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CHAPTER 1Dragon Lore1Come not between the dragon and his wrath.—William ShakespeareMore ink has been spilled on describing dragonsthan on nearly any other creature. These ancient,noble, yet savage beasts are a favorite subject of guidebooks,bards’ tales, and ancient tomes and scrolls.Draconic knowledge is gained at risk of life and limb;dragons are rapacious, jealous of their secrets, andoften hungry.Experts describe dragons as the first sentient raceto appear in the world, with life spans stretching intomillennia. With such a wealth of experience, dragonsembody history. The oldest dragons are repositoriesof vast knowledge and of the deepest ancient secrets.Dragons are more than just a challenge for knightsseeking hoards or glory: dragons are sages, oracles,and even prophets.Dragons’ majesty has clothed them in myth. Theappearance of a dragon can portend good or ill fortune.Pragmatic sages attempt to classify dragonsas merely large lizards that have wings and warmbreath, but these efforts fail in the true light of thewonder, magic, and fantastic abilities of dragons.Dragons are, by their nature, epic forces.4This chapter covers the following topics:✦ Origins: The beginnings and history of chromaticdragons.✦ Physiology: A detailed study of chromatic dragons’anatomy.✦ Life Cycle: The life of a dragon from egg toancient.✦ Outlook and Psychology: How chromatic dragonssee the world.✦ Society: A description of dragon social structure.✦ Language: Draconic language and script.✦ Religion: Dragons’ favored deities.✦ Chromatic Dragons in Detail: An overviewof the five most common chromatic dragons—black, blue, green, red, and white—as well as thelesser-known brown, gray, and purple dragons.CHAPTER 1 | Dragon LoreSTEVE PRESCOTT