Lesson 1, Part 1: Black Dragons
Black dragons, also known as skull dragons, are far and away the most vile tempered and cruel of all chromatic dragons.

Physical Description
Black dragons appear abnormally slender in comparison to other chromatic dragons—wiry, but not gaunt. Physically, black dragons are most distinguished by their horns, which protrude from the sides of their heads and wrap around, projecting forward. A large frill adorns the upper part of the neck. They smell like rotting vegetation and foul water.

Combat
Black dragons prefer ambushes to straightforward fighting. They are vicious and ruthless adversaries, and their acidic bile can work its way under the heaviest armor with ease. Their only disadvantage is that their heavily wooded habitats tend to prevent them from flying very high in combat.

Breath Weapon
Black dragons expel a line of highly corrosive acid.

Lair
Black dragons live in swamps and fetid marshlands. They are cunning creatures who live to inspire fear and rule by intimidation. Black dragons have black, glossy scales that add to their camouflage within swamplands. They prefer to ambush their targets, using darkness or water as their cover. They are excellent swimmers and often make their lairs in submerged caves. A black dragon typically lairs in a large cave or underground chamber next to a swamp or murky pond. Their lairs always have two entrances: one underwater through the adjacent swamp/pond, and one above-ground, disguised amidst the undergrowth.

Parenting and Development
Black dragons are not noted as good parents, relying more upon disguise and hiding to protect their eggs than upon guarding them personally. Black dragon eggs must be submerged in strong acid while growing, which can also help protect the dragon as well. Their wyrmlings are noted for their exceptional cruelty and their utterly insatiable appetites. They will eat almost anything organic they can kill, even plants. As a black dragon matures, its scales will very gradually grow lighter. The most ancient black dragons appear almost purple in color

Diet
A black dragon's diet consists of fish, mollusks, aquatic critters and some red meat from terrestrial animals.

Preferred Treasures
Gold coins

Elemental Dragons

Dragon of Air
The Element of Air governs the eastern quarter of Nionorien. Its dragon ruler is Nabiuma, who oversees the dragons of the winds and the dragons of the breeze. It has a color of pure white with a hint of yellow. There is only one ruler for every element. The subspecies of this element are the dragons of wind, storm and weather. At times, they join forces with other elements such as the Element of Water and the Element of Fire. No one element can work alone, whether in magical endeavors or physical activities. The Elemental dragons join their great powers to complete tasks or battles. Sometimes there will be a conflict of the elemental powers, causing great atmospheric and environmental disturbances, but mostly the elemental dragons work in harmony.

Dragon of Earth
The Element of Earth rules the northern quarter of Nionorien. Its dragon ruler is Naberu, who oversees the dragons of the mountains, lands and moonbeams. It has a color of dark brown and some shades of green. Earth - element dragons are the most placid, unless they are required to stir up great disruptive energies such as earthquakes. The subspecies of this element are the dragons of mountains and forests and those of deserts and arid regions. The Element of Earth works closely with dragons of fire and dragons of chaos.

Dragon of Fire
The Element of Fire have power over the souther quarter of Nionorien. Its dragon ruler is Nergusu, who oversees the dragons of volcanos and sunbeams. It has a color of pure red with a very faint shade of pink. They have thick, heavy bodies and long snakelike necks and tails. Some of them sleep in dormant volcanoes for long periods of time before they once again become active. These dragons are also visible in forest fires and large structure blazes. They are very unpredictable, unreliable, and difficult to work with. If not properly handled, fire dragons will do as they please with a magician's spell. They will achieve the asked-for end result, but may "burn" their way through everything to get there. Dragons of Fire and volcanoes help with personal purification on all levels of being, energy, courage, stamina to pursue goals and finish projects, remove obstacles and barriers. Be very certain you want their help in the barrier-removal, for these dragons will go through and over anything and anyone to achieve the goal. The results can be swift and difficult to handle emotionally. The positive associations of the Element of Fire are: Summer, Sun, Passion, Courage, Leadership and Will power. The negative associations are: Hate, Jealousy, Fear, Anger, War, Ego, Conflicts and Lightning. The subspecies of this element are the dragons of volcanoes and the sun and magma. They often work closely with dragons of chaos.

Dragon of Water
The Element of Water controls the western quarter of Nionorien. Its dragon ruler is Ninaidi, who oversees the dragons of seas, lakes, rivers, oceans and ponds. The Water - element dragons are basically shaped like Oriental Dragons. They are usually long and serpent - like, usually without wings or legs. They are a variety of shades of blue, from silver-blue to dark blue-green. In fact, their shades cover all the hues of the water in which they reside. All of them have a silvery hue to their scales with some shade of blue predominant on the belly scales. Some of them have feathery fringes about their mouths and down their backs. They have large horny eye sockets set in a rather flat snakelike head. These dragons can be very large or very small, depending on their dwelling place. Dragons of the seas and various waters help with emotions, either calming them or breaking through a barrier built around them; movement, both to get events moving and to keep things fluid; calmness on all levels of being and in all circumstances; creating changes, especially those brought about by breaking free of people who control us through our emotions.