Disclaimer: I don't own Dungeons & Dragons. This is just an essay I tried
to submit into a creative writing book in my school. However, they rejected
it. I hope you will like this. The resources used for this essay are listed
at the bottom. Enjoy!
An Essay on the Truth of Dragons
Dragons are some of the most misunderstood creatures of Oerth. Most people believe that all dragons are unintelligent, greedy, evil, that they all breathe fire, and that they demolish everything in their path. Some parts of this lack of information are true, but most is just completely fictional. The purpose of this essay is to uncover the truth of these majestic, cunning, and awesome creatures.
Dragons are, of course, the strongest, largest, and most magical of creatures. They are also the oldest. They have been around for several millennia, and each individual dragon can live over 1,200 years. There are four main categories of dragons: chromatic, metallic, irregular, and sub- draconian.
The chromatic dragons, consisting of White, Black, Green, Blue, and Red dragons, are the dragons that have given all other dragons the evil stereotype. While some sub-draconian and irregular dragons are evil, some are actually against evil. For the most part, good dragons are usually metallic, being Brass, Copper, Bronze, Silver, or Gold. The irregular dragons, consisting of the Brown, Deep, Fang, Shadow, and Song dragons, are actually well blended in alignment, some being evil (Brown, Deep, Shadow), some being good (Song), and some neither good, nor evil (Fang, Song). The sub-draconians are rather mixed as well. There are five types: Wyvern, Pseudodragon, Ibrandlin, Dragon Turtle, and Half-Dragons. Wyverns are usually evil, while Pseudodragons are always good. Half-Dragons and Ibrandlins have differing alignments, depending on their origins. Half- Dragons usually follow their draconic heritage and follow suit with their dragon parent on morals, however Half-Dragons can be aligned with their non- draconic parent. Ibrandlins always follow suit with the person who employed them to guard a particular area (since that's what Ibrandlins are used for), usually because that person who employed them also created them (they are dragon/constructs). Dragon Turtles tend to act as natural (animalistic) as possible, and normally have no particular alignment. One definite way to tell if a dragon is good or evil is how they react to other dragons, or to humanoids. If a conflict occurs and the dragons first instinct is to attack, it is most likely evil, since good dragons prefer to discuss problems and try to solve them with words, instead of with their claws. So it is easy to say that not all dragons are evil, although a large enough percentage of them are to understand why some people think they all are.
Another misconception is that all dragons breathe fire. Sure, there are a good amount that do, but there are other dragons with different breath weapons, and even those (Fang, Pseudodragon, Wyvern) that don't have a breath weapon, but have a natural venom (delivered through either biting {Fang} or stinging {Pseudodragon, Wyvern}). Breath weapons can have several effects, but come in three shapes, either a cone, a cloud (rare), or a line. Examples of breath weapons include: Line of Acid, Line of Lightning, Cone of Acidic Gas, Cone of Fire, Cone of Cold (yes, COLD), Line of Fire, Cone of Sleeping Gas (puts enemies to sleep), Cone of Repulsing Gas (Targets are forced to move away), Cone of Slowing Gas (slows enemies), Cone of Weakening Gas, Cone of Paralyzing Gas, Cloud of Superheated Steam, Cone of Energy-Draining Gas, Cone of Electrically-Charged Gas, and even a Cone of Flesh-Corrosive Gas. Dragons use their breath weapons often, but some avoid using them against certain enemies. If the dragon is fighting an elemental of the same element as their breath weapon (Water-Cold, Earth- Acid, Air-Electricity, Fire-Fire), they will avoid using it. Another peculiar time when a dragon avoids using its breath weapon occurs with the Brown Dragon. It avoids using its breath weapon, a Line of Acid, when fighting mounted enemies, only because it knows that horses are good eating. However, if a Dragon is avoiding the use of its breath weapon, it can still bite and claw, and, depending on their age, slash with its wings, tail slap, crush, tail sweep, or even use its spell-like abilities (essentially, dragons are minor spellcasters). It is obvious that if a dragon has such varied abilities, that they can be very powerful adversaries.
