Lesson 1, Part 5: White Dragons
White dragons, also known as ice dragons or glacial wyrms, are the weakest and the most feral of the classic chromatic dragons.

Physical Description
White dragons are physically the smallest of chromatic dragons, even smaller than blacks. They appear in shades from white to grey and ice-blue, and in arctic environments, this appearance serves as good camouflage. White dragons are physically distinguished by several features: their heads and necks seem to blend seamlessly into one another, and their wings appear somewhat frayed along the edges. They have a flap of skin, called a dewlap, lined with spines beneath their chins. Their heads are very streamlined, and they have a high crest atop their skulls. They have a crisp, vaguely chemical odor. White dragon toes are spaced more widely than other dragons, with barbed claws to aid movement on ice. Their very thin eyelids prevent snowblindness when observing arctic landscapes.

Combat
White dragons are not strong combatants as dragons go, but they should never be underestimated. Their icy breath can freeze an unprepared foe solid in an instant. They typically avoid fights with more powerful dragons, but will avail themselves of any opportunity to take their frustrations out on weaker creatures. Whites also have exceptional memories, and will often hunt down beings who cross them, no matter how long it may take. They are not as cruel as black dragons and are not as ferocious as reds, but they are still competent in combat. White dragons prefer to attack first, then eat their prey, rather than pausing to ask questions. They do not often contemplate what to eat, simply choosing the most convenient prey, and will often freeze it after the kill by burying it in snow or ice for days.

Breath Weapon
White dragons expel a cone of intense cold, a direct hit from which is fatal as it instantly freezes its victim. Even a glancing blow can be seriously debilitating.

Lair
Most white dragons lair in ice caves, often dug into the side of an arctic mountain, on tundra, or glacial plains, although they do not need ice and snow, and some settle near mountain peaks or in forests. They can create their own caves by applying the breath weapon to tightly packed snow in order to transform it into solid ice. White dragons make their homes in frozen lands and ice-covered mountains. Their lairs often contain many more tunnels and chambers than those of other chromatic dragons. More powerful white dragons will sometimes turn a large iceberg into a floating lair. Such lairs always have an underwater entrance as well as one to the open air.

Parenting and Development
White dragons usually lay about eight or ten eggs in a clutch. A white dragon egg is incubated for fourteen months. The first three and a half months are within the mother's body. On average, between a quarter and a third survive to hatching. White dragon eggs must be buried in snow or encased in ice while incubating. The parents do not bother to tend or protect the eggs in any way, although they will usually lay them near their lairs. A newly hatched white wyrmling has scales as clear as ice, which become white as the dragon matures. They are expected to survive on their own from the moment they hatch, although some white dragon parents will permit their young to live in their lair until they reach adulthood. The wyrmling develops into a young dragon after about three or four years, and then into an adult after about 100 years. Elder white dragons age from about 750 years, while ancients age from 1700 years, and the oldest white dragons have lived around 2100 years.

Diet
Anything that moves.

Preferred Treasure
Whites prefer glittery treasure such as diamonds or light gems, but platinum, silver, and anything reflective or polished works of art are also popular.

Ecology
They are still powerful enough to overwhelm most humans and have exceptional long-term memories. Adult white dragons have several abilities well suited to their arctic habitat: they can climb ice cliffs with ease, fly very high and fast, and are exceptional swimmers. They love to swim in cold water; the more frigid, the better. Much of their diet often consists of aquatic creatures, even Whales. White dragons are always hungry, and tend to become more savage as they mature. Knowing that they are the smallest and weakest of dragons, many whites harbor inferiority complexes. They take any opportunity to bully beings such as giants and younger dragons of other species. White dragons prefer to scavenge for and collect treasure, rather than involving themselves in politics as other dragons might. Like other dragons, they look down on others, and will tend to view other creatures as prey.

Lesson 1, Part 4:Red Dragons
Red dragons are covetous, evil creatures, interested only in their own well-being, vanity and the extension of their treasure hoards. They are supremely confident of their own abilities and are prone to making snap decisions without any forethought. The most powerful of the chromatic dragons, red dragons breathe a cone of fire.[1]Red Dragons are the most fearsome and cruel of the chromatic dragons. They delight in ruin, death, and destruction.

Physical Description
Red dragons are physically distinguished by their enormous size and wingspan. They have two large horns upon their heads, which point backwards toward their wings. They smell of smoke and sulfur.

Combat
In combat, red dragons are exceptionally dangerous. Proficient in magic, they are also very fast in the air, but somewhat clumsy, so they prefer to do their fighting on the ground. They often spend years designing battle strategies, and will wait patiently until the precisely best moment to call upon them. Their massive blasts of fire end most battles before they truly begin, however. As a result, red dragons will use their powerful breath weapons as their favored method of attack, followed by power strikes from their massively powerful bodies, followed by magical attacks.

Breath Weapon
Red dragons expel a cone of fire.

Lair
Red dragons love to make their lairs in deep, underground caves in mountainous regions, especially if there is volcanic activity. Almost all red dragons simply must have a high perch. The higher the better as they believe that their domain encompasses all that they can see. Young red dragons, especially wyrmlings are easy prey for predators and hunters due to their bright, glossy scarlet scales so they tend to stay underground in the darkness until they feel that they can defend themselves properly.

Parenting and Development
Mating is initiated by the female every century or so when she feels the urge to have children. She looks for the nearest red dragon with the most wealth and power. So of course the males never deny their advances. It is a sign of prestige among other males to be requested to mate. The male then abandons her while she hatches her eggs. She jealously guards those eggs, occasionally with an infertile female but rarely lays down her own life for her hatchlings. Once her young reach the young adult stage of development (usually even earlier than this) the mother's natural instincts overrule her maternal ones and she forces all of her young from her territory.

Diet
Absolutely anything; they claim that female humans and young elves taste best

Preferred Treasure
Absolutely anything with some monetary value

Personality
Red Dragons believe that they are the pinnacle of draconic nature and that all other species are impure. They value vengefulness, rapaciousness, avarice and ferocity above other traits and recognize these traits in themselves with pride. They are solitary creatures and care little for news of other types of dragons. They do however, look for news of other red dragons in their area. If they believe their own achievements and possessions to be greater than these other red dragons then they stay in their caves, smugly congratulating themselves but if they learn that the achievements or possessions of the other red dragons are greater than their own they will fly into a vengeful rage, decimating the surrounding area until they believe that they have outdone their rivals. The dragon becomes much less cautious during this time and much more likely to underestimate their foes. Unfortunately, red dragons can go to extreme lengths to ensure that every other red dragon in the area knows that they are inferior to the red dragon spreading the news. They will often burn down only half a village or let a single adventurer flee from a battle so that word of their power spreads throughout the region. Not only will this anger other red dragons but it is also like a shining beacon to adventurers & treasure hunters. If a red dragon ever finds out that another red dragon has "lost it", either by getting badly wounded or if they are becoming senile in old age then local red dragons will descend on the lair, stripping it clean and usually killing the owner. They despise the thought of weakness in any red dragon and believe that if a red dragon cannot protect what it has, then it doesn't deserve to have it. Reds are also highly territorial. Entering an area a red considers its domain is just asking to be attacked, especially if it is another dragon entering the area (even more so if it is a red dragon). Conflict is inevitable if this is the case and it is almost always to the death as neither would dare show weakness to the other. Thankfully, most other species are smart enough to flee if they realize the area belongs to a red dragon. Red dragons can get so territorial that in rare occasions they will adopt a protective yet patronizing attitude towards creatures they consider inferior that live within their self-imposed borders. Red dragons hate silver dragons with a passion as their familiarity with the element of cold and other natural powers often make red dragons appear weak in battle with them. They also commonly come into conflict with copper dragons for territory rights, though copper dragons rarely win out against the more powerful red dragons in open conflict. Above all though, red dragons hate gold dragons. Red dragons may loudly proclaim that they would fight and defeat any gold dragon they come across but often find an excuse not to fight when that time eventually comes. Gold dragons are so similar to red dragons yet their natural moral differences are extreme. Red dragons hate any authority other than their own. They never ask elders for advice, even if doing so would save their lives as to them, admitting they need something their elders have is the same as putting themselves under their authority.

Lesson 1, Part 3:Green Dragons
They are mean-tempered, cruel, and rude. These dragons love intrigue and secrets. They delight in stalking their enemies and listening in for any information they can gather before moving to attack. Green dragons enjoy consuming elves and fey creatures – especially pixies.

Physical Description
Green dragons are most notable for the large, waving crest or fin that starts at the dragon's nose and runs the entire length of the dragon's body. They also have exceptionally long, slender forked tongues. They smell like chlorine gas and are highly adept at magic.

Combat
Green dragons revel in combat, and will often attack for no apparent reason. They are highly territorial, and will often view any intrusion into their domain, voluntary or not, as a personal affront. They are extremely cunning and duplicitous foes, and love double-crossing others. A traveler who stumbles into a green dragon's territory may be able to bribe the dragon for safe passage, but more often than not the dragon will pretend to agree and then attack the unsuspecting offender once their guard is down. Though aggressive, green dragons prefer to use magic before attacking physically.

Breath Weapon
Green dragons expel a cone of corrosive chlorine gas.

Lair
Green dragons dwell in deep, old-growth forests. The typical green dragon lair will be a complex of caves and tunnels, with its main entrance hidden behind a waterfall. The preferred green dragon lair is a cave high up on a cliff, but such locations are usually hard to find and thus only home to the oldest and most powerful green dragons.

Parenting and Development
Green dragons are reasonably good parents, with both mother and father typically staying close to their eggs while they are incubating. Green dragon females either keep their eggs in a solution of acid or bury them in leaves moistened with rainwater. The green wyrmling is easily mistaken for a black, due to their nearly black scales. As the wyrmling matures, its scales become steadily lighter in color until they reach the striking green shade of an adult. The wyrmlings typically stay with both parents until they reach adulthood (approximately 100 years).

Diet
Small humanoids such as gnomes are preferred, but prize elves and sprites most. Will eat any animal if hungry.

Preferred Treasure
Emeralds

Lesson 1, Part 2: Blue Dragon
Blue dragons are orderly creatures and are unusual for chromatics in that they keep fairly well-ordered, hierarchical societies. They are more likely to be mocking and manipulative than outrightly cruel or murderous to 'lesser' creatures, aided greatly by their natural talents for hallucination. They are infamous for tricking desert travelers into drinking sand or going miles out of their way to avoid nonexistent dust basins. Their breath weapon is a line of lightning or a large electrical charge.

Physical Description
Blue dragons are physically distinguished by the single large horns protruding from their heads and also by their ears, which are rather large and frilled. The tail is thick and bumpy, like that of a caterpillar. The wings are more pronounced than most other species'. They smell like electricity or sand.

Combat
The blue dragon excells at aerial combat, perhaps moreso than any other species of dragon. Their lightning discharges are very easy to aim at other aerial foes, or at creatures below them on the ground. They are also extremely adept at burrowing in sand, and often lie in wait just below the surface of the desert for prey. When they are so burrowed, their large horns can easily be mistaken for pointed desert rocks.

Breath Weapon
Blue dragons use a shocking burst of lightning.

Lair
Blue dragons are native to arid wastelands and deserts. They make their lairs in underground caves; easily accessible to the dragons, as they can burrow through the ground. These dragons fly above their territory, using the bleak landscape and its sparse terrain features as their best chance of spotting opponents. The typical blue dragon lair is dug into one of the towering rock formations that dominate desert landscapes. As with all dragon lairs, the blue dragon's lair will have two entrances: one at ground level and hidden by the sand, and one opening onto a high ledge on which it can perch and survey its territory. Each lair also has a large subterranean cavern with a large pool of water and a sandy beach, which its inhabitant will use for drinking and relaxation.

Parenting and Development
Despite their evil nature, blue dragons are actually excellent parents to their young, and will rarely leave their eggs unattended. Blue dragon eggs must be buried in warm sand to incubate. Blue wyrmlings are actually quite cute, but they are quick to taunt any other creature, and even quicker to hunt small desert creatures for food.

Diet
A blue dragon's diet consists of meat from large animals such as camels, snakes, lizards, plants

Preferred Treasures
Sapphires

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.