On the Subject of Dragons

It should be noted that I have drawn heavily from astronomical data found here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Draco_(constellation)

Dragons, and the history of Dragons, are almost as deeply rooted in the history of the world as
primates. Their importance, and the importance of the dinosaurs that came before them, cannot
be denied by modern science.
Conspiracy theorists have spent decades trying to tell us that aliens have visited Earth for many
thousands of years to tamper with Human DNA and perhaps even take samples of both Man and
Beast. However, their hypothesis is wrong for one primary reason: Dinosaurs originated on
Earth. Dragons did as well but not for the reason that many might think.
480 million years ago, the first creatures with true backbones began to appear on Earth. This was
well before the dinosaurs, who did not arrive until the periods collectively known as the
Mesozoic Era. The first of these was the Triassic Period which saw a massive extinction of
nearly a third of the land animals and nearly all marine animals. The second, and most important,
of these was known as the Jurassic Period and it was here that everything changed.
Early in the Jurassic Period, the Earth was virtually unrecognizable from what it is now. All of
the land masses of the world were one, single mass known as Pangea. The climate was hot and
humid which was perfect for the veritable explosion of animal life. It rained frequently and lush,
green plants covered much of the landscape.
During the Jurassic period, relatives of the small, quadrupedal, creatures of the Triassic period
gradually evolved into multi-ton herbivores like Brachiosaurus and Diplodocus. This period also
saw the concurrent rise of medium- to large-sized meat-eating dinosaurs like Allosaurus. It was
during this time that what shall be known as The Event occurred.
Roughly 200 million years ago, a passing unmanned probe suffered technical failure and crashed
to Earth in the area that would eventually become Egypt. The Source drive was badly damaged
and the resulting leak caused drastic changes in nearby life forms. Several different species, both
reptile, and mammalian, were changed and the evolutionary path of Earth was forever altered.
The dinosaurs that were affected began to rapidly evolve. Within a few generations, they had
greatly expanded mental capacity and were developing rudimentary communication. Their
physical forms changed as well, promoting opposable thumbs and tool use. The evolutionary
clock had been accelerated to an astounding degree so beneficial mutation took thousands of
years instead of millions.
Not long after the crash of the probe, the Pangaean continent began to split. The southern portion
would go on to become Africa, Australia, and the islands while the northern portion became
Europa and North America. The mutated dinosaurs, somehow understanding what was going on,
migrated North, away from the geological upheaval. The mammals moved south and would, in
time, evolve to become Man.
The altered dinosaurs continued to change and evolve. They developed advanced language skills,
formed groups and grew civilized and cultured. Over time, their sciences became more advanced
than anything that Human would develop millions of years later. They explored the solar system,
traveled to the outer planets and contemplated journeys to other stars. However, their true heart
was Earth and they were slow to leave it.
It was the Extinction Event that finally drove the dinosaurs, who now referred to themselves as
Dragons from the Earth. Their scout ships detected the meteor years before it struck the Earth but
they realized that all their science could not save the planet. They built ark ships and left the
planet mere months before the meteor struck the Yucatan Peninsula and nearly wiped out all life
on the planet.
The Dragons had developed advanced sciences but they had not yet perfected Jump Drive so
their journey took many thousands of years while the species slept in cryogenic suspension.
Their automated ships and probes took them from one star system to the next, always seeking
habitable planets. They finally settled in the Draco system where they awoke from cryo-sleep
and began to populate their new world.
Nearly 65 million years have passed since then. The Dragons have evolved and changed, rising
and falling as other civilizations have done throughout time. They have had great periods of
peace as well as devastating wars. At the current time, they are known and respected as wise,
intelligent and powerful. A reliable ally and a terrible foe.

Dragons have evolved into nine distinct subspecies or classes. While these can be varied within
each class, the differences are not considered to be radical. Each class will have its own warriors,
teachers, researchers, and builders. Yet each class tends to excel in one area or environment over
the others.
White: White Dragons are revered as the most intelligent. Most of them live on colder planets
and they have adapted to be immune to the coldest conditions. Many have developed skills that
enable them to actually emit or project cold although they do not do this often unless necessary.
White Dragons are sometimes considered aloof and, indeed, they are the least emotional of their
species. They try to remain impartial whenever possible, often deferring to cold logic rather than
emotional opinion. White Dragons tend to be researchers, delving into the mysteries of the
universe.
Silver: Silver Dragons, for some reason, are prone to long periods of deep, introspective thought
and meditation. Their magical power is without peer and their base of knowledge is both broad
and deep. They excel at any task requiring thought and concentration but most follow one of the
several religious callings and become priests, monks or envoys.
Gold: Gold Dragons are said to be the proudest and for many this is true. Where the White
Dragons tend to be less emotional, almost to the point of being utterly logical, the Gold Dragons
have allowed themselves to be led by their emotions to a certain extent. They can be considered
the baseline for the Dragon species with regard to mood and temperament. Gold Dragons can be
of any level in the social order from statesmen to builders.
Red: Red Dragons are the most Mercurial of the species by far. The Red Dragons (or simply ‘the
Reds’) allow passion and emotion to govern their actions for the most part. This does not mean
that they are undisciplined, rather that they do not believe that they should feel constrained
within said discipline. They make excellent warriors, artists, and poets.
Green: Green Dragons prefer the calm, peaceful quiet of the deep forests. They live peacefully
and if they excel at anything it would be agriculture. They have an innate understanding of
growing things and can tend to, and often communicate with, virtually any form of plant life.
Blue: Blue Dragons have evolved into a predominantly aquatic species. They are true
amphibians and can live in either air or water but they prefer to make their homes in the water.
They are immune to pressure and can travel to the deepest oceans. They tend to be calm of mood
but, when angered, their rage is surpassed only by the Reds.
Gray: Gray Dragons are the most enigmatic and difficult to read of all the various Dragon
species. They are elusive and not often seen in public at all, let alone in groups. Their talents are
many but their real specialty lies in infiltration and covert spying. In this, they are without peer.
Over the centuries they have developed stealth technology and magic to an extreme. It is not
known outside their own kind but Gray Dragons are able to shape-shift into other forms and even
other species. They use this talent to gather intelligence on both friend and foe.
Black: Black Dragons are among the rarest, yet the most powerful of the species. While the
various other classes have their own codes of conduct that they follow, the Black Dragons follow
none. They stand between the Reds and the Whites, tipping between emotion and cold,
calculating will. They are intelligent, cunning, fearless and utterly ruthless. They are not evil for
that would imply that they never do anything to benefit others. They can, but only if it also
benefits them in some way. Black Dragons are often sought after as military leaders, the captains
of industry and assassins.
Chromatic: Chromatic Dragons are considered aberrations by the rest of the species and are
usually hunted down and killed without mercy. They are the end result of many generations of
genetic tampering in an attempt to bring together the best of all the other Dragon species. They
are usually quite mad and psycho or sociopathic. They think nothing of harming others for no
other reason than their own amusement. Unlike the other species, Chromatic Dragons seldom
mate. Instead, they are usually the product of one or more genetic experiments gone wrong. The
stories of their deeds are the sorts of things that frighten childen and terrify adults.