A Practical Guide To Dragons Ebook Edition
written by Vesper
This is an eBook transcription/summary of A Practical Guide to Dragons. This book is filled with everything we've learned about dragons- the fearsome chromatics, the dazzling metallics, it's all here!
Last Updated
05/31/21
Chapters
4
Reads
11,139
The Black Dragon
Chapter 3
| Max. Height | 16 ft |
| Max. Weight | 160,000 lbs |
| Max. Wingspan | 40 ft |
| Breath Weapon | Acid |
| Food | Fish, other aquatic creatures, some red meat |
| Habitat | Boggy swamps (the smellier, the better) |
| Enemy | No natural enemy of course, but will attack almost anything |
| Favorite Treasure | Coins |
Black dragons are the worst-tempered dragons. They are evil, mean, and extremely cunning. Some people call them skull dragons, and if you look at them, I'm pretty sure you can see why. On an adult black dragon, it looks as if the scales are slowly wearing away.
The black dragon's major weapon is its breath. I know you think that all dragons breathe fire, but that's just reds. Black dragons shoot a stream of acid 100x stronger than hydrochloric acid, sure to burn through most shields.
Distinguishing Features
The black dragon's most distinguishing features are the horns that wrap around the back of its head to the front. These horns make the black dragon easy to spot as it flies overhead. No other dragon has such horns alongside its head.
Black dragons smell like rotting plants and murky water. Old blacks have pure lime-green eyes. Some teeth will stick out when the mouth closes. Their nostril openings can seal shut and black dragons can hold their breath for an hour or more.
Eggs, Wyrmlings, and Adults
Female black dragons lay their eggs in swamps, marshes, or other boggy places, making the eggs nearly impossible to find. Besides blending in quite well, the eggs must be submerged in the mother dragon's acid.
Black dragons are cruel from the moment they are born. A wyrmling is extremely fierce and always hungry. The wyrmling has no conscience or moral compass, and any creature can fall prey to the dragon's whims, including birds, small animals, and even plants.
As the black dragon matures, it becomes ever more devious. The black dragon frequently boasts about how superior it is, and it particularly enjoys taking things from others not because it needs them, but because it simply can.
As black dragons get older, they tend to spend more and more time in their lairs, surrounded by the coins they've collected over the years. It is unlikely that you would see a black dragon simply roaming about the open countryside. They generally stick close to home, hunting and swimming in the dark, brackish waters of the swamp.
The Black Dragon's Lair
Black dragons live in caves or in underground chambers with numerous tunnels. Their lairs are usually next to a swamp or murky pond. Here, the black dragon will have an underwater entrance to its lair. The dragon's lair also has an above-ground entrance. You never know from which direction the black dragon may appear.
The black dragon's lair is often hard to spot because the dragon will usually cover the opening with plant growth. However, a quick sniff of the air will alert you that the lair is nearby. Their lairs often reek of the red meat dragons eat, for they like to let the meat sit in the pond until the meat has sufficiently pickled.
Combat
Black dragons are sneaky foes. They prefer to hide, then ambush their victims. Because they usually live in boggy, swampy areas surrounded by trees, they will often hid among the plants or perhaps even in the swamp itself. The trees, however, prevent the black dragon from being able to fly upward too swiftly. This might be your only advantage if you ever (heaven forbid and God help you) find yourself facing down a black dragon.
