drawn by [shadowmagi]

DRAGONS CLASS

By [Saber] and [Augury]

This Class is dedicated to Dragons, the mystifying and magnificent beasts of lore and legend. It is taught by [Augury], [shadowmagi] and [Saber]. Enjoy.

Students:
Dtalk Mentu, from the house of [xido]
Sol, from the house of [Kamikaze Girl]
Alasse Saralonde from the house of [dragoncaptive]
Aland Starkeeper, from the house of [aland_starkeeper]
Zephyr Windreader, from the house of [RavenTalon]
Anowen Anarith, fron the house of [Ninja Squirrel]
Selest Serine, From the house of [Amber_eyes]
Malyon T'Nath, from the house of [Pinkdonkey]
Hiuko Silverbane, from the house of [Hiuko]
Lesson One ~Intro (Complete)

A dark-skinned man, dressed in a robe of desert gold, black scars scrawled upon his face, walks in, hoping to learn what he can of the wilderness beyond the city walls, before he leaves for his upcoming journey.
However, upon entering the classroom of the only school in Elftown, he sees the many occupants who appear teachers... and, well, commoners, but who are sitting on stools like the ones many school professors use, obviously pretending to be teachers. They all look and sound as if they are speaking only of what they will teach, and not actually expecting a class.
Looking around at the empty chairs of invisible students, Dtalk second-guesses his voluntary admission to the class, and wonders if his presence will even be noticed. He pauses, waiting for a response before he exits the room.

Just then, a girl walks in, and takes a seat.

"Well, if she has faith that this will begin, I might as well try to" the man mutters.
"Will we be focusing on any particular section of ideology, history, and interpretation, or are we collecting our info from eclectic sources?" he asks, while waiting patiently for one of the 'teachers' to answer, and address their demi-class.

---

If you have any questions please ask them after the lesson.

---

[Saber] Right I will just be giving a fairly brief introduction to this topic, to answer Dtalk's question. We should be discussing the origins of dragon, species of dragons, anatomy and how dragons work and how their personalities vary.

So we will begin with how people think dragons came into 'existance'. There are many theorys about how dragons became the magnificent beasts we all know and love, but there are three main theories, The Serpent, The Bones and The Evolutionary Theories.

The Serpent
This theory focuses on Chinese/Japanese dragons. Basically the Eastern dragons which are portrayed in many myths were really deformed snakes and eels. As time passed art and stories of these creatures evolved into the Eastern Dragons.

The Bones
This theory is based on the findings of 'dragon bones'. People found dinosaur bones and fixed them together, possibly creating dragons. Although this theory cannot explain Eastern Dragon and their serpentile features.

The Evolutionary Theory
This is probably the most 'grim' theory. Since Earth can only with stand one 'main' species ruling Earth, the dragons eventually died out. When they evolved they did not become stronger, but weaker and faced extinction, like dinosaurs. Humans however grew stronger, and evolved into the modern day. Maybe the Komodo dragons and other 'big' lizards are actually decendents from the dragons in legends and folk lore. It is possible, isn't it?

"Indeed!" said [Augury], waltzing into the class proudly. "And in some circles, where Dragons are still believed in..."

Dissappearing Theory in which dragons can blend with their surroundings or disappear to a different plane and avod detection by humans. This theory usually requires sentient Dragons.

"Now would be a good time to ask questions." Kyrael says.
"about the evolutin theory, wouldn't that be dinasaurs?" Sol asks

"Well... yes, I would think so. Saber?"

"Well every1 knows that dinosaurs were wiped out, some ppl say dragons over took them in evalution and becoming ruling species, proper humans wernt a 'threat' after the extinvtion of the dinosaurs and only had very cruel tools. Then dragons may have ruled. No one knows because there weren't many ways to show dragons seeing they had no paper and could not write.
"ok..."


Lesson Two ~Intro (incomplete)

Kyrael, looking quite otherworldly today, with a strange mist about her and her eyes strangely glowing silver, taps a palin stick on the podium at the front of class and clears her throat.

"I believe that it is now time for our second session." she announces. "This second installment will cover the basic Western beast-dragon."

---

Western Dragons

"They are usually green in the tales of medieval times, though in certain stories, they can be any number of colors. Western dragons are monsters, destructive beasts who breathe terrible flame and capture beautiful princesses. These descriptions are all the same, and I myself disapprove."

Kyrael fidgits and flips her hair behind her ears, then continues.

"The usual body shape of the Western beast is a hulking tank, much different than the Chinese or Japanese serpents. They may or may not have horns."

With another uncomfortable silence, Kyrael notes that she has but two students and that they seem to be throwing parchment balls across the room...

"As I was saying, the Western dragon is usually subsentient and evil. Any questions?"

"Doesn't their color change according to their mood?" blade asks.

"That is dependent upon the story. But yes, some dragons are like chameleons." Kyrael answered. "Their changing hues can depend on a number of factors - mood, terrain, situations..."

"Got it. How do you kill one, or whats its weak spot? I think some one said it was the bottom of its mouth." she asked.

"Right. The area below the mouth is unprotected by scales. Additionally," the bright-eyed teacher added, "Dragons are like crocodilians in the way that if the mouth is held shut it cannot be opened. The muscles that open the mouth are weak, bu the closing muscles are strong. Don't quote me on it, though. I'm against the killing of dragons."

"Hey! I actually do know something about dragons." she joked.

"Well," Kyrael said, hugging her shoulders protectively, "Don't take my job!"

"well, don't worry, i don't know that much." she told her.

"Good!" Kyrael said happily.

"What about dragons breathing things other than fire?" Aland asks.

Kyrael smiled. The previous silence had been long and unwelcoming for her fidgity self. "Ice is common in the dragons of the north and sea serpents. Some dragons with otherplanar blood, Dark Dragons, breathe a sort of 'black hole' that takes away the morale and has a disabling effect on the psyche. Some dragons breathe nothing at all."

Kyrael's eyes brightened as if she had just remembered something. "Oh, yes - from the realist's perspective, fire is explained as the product of stones, which are swallowed and moved against each other in a dragons 'fire gizzard.'"

"Wow, I didn't know that. I have heard of some dinosaurs swalowing stones to help digest their food. But never dragons... What kind, if you know?" Aland asks.

The teacher for the moment, Kyrael, answered quickly, "Flint and those sort of stones are swallowed. They strike each other in the fire gizzard and produce sparks. When the dragon breathes out, well, actually burps, then fire is made."

Another question enter Aland's mind, "I have heard of Lightning and Poisons breathing dragons, and Steam too. Is my leg just being pulled there?"

"And I've heard of ones that breath ice too." Sol added.

Kyrael groaned. "There are a ton of things dragons can breathe. Lightning, however is not technically one of them. A 'lightning dragon' is a wyvern. They have long tails that shoot down lightning. Wyverns breathe nothing more potent than air."
Kyrael shuffled through a few papers and pulled out a scroll. She read it with an air of boredom:
Dragons can breathe any of the following: Fire, Ice, Darkness, Poison Gas, which is commonly known as Phog, and also Light. Light and Darkness's affects are purely mental, and counteract each other. Phog, Ice, and Fire are physically affecting breaths.
"Mkay?"

Dtalk raises a curious brow.
"That kind of premodern stuff sounds like a fourth-age scroll.... Is all of what you teach so ancient in literary terms? That out-dated parchment doesn't even speak of the swamp dragons that wallow in their own acidic filth, nor of the desert drakes, and their heat blast, similar to the so-called phog you mentioned earlier. Have any of you ever even come into contact with the metallic brazen dragons of the far lands of Milarai? What of the Gemmed Draconic society of the outer realms?"
Dtalk sighs at having come so out of his way to class, after having learned more of dragons with his last mentor than he was now. "Light and darknesses effects are only mental, and counteract each other.... Sheesh. What happens to a wraith that is affected by the Golden Halo Drake's light spell? An enchantment? No, I don't think so.... Can you tell me what causes the light of the golden breed? Hmm?"
Dtalk defiantly drills his new professors in an heir of resistance against the old scripts they still used to teach the people of the land. It seemed utterly silly to him, to be using such old references about the land's draconic culture and biology.

Kyrael flits away in a huff. "Well... well, I'm not some High-Ranking Smartiestuffs, you know?? Go teach your own class!!!"
*this lesson is now over. kyrael will come back when she is better.*

Sighing, Dtalk waits patiently for the fuming teacher to return, so that he can apologize.
When his stomach gets the better of him, he wanders off to the cafeteria to get some munchies instead.
Perhaps I was a bit too outright with her... he thinks to himself as he mows down a bread-bowl of soup. I just can't sit back and watch all these students be taught these age-old lessons with out-dated textbook material. Perhaps I'll talk with her after class about it.
And with that, he walks back toward the class.
On his way down the hall, he's stopped by a reddish-hued imp.
"Where do you think you're going, there, darky?" the little horned man bolsters him with his words.
"Excuse me? I'm headed to class" Dtalk responds.
"What's your name?" the crimson man retorts.
"My name is Dtalk of Irrundanil. What is it to you?"
"I've got orders to see you leave here. Go on, now, shoo!" the imp cries.
"What?" Dtalk responds, standing bewildered at the vile little man's commanding.
Within moments, the imp changes into another dark-skinned man with a broad face and shoulders, dressed in robes of tanned hide. Dtalk's father stands before the awe-stricken student, smiling and astute.
"Father?!? What... How... What happened?" he studders.
"It doesn't matter, my boy. Take leave. Go back to our home and prepare. You are needed somewhere else. I will see you when we are both ready."
And with that, the apparition disappears in a cloud of fleeting vapors, leaving Dtalk to stand in the hallway, slack-jawed.
A few moments later, Dtalk is bolting for the door to the school, heading back toward Irrundanil to gather his belongings.
In his heart, he feels adventure is afoot.


Later on that day, a tall, skinny young girl wanders aimlessly in the empty classroom. The sun has just reached its zenith and light spills out from the high windows onto the stained tables and worn-down benches placed in a semi-circle around the teacher's desk. Malyon walks softily towards it, and notices some scrolls of old parchment on the table. Pushing her red hair out of the way, she slowly reads out aloud from one of them :
"Dragons can be divided into several different species, dependent of anatomy, origin, personality and such...So this is a class about dragons then ? Interesting ... I wonder how we join the class."
She is suddenly brought out of her daydreaming by the sound of shuffling footsteps and quickly puts the scroll back down while looking around widly. Who is it ? A student ? A teacher ? she asks herself.

"Meow"
^o.o^ ^-.-^ ^o.o^ ^-.-^ ^x.op^

A small, scrawny, and rather travel worn man walks into the room. He was wearing all grey clothes and a green rucksack. He had silver hair with long bangs. His name was Hiuko. He kept his eyes closed as he passed Malyon and guided his way across the room and into a seat silently without opening his eyes even so much as a crack. He looked to be no older the 15 years old and his ears like an elves were pointed and they were twitching at the slightest noise. Then a small cat the size of a kitten crawled out of his napsack and onto his head and started to purr as it played with his bangs and made the guy smile a little but he still didn't wish to open his eyes. "So is this the dragons class." He said in a kind tone to Malyon. Then he took his cat Bangs off his head and started to play pet him on his lap. He opened his eyes but kept them down looking at his cat.