Dragon (Warhammer Fantasy)

Dragons are enormous reptilian creatures which feature in Games Workshop’s Warhammer Fantasy setting.

Description
Appearing similar to the ancient European depictions of dragons, these creatures are six limbed, two of which are mighty leathery pinions which enable them to soar across the skies of the Warhammer world. They are possessed of a high degree of intelligence, and are capable of breathing either a gout of flame or toxic gas from their mouths depending on their type, which is usually determined by their colour.

Dragons were once the dominant race of the Warhammer World, but in the modern age their numbers are much depleted, and those that do survive spend most of their time deep in slumber, usually in great caves beneath the earth.

History
The coming of the Old Ones to the Warhammer World and their subsequent changing of the environment (by moving the entire planet closer to the sun) in order to make conditions more clement for both themselves and the races which they would go on to create, did much to bring about the downfall of the dragons as the world’s premier species. Disliking the warmer conditions, most of these creatures either died off or retreated to the cooler caverns which honeycomb many of the Warhammer World’s mountain ranges. Whilst some still survive there to this day, the majority of these surviving dragons were killed off either by Dwarfs who have unwittingly uncovered their lairs when delving deep for precious metals, or by other creatures on those rare occasions when they have ventured to the surface world in search of sustenance.

Dragon Princes
Early in their evolution, when dragons were still relatively abundant, the Elves of Ulthuan discovered that they shared a natural kinship with these mighty beasts. Over time, some of these Elves would come to form an entire lineage of their own, one which kept their majestic consorts in luxurious mountain caverns, and whose leaders would ride the dragons to war; these would become known as the Dragon Princes. However, by the time of the setting's current events, most of these dragons have succumbed to the malaise afflicting all dragons, and spend most of their time in a deep sleep, only rousing when the direst of threats to the realm make themselves known.

Types of Dragon
There are many different types of dragon in the Warhammer World, a few of which are listed below.
 * Black Dragons: Fell creatures bred by the Dark Elf beastmasters of Nagarroth, they are evil-tempered creatures as a result of the torture inflicted by their masters.


 * Forest Dragons: Green-skinned beasts who, as their name might suggest, inhabit the many dark woods and forests which feature across the world.


 * Sun Dragons: By far the most common type, and the ones most residents of the Warhammer World think of when asked about dragons.


 * Zombie Dragons: Rotted undead creatures resurrected from the bones of deaceased dragons by foul necromantic magic. Unlike their living counterparts, they are known to be able to breathe a highly corrosive gas upon their enemies.


 * Chaos Dragons: Mutated by the warping influence of Chaos, these creatures often sport horrific mutations.