Athanasian dragons come from a planet called Athanasia, a medieval world steeped heavily in magic. Years ago, they were wild creatures, inhabiting the peaks of tall mountains and, for the most part, stayed out of the way of humans. That was until a rogue black dragon, dubbed Rajath, attacked a caravan which included the king of Athanasia (who also happened to be an insanely powerful wizard). He caused a lot of destruction and fatally wounded the king, who cursed him and all dragons in revenge just before he died.
The curse drained the dragons' energy away slowly, until in a few hours, they were mostly dead. A few dragons, mostly newborn hatchlings, survived by bonding themselves to unsuspecting humans, and were able to leech energy off of their 'hosts'. These dragons and their hosts/bonds faced intense persecution from suspicious humans, until finally, they all moved to an area in southern Athanasia, the ruins of an enormous castle called Shato-Youma. The dragon hosts built their own city there, where the practice of bonding dragons at hatching still goes on. A few dragons and their hosts live outside the city, but with the dragon population nearly decimated, these are few and far between. Some have also found their way offworld into the nexus.
Physical Characteristics
-Appearance
Athanasian dragons are large mammalian creatures, though reptilian in appearance. They have bodies covered in large, hard overlapping scales and vaguely cat-like limbs. They have large paws with three retractable claws (plus a dewclaw) and pads on the bottom of their feet. They have particularly large plated scales on their belly and underside, which are usually a paler shade of their main body color. Their wings are large and bat-like, with a thumb at the third joint and three wing-tines. The tail is long and lizard-like, with a sharp-sided spade on the end. They have a wedge-shaped head on the end of a long neck, with a short horn on the nose and slit pupiled eyes ranging from gold or brown to green, blue, or red in color. They also have a pair of long horns sweeping backwards from behind their eyes. Finally, they have long, thin, quill-like spines ranging from the top of their heads, down the back of the neck and body and ending at the base of the tail. The spines are longest on the neck and grow shorter on the back, and the dragon can raise or flatten them at will.
-Senses
Athanasian dragons have extremely well-developed eyesight, and are able to see well at a distance or from the air, and they also possess good night-vision. They have good hearing and a better-than average sense of smell. They do not have a well-developed sense of taste, and hence, are not picky eaters.
-Colors
Athanasian come in eight colors, each with their own size range; Small, Medium-Small, Medium-Large, and Large. Greens and blues are the smallest at 20' to 25' feet long. yellows and oranges are 25' to 30' feet long, reds and browns are 30' to 35', while whites and blacks can range from 35' to 40' feet long. Greens, yellows, reds, and whites are female, while blues, oranges, browns, and blacks are male.
Abilities
Athanasian dragons do not possess the ability to speak telepathically, they speak verbally, with a slightly sibilant accent. Other vocal sounds they often make are growls, roars, purrs, and hissing.
They possess a natural fire-breathing ability, all dragons share this ability, regardless of color or size. Their most notable features are the massive scales covering their body. Aside from being extremely hard, they naturally repel most spells and magical effects; only the most powerful spells can affect an Athanasian dragon.
Lifestyle
-Mating & Clutching
Dragons reach maturity at the age of 5, after which females go into heat once a year, though they can choose not to mate. Once a female in heat makes her intentions known, male dragons often start posturing or mock-fighting, or otherwise try to impress the female, who will then choose a mate. The female carries the eggs for three months, and after laying them, the eggs continue to harden for another three months. The den is usually in a shallow cave or hollowed out area lined with leaves and twigs, away from humans. Humans are not allowed around the eggs until the hatching, and since the mother has a strong maternal instinct to protect her children, the mother sometimes has to be subdued during the hatching for fear of injuring the potential bonders.
-Bonding
The hatchlings immediately seek out suitable bonds, who are given the task of feeding and protecting the dragon. Because of the wizard's curse, a dragon must bond within an hour of hatching, or the magic will sap away all their strength and they will die. By bonding to another sentient, they are able to leech energy from their bond until one of them dies. Upon first bonding, the hatchlings are able to sift through some of their bond's memories and thoughts, from which they will pull out a certain word or phrase which they will name themselves. After an hour or so, the bond weakens to a slight empathy between bond and dragon, though still strong enough to kill the other if one dies.
On the part of the bonder, as the dragon forms the initial bond, they will feel a large decrease in energy and possible swooning, as well as dizzyness and mental confusion. This feeling wears off after the first hour or so, as the empathy between them weakens to the normal level. If the dragon dies, their bond will follow within an hour.
-Habitat
Though their original habitat on their home planet of Athanasia was on the peaks of high mountains, the majority of Athanasia's dragons now live in the southern foothills, in the city of dragonriders, Shato-Youma. Dragons who travel offworld with their riders prefer to live in high places, though they can live anywhere, provided their bond is nearby. (Dragon and rider can actually live several miles apart without ill effect)