The Metallic Drakes

Designers Notes:
Rather than make separate entries for the Metallic Drakes, I have compiled four extinct Metallic Drakes into single entry, to save room, time and fuss. I have also taken the liberty of using our dear Webmasters name in this entry. And finally, the Mithralin Drake is actually a replacement of the Platinum Drake – it sounded more Santharian, and allowed me to make a small story as well.
If necessary, I can split this into four separate entries, but I simply saw no need to do that at the time, due to a great deal of similarities between these Drakes. Please critique and tell me what needs to be fixed – thanks in advance.

The Metallic Drakes: Silver, Gem, Mithralin and Bronze. (‘Upper Class Drakes’)

Overview:

The famed Metallic Drakes were once influential creatures amongst Dragons. While details are often sketchy due to a lack of solid records, they were said to be intelligent and often beautiful, if not very magically powerful or large, so they often commanded other groups of Dragons; the most notable example of this trait was during the fabled Dragon Storm. However, most Metallic Drakes are now extinct, survived only by the Gold Drake – the rest perished in the Vardynnian Atonement. Their assumed order of ‘rank’ by which they commanded other Dragons during the Dragon Storm was: Gold, Silver, Gem, Mithralin and finally Bronze.

Physical Description:

Each of the different Metallic Drakes was unique looking, but all were attractive to the eye.
What few records remain about the Dragon Storm state the Silver Drake was said to be almost liquid in appearance, covered in a smooth, mirror-polished skin that reflected light brilliantly in its younger years; however, as the drake grew older the skin began to darken and ‘tarnish’ and nothing could reverse the process. So, the duller looking the hide of the Silver Drake, the older it was. The eyes of the drake were also quite large, nearly half-a-fore in diameter, so it constantly had a ‘panicked’ look. The three claws on its large fore feet and four to the broad back feet allowed it surprising balance on even rocky or uneven slopes, aided by the long tail which ended in a sort of ‘paddle’ which was about a ped long and half a ped wide. The expansive wings were set forward almost directly on the shoulder blades, and when spread they would stretch almost back to its hindquarters. The overall length of the drake was about 9 peds (4 of which was tail!).

Almost no records remain about the Gem Drakes physical appearance, except that it covered its rather uninteresting looking, grey scaly hide with stones both precious and semi-precious (how is not recorded either). The drake had the characteristic wings, tail (not quite as long as the Silver Drakes) and other draconian features of its cousins – it is commonly believed by researchers to have been between 5 and 10 peds long.

The Mithralin Drake is believed to have been between 6 and 8 peds in length, with tiny maroon colored eyes set deep in its furrowed brow. The Mithralin Drake had not four legs, but merely two hind legs and wings. Its hide was a dull silver, not nearly as reflective as its cousin the Silver Drake, but certainly distinctive. A set of horns curled back from the crown of its head set on the drakes’ long snake-like neck; when resting the drake looked like a winged serpent ready to strike at potential prey.

The Bronze Drake was the smallest, about 5 to 7 peds long, and covered in the dull color of its namesake metal.

Special Abilities:

All of these Drakes could fly. The Silver Drake, however, was the only one capable of breathing fire. But most importantly, these Drakes were intelligent. All Metallic Drakes are (or were) sentient creatures, and when the Dragon Storm occurred, the Metallic Drakes personally directed hundreds of other Drakes and even Great Dragons during the Storm.

Territory:

The Metallic Drakes all lived at one time in the Dragons Maw…but none of these Drakes live there any longer.

Habitat:

They enjoyed cooler climates – some people believe this was because they were actually made of metal and needed to keep cool (see Myth/Lore).

Behavior:

The Metallic Drakes were not called ‘The Upper Class Dragons’ without reason. All had a taste for treasure and valuables. The Silver Drake was said to collect objects of silver and steel, from silver jewelry and cups to polished swords and armor.
The Gem Drake collected – and wore – stones of all sorts, provided that they were attractive in appearance. Some were said to live in diamond mines, and it is rumored that survivors still live in such mines, hoarding and collecting the precious stones and decorating their hides with these treasures.
The Mithralin Drake was certainly the pickiest of the lot; they collected only mithril. Nothing else would suffice for their advanced tastes.
The Bronze Drake may not have collected anything for all that is known; it is merely assumed that it also collected items according to its namesake metal.

