Dragons

Once celestial beings and a near-extinct species, dragons are massive creatures with the capacity to fly, lay waste to armies and burn entire civilizations to the ground. The dragon population has grew dramatically in the past decade which has caused distress for the lands plagued with them, leading many to believe that a second Dragon Inquisition is on the horizon.

A portion of Idris' worldwide dragon population has been domesticated by the Dragon Riders, an international military organization that works with the Paladin Order in halting the spread of Hollow activity and stopping the incursion of non-mundane affairs.

History
Dragons are amongst the oldest of creatures to grace the Realms of Idris, even older than the Children of A New. They were created before the earth, air and heavens were separated, when they were one celestial body. Then, the only realm that existed was the Unknown Realm. Malchor, god of creation, crafted the dragons to watch over and defend his world. So, he created each a ball of fire (known as stars) and placed a single dragon in their center and sent them to the far corners of the Void, the land that borders the Unknown Realm and the Realms of Idris.

For centuries they successfully guarded the Realms of Idris, even after Malchor fell and the Children of A New took his and Rhea's place. Under Ozarus' leadership, a thousand dragons were welcomed into the Sky Temple where they could closely guard Idris. In the final millennia before the Darkest Night, Edera, after seeing the devastation the Elves faced at the hands of humans, led the dragons to the Eternal Flame. The thousand dragons breathe the eternal flame and gained the ability to breathe the flame out. This was counted as a sin to Ozarus, and he was forced to play into Edera's plan and cast them out of the Sky Temple, to Idris.

The Illyrian Empire was the first to fall under the weight of dragons. Many more small cities fell in the south of Arestoneiam, though most of Asaland went untouched except for in the Northern Helm where the dragons were either quickly killed or captured due to winter. The First Dragon Inquