Drakeling

The drakeling is the domesticated dragon used for many centuries as a beast of war and is essential to traditional dragonmount warfare which is conserved as a heritage practice in southern Pytharnia and some parts of southern Barathorn. Drakeling breeding has waned considerably since the late twenty sixth century as titancraft skycraft have steadily replaced it as the primary choice for aerial combat. Drakelings continue to be prized today by governments with dragonmount divisions and by very wealthy collectors. All drakelings are very dangerous and should only be approached by especially trained individuals or in the express company of such an individual. Full-sized Drakelings are rarely shorter than 7.8 gnödva (ca 10m or 33 ft) from head to end of tail with a corresponding wingspan of 14 gnödva (ca 18m or 60 ft) or broader. Today, drakelings are rarely found outside of their kennels as a protection to the general public. Drakelings are typically exercised in special grounds in their kennels and ridden in flight over waterways or agricultural lands in order to reduce the possibility of encounters with the general public.

The expression 'domesticated dragon' is something of a misconception as the inherently vicious aggression of the beast has not been bred out but is kept at bay by folk magic, magical harnesses, and conditioning. Rather, artificial selection has been used to breed a specimen of winged dragon that is ideally suited to bear a trained rider in war. Drakelings are generally more sinuous than their wild counterparts. They are graceful fliers capable of very swift dives and amazing recoveries from such dives. The size of drakeling wings is a great vulnerability in warfare. Drakelings were often used for their terror effect on the general populace and as an alternative to skycraft. They are very hardy in melee combat and naturally resistant to traditional bladed weapons.

Origins

A drakeling is the commonly used term for the domesticated dragon that was introduced to Pytharnia long before the advent of Gwenyan Peoples. Dwarven oral legends recorded in a later period lend support to the notion that the Dragon Folk brought the dragons with them. However, this is not accepted by all scholars and the only widely held consensus is that dragons were introduced over six thousand years ago to Pytharnia either by domestication or importation from an unknown provenance. Draconologers have performed studies based upon vivisection and comparison of observed characteristics which confirm that the domestic dragon and wild dragons originate from a common ancestor no earlier than six thousand years ago. Some studies indicate the creatures may have been subdued and introduced to successive artificial selection as much as fifteen thousand years ago.

Lawlock

Main article: Lawlock

The expression lawlock refers to the regimen, diet, and magical restraining devices placed on the drakeling since its hatching to bring it into nearly complete submission to its human rider. The lawlock is a complete program designed to direct the beast while retaining its fierceness in battle.

Military Application

Drakelings are excellent natural fighters and suited for melee and aerial combat. Their fiery breath, known as a 'breath weapon,' is terrifying to foot soldiers and land units have been known to flee from combat simply after seeing drakelings gather in the skies above. Drakelings can make use of their powerful jaws and fangs against any combatant in front of them. All four limbs are well-clawed and can deliver vicious blows. Drakelings are capable of swallowing human-sized or smaller creatures whole. Drakelings and their mounts make excellent reconnaissance scouts due to their long-ranged flight and their high flight ceiling of 17.4 dwarven fathoms (ca 2200 gnödva or 2800m or 9200 ft) which ensures immunity from any gruntish, pre-titancraft-based artillery.

Non-Military Applications

Drakelings can be used to pull heavy loads, but are generally unsuited to this task. Other beasts, such as organchan voraxes and gibgibsews are more well-suited. A mounted drakeling in flight is an excellent means of first-time surveillance of wilderness areas. Drakelings have excellent senses of smell and can be used as guards.

Breeds

There are three historic breeds of drakeling, the Arro, Dreggo, and the Sclade. The Arro breed is the most widely recognizable with its broad forehead and horns. The Dreggo breed is the least sinuous of the three with a blunt head and somewhat less broad wingspan. Historically, dreggos were favored in surface warfare as they can fold their wings closely against their bodies to keep them out of harm's way. They are also great divers, but require much training to recover in time from dives with a mounted rider. The Sclade is the most colorful and has characteristic tendrils on its face and 'tail wings' on the end of its tail. Despite the millennia of highly controlled breeding programs, these are the only three breeds. All other differences are deemed 'varieties' of them and there are well over sixty such varieties catalogued. The long life of the drakeling relative to humans (nearly five hundred years) ensures that all breeding programs require institutional oversight. Drakelings like wild dragons never mate more than once a year and typically only once every eight years.

Morphology

Drakelings like dragons have sextupedal morphology which is thought to be unnatural. The body of the drakeling has four limbs and two wings. This contrasts with wyverns which have only two limbs and two wings, consistent with the morphology of common reptiles and mammals. Drakeling bodies are more sinuous than wild dragons and this suits them for long flights.

Intelligence and Behavior

As with all dragons, drakelings are more intelligent and more inclined to social behaviors than common reptiles. The drakeling mother will instinctively choose to be present at time of hatching of her brood and this is possibly the most dangerous time to encounter the creature. Drakelings have demonstrated the ability to count to twenty.

Diet

Drakelings are carnivores and prefer fresh meat, although they can eat carrion. In ancient times, drakelings would feed off the flesh of fallen warriors. They can swallow humans whole, but they must seek their dens to sleep in as they digest the meat. Since this makes them unsuitable for warfare, drakelings are trained not to devour the enemy during battle.

Drakelings and other Creatures

Mammals, including humans and most humanlikes are instinctively frightened by reptiles and dragons. Horses will flee from their presence, unless especially habituated. Horses tolerant of the presence of drakelings are called 'dragonsure.'

Commercial Value of Drakelings

Drakelings can be bred and sold to governments and very wealthy collectors for great sums of money. Drakeling eggs and scales are also highly valued. Drakeling hide produces very sturdy armor nearly as light as metallic armor which is also resistant to fire and acid.

Dragonmount Practices

Dragon Knights drink the blood of drakelings to fortify their strength on long voyages or before or after a strenuous combat. The amount of blood necessary to benefit a human is relatively small compared to the overall supply of blood in the dragon. The practice of drinking the blood of dragons is deeply troubling to some religionists and is the basis for fearful perceptions and notions about dragon knights. The blood of the dragon is venomous when touched or ingested to most humans and requires a period of habituation. Dragon Knights are habituated to dragon’s blood during the early years of their training as a youth.

Drakeling Eggs

The eggs of dragons are toxic for human consumption, but the shell can be crushed, pulverized, or preserved. The uses of this preparation of drakeling shells include traditional medicine, witchcraft, and fine artwork. Drakeling eggs command very high prices.

See Also

• Bullwyrm
• Dragonmount Cant
• Dragonmount Knight
• Dragonmount Warfare
• Tirchaglawchli
• Wetherwyrm