Dragon Guide

Dragons are carnivorous, oviparous, warm-blooded creatures. Like all of Pern's native large fauna, they have six limbs - four feet and two wings. Their blood, referred to as ichor, is copper-based and green in color. Their head and general body type is similar in shape to those of Horses. On their heads they have small headknobs, similar to those of giraffes, and no visible ears. They have multifaceted eyes that change color depending on the dragon's mood. Unlike the dragons of Terran legend, they have a smooth hide rather than scales; the texture of their skin is described as being reminiscent of suede with a spicy, sweet scent when clean. They have forked tail ends with a defecation opening between the forks. The dragons usually get from one place to another by going through a teleportation process known as 'going between'.

Kitti Ping designed the dragons to gradually increase in size with each generation until they reached pre-programmed final dimensions. The dragons of the first Hatchings were not much bigger than horses. By the Sixth Pass (1500 turns later) they had reached their programmed size and remained at that size until a single isolated dragon population suffered severe inbreeding, resulting in much larger beasts. In the 9th Pass the largest Pernese dragon on record, Ramoth, hatched. According to the novel All the Weyrs of Pern these dragons were roughly three times the size of the largest first-generation dragons. Ramoth's great size is often attributed to mutation and the genetic isolation of Benden Weyr for over 400 Turns. Ramoth, at full length, was forty-five feet. In All the Weyrs of Pern, AIVAS, an artificial intelligence still in operation after all this time, notes that all of the primary Benden dragons, Ramoth, Mnementh and Canth, are notably larger than Kitti Ping's specified end-size of the dragon species.

Newly hatched dragons are the size of very large dogs or small ponies, and reach their full size after eighteen months. Because young dragons grow so fast, their riders must regularly apply oil to their hides to prevent the skin from cracking or drying out.

Dragons, like their fire-lizard ancestors, can breathe fire by chewing a phosphine-bearing rock, called firestone, which reacts with an acid in a special "second stomach" organ. This forms a volatile gas that can be exhaled at will and ignites upon contact with air. The flame is used to burn Thread from the sky before it reaches the ground. However, the chewed firestone must be expelled from the body after it is used up, for the dragons cannot digest it.

Unlike their fire-lizard ancestors, dragons are fully sapient. They communicate fluently in human language (although only telepathically), and have personalities and opinions distinct from those of their riders. However, their intelligence does seem to be somewhat lower than that of the average human. In particular, their long-term memory is severely limited.

Dragons' telepathic communication is usually limited to contact with their rider and with other dragons, however a dragon sometimes communicates well with a person with whom their rider has close emotional ties. They do understand spoken human language and occasionally reply telepathically to people whom they choose to speak.

As a safeguard against the possible damage that could be caused by such powerful creatures, Ping engineered dragons to be profoundly psychologically dependent on their riders. Any dragonet that fails to Impress to a human shortly after hatching will die. If a dragon's rider dies, the dragon immediately suicides by going between without a destination. The only exception is when the rider of a queen dragon dies while the queen is gravid; the dragon waits just long enough to lay her eggs and see them hatch before disappearing between. (Humans who lose their dragons typically commit suicide as well. However, some do survive, although the experience leaves profound psychological trauma.)

Ping also designed the dragons to be fairly calm in temperament. They never fight one another, unless two queens come into estrus at the same time. They are also not dangerous to humans except shortly after hatching, when it is common for confused and frightened dragonets to maul or even kill humans hoping to Impress.

When a dragon hatches, they announce their names to their new riders upon Impression. Pernese dragons' names always end in -th.

Riding a larger color of dragon confers higher social status in Pern's extremely hierarchical society, color rankings following the dragons own strict instinctual hierarchical organization based on fire-lizard structures. Perhaps as a result of this, it is commonly believed that the larger colors are more intelligent, although recent novels imply that this may not be true.

**Mod Note: bear with us, we are still making the recolors for some dragon types.

In Cobalt Weyr there is more than just the origonal 5 colors. After AVIS was discovered, the new "Genecrafters" created 10 new colors.

