Dragons are sentient beings which are considered the most powerful individuals on Mersia. Dragons are characterized by their inherent ability to use shapeshifting magic, their ability to ignore the laws of thermodynamics, their extreme longevity, and their ability to speak.
Dragons have six limbs. Two forelimbs which terminate in hands, two rearlimbs which terminate in feet, and two wings. Dragons have no known maximum lifespan, they simply get larger with age.
Dragons have no maximum size, but their growth rate does slow down at around 250 years. The growth rate slows down again at around 5000 years, but it does not reach zero. The oldest dragons, those that exceed 20,000 years, are more than twice the size of those that are 5000 years old.
A dragon's lifecycle is long and complex.
A dragon's basic education is generally completed by age 40, at which point most dragons are 10 feet long (not counting the tail) and weigh around 600 kg.
Dragons reach sexual maturity at around 200 years, at which point most dragons are 16 feet long and weigh around 1400 kg.
Dragons do not form paternal bonds with their young. Rather during breeding seasons (which occur once every 12 years), the eggs are taken care of communally, and the young may go to any adult dragon for aid as they grow up.
A dragon's soul is immortal and retains some feelings and opinions across bodies. Each subclass of dragon has its own cyclical reincarnation order, with the oldest of each tribe reincarnating as the youngest.
A dragon's given name is the name held by their former incarnation. For example, Arcturus Ansel is the current incarnate of Arcturus Onna. This means that Arcturus Ansel holds many of the same feelings and opinions as his former incarnate, Arcturus Onna. They are, indeed, the same soul with a new body and mind.
A dragon's surname is the name of the wheel they belong to. For example, the Ansel wheel of the poison tribe is the current wheel of incarnation for that tribe. There is no synchronicity between different tribes. A cycle is said to be “perfect” when all incarnates in that wheel died and were reborn in the same order as the previous wheel. A cycle is said to be “imperfect” when its incarnates died in a different order than in the previous wheel, and consequently, with the order of its incarnates different from the previous wheel.
An outcycler is a dragon who was born to a tribe with no member of the previous cycle dead, and subsequently no incarnate name is given to an outcycler. Outcyclers are generally unwelcomed by their tribe and are outcast as a result. Alsyrna Bolnayn is an example of an Outcycler from the Explosion Tribe.
Dragons are divided into four classes. Elemental dragons, force dragons, composite dragons, and mind dragons.
Elemental dragons are the most common dragon class as well as (usually) the least threatening. Roughly 85% of all dragons are elemental dragons. Elemental dragons have control over some fundamental property of their surroundings, such as heat, cold, electrical current, air water, and earth.
Force dragons are among the stronger dragons, and are the second most common. Roughly 14% of all dragons are force dragons. Dragons of this type have control of some derived property of their surroundings, such as light, darkness, gravity, radiation, sound, and speed.
Composite Dragons are the strongest type of dragon in terms of raw combat potential. Roughly 1% of all dragons are composite dragons. Dragons of this type may freely rearrange the chemical structure of their surroundings, although typically the range of this ability is very, very short (less than one inch). Domains that fall within the composite subclass include poison, explosive, corrosive, alloy, and meta.
Mind dragons are the most threatening type of dragon despite being the weakest physically. Fewer than two dragons per thousand are mind dragons. Dragons of this type may freely rearrange the minds of those near them. A mind dragon can completely read someone's thoughts with trivial ease, and freely wipe memories, add false memories, and even alter a person's entire personality. It is impossible to fight a mind dragon directly and win. The moment the mind dragon becomes aware of you, it is over.
Dragons have an innate ability to shapeshift, which is generally first manifested at the age of 10, and which is generally mastered by the age of 40.
This is not to be confused with Illusion, as the dragon is not merely masking their appearance, but physically altering their body.
Mass is given off from a dragon that is shapeshifting to a smaller size, mostly in the form of carbon dioxide and steam. For this reason, dragons will not shapeshift indoors.
For a dragon to return to its full size, the fastest way for it to do so is for the dragon to rapidly regain their mass from inhaling smoke, which is largely comprised of steam and carbon dioxide. If a dragon intends to return to full size, usually the dragon will find or create a bonfire and fly above it, taking in the smoke to recreate its body. Even in ideal conditions, this process may take hours for a younger dragon, or months for an extremely large dragon.
Though quite capable of doing so, most dragons are not willing to shapeshift to a size smaller than a Sape, for fear of being captured.