Dragon Memories

[m7600]

So, I've been thinking about this. The colors of Tiamat's heads are red, black, green, blue and white. We know that there are dragons of other colors, maybe not all of them are canon, but that's another discussion. Specifically, there are yellow, gray, pink, brown, and purple. This means that Tiamat's sister, Phiamat, would also have five heads.

If you want to introduce more chromatic dragons, such as a cyan or magenta, (or teal, lavender, beige, etc.), there are two options. The first option is to add more heads to Phiamat. The second option is to introduce yet another sister, "Xiamat". I prefer the latter.

 

[Black Elk]

Glad to see that you're developing the theory of Tiamat's unknown sister.

One nitpick: Draconology sounds better than Dragonology. At least to my ear.

Curiously this was also the position maintained by Stenographus the b'Etruscan Loremaster, who marked his minutes with a clear preference for the c spelling.

On the other side of the pond, the Academy of Arts & Séances insists on a g in their "Guide to Styles & Styluses."

Others contend that it was a mistranslation by the Bard Evander which started the initial confusion, although the case on that one remains disputed, with papers still awaiting peer review. Traditionalists of course will continue to claim that it was Dyslexius the Lawgiver who first invented a new order for the draconic letters when he flipped the script, and that it was during this time when the gs become more widely adopted in some dialects.

Recent speculation has also entertained the once controversial view in Dragonography, that the two letters may actually derive from a single shared proto-glyph. Both referring to a sound something like the Drake's Qoph, or the fabled 'cough' of the Drakonic Abjad. Perhaps an even more ancient and guttural version of the same sound, with a register so low that only the Dwarves can discern it. New textual evidence is again causing quite a stir, with bold claims that the Gs and Cs may even be related, eventually splitting into the distinct draconic bylines we recognize today.

As the Chancellery of Deans of Regents has provided no clear guidance for the department letterhead, adjunct professors are invited to debate the issue at the Chromatic Orb summit, and submit their proposals before Summer orientation week.

hehehe

So, I've been thinking about this. The colors of Tiamat's heads are red, black, green, blue and white. We know that there are dragons of other colors, maybe not all of them are canon, but that's another discussion. Specifically, there are yellow, gray, pink, brown, and purple. This means that Tiamat's sister, Phiamat, would also have five heads.

If you want to introduce more chromatic dragons, such as a cyan or magenta, (or teal, lavender, beige, etc.), there are two options. The first option is to add more heads to Phiamat. The second option is to introduce yet another sister, "Xiamat". I prefer the latter.

Oh definitely! The logic there is irrefutable! The Xiamat X-files may need to be re-opened!!!
lol

 

[m7600]

I prefer "Draconology" for the same reason that I prefer "Draconomicon" instead of "Dragonomicon".

But hey, if Tolkien got us to say "Elves" and "Dwarves" instead of the traditional "Elfs" and "Dwarfs", then anything goes (his reasoning was: "wolf / wolves", instead of "wolfs". Then again, we don't say "roof / rooves", but "roofs" instead).

I suppose it's ultimately a matter of personal taste.

Incidentally, here is some photographic evidence of Takhisis, courtesy of the Dragonlance movie. Maybe Takhisis isn't Tiamat, but one of her sisters instead.

 

[mlnevese]

Soon the proof of the secret marriage of Tiamat and Bahamut

 

[Black Elk]

Soon the proof of the secret marriage of Tiamat and Bahamut

The ultimate catering nightmare! Like where this guy was probably hired to paint the wedding portrait!?



Save the date lol

Also, related unrelated - A random dragon, which I had nearly forgotten about completely, but then totally remembered again out the blue!!!

Attention to Deetail hehe

Some interesting crossover there between my memories of the Dragons and the dragon Knights. Probably borderline medieval thread honestly, cause it was like Ridley Scott flick version looking back. I'm pretty sure the way it worked out, Dr. Bashir and Princess Eva teamed up with the gang at Castle Grayskull for all the Power that one time. There were definitely some mismatched scales involved lol





I think I particularly enjoy the idea of some kind of kingdom coming for however many Tiamat sister dragons, like however many heads are required, but where instead of being all fully grown and 'by the power' status at the outset, instead maybe first the appearance and introduction would be as an unassuming Wyrmling? I could see that for sure. Like flying under the radar as some kinda iguana parrot on the pirates' shoulder? But with an INT of 20 and a lot of potential to grow? hehe

Pseudo-Dragon to Dragon for-real, that definitely seems like a solid go-to. Pretty much the genuine article right there for a how to train your dragon. That would be an amusing Power up for a Power Dragon 1-20 campaign! Those would be some big reveals while marching towards the level cap.