Queens
There are three colors of Queens in Cobalt Weyr; Golds, Silvers and Coppers

Golds
Gender: Female
Impress: Heterosexual females
Build: Large and imposing, Golds are the largest of dragons and also among the bulkiest. While they lack the muscular bulk of the bronze, they are quite definitely built to be large and powerful. While they can't be called fat, Golds do have a certain amount of bulk to them, which helps in the production of eggs. With sturdy limbs and a massive wingspan, they are strong, capable creatures, flying longer than any other dragon, even while moving with a certain degree of grace. There is a certain delicate air in the lines of their body, for they are all curves and smooth edges, from their subtly arching neck to their tall yet narrow chest.
Personality: Golds are Queens, and what they do best is rule. Golds know naturally that they are leaders, born to dominate and control, and do so well. All dragons obey the commands of Queens subconsciously, and find it hard to deny them this. Most of the Golds are vain and proud, never allowing for anyone to insult them, and are sometimes vindictive as well. They are also protective, viciously guarding their Clutches.

Silvers
Gender: Female
Impress: Heterosexual females
Build: Lean and elegant, these queens lack all the bulk of the Golds while still having an air of regality and beauty. As hatchlings, they are so thin that they look emaciated and gawkey, unlike their golden sisters. Their wings are longer and more tapered that the Golds, giving them more agility that a gold in flight, and as they are much lighter, their flights last just as long.
Personality:What they lack in physical strength they make up in mental strength, instead being quite clever and quick-thinking, as well as completely self-less. Although they have some of the vanity that most Queens possess, it isn't quite so prominent, and often shows itself in the form of self-awareness. They are also extremely protective and motherly, perhaps making the best of mothers, though Golds would, of course, deny that. Most Silvers seem to prefer to listen, unlike their sister Golds.

Copper
Gender: Female
Impress: Heterosexual females
Build: Smaller than any other Queens, the Coppers are built for speed. Their chests are deep and narrow and most of their bulk is in their flight mussels. Their wings are rounded and shorter but conects to their bodys lower along the tail than most other types, giving them power and speed in flight.
Personality: Snappy and short tempered, the Coppers are not always the nicest dragons to impress. Their short stature compaired with other queens gives them a "little dog syndrome", of sorts, always trying to prove that they are better than their Gold and Silver sisters. Because they lay much smaller clutches than either other queen, they are very attentive mothers and offten keep tabs on their offspring after they have impressed, and are the most likley Queen to have a close bond with a son or daughter.


Bronze Colors
The "bronze" colors at Cobalt Weyr are; Bronze, Champagne and Ivory

Bronze
Gender: Male
Impress: Heterosexual males
Build: Like Golds, Bronzes are built large, though theirs is a masculine bulk. Muscular and hulking, most bronzes are built for strength and endurance above all else. Their wide barrel chests are knotted with muscles, as are their powerful limbs and thick tail. Their wings are wide, built for sustained flight, though they do not allow for the quick movements of their smaller brethren. Like Queens, they are built to rule, and have a size and bulk that allows them to do so, putting them a step above all other colors. Musculature is key in these dragons, and they sometimes border on brutish, though they are a few more slender, graceful Bronzes.
Personality: Bronzes are perhaps born leaders even more so than Queens, so far as personality fits. They often make the best leaders, having critical minds and quick decision-making skills. They can be conceited at times, of course, and are often among those who crave leadership most. They often lead Wings, and, along with the occasional Brown, Fly Queens, which elevates them and Theirs to the status of Weyrleader. Bronzes are proud creatures, and often have issues with having their pride insulted.

Champagne
Gender: Male
Impress: Heterosexual males
Build: Champagne dragons are undeniably an impressive and attractive dragon, growing as large as their Bronze brothers, but lacking the cumbersome muscles that weigh the heavier Bronzes down. Instead they have traded brute force for beauty and skill. They are less thick of body and limb than a Bronze, and their forms are graced with soft curves and romantic arches that are more reminiscent of a sultry Green than a male. Still, they are huge and wide dragons, their long neck and tall legs matching even the larger Bronzes, but their weight seems to be more like cushioning than bristling muscle. Their wings are broad and longer than is usually seen on a dragon their size, and the effect is that their maneuverability and speed in the sky in greatly increased.
Personality: Champagnes are the polar opposites of their Bronze brothers, they are hopeless romantics at heart and almost too gentle for their own good. A Champagne is a peaceful dragon that brings encouragement to those who are feeling down and is always happy to help, even if they might feign reluctance to leave the comfort of a heated rock. They bear with serene patience the dislike that Bronzes have for them (Champagnes being another competitor in Queen Flights), and are happily aware that they are admired and adored by the other colours. Even Golds have a soft spot for the carefree Champagnes, though the Champagnes themselves are more likely to Chase after a lower colour, lacking the determination and drive for power that helps the Bronzes win flights.

