ALL ABOUT DRAGONS Illus. by S. Wood
CHAPTER 1:
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Green dragons often attack with little or no provocation, especially when dealing with creatures passing through their territory. (Such creatures don’t offer much opportunity for a scam or other long-term manipulation, so the dragon simply attacks.) Victory in such an encounter often nets the dragon some treasure and helps demonstrate the dragon’s power to its neighbors and subjects. The dragon typically stalks its victims, studying them from afar and planning its assault. It may shadow its victims for days before attacking. If the target appears weak, the dragon makes its presence known quickly—it enjoys evoking terror. A green dragon seldom slays all its opponents, preferring instead to try to establish control over one of the survivors by using intimidation or magical enchantments. It then questions its prisoner to learn what is going on in the countryside, and if there is treasure nearby. Green dragons occasionally release such prisoners if they can arrange for a ransom payment. Otherwise, the prisoner must prove its value to the dragon daily or die.
perch high and survey their domain. Their preference for mountain homes often brings them into conflict with silver dragons, which red dragons passionately hate. Silver dragons usually get the better of red dragons in battle, which merely serves to stoke the flames of resentment among red dragons. Red dragons also vie for territory with copper dragons from time to time, and the weaker copper dragons are often hard-pressed to survive any direct confrontation. A red dragon seeks out a large cave that extends deep into the earth for its lair. Caves with some kind of volcanic or geothermal activity are the most highly prized. No matter what its lair is like, however, the dragon always has a high perch nearby from which to haughtily survey its territory. Dungeon-dwelling red dragons seek out superheated or fiery areas for their lairs. Since dungeons usually lack elevated areas that offer panoramic views of the neighborhood, red dragons living in such places often settle for open spaces or areas with long corridors that offer broad views.
RED DRAGONS The most covetous of all true dragons, red dragons tirelessly seek to increase their treasure hoards. They are exceptionally vain, even for dragons, which is reflected in their proud bearing and disdainful expression. Red dragons love mountainous terrain, but also inhabit hilly regions, badlands, and other locales where they can
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Red Dragon Identifiers Two massive horns sweep back atop a red dragon’s head. These horns can be straight or twisted, and can be any hue from bone white to night black. Rows of small horns run along the top of a red dragon’s head, and the dragon has small horns on its cheeks and lower jaw as well.