There is one characteristic of dragons that I have mistakenly listed as a misconception, avarice. All dragons, even good dragons, are very greedy. You will never see a dragon pass up a good hoard of gold and gems. Dragons are so greedy, they even come back to life if they are slain and their treasure is completely taken. These ghosts are very dangerous, since they can drain energy, and their breath weapon changes to age all targets by up to 100 years. The only way to lay these Ghost-Dragons to rest is to return their hoard, or an equivalent value, to their lairs. Dragons are also very territorial. They consider all land within sight of their lair theirs. If two dragons vie for the same land, a conflict occurs. Conflicts between good dragons are almost always debates, where conflicts between other match-ups (ex. Good v. Evil) are definitely very aggressive battles. Most conflicts like the latter are usually between dragons that live in similar climates, especially between Silver and Red dragons. This just shows you that some of the rumors of dragons are true, but not all of them.
How did the dragons come into being? As like all other creatures, they were created by deities. There are six known Dragon-Deities: Aasterinian, Bahamut, Chronepsis, Falazure, Tiamat, and Io. Io is the main Dragon-Deity, also known as The Ninefold Dragon, The Concordant Dragon, The Great Eternal Wheel, and the Creator of Dragonkind. He is the deity that also created the other Dragon-Deities. Bahamut is the Platinum Dragon, the good dragon deity. He is also known as the Lord of the North Wind, and is known for his wisdom, prophecies, and song. Tiamat, the Chromatic Dragon, is the Five-Headed deity of evil dragons, and claims to have created all evil dragonkind. Her five heads bear the colors of all five chromatic dragons. Aasterinian is the tricky dragon-deity who prefers to disturb order. Chronepsis is an indifferent deity concerned with fate, death, and judgment. Falazure is the other evil dragon-deity (Chronepsis and Io are neutral. Aasterinian is neutral, but is rather free-range.), mostly concerned with the undead, decay, and exhaustion. These deities are powerful, and should not be angered in any form or manner, considering their abilities.
Overall, dragons are amazing creatures. They are a strong, quick, cunning, noble, and ancient race, which has been misinterpreted. There are evil dragons, there is no denying it. But there are the good dragons that are just as willing to do great and wonderful things as they are to find a large quantity of gold. Just remember that there is more to dragons than it seems, and that it is more likely that a dragon will outsmart you than you will be able to get a single ounce of their treasure.
Resources: Monster Manual, Monsters of Faerun, and Defenders of the Faith from the Third edition of Dungeons & Dragons Accessory books. Not just for quests, these books are reliable references for all forms of Arcane Lore and other pieces of little-known Middle-Earth (Oerth) Knowledge.
An Essay on the Truth of Dragons
Dragons are some of the most misunderstood creatures of Oerth. Most people believe that all dragons are unintelligent, greedy, evil, that they all breathe fire, and that they demolish everything in their path. Some parts of this lack of information are true, but most is just completely fictional. The purpose of this essay is to uncover the truth of these majestic, cunning, and awesome creatures.
Dragons are, of course, the strongest, largest, and most magical of creatures. They are also the oldest. They have been around for several millennia, and each individual dragon can live over 1,200 years. There are four main categories of dragons: chromatic, metallic, irregular, and sub- draconian.
The chromatic dragons, consisting of White, Black, Green, Blue, and Red dragons, are the dragons that have given all other dragons the evil stereotype. While some sub-draconian and irregular dragons are evil, some are actually against evil. For the most part, good dragons are usually metallic, being Brass, Copper, Bronze, Silver, or Gold. The irregular dragons, consisting of the Brown, Deep, Fang, Shadow, and Song dragons, are actually well blended in alignment, some being evil (Brown, Deep, Shadow), some being good (Song), and some neither good, nor evil (Fang, Song). The sub-draconians are rather mixed as well. There are five types: Wyvern, Pseudodragon, Ibrandlin, Dragon Turtle, and Half-Dragons. Wyverns are usually evil, while Pseudodragons are always good. Half-Dragons and Ibrandlins have differing alignments, depending on their origins. Half- Dragons usually follow their draconic heritage and follow suit with their dragon parent on morals, however Half-Dragons can be aligned with their non- draconic parent. Ibrandlins always follow suit with the person who employed them to guard a particular area (since that's what Ibrandlins are used for), usually because that person who employed them also created them (they are dragon/constructs). Dragon Turtles tend to act as natural (animalistic) as possible, and normally have no particular alignment. One definite way to tell if a dragon is good or evil is how they react to other dragons, or to humanoids. If a conflict occurs and the dragons first instinct is to attack, it is most likely evil, since good dragons prefer to discuss problems and try to solve them with words, instead of with their claws. So it is easy to say that not all dragons are evil, although a large enough percentage of them are to understand why some people think they all are.