Sorta like in the same way that the Draconic Orbs all look the same to the untrained eye, or how hound dogs all look the same when their puppies. Until like 6 months out when they start to get the look, but their teeth are still super sharp. Probably same the same sorta deal on dragon color reveals. At the start the Phi Phis and Xi Xis are like toy dragons, but by the end full on Dragon lancing??? I could get into it!

Funko sized Tiamat wasn't really my era, but being hypnotized immediately, I suppose it's a memory now too! heheh

Dragon familiars, such a winning concept!

 

[m7600]

Lol at the Tiamat doll!

This was a cool movie from 2002:

 

[m7600]

On a side note, I think that the metallic / gem / whatever dragons are getting a bit neglected amidst our speculations on the chromatic ones.

Would non-metal (periodic table) dragons make sense? I can see how some, i. e. sulfur dragons would. But I'm not sure about others. I don't think that oxygen dragons, for example, fit the setting.

Thoughts?

 

[Black Elk]

Good questions!

I think charting out the Metallics, we'd probably need to switch sigils too, like for the full Heptagon appendix on that one.

For the Lucky 7 (the ancient metals) Iron, Tin, Lead, Copper, Silver, Gold, and Mercury, those dragons are all in pretty good standing.

I'm partial to the Tin and Lead dragons myself, since they often seem under-represented. Among the wrought metallics as well, the Pewter dragons definitely more my speed, compared to say the Steels and the Bronzes, or even the real rarities like a Platinum or a Meteoric Iron. With a 7-7-7 slot machine thing, you can get a little mirror going there between the 7 colors of the ROYGBIV rainbow, and the 7 Metals, which seems cool for some esoteric mathematics. Like maybe the Chromatics get the x5 heads multiplier vibe, but the Metallics are somehow 7s across the board, with some counterbalance there, depending on where in the draconacci sequence we begin?

When it comes to the more Alchemical Dragon pedigrees probably would have to table some edge cases till we can double check our charts, except for the noble gases, cause every one of those is obviously named for a badass Dragon.

Like I definitely wouldn't want to be the one who has to tell Xenon that he's not a dragon! hehe

Or cousins Radon, Argon, and Krypton? Seems like it would be the height of folly to deny any of those noble dragon houses!

The last confirmed sighting of Neon the Dragon, was probably on a layover, somewhere between planes. Like beneath the haunted ruins of Vegas, or thereabouts...

The cult of Helium the Dragon is also not to be underestimated.

Rumor has it there are conclaves all over the place, but they tend to reveal themselves only once or twice a year. Like on parade, or possibly at birthday parties hehe

As for the rest of the Periodic periodicals, hard to say there. The mysteries surely abound, but I'm definitely intrigued! The Gems and Crystal dragons probably maintain some hidden hordes nearby for sure!

ps. for random Wyrmlings (of substances unknown) I thought this variety had all gone totally extinct... like mainly due to loss of habitat when the malls closed down, but it seems they're making a comeback! In the wild regions between here and Etsyland they seem to have found a new ecological niche. Their numbers are on the rebound! lol

Fly on little drakes! Fly on! heheh. I had a red and a green dragon, like old TV, pretty similar that I got at the fair, but these newer hybrids are full on twisted sister style with the color combos! Gotta dig it!

Salt dragons for sure! Long as Sulfur is invited, makes sense. Water dragons at the pool party, or the hot springs!

Whatever works!

Classic! Lol

 

[mlnevese]

There are dragons that are light-based Prismatic Dragons) those being are Epic Level creatures able to defeat some gods.

 

[Black Elk]

Drawing deep draughts from the wiki well hehe

Speaking of prismatics, trying to reconcile the general theory of phlogiston with quantum humor mechanics has proved somewhat challenging, at times uncanny. It's possible that new frameworks will be needed to properly account for certain age old questions, like what came first, the dragon or the egg?

Or perhaps equally important, why 7 heads or 5 heads, or 3 or 4?

Consulting the dragon bones may offer some insight here.

For knucklebones, the D4, D6, D8, D10, D12 and D20 are all foundational. Even the dragons who choose not to have knuckles sometimes will still have vestiges of these, since they're basically the backbone of the draconic knucklebones.

