The Dragons

Dragons are some the most powerful creatures you can find in the world of Caelereth. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes, such as the Mythical Dragon the Adamant, or the greedy Great Drake - or simply "Dragon" - the Fire Dragon, the Lesser Drake Urzash, down to the tiny Dracoid Eingana Whelps.

Appearance. Though most Dragons resemble giant lizards or serpents, a few of them are warm-blooded, and some kinds even live in extreme arctic climates. In general Dragons can live with all elements: some prefer the air, others live near the water, on the ground only or also underground - depending on their species. Some Dragons even live on other planes, such as the Abyssal Dragon, which is one of the few creatures living in the Etherial Void. The Dragon is moderately uncommon, but can be found in all parts of Caelereth, though sentient Dragons can mainly be spotted only near the Dragon's Maw and the Tandala Highlands.

The Dragon is rarely seen, simply because of the fact that the natural hunting territories of such powerful creatures are shunned by the people. Certain kinds of Dragons also keep to themselves and "sit on their treasures, waiting for the next hero to pass by - only to have a very short company" (quoted from one of Master Tribell's typical fairy tales about dragonkind). However, at a very special historical occasion it is reported that masses of Dragons covered the skies in order to avenge the death of one of the legendary Adamant Dragons - at the famous Dragonstorm. The horrors this storm brought over Sarvonia are still recounted from generation to generation and will never be forgotten.

Most Dragons hunt by themselves, although some, who either favour large prey or are very small, hunt in packs. Most of the larger kinds have no natural enemies, and are at the top of the food chain of Caelereth, while the Lesser Drakes and Dracoids can be food for other beasts or even other Drakes. Many Dragons also have extremely powerful magic, equal to or even greater than the strongest powers of the lesser races (as Dragons interpret elves, humans, gnomes, orcs and the like).

Since there exists a vast variety of dragonkind, Dragons have extremely different habits and temperaments and are very unpredictable. Some Dragons will kill and devour members of the lesser races on sight, if given the chance, while others would try to befriend them. Still other Dragons may find it better to ignore them unless they are harrassed. Therefore a very important thing to be aware of in Caelereth when encountering Dragons is to finding the right way to react. Many a sorcerer has been killed when a well-meaning Dragon has approached them, and they fought back. The Dragon was angered and easily killed his opponents. The most notable example of this situation is in the case of Dorgrim the Slightly Dim. Dorgrim was a powerful wizard with little intelligence, as the legends tell us (strange, but true). Dorgrim angered an Aurora Dragon and was known from then on to his acquaintances as Dorgrim the Very Dead...

Categorization. Dragons/Drakes can be divided into four different groups. There are Mythical Dragons, the legendary Dragons of history and myth. There are Great Drakes, which are usually identified with the term "Dragons" and comprise the sentient or more powerful spectrum of Dragonkind living today. The next classification are the Lesser Drakes, sometimes called "Wyverns". The last and smallest group are those lizards or serpents which exhibit distinct Draconian qualities, but are very small or not quite Drakes in their own right, the Dracoids We summarize the different kinds of Dragons as follows:

I. MYTHICAL DRAGONS, THE
These are the Dragons of story and legend, whose powers and great deeds of good or evil have become so renowned that they can scarcely be believed. Most are assumed to be extinct, and any that are not most likely exist in mere handfuls. They are nearly every one magical, sentient, and superior in almost every way to other Dragons.

II. GREAT DRAKES, THE ("DRAGONS")
Most of the Great Drakes are sentient Dragons and possess their own language, culture, yes even religion, and all those things that make elves and humans and other races what they are. Some Great Drakes also possess the ability to command large armies of Lesser Drakes. They often can also cast powerful magic. Great Drakes can be split up into further sub-categories:

The Dragons
Dragons are basically huge land beasts often living in mountains. They are sentient or semi-sentient and some even can be treated as an own race. There are a few exceptions of sea dragons, which are not serpent-like. These beasts are also referred tp often simply as "Dragons".
The Wyrms (Great Worms)
Wyrms are usually serpent-like sea beasts, representing an equivalent to the Lesser Drake Worms. They are therefore also called Great Worms.

III. LESSER DRAKES, THE ("DRAKES", "WYVERNS", "WORMS")
In comparison to Great Drakes the Lesser Drakes (often also called as a general term somewhat inaccurately "Wyverns", "Worms" or simply "Drakes") are much more common, and also are much less dangerous than the Great Drakes when encountered as a single enemy. Lesser Drakes can be split up actually into further sub-categories: wyverns, chromatic drakes and serpents.

The Wyverns
Wyverns are drakes that live on land. They usually have a great amount of flying skill. The term "Wyvern" is also often used for denoting this type of drake solely, though this usage is not fully correct following the categorization principles of the Dragon researcher Homloth. Homloth lived in the second century b.S. and his works still serve as the main resource for Dragon descriptions.
The Chromatic Drakes
Chromatic Drakes are drakes which are named due to their colours and are also more common than the others.
The Worms (Serpents)
Worms are more serpent-shaped than Drakes and usually prefer water. They have shorter limbs, though no lesser wingspan.

IV. DRACOIDS
Dracoids are not so much Dragons or Drakes as they are drake-like lizards, or creatures with draconian qualities that are difficult to classify otherwise. There could be a great many scattered throughout the world in hard to reach places, hidden in caves or murky swamps, since they are typically small and not always easy to find, though some have been used as pets.