Ivory
Gender: Male
Impress: Heterosexual males
Build: The smalest of the Bronze offshoots, the Ivorys are even smaller than most Browns and are not capible of flying Golds, even if they let them. Like their Champagne brothers, Ivorys are elegant and skillful in flight, but unlike their brothers they have huge flight mussels that allow them to fly just as fast as the Copper Queens. Whenever they do catch a Queen, it is due to their speed. They have an unusual knack for siring huge clutches in compairison to the females usual clutch size, so are offten the ones who fly Silvers and Coppers when a Pass is about to start.
Personality: Like their Champagne brothers, then are gentle romantics, but unlike them, they have all the drive they need to win a Queenflight. They are not power hungry like bronzes, but seek only to please the queens that rule them by fathering huge clutches. They are the most likley bronze offshoot to pay attention to their riders wishes, by flying a lower color who's rider his likes, even when a queenflight is about to start.

Brown Colors
The "brown" colors at Cobalt Weyr are; Brown, Garnet and Mocha

Brown
Gender: Male
Impress: Heterosexual males, rarely a homosexual female
Build: Browns are, build-wise, somewhere between a Bronze and a Blue. While they lack the hulking musculature of a Bronze, they also do not have the narrow, whip-like physique of their smaller Blue brothers. Instead, they are perfectly between, with a build that is relatively uninteresting. Their chests are wide to house their capable lungs, and their limbs are a bit longer than those of Bronzes, but their wings are slightly shorter. Nonetheless, they are quite capable fliers and some of the larger browns are capable of competing with Bronzes in Queenflights. They often have a slightly more sinewy build than Bronzes as well, and have a better maneuvering capability.
Personality: Browns are a more placid, calm variety of male dragon than the others, though not necessarily the brightest. While some make good Wingleaders, Browns are often Wingseconds instead, having a capacity for understanding the emotions of their Wing better than a Bronze might be able to. They are often kind and understanding, caring more for their Rider than others, though they do care a great deal for others.

Garnet
Gender: Female
Impress: Heterosexual/bisexual females, bisexual males
Build: Garnets are the female equivalent of Browns in size and build, lacking all feminine grace in order to command brutal, punishing power. They are built like bears with high, blocky shoulders, huge barrel chests and trunklike limbs. Short heads are slung out low over the ground on thick necks and their tail is extraordinarily thick to act as a counterbalance for their top-heavy build. Their wings, by necessity, are thick and broad, just to lift their weighty bodies off the ground, which makes them slow and unmaneuverable in the air but gives them great staying power. Garnets, because of their nature, have a tendency to become overweight if their rider doesn't keep them up and moving about, but even the most athletic of Garnets will usually have a thin layer of fat over their corded muscles.
Personality: Cantankerous and broody, Garnets are not the most pleasant dragons to be around and it would take the most patient of people or dragons to try and befriend one. On the whole Garnets are grumpy, greedy, lazy and ungrateful, but they are tolerated by their peers for their impressive flame and their coveted ability to clutch. Bloods are at their worst when they are guarding a clutch, whether it is theirs or a clutch they have stolen. They are always a headache for weyrleaders, who's dragons are the only ones with enough power to convince the broody mothers to let their offspring Impress. Even when there is no clutch to be mothered over Garnets are a nuisance, often finding young dragonets or sickly animals and fussing around them incessantly.

Mocha
Gender: Male
Impress: Heterosexual/bisexual males, bisexual females
Build: Unlike their Brown and Garnet cousins, the Mocha is a tiny, amost useless dragon. They lack all bulk of a Garnet and the grace of a Brown. They are smaller than Blues, but lack the airodynamics that the Blue has. They do have exelent senses though, and make the best Watchdragons of any breed.
Personality: Due to their small, weak frames, Mochas are submissive and lack confadence. They rarly catch females in flight due to this, so most are the offspring of an Ivory or a Copper. The only place they have confadence is when they are posted as watchdragons, where they would even take on a bronze who was entering with ill intent.

