Post by Lyrikitty on Nov 20, 2008 21:25:55 GMT -5
Firelizard - Firelizards are one of the best known of Pernese species. Attaching themselves to human companions and providing the genetic material from which the dragons were developed, firelizards are smooth-skinned carnivorous creatures that have beaks only in the hatchling form, where they are used to break out of the egg. In the wild, the two natural species are found only in the tropics, although the larger, engineered varieties can live in all regions. The original Pernese "dragons", firelizards are a tropical species with a highly organized social structure based around different castes defined by genetically determined colors. Each group, or fair, of 'lizards is led by a goldenyellow queen who defends a hunting, breeding territory permitting no other adult queen to trespass. Of the other colors, the small and numerous greens are female, while the blues, browns and bronzes are male. The males, especially the browns and bronzes, stay close to the queen and vie for her favor, while the greens spread throughout the territory -- their small, undefended nests often mark the edge of a fair's territory. Both golds and greens are fertile, but the greens have little maternal instinct and their eggs are thus more vulnerable to predators than those of the golds; those that do hatch, however, produce hatchlings as fit and healthy as any queen's.
When a queen's clutch hatches, the fair collects small prey items and feeds the emerging hatchlings, imprinting and binding them to the fair as they do so. Young firelizards reach maturity at two Turns of age; greens, blues and browns remain with the parental fair, but young bronzes of this age leave to settle with other fairs (spreading genetic diversity) and young queens are driven out by their dams, who won't tolerate rivals for their males and their territory. A young gold may challenge her dam for her territory, but casualty rate amongst eggs, even those of a queen, and
amongst young and inexperienced 'lizards -- especially those who leave to seek new fairs and territories. One of the most notable things about firelizards -- and the thing that made them suitable for creating the dragons from -- is their mental abilities. A fair is held together by empathic and telepathic ties that are established at birth, and the hatchling 'lizards will bond to humans as readily as to others of their own species. So far as can be established, firelizards regard a human companion (and any other 'lizards that human may have) as their "fair"; queens regard their human as representing their "territory", albeit one with few good clutching sites -- those humans who own more than one gold 'lizard may find themselves with problems!
Firelizards can also teleport from danger, a tremendous
advantage for a small animal. Another defense mechanism is
the ability to metabolize firestone to produce a flaming gas -
the "second stomach" used to break down the stone is
actually a development of the wherry crop. All 'lizard castes can flame; the inhibitions that prevent queen dragons from flaming (and those that prevent green dragons from breeding) were engineered into them when the dragons were first created.
When a queen's clutch hatches, the fair collects small prey items and feeds the emerging hatchlings, imprinting and binding them to the fair as they do so. Young firelizards reach maturity at two Turns of age; greens, blues and browns remain with the parental fair, but young bronzes of this age leave to settle with other fairs (spreading genetic diversity) and young queens are driven out by their dams, who won't tolerate rivals for their males and their territory. A young gold may challenge her dam for her territory, but casualty rate amongst eggs, even those of a queen, and
amongst young and inexperienced 'lizards -- especially those who leave to seek new fairs and territories. One of the most notable things about firelizards -- and the thing that made them suitable for creating the dragons from -- is their mental abilities. A fair is held together by empathic and telepathic ties that are established at birth, and the hatchling 'lizards will bond to humans as readily as to others of their own species. So far as can be established, firelizards regard a human companion (and any other 'lizards that human may have) as their "fair"; queens regard their human as representing their "territory", albeit one with few good clutching sites -- those humans who own more than one gold 'lizard may find themselves with problems!
Firelizards can also teleport from danger, a tremendous
advantage for a small animal. Another defense mechanism is
the ability to metabolize firestone to produce a flaming gas -
the "second stomach" used to break down the stone is
actually a development of the wherry crop. All 'lizard castes can flame; the inhibitions that prevent queen dragons from flaming (and those that prevent green dragons from breeding) were engineered into them when the dragons were first created.