I think the D10 Trapezohedron is probably the most Draconic knucklebone of all, since it requires some definite twisting to get there. Pretty much a wyrm dance going on at the corners, where the top 5 and the bottom 5 faces are all staring each other up and down.



Here is a Dragon D4 to scale, courtesy of Twinkl, who can only assume must be a pretty wise and friendly drake...



On the way to the D8 bones we must first stop here and build that dragon pyramid twice! Then fold 'em together just for good measure! lol



For the D20 and D12 refer to the charts on the previous page.

A quick search of the archives indicated even more quixotic connections to dragon numerology, but rendered here into to common...



The Draconic Scales - the Perfect Fourth 4:3, Perfect Fifth 3:2, and the Octave 2:1, still revered by Bards across the realms, were also sometimes used in the fashioning of Elvish and Dwarven suits of mail with prismatic qualities.



Somehow it all adds up! heheh

 

[m7600]

If there's gem dragons, there could be rock / stone dragons as well, of different types. For example, Marble Dragon, Basalt Dragon, Limestone Dragon, Granite Dragon, etc. Their alignment would be neutral. Since there's two kinds of neutrality, the gem dragons could be re-conceptualized to be neutral along the good-neutral-evil axis, while the rock dragons would be neutral along the law-neutral-chaos axis.

 

[mlnevese]

You don't want to make one of these mad at you....

Time Dragon (Dungeons and Dragons)

The Time Dragon is variant of Epic Dragon, being overall the most powerful dragon in Dungeons & Dragons short of deities. At their peak, the Time Dragon shows mastery over controlling the timestream itself, being able to stop time at will and can travel forwards or backwards at time.[1] Their...

dragons.fandom.com

A Time Dragon has two breath weapons, a line of ravaging time and a cone of time repulsion. The breath of ravaging time is a beam of immense light that damages the victim's Constitution score and any items hardness. The breath of time repulsion on the other hand sends the afflicted into the future, effectively erasing them from the timestream until time itself can catch up to them.

 

[OrlonKronsteen]

A Time Dragon has two breath weapons, a line of ravaging time and a cone of time repulsion.

Would love to hear some physicists debating which is the worst of these two breath weapons!

 

[m7600]

Would love to hear some physicists debating which is the worst of these two breath weapons!

@alice_ashpool is our resident physicist, but he hasn't been around lately. We miss you!

 

[shmity72]

yes i used to own all these.

 

[mlnevese]

Would love to hear some physicists debating which is the worst of these two breath weapons!

First one will turn you and your equipment into a pile of dust as you age instantly. The other one will keep you alive but so far away in the future you may as well be living in a new universe... Some would argue the second one is better as, at least, you are still alive but life may be so alien to you that maybe you would prefer the first option.

 

[OrlonKronsteen]

First one will turn you and your equipment into a pile of dust as you age instantly. The other one will keep you alive but so far away in the future you may as well be living in a new universe... Some would argue the second one is better as, at least, you are still alive but life may be so alien to you that maybe you would prefer the first option.

Re: time repulsion: there may be some unforeseen consequences of violating the laws of physics, too, in addition to ending up in a strange future.

On the other hand, you'd be well clear of the 2024 tax season, so...

 

[mlnevese]

Re: time repulsion: there may be some unforeseen consequences of violating the laws of physics, too, in addition to ending up in a strange future.

On the other hand, you'd be well clear of the 2024 tax season, so...

View attachment 8337

Who said the 2000024 tax season will be any better?

 

[Black Elk]

The big dragon news of today... the redesign for the Golds just revealed is a bit of a return to classic form hehe

Dungeons & Dragons Reveals New Gold Dragon Design (Exclusive)

Dungeons & Dragons is revamping all of its dragons in 2024, and that includes a stunning new rendition of the gold dragon. Last week, Dungeons & Dragons fans got a first look at the new gold dragon that will appear in the 2024 Core Rulebooks. The gold dragon appears on both versions of the 2024 […]

comicbook.com

I didn't know really anything about Herman's studio art direction for the Wizards or his Draconology bona fides there, except that I did enjoyed how his insta begins with a dog. I can always endorse that! Plus his art station moves through like every iteration of Stark Industries and Omni Consumer Products for the past decade or so, which I suppose I can get into as well! lol

Let's go fly a Kite!

 

[m7600]

Eh... What can I say. I find it super disrespectful that Todd Lockwood is not mentioned even once in that article. He is singlehandedly responsible for designing the modern-looking dragons that they allude to, without mentioning him.