Blue Colors
The "blue" colors at Cobalt Weyr are; Blue, Guilded and Snowy

Blue
Gender: Male
Impress: Heterosexual/bisexual/homosexual males, homosexual/bisexual females
Build: While the other male colors have a distinctive musculature, Blues lack this musculature completely, instead having an almost 'sporty' build. They are built athletic and aerodynamic, made for speed above all else. Their bodies are often whippy and narrow, from tip to tail, though they will occasionally be chubby, which is an odd trait, and one that only Blues and Greens seem to possess, of the original colors. These plump individuals can rarely lose their "baby fat," even though they can be in shape. Most of the time, though, Blues are the quintessential slim male, built for flexibility, speed, and a lack of wind resistance.
Personality: Blues are often a placid dragon, though not quite so much so as Browns, and can be quite fiery when driven. They can have quite the temper, perhaps because they are one of the lowest ranked male dragon and are often looked down upon by Bronzes, and seek to prove themselves over and over. Daredevils and acrobats, they are quite brave when it comes to performing aerial stunts and showing off for females, most often Greens. They are competitive by nature and rarely give up, most often having a tenacious streak. They are also quite curious, and often the first one to try anything without much worry. Companionable, they are friendly but seem to prefer lower ranking dragon colors to higher ones.

Guilded
Gender: Female
Impress: Homosexual/bisexual males, heterosexual/bisexual females
Build: Guildeds are undoubtedly one of the most beautiful of dragons; larger than a Green but slimmer than a Blue, with a body that is all grace and elegant, flowing lines. They are long dragons, but not so much that it is disproportionate, just so that their tails seems to wave like ribbons in the air and their tall legs carry them high off the ground. The distinctive arch in their long necks lends them a regality that matches the gold in their hides, but rather than making them seem imperious it simply lends to their delicate beauty. Guildeds have perfectly proportioned wings that lengthen at the wingtips just to give them an extra boost in the maneuverability department, but even without that their build makes them extraordinarily good fliers.
Personality: Guildeds are easily among the most even tempered of dragons, and it takes a great deal to upset these affectionate females. They are svelte and suave, having a social grace that the other colors lack. They get along with everyone and are quite cool and collected, even in the most tense of situations. Guildeds adore weyrlings and make great mothers, and are often entrusted with the guarding of others clutches if the mothers must leave. Being naturally empathic, Guildeds are often chosen as Searchriders, for their kindness and stunning hides are an attractive temptation to Stand for candidacy.

Snowy
Gender: Male
Impress: bisexual males, bisexual females
Build: Bearly bigger than a green and with a beautiful White hide, these dragons are stunning and they know it. Their white hide is much clearer than the rare white mutans of turns past (ie. Ruth), and the only color you will ever find on one is super light, clear blue. They are dainty and thin, with long legs and an elegant head. Their wings are short and rounded to allow them to take off without much effort, as their wing mussels are much weaker than most others, meaning they are poor flyers.
Personality: The stunning snowys are vain and sometimes vile. Their size and poor flight means they are all but useless in a threadfall, but they make exelant messengers when the meggage is too complecated for a flit. Their weak flight also disatvantages them in mating flights, so they use their supirior cunning to catch females. They are much smarter than even a brown, which is what they were bred to be.

Green Colors
There is only one Green color at Cobalt Weyr, Greens

Green
Gender: Female
Impress: All genders, all sexualities. Most offten females though.
Build: Greens are quite definitely made to be the opposite of a Gold. Instead of being large and bulky, they are slim and narrow, often with a feminine touch that makes them delicate. They can have curves as well, but these aren't quite so prominent, and they are definitely at the bottom of the weight scale. Their bodies are built for flexibility and an ability to perform quick, sharp movements, so they are more than capable of being elusive, dodging other dragons without a second thought. Their limbs are long and shapely, while their wings are often narrow, which gives them a greater ability to switch directions in midair, though they lack the stamina of the larger dragons.
Personality: Greens are passionate, and often temperamental creatures. They are not so driven as Queens, though a few strive for excellence and power. They are more often kind, delicate creatures who love Theirs and their Weyrmates, for they Rise often. It is not uncommon for a Green to repeatedly choose the same mate over and over, for they seem to prefer a lack of change. They can be brooding and protective, though not as much as Garnets and Golds, and often tend to be more confrontational than Guildeds.

