DRAGONS
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DRAGON LORE

( Dragon Color Information )
 

Gold Dragons- Female- Ridden Only by Women- The Golden Queens lead Gale's rest. They are fierce minded, intelligent, and overflowing with willpower, their riders are women usually of the same personality. There are never more than three at any one time, led by the eldest of the three she is referred to as the Senior Queen. Queens are the lifeblood of Gale's Rest and the Riders. Queens lay clutches anywhere from 8-20 eggs, whereas Green females lay at most 3. No dragon mates for life. So, it is often that a queen will switch her partner. When she rises whatever Bronze captures her becomes her mate until the next time she rises. The Riders are a Matriarchal society that is led by the Golden Queens and their Riders. No dragon of any other color would dare to refuse the order of a Queen. Each dragon has the ability to quell descent from a dragon of a lesser color. It is highly frowned upon though, and *usually* only used in dire situations. 

 

Bronze Dragons- Male- Ridden Only by Men- These are your alpha male dragons, their Riders usually embodying that personality as well. These are your natural leaders, the bronzes are usually the only dragons a Queen will accept as a mate. Bronze dragons are strong and have more stamina then other dragon types. Being large, they can produce higher amounts and a longer flame then any other dragon. What they lose in speed and maneuverability they make up for in sheer strength. Typically, these Dragons chase after a Queen when she rises, but with there being only three Queens at any time, they keep themselves busy with chasing down Greens during their flights.

 

Brown Dragons- Male- Ridden Only by Men- There is an old saying, "If you have a problem entrust it to a Brown Rider." Brown dragons are known for their stalwart personalities and their Riders usually embody this as well. Dependable, these dragons and their Riders make great wing lieutenants but usually won't find themselves in higher positions of leadership. Browns have been known to give chase when a Queen rises to mate, but so far in the last century have never been successful. Usually they satisfy their mating urge by chasing Greens when they rise. 

 

Blue Dragons-Male- Ridden Mainly by Men- Blue dragons are the warriors of Gale's rest. The most numerous of the Rider forces. Their Riders are valiant, brave, and of a dominant persona though less so than a Bronze. Answering to the browns, bronzes, and queens they are strong team players. Blue dragons are known for their extreme speed and maneuverability due to their smaller size when compared to the size of the other male dragons. Many of them also hold an ability unique to their color. Some blue dragons have ability that makes them keen searchers, able to discern which children would be able to impress a dragon and which could not. When a Queen has a clutch Blue Riders are sent out on search to find suitable candidates.

 

Green Dragons- Female- Ridden by Men & Women of a Submissive Persona- Green dragons make up a large portion of Gale's Rest's Riders. Green Riders are known for their bravery, emotional empathy, and flirtatious personalities. Green dragons are the only other female dragons in the city aside from the Golden Queens. Greens are known for being the fastest flyers in the city. These amorous little devils rise far more often than a Queen, usually rising two to three times before actually becoming pregnant and later clutching. Their riders are usually men and women of a submissive nature, as during mating flights they will be the receptive partner. Green riders are often described as 'Flirty little gossips!' but even the Bronze riders know to keep their distance when a green rider is 'Proddy' a term used to describe the foul mood their riders endure right before a green rises to mate. God help their enemies on the battlefield.

-Dragon Mating and How it Effects Riders- 
 

A female dragon's first mating flight took place upon reaching full maturity, usually around 2 years of age. Mating flights started when a gold or green was in heat, signaled by a sudden change in temperament. Greens typically required no further preparation beyond the onset of their cycle. However, Gold dragons would immediately begin hunting with the onset of heat. Queen Riders were trained to keep their dragon from eating meat; instead, the gold was to blood their kills for a quick burst of energy. Meat was considered to slow a gold down. Once satisfied, the gold would launch herself into the air, followed by those males capable or willing to follow. Typically, gold flights only involved bronzes, as smaller males did not possess the stamina to keep up with the gold. Thus, brown and blue males typically mated with green dragons. Bronzes would begin blooding kills as soon as they sensed a gold dragon going into heat. Green mating flights were often shorter than golds, due to the smaller size of greens, though greens were noted to mate more often than golds.
 

Once in the air, the flight became a competition. The female dragon would soar over long distances, utilizing a variety of aerial maneuvers. Males would attempt to catch the female, with the winning male being able to mate with the female. A female dragon usually chose the male whose impressed her the most, however, younger, inexperienced females could be caught before making their selection. Mating took place in midair, which could cause dangers if the pair were unaware of how close to the ground they fell. The people of Altera believe that higher and longer flights result in bigger clutches. Since green dragons produce small clutches, this was only a concern for gold dragons, but a rider of a female dragon is taught that she must control her dragon to keep her from overeating.
 

Mating flights play an important role in Gale's Rest. Senior Bronze Riders are chosen through mating flights; the Senior Bronze Rider is typically the rider of the bronze that flies the senior queen. In the event that a senior Queen Rider is to be replaced, one method of choosing a successor is to select the rider of the first junior queen that rises to mate. Meanwhile, green flights are important for providing sexual relief among the male dragons, as male dragons drastically outnumber gold dragons, while green dragons make up around half of all dragons. During a mating flight, the involved riders become telepathically subsumed by their dragon's mating instincts, resulting in sexual contact between the riders of the mating pair. However, because mating flights take place over long distances, the dragon's projected emotions could influence non-riders as well. The mating instinct can also cause other females to enter heat, thus Gale's Rest tradition states that all uninvolved queens are removed from the city when a mating flight begins. This is meant to prevent the deadly fights that would otherwise take place between golds during mating flights. It is also a rule that a female dragon close to rising was not removed from their Weyr. 

Note 1.0 - Adult Elements at Play - Keep in mind as stated before this storyline will have some sexual and bdsm elements found through out it. They are less pronounced here then some of the BDSM community rooms that are open but they are here. You have Gold, Bronze, Brown, and Blue riders who take the dominant role, meanwhile Green riders take the place of submissive partners. It is common to see two riders pair up, this concept is called Weyr-mating, Gale's Rest's version of dating. There is no marriage for dragon riders, it just wouldn't make sense, but for the non-rider citizens it does exist. It just wouldn't be practical for a species that tend to change mates every time they rise. However, there are exceptions, and some couples stay together even if their partner is caught by another, mating flights are not considered infidelity due to the fact they are unavoidable. 


Note 1.2 - In the city of Gale's Rest sexuality is not something that is spoken of in shame or hushed tones. Bronze and Brown riders are typically straight males, but usually will fly a few greens over their lives who sometimes have male riders. They treat these riders just as they would a female partner, with kindness save a few. Just because you impressed a dragon doesn't necessarily make you a good person. More then one rider are known for being...overly aggressive during their mating flights so they find themselves losing many of them due to the other rider influencing their dragon against said man. Pregnancy is common for female green riders, however a visit to the healer hall for glass of tea will clear that right up!