Another misconception is that all dragons breathe fire. Sure, there are a good amount that do, but there are other dragons with different breath weapons, and even those (Fang, Pseudodragon, Wyvern) that don't have a breath weapon, but have a natural venom (delivered through either biting {Fang} or stinging {Pseudodragon, Wyvern}). Breath weapons can have several effects, but come in three shapes, either a cone, a cloud (rare), or a line. Examples of breath weapons include: Line of Acid, Line of Lightning, Cone of Acidic Gas, Cone of Fire, Cone of Cold (yes, COLD), Line of Fire, Cone of Sleeping Gas (puts enemies to sleep), Cone of Repulsing Gas (Targets are forced to move away), Cone of Slowing Gas (slows enemies), Cone of Weakening Gas, Cone of Paralyzing Gas, Cloud of Superheated Steam, Cone of Energy-Draining Gas, Cone of Electrically-Charged Gas, and even a Cone of Flesh-Corrosive Gas. Dragons use their breath weapons often, but some avoid using them against certain enemies. If the dragon is fighting an elemental of the same element as their breath weapon (Water-Cold, Earth- Acid, Air-Electricity, Fire-Fire), they will avoid using it. Another peculiar time when a dragon avoids using its breath weapon occurs with the Brown Dragon. It avoids using its breath weapon, a Line of Acid, when fighting mounted enemies, only because it knows that horses are good eating. However, if a Dragon is avoiding the use of its breath weapon, it can still bite and claw, and, depending on their age, slash with its wings, tail slap, crush, tail sweep, or even use its spell-like abilities (essentially, dragons are minor spellcasters). It is obvious that if a dragon has such varied abilities, that they can be very powerful adversaries.
There is one characteristic of dragons that I have mistakenly listed as a misconception, avarice. All dragons, even good dragons, are very greedy. You will never see a dragon pass up a good hoard of gold and gems. Dragons are so greedy, they even come back to life if they are slain and their treasure is completely taken. These ghosts are very dangerous, since they can drain energy, and their breath weapon changes to age all targets by up to 100 years. The only way to lay these Ghost-Dragons to rest is to return their hoard, or an equivalent value, to their lairs. Dragons are also very territorial. They consider all land within sight of their lair theirs. If two dragons vie for the same land, a conflict occurs. Conflicts between good dragons are almost always debates, where conflicts between other match-ups (ex. Good v. Evil) are definitely very aggressive battles. Most conflicts like the latter are usually between dragons that live in similar climates, especially between Silver and Red dragons. This just shows you that some of the rumors of dragons are true, but not all of them.
How did the dragons come into being? As like all other creatures, they were created by deities. There are six known Dragon-Deities: Aasterinian, Bahamut, Chronepsis, Falazure, Tiamat, and Io. Io is the main Dragon-Deity, also known as The Ninefold Dragon, The Concordant Dragon, The Great Eternal Wheel, and the Creator of Dragonkind. He is the deity that also created the other Dragon-Deities. Bahamut is the Platinum Dragon, the good dragon deity. He is also known as the Lord of the North Wind, and is known for his wisdom, prophecies, and song. Tiamat, the Chromatic Dragon, is the Five-Headed deity of evil dragons, and claims to have created all evil dragonkind. Her five heads bear the colors of all five chromatic dragons. Aasterinian is the tricky dragon-deity who prefers to disturb order. Chronepsis is an indifferent deity concerned with fate, death, and judgment. Falazure is the other evil dragon-deity (Chronepsis and Io are neutral. Aasterinian is neutral, but is rather free-range.), mostly concerned with the undead, decay, and exhaustion. These deities are powerful, and should not be angered in any form or manner, considering their abilities.
Overall, dragons are amazing creatures. They are a strong, quick, cunning, noble, and ancient race, which has been misinterpreted. There are evil dragons, there is no denying it. But there are the good dragons that are just as willing to do great and wonderful things as they are to find a large quantity of gold. Just remember that there is more to dragons than it seems, and that it is more likely that a dragon will outsmart you than you will be able to get a single ounce of their treasure.
Resources: Monster Manual, Monsters of Faerun, and Defenders of the Faith from the Third edition of Dungeons & Dragons Accessory books. Not just for quests, these books are reliable references for all forms of Arcane Lore and other pieces of little-known Middle-Earth (Oerth) Knowledge.