Diet:

What these creatures ate is really more of speculation than fact, but if the Gold Drake is any indication, than they ate what most other Drakes eat – flesh. However, stories persist that they collected so much treasure so as to eat it when they were hungry…(See Myth/Lore).

Mating:

Again, there is plenty of speculation, offset by what has been seen of the Gold Drake. The exact mating patterns are unknown, but due to their treasure collecting habits it is assumed they are very territorial even when during a mating cycle, coming together only out of strict necessity. The egg clutches were probably small and the young were cared for only as long as was absolutely necessary.

Myth and Lore:

Of tales and stories there are no end; some are more reasonable sounding than others, but a mix of these has been collected and placed here for the sake of objectivity.

The Metallic Drakes are said to have lived in the Dragons Maw out of need more than want – people believed their hides were truly made of metal and therefore needed the cooler air of their mountainous home to survive. If they stayed in lower or hotter regions they would overheat and die, and then eventually melt away into their respective metals. Of course, this belief led to many a drake hunt to collect these valuable hides, all of which ended in disaster – some records of these hunts miraculously survived the Dragon Storm.
Once, a small army of twenty or more warriors of men, dwarves and even orcs were said (perhaps inaccurately, this odd mix of hunters seems unlikely) to have pursued a Mithril Drake into a mountain. The hunt went on for weeks, each hunter being slowly picked off one by one by the pursued drake – cast over a cliff; caught in a ravine while alone and eaten; another man was crushed by an avalanche; yet another was found sliced open from head to torso as if by some massive, raking knife.
The final five hunters fled, but these too were all killed as the hunter became the hunted, and the intelligent drake tormented his tormentors. The only survivor had this to say:

We had given up, but He hadn’t. There were three of us left; we could see the foot of the mountain, and were running helter-skelter downhill, dropping our food and weapons as we ran – all we wanted was to get off that mountain!
We heard a breeze of some sort stirring behind us and we knew He was coming. We ran faster than mountain goats – which is what killed Flip. He snagged his foot and fell; I heard him scream and watched him go down…he hit the rocks below, and they all turned red with blood…
Bap and I kept running and jumping. A shadow went overhead and we went as fast as we could. I got ahead of Bap – he was always a little fat, poor Bap – and then I heard him screaming too, but it was different than Flip’s scream…there was this rending sound and he screamed louder; I couldn’t look back, I just couldn’t!
I reached the bottom and shot away; Bap was screaming my name…I couldn’t look back…

The surviving hunter died years later of some strange poisoning. If the story is accurate, it was a sickness caused by Mithralin poisoning…

One common (and most likely erroneous) belief is that the Drakes ate the valuables they collected for food. This seems a little absurd, but it is a persistent little legend.
The Dragon Storm was not just a disorderly attack, and this due largely in part to the Metallic Drakes, who organized the massive amounts of monsters and directed them during the assault, displaying their great intelligence and ability to organize.

A strange tale has been told rather recently of a great hoard of silver and steel objects having been found in an old cave in Northern Sarvonia. The cave was long since abandoned, but the find was very rich and full of somewhat valuable objects and relics. Requests have been sent from Artimidor Federkiel of The United Kingdom of Santharia to the discoverer for a chance to asses the historical value of the hoard, as it might predate the early days of Santharia, and therefore cannot (and certainly should not) be ignored.

The Vardynnian Atonement was the end of these Drakes – why the Gold Drake survived and its cousins did not has never been explained. But nevertheless, they are gone – they are gone, never to be seen again…

P.S. I am sure this could be "Santharianized" a bit more, such as where names are concerned...I am terrible with names...

Your Neighborhood friendly DragonMaster

Edited by: Morcaanan at: 7/5/05 17:59