Dragons on Zekira

All dragons are genetically engineered from local dinosaur and reptilian sources. Each Type of dragon has unique abilities, appearances and needs.

Life Cycles of Dragons
There are two ways to go about getting a dragon on Zekira: one is to wait for a "natural" hatching to occur, and the other is to have a Dragon Breeder create one for you. In the case of a hatched dragon, all bets are off as to what specifics will be there if it's untouched by Breeders' hands. The only way to make certain that a Dragon Master has the right dragon to go with him, is to design it custom from the ground up.

The different Types of dragons all have one thing in common: the dragons come from eggs. That's about where the resemblance ends. Each Type has a different style of egg (from hard shell to leathery to egg-case) and they all vary in size according to their environment. Each also varies per time it takes to hatch and mature after hatching, as well as having dramatically variable lifespans.

Because of the need for dragons as organic weapons, very few dragons are ever let 'wild'. There may be some, but they will be considered substandard to those who are officially made by Dragon Breeders. Every dragon who is bred for the purpose of fighting off the alien invasion must have a Dragon Master with it at least from adolescence. It is not required that every dragon bond to a Master at birth, though the pairing is more secure that way. It also is never implied that only one dragon ever be bonded to one Master - some dragons can in fact move from one to another, so long as they have a bond. Dragon Masters can also have more than one dragon at a time bonded to them, but it isn't often a good idea to do so, at least not with ones who are likely to become aggressive to one another.

All dragons have the ability to speak either empathically or telepathically with their Master. Usually this comes in the form of their early bond solidifying, but some can actually speak with others than their Master, while a rare few are unable to do so except with great effort. Assume that all dragons which have Masters have the ability of Telepathy at a Minor level, Power Rank 4. They can gain skill in this ability, so in game terms be aware of the potential of the dragon individually.

Dragons require varying amounts of space and care. Some of them are perfectly able to tend themselves in matters of feeding and grooming, but usually the bigger they are, the more space, food and grooming they will require to be in shape for a fight. Some dragons are not designed to actually be ridden into combat with the enemy, rather they are sent out by their Master to do the work without endangering the human. In those cases, it is vital that the dragon be able to work with others of its kind. Turning on their comrades at a bad time could doom the world!

Dragons are not all that different from Zekirans, in that some of them can be quite intelligent, and they can use psionic powers similar to those found in their Masters. This is what distinguishes them from Steeds in their usefulness. If it were as simple as riding Steeds up to meet the enemy, Zekirans would have done so. However the training required to get a steed to fly in the face of a loud, scary machine is more effort than it would ever be worth. Steeds may come in a close second to dragons in many ways, but in fighting off the invaders, they can't even rank.

In a natural hatching, the eggs (anywhere from two to twelve) are kept by their mother. Some dragon types are more maternal than others, and some males may become involved, but not often. A Dragon Master whose dragon is laying eggs must alert the local Dragon Breeders, so that the word can go out that there will be little dragons in need of training and Mastering. If there are no potential Masters nearby, the eggs may as well be left wild. Desert dragons are the most commonly wild dragons, shortly followed by Forest and then Stone. Others rarely go wild, due mostly to their size and their intelligence.

When a nest hatches, the hatchling dragons are mostly able to fend for themselves right off. Most can find food and move under their own power, but the main difference will be in training them from their earliest opportunity to become fighting dragons instead of just wild ones.

Not just anyone can Master a dragon. Dragon Masters must have a particular tuned power. Unlike Animal Masters, who can be from any background and be in the field because they wish to, all dragon Masters have something special about them which a dragon is attracted to. Be it a power or just an empathic need, dragons will seek out the Masters, if not the other way around. Even a latent power can attract a dragon of high empathic ability, and thus many Dragon Masters have been brought in from other Status. There is no law stating that a Slave or Bond must be free to Master a dragon - so if the Dragon Master is rolled up with one of those categories, they ARE still Owned or Bayaran to someone. If they manage to save the world, of course, most Lords or Masters will get them anything they want, including their freedom. This is mainly an oversight, in the short time that it has taken to develop the Dragon Master and Breeder Status, some laws have simply been left by the wayside and may change once the threat is over.

If a dragon is given a Master right away, they will usually develop their full set of potential powers and abilities. If they are not, or are given one later in life, their powers stand a poor chance of surfacing. Most dragons who have been Mastered later in life only wind up being non-combat dragons, useful for flying errands or defending areas, but very poorly chosen for fighting against aliens!

A Dragon Master who is a Free Worker or above in Status will be automatically given enough land to raise their dragon. Every Land has a pool of funds which is offered to new D'Masters who need the land or food supplies. This is not offered to those who are already Dragon Masters, or who have more than the required space in any given Hold to raise and train a dragon. If they do not have enough land Held in one location, they must sacrifice another Hold's worth of land to bring their Holdings up to par. Or, they might rent out space from another Holder with enough space, and the inclination to do so. It's all very flexible that way at least, and there certainly is more than enough land to go around. Many High Owners or High Holders with lots of land spare out their less desirable parcels to these D'Masters.

When a dragon hatches, they are usually about 8-10% of their full size. This is excepted in the case of Sea and Sky dragons. In those cases, they are closer to only 3-5% of their full adult size, as they can both grow very large over time. This means that a hatchling can be anywhere from the length of an arm (a Span), to about 3 spans, in size. They eat constantly, and sleep otherwise, for about the first fortnight of their lives. Desert dragons take a few days less than that, while Sea dragons take about half again as long (up to 30 days). After this point, they are usually examined by a Dragon Breeder or other qualified Master to see what they will be able to do, check their mutations, and such.

If a dragon young is found to be of exceptional quality, they are usually placed on a roster for breeding purposes. The Master of this dragon does not have to allow them to participate in mating, and most often than not, dragons go their whole lives without mating. Only the prime breeders of their Type are allowed to mate with one another for natural hatchings. In this manner, it is remarkable how close to Zekirans the dragons are treated, except that the Zekirans can mate, they just don't often breed.

From the time a dragon is weaned off hand-feeding, to about one year in age (give or take), they are trained carefully to respond to their Master. They are given a name, and they are in fact educated according to what they may learn. It is possible for a young dragon to know simple math, they are required to know their location inside and out, for most of them are going to be protecting it for the rest of their lives. Basic social skills are necessary for dragonets who are small enough to be in a homestead. They will learn not to knock things over, where certain rooms are, and who not to bite. In this regard, they are almost considered Owned, for they can be punished as a means of learning, but they also cannot be made to leave and must be given proper care. In many ways, they are superior to Slaves in treatment…

Feeding a growing dragonet is not cheap. The right kinds of food must be provided, and in the proper amounts. Dragon Masters usually know what that amount and type is, but sometimes newly appointed Masters can make mistakes. Usually those mistakes come in over or under feeding, and are rarely serious problems. A continually over-fed dragon will be fat as an adult, though, and will probably never be fit for combat use. When still young, dragons can eat half their body weight in a sitting, and usually then digest for a certain amount of time. They are cold blooded creatures (even the Stone and Forest dragons) so they must have external heat sources to digest their foods, unless they are specifically bred otherwise. When they are older, over 2 years or over 5% of their life expectancy, they may eat a single large meal and that will keep them healthy for more than a week or even longer, up to more than a fortnight. Sea dragons tend to be the exception to this rule, as they are content to eat small fish and sea life on a more constant basis.

No dragon Type is able to go off and fight the enemy until they have been fully trained in tactics, and the use of their abilities and powers. This usually takes at least another full year. In the case of Desert dragons, their lifespan is short enough that their training is about 60% as long as their Sky or Forest counterparts. Swamp and Sea dragons on the other hand often pace themselves at a longer, slower rate. Both Swamp and Sea dragons have been known to live at least as long as their human counterparts, if given the chance a Sea dragon might live up to 200 or more years!

Training a dragon is very specific to the use and the Type of dragon. No one is going to make a very aggressive Stone dragon into a lap pet! It's equally hard to see a Forest dragon work up the courage to take on an alien fighter jet in mid-air, even though they can fly. Each Type is geared to a specific terrain and duty. Therefore it is vital that the Master of each dragon be able to work in those conditions that their dragon is best suited for. A mutant whose protective power keeps them snug and warm in high-altitude low-pressure situations will be quite useless among the fishes on a Sea dragon. Dragon Breeders are best at deciding who Masters what Type of dragon, listen to them.

When a dragon is old enough, and has enough training to be led into combat for the first time, they are usually in the care of an older, or even retired, Master and dragon. Learning from their elders, the dragons and their Masters are able to keep the flow of combat worthy fighters going, without large gaps when times are thin for adult Combat pairs. They are led on short, easy missions (if any are available) and hopefully they survive to fly or fight again. Only about 5% of the young dragons fail these first missions, and usually those missions are failed by their elders at the same time - losing twice the potential. Depending on how well or poorly the dragon and Master do in this test combat, they are placed with others who need their powers or abilities most.

Some dragon Masters will only work alone, though usually they are non-combat Masters. Most though prefer the safety of a group, when fighting the enemy on any terrain. Tactics are very important, so a Master must be versed in group and solo tactics long before even instructing their own dragon. If one has the skill, a Master might become a group or field leader, rather than a mere combat Master. This brings respect to them, if not admiration by others. Jealousy has absolutely no place in the field, and cannot be tolerated. So if a Master or their dragon has a problem with one of the other members of a team, they will be moved until they are happy, or are suitably embarrassed into silence.

The lifespan of a dragon usually determines how long they are going to be useful in the field. If they are a selected breeder, they will be removed from combat situations in favor of breeding if they are available. If it is not possible to breed before death… They can always be sampled by a Dragon Breeder and used for future genetic designs.

The expected lifespan of a Dragon Master is… unfortunately… rather short. Shorter in fact than most Slaves. But this is because they are actually required to seek out the threat of invaders and subdue them. Never before in the history of Zekirans has a Status been so required. It takes a very sturdy, sane and balanced individual to become a Dragon Master, but to become an OLD dragon Master is another thing entirely. That requires skill, experience and luck, as well as the blessing of the right Dragon to aid them.

When a dragon is injured, they are immediately treated. Similar to a Steed in a ring or race, they are never expected to be "put down" unless the injuries are so serous they will never recover from them, or their Master has perished and they are useless due to psionic grief. Very few of these dragons would live well on their own, and thus are put to a merciful end with great sadness. If a dragon turns on their Master, in madness, or is unable to ever adjust to working with other dragons, turning aggression into a threat, they must either be subdued or in the extreme case, put to rest. If a dragon without a Master is found rampaging around the countryside, they are immediately subdued and if possible paired with a suitable Master.

When a Dragon Master is injured in the line of duty, they are also tended expertly and immediately if possible. They are expected to know enough about healing themselves and their dragon to keep working long enough to get to a city or to a Healer. If they cannot, they may have permanent injuries which will prevent them from working in the field in the future. Both dragon and Master have the option of retirement if this occurs. Even Slaves and Bonds who are Dragon Masters can ask to retire, and must be given the option. Very often, they are useful in training the next generation of Masters.

When a dragon dies of age or in combat, they are usually brought back as a casualty and mourned by their Breeder or Master. Depending on the Type of dragon, some dragons have 'graveyards' which slowly grow - the Desert dragon is most often placed among the bones of their peers in a safe, desolate place north of Reant. Sea dragons of course are left to their oceans or lakes, and are consumed by the very fish they often eat as food. Otherwise, dragons are treated as animals for purposes of burial. Either they are treasured enough to warrant a burial on the Hold where they were hatched, or they are simply put out with the other bio-degradable wastes for scavengers to pick at. It sounds horrid, but since most Zekirans will outlive all but the sturdiest of dragons, this is only a practicality. One cannot continue to mourn for something that can easily be replaced.

Dragons and their Masters usually collect scars as badges of their history in combat. Though they can be healed quite thoroughly, many seasoned vetran Masters will continue to sport their scars. It is the one group of people on Zekira who like such things as a display of rank. Among one another, survival in a certain mission means more than any Status symbol or Holdings.

Females and males Master dragons in equal numbers. There are equal numbers of male and female dragons of each Type, depending on (usually) the warmth of the eggs during nesting. Hotter conditions usually mean more females, colder conditions usually make more males. Care is taken when breeding natural hatchings to keep the number of eggs low. Dragon Breeders or Masters with the correct powers can determine if any of the eggs are less suitable, and those may be destroyed or let to die on their own.

Dragons do not make good 'companion' animals for people who are not Dragon Tuned. They are not fit to be ridden in cities in most cases, as they are distractable and trained to attack, plus they are usually looking for their next meal. Steeds in particular should never be housed with dragons. When the Steed is bigger, they may injure the dragon if it is young, and if the dragon is bigger, that Steed may be lunch. Also remember that dragons are intelligent to a much stronger degree than any other pet or animal on Zekira. If they are unhappy with something, they will say so. If they have appropriate powers, they will do something about it.

Specific Dragon Types

Each Type of dragon has been carefully manufactured out of existing local animal life into their current state. Certain Breeding houses specialize in one or two types and nothing more, while others are known to produce a smattering of everything that wanders their way, and others still may be involved in creation of completely custom or totally new Types of dragons.

There are six Types of dragons fully covered in this section, though there are less common or extremely rare others. These can give a very good idea of what to expect when creating a Dragon and their Master. The requirements for each Type should be obvious. Other Types to explore: Ice dragons, river dragons, cave dragons, etc.

Each Type described here will show basic physical characteristics, egg appearance, size and hatching, locations covered by their combat, mental and empathic abilities and expectations, disadvantages, and Master/Breeder requirements.

Comparisons to Zekiran stats should be taken not as literal but in comparison to one another. A dragon with a 90 Body Type does NOT have the same dimensions as a human with 90! For Strength and Body Type a conversion should be obvious based on size in lengths. (A 5-length dragon therefore may have a 90x5 body type!) Reaction and Reaction/Perception on the other hand are absolute comparisons, as is Intelligence, with human scores.