Black Colors
The two "Black" colors at Cobalt Weyr are; Black and Ebony
Black
Gender: Male/female
Impress: Heterosexual males/Heterosexual females
Build: Blacks are built with stealth in mind, it appears, and have a snake-like quality about them that no others can reproduce. With short yet sturdy legs, they are quite low slung, yet surprisingly quick. They are undeniably serpentine, with long, arching necks and a thin, tremendously lengthy tail. Their wings likewise span a great distance, but are very narrow, and their whole body bobs when they flying, giving them an odd appearance. They are not uncomely, though, and instead have a grace and elegance around them that few can reproduce. Some are put off by them a bit, though, for their eyes have an almost bulgy tendency, and it looks as though they are constantly staring.
Personality: Far from being cool and refined as their appearance implies, Blacks are actually quite vapid and irritating. They have a voracious drive to be in control and are exceedingly arrogant, vain and Jealous, but they lack any real power or even the courage to actually lead. Blacks will constantly bemoan their low position in the hierarchy to anyone who will listen and flout what little authority they have at every opportunity. It is quite common to see a Black Flight with only Black Chasers, the other colours having scorned such a narcissistic female and the Black males seeing themselves as the only dragons fit to Chase her.

Ebony
Gender: Male/female
Impress: Heterosexual males/Heterosexual females
Build: Tiny and Fragile, the Ebonys were not made intetionaly by Genecrafters. They can only be bred from a BlackXBlack flight, and this was discovered compleety by acsedent.
Their tiny frames are hardly the size of a medium sized Runner and they always look emaciated.
Personality: Vile and Hateful, Ebonys never attend Threadfall or non-black/Ebony hatchings because they feel they are above the other dragons, who are not worthy of their presence. Their most common role is a Weyr is escorting harpers between holds and weyr, because they love the music harpers make. They have a sad but beautuful voice themselves, and will defend "their" harper until death.

Dragon Patterns and Genetics
Although all dragons of a certain color type will look similar in size and base color, they are also all unique. There are those with lighter tones and those with darker, neo even in some. And they also have color a patterns. And to a degree, these tones and patterns can be passed down. A dark Super-Tiger Gold will likely have mostly Medium toned Tiger patterned offspring.

So here is the guide to dragon patterns and their inheritance. You will be unable to see your dragons actual genotype, but by looking at its colors and colors of any offspring, you may be able to guess.

Tone Inheritance
While there is no actual inheritance of color, the tone and general way that it is spread over the dragon can be. A darker dragon is most likely to have darker colored or medium toned offspring, rather than a light toned one. Also, things like having a dark topline and light belly, or vice versa can also be inherited.

Patterns and Pattern Inheritance

Plain
Aka: no patterns at all. This comes from not having any active genes for color, resulting in a dragon with none of the below patterns. Guildeds and Mocha can not have plain coloration.

Spotted
A dominate gene creates the leopard spotting pattern of dark or light spots on an otherwise plain hide. It is not common, and seems to be unattractive to most queens.

Paint
Like on paint runners, this is random splodges of a color that is not the base color, all over the hide. Sometimes it can be so covered in them, that the only trace of the original hide is in on the head or wings. Guildeds and Mochas are ALWAYS paints.

Pointed
Like in Pointed felines, this is darker or sometimes lighter coloration of the extremities, such as wings, headknobs, muzzle, legs and tail. There are three degrees of pointing; complete, when all the points are colored, and occasionally the pointing smudges onto the rest of the hide; semi, when not all the points are completely colored; masked, when only the face is colored; and booties, when only the feet are colored.

Mosaic
This dramatic color results in a darker body than normal and beautiful wing coloration. It mixes well with most other patterns, but is recessive, meaning that it will often skip a generation or two.

Sunfire
The dragons back is colored with a brilliant splash of color, often highly saturated and slightly red or yellow. It is a dominate gene, but like the tiger coloration, a double gene results in an even more striking dragon.

Super Sunfire
Two Sunfire genes result in almost complete sunfire markings, normally with only wingtips and belly showing real coloration. It is very stunning, and when mixed with the right combination of other colors, makes the most striking dragons.

Platinum
The Plainim pattening is realy just a color saturation. It causes the hide to become a more brilliant, saturated color, and the markings to become more brilliant.

Anthrax
The polar opposite of Platinum, Anthrax dulls the hide, making it darker, and minimizes the markings. They can still be stunning, just differently so to their Platinum cousins. If the two genes mix, they cancel each other out.

Tiger
A single Tiger gene results in dorsal striping along the length of the body, It is striking when mixed with other patterns.

Super Tiger
A double Tiger gene results in complete striping, both from the topline of the dragon and the underbelly. The only thing not striped is the wings.

Genetic Stripe
Different to the tiger striping, this pattern results in stripes down the length of the dragon. If combined with Tiger genes, the patterns are always unique and interesting.