)
  • Bronze (Very Rare)
  • Agate (Uncommon)
  • Brown (Uncommon)
  • Blue (Common)
  • Green (Very Common)
Green-Gold/Blue:
  • -Brown (Very Rare)
  • Blue (Common)
  • Green (Very Common)
And Credit goes to Evendar/Thialyn of Iayla Weyr for setting most of this information. It is not Eyo's or Ichi's work and taking credit for it would be shameful. The information about the clutching possiblities and the gold-greens/Agates belong to us and us alone.
Edited by Event Admin, May 29 2011, 10:21 PM.
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Ichigo
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SIZE CHARTS


Estimated Dragon Sizes
Posted Image


Artwork © Ichigo
Edited by Ichigo, Apr 26 2011, 05:26 PM.
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