Dragon Colors (Irregular)

[lithle]

Irregular dragons are a new phenomenon on Pern, occurring only at Warden's Weyr. No one is entirely sure what caused their existence. What is known is that irregulars occur in the clutches of gold Semith, as well as in the clutches of her opal offspring.

It's been recently discovered that irregulars are capable of harming humans. This is known only to a few people, all leaders at Wardens, and isn't known to most of the irregulars themselves as most have not yet have cause to attack a human.

[lithle]

Purple

Purples at birth are tiny, smaller than hatchling grays. While it is not yet known, they will not remain so small. Their growth curve begins where golds usually drop off, leaving them between 45 and 55 feet in length. They take three turns to reach full size and during their first turn are very delicate and prone to sickness.

Purples are female and impress to either gender. They appeared in an opal*gray clutch, so may appear in either all opal clutches, all double irregular clutches, or all clutches with at least one irregular parent. Regardless, they seem to appear fairly frequently, on par with greens and grays. This is unfortunate, considering how much they eat and how big they get. Basically, they're cockroaches.

[lithle]

Yellow

Yellows range between 33 and 37 feet, a size that places them between bronzes and pinks. They appear in both Semith's clutches and in opal clutches. They appear with a frequency relative to browns.

Yellows are female, reaching full size at two turns. They begin their mating flights at 1 1/2 years and seem to be sterile. In personality they appear to often show a certain cleverness that leans toward the manipulative at times. They impress to both males and females.

A yellow has resisted a gold command. Whether this is because the gold's command was weak, or because yellows do not feel compelled to obey is not yet known. However, only the yellow and gold in question know of this event.

[lithle]

Pink

Pinks are generally between 31 and 36 about the same size as yellows, though, on average, slightly smaller. They reach full size in under two turns, growing slightly faster than average. They begin to chase, if so inclined, after one turn.

Pinks are male and have been known to impress to both males and females. They appear to be about as common as yellows and have appeared in both Semith's clutches and in an opal clutch. While there aren't enough around to form firm ideas of their personalities, pinks do seem to have a stubborn sense of the rightness of their own world view.

[lithle]

Tortoiseshell

Tortoiseshell's are about the same size as browns, sometimes slightly smaller, meaning they're around 29 to 33 feet. As only one Tortie exists, very little is known about them. They are female, and so far, have only impressed to a male. They have only appeared in a gray*opal clutch, which could mean they appear in atypical clutches, opal clutches, or all clutches with at least one atypical parent. Regardless, they seem to be fairly rare.

Torties are extremely strong empaths at birth, projecting on a much wider range than is normal. They also bond much more closely with their rider. Indeed, their bond might be compared to what is usually shared between rider and dragon only at impression or during a flight, all emotions and sensations shared constantly between the two. Personality traits tend to 'bleed' through the bond, making the dragon more like the human and the human more like the dragon. Oh, and if the one existing tortie is anything to go by, they're at least a little crazy.

[lithle]

Opal

In size, Opals fall between tortoiseshells and blues, making them between 27 and 31 feet. Their hides are mottled and seem to come in a variety of colors. They have a distinctly metallic sheen and hatch out of eggs that resemble gold eggs, though smaller. Opals have so far only appeared in Semith's clutches, its unknown if opals can clutch other opals.

Opals are female and have impressed to both genders. Both existing opals seem to have a certain note of fragility in their personalities. They clutch, though they seem to have some difficulty doing so, often falling ill. So far, their clutches seem to be of average size, with the known one having fourteen eggs. It seems that all eggs in their clutches are shiny. Thus far, opals have only clutched irregulars, it is unknown whether an opal mated with a traditional would produce traditionals. Opal's have produced purples, tortoiseshells, and silvers, colors not otherwise seen. The one opal clutch has also produced a white, which some suppose means whites might be more common in their clutches.

Opal flights appear to be extremely dramatic. They broadcast flightlust on a much wider bandwidth than golds and every male dragon in the area rises to chase. Any human in the area over puberty feels the effects.

[lithle]

Silver

Silvers exist! They are small. We don't have any pictures yet.

[lithle]

Gray

In size, grays appear to be the smallest dragons excepting whites. They are generally between 15 and 20 feet long, with some variation on either end, as their size seems to fluctuate more than most colors. They appear in both Semith's clutches and in opal clutches. They reach their full size in a bit under a turn and can Chase starting at around twelve months.

Grays are fairly common, likely to surpass greens for the title of 'most common tiny dragon' at Warden's Weyr. They are male and like all irregulars, impress to either gender. So far, grays have shown a notable boldness, even fearlessness. A gray has fathered an opal clutch, so they're certainly not sterile.