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DRAGONS: SOCIETY

Although all dragons are believed to have come from the same roots tens of thousands of years ago, the present varieties keep to themselves and cooperate only under extreme circumstances, such as a powerful mutual threat. Good dragons never work with Evil dragons, however, a few Neutral specimens have been found with either. Gold dragons occasionally associate with silver dragons.

When Evil dragons of different varieites encounter one another, they usually fight to protect their territories. Good dragons are more tolerant, though very territorial, and usually try to work out differences in a peaceful manner.

Dragons follow a number of reproductive strategies to suit their needs and temperaments. These help assure the continuation of a dragon's bloodline, no matter what heppens to the parent or the parent's lair. Young adults, particularly Evil or less intelligent ones, tend to lay clutches of 1D4+1 eggs all around the countryside, leaving their offspring to fenmd for themselves. These hatch into clutches of dragons, usually juvenile or younger, which stick together until they can establish their own lairs.

Older and more intelligent dragons form families consisting of a mated pair and 1D4+1 young. Mated dragons are always adults or mature adults, offspring found with their parents are of wyrmling (1-10 on 1D100), very young (11-30), Young (31-50), juvenile (51-90), or young adult (91-100) age. Shortly after a dragon reaches young adult (or rarely, juvenile) age, it leaves its parents to establish a lair of its own.

A pair of mated dragons beyond mature adult age usually splits up, independence and the lust for treasure driving them apart. Older females continue to mate and lay eggs, but only one parent stays in the lair to raise young. Often an older female lays many clutches of eggs, keeping one to tend herself, and one for her mate, and leaving the rest untended. Sometimes a female dragon places an egg or a wyrmling with non-draconic foster parents.

Based on the entry in Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual 3.5