Jabrosky
Banned
'Twas just ruminating on how to make my current project's world more interesting and different from the real world, and one of the ways I intend to accomplish this is to throw in dragons. They function mainly as aerial transportation in my setting, much as horses function as terrestrial transportation, but people may always use them like fighter planes. Now onto how my dragons are different...
In my world, dragons are not scaly lizards or serpents. Instead they are giant birds. More specifically they represent the last surviving branch of the Enantiornithes, a group of primitive birds which once thrived during the later Mesozoic Era. As such they have retained from their ancestors ancient theropod traits such as toothy beaks and three-clawed wings. However, dragons have also evolved some unique characteristics in the sixty-five million years since the Mesozoic’s end, including most notably the mass of a small airplane and the ability to spit gobs of venom.
Dragon venom has a bright orange color that gives it a fiery or lava-like appearance, but it does not burn like real fire. Nonetheless one gob of venom can kill a human being in a matter of seconds and an elephant in minutes. This of course makes them superbly adapted at hunting large mammals for food. Dragons may spit their venom at prey and predators alike from the air, but they can also employ their sharp teeth and wing-claws for short-range combat.
At present there exist three wild dragon subspecies, all native to tropical regions. The first lives in Central and South America, the second in Africa, and the third in southern Asia and Australasia. Humans have domesticated all of these subspecies in Mesoamerica, the Sudan, and India respectively. Although domesticated dragons have since split into many different breeds and spread all over the world, all can interbreed and produce fertile offspring with each other.
As I said in my opening paragraph, people in my setting may ride dragons both for transportation and military purposes, but due to their size and aggressiveness, they make for high-maintenance and risky pets. Consequently only the wealthiest and most influential people (e.g. rulers, nobility, and generals) can afford their own dragon. However, since dragons do possess a relatively high intelligence as far as birds go, they can make quality friends if you get on their good side.
Any additional thoughts or questions?
In my world, dragons are not scaly lizards or serpents. Instead they are giant birds. More specifically they represent the last surviving branch of the Enantiornithes, a group of primitive birds which once thrived during the later Mesozoic Era. As such they have retained from their ancestors ancient theropod traits such as toothy beaks and three-clawed wings. However, dragons have also evolved some unique characteristics in the sixty-five million years since the Mesozoic’s end, including most notably the mass of a small airplane and the ability to spit gobs of venom.
Dragon venom has a bright orange color that gives it a fiery or lava-like appearance, but it does not burn like real fire. Nonetheless one gob of venom can kill a human being in a matter of seconds and an elephant in minutes. This of course makes them superbly adapted at hunting large mammals for food. Dragons may spit their venom at prey and predators alike from the air, but they can also employ their sharp teeth and wing-claws for short-range combat.
At present there exist three wild dragon subspecies, all native to tropical regions. The first lives in Central and South America, the second in Africa, and the third in southern Asia and Australasia. Humans have domesticated all of these subspecies in Mesoamerica, the Sudan, and India respectively. Although domesticated dragons have since split into many different breeds and spread all over the world, all can interbreed and produce fertile offspring with each other.
As I said in my opening paragraph, people in my setting may ride dragons both for transportation and military purposes, but due to their size and aggressiveness, they make for high-maintenance and risky pets. Consequently only the wealthiest and most influential people (e.g. rulers, nobility, and generals) can afford their own dragon. However, since dragons do possess a relatively high intelligence as far as birds go, they can make quality friends if you get on their good side.
Any additional thoughts or questions?
Myth Weaver
Sage
Auror
What I could question is the use of the term "dragon". The word dragon has alot of meaning and symbology associated with it and you might get alot of that luggage with you if you call them dragons. But if it works for you, go for it.
Inkling
