Chapter 7: BESTIarY Daragkon (Khitan Dragon) teeth and claws, either of which can rend foes to death with a single attack Beyond those attributes, daragkin have extraordinary abilities and can both wield natural magics and belch forth deadly blasts from furnace-like digestive organs, each type having its own attack Daragkish magic is an inborn asset, akin to that wielded by lesser mages While limited, it provides sufficient recourse against spell casters who seek out dragons, perhaps a holdover from ancient times when other magic-capable beasts also wandered the world to challenge its dragons for mastery Daragkon inhabit wild places They are all reputedly aggressive and unpredictable They hunt and even raid settlements frequently enough that many common folk catch a glimpse of one at some point in their lives Wizards of the Dramidge college spend considerable time seeking out daragkon to further their magical studies They seek to control wild dragons to serve their nefarious purposes Penmai believe daragkon are the Dragon Kings reduced to animal form Daragk’gael (Wind Dragons) Wind dragons buffet the ground with the tremendous power of their wings, and rouse tremendous, cyclonic storms that knock enemies off their feet and bury them beneath quickly forming dunes They sweep down on the lower parts of the world from mountain-peak aeries where they hoard the tidbits they have stolen from weaker species Wild daragkin loom large across Khitus, the largest of them more powerful than any other natural creatures on the planet Even the smallest daragkon can be a magnificent, awe-inspiring beast, which explains why it is the physical form most desired by powerful wizards and magical creatures Sorcerers aspire to dragon form as a symbol of near god-like power The departed Dragon Kings did such, as several wizards who choose these fearsome forms yet today These daragk’honin (“feign-dragons”) are still artificial in one sense or another, no matter what power lies behind their form They all assume the form of savage, animalistic Khitan dragons, which still reign supreme in their scattered environs Unfailingly, Daragkon recognize their own, and no daragk’honin escapes their notice A Khitan dragon relies more on instinct than on raw cognitive intelligence Its very being revolves around its unique nature, dependent on species and geographic niche Its region and subspecies determines how each one lives, what it feeds on, and what it covets most deeply Barring those differences, all Khitan dragons can fly on enormous, leathery wings, have thick, protective scales over nigh-impenetrable hides, and fight with Daragk’huck (Coal Dragons) Coal dragons live where the world’s flammable elements lie naturally exposed on its surface A coal dragon can unleash a blast of liquid fire so hot and so richly fuelled that it roasts the land and blackens everything, even stone, with robust combustion They gather coal, oil and tar into massive pits where they wallow with the gems and precious metals they so desperately desire Daragk’ralsh (Mud Dragons) Mud dragons understand the inherent value of moisture and gather it jealously Any naturally-occurring accumulation of water—a spring or trickling stream—may attract a daragk’ralsh to make a claim over its ultimate ownership They breathe scorching blasts of steam that can roast a man in his armor and blister the skin from his bones Daragk’reg (Rock Dragons) Rock dragons wedge slate and stone among their scales This increases their bulk tremendously and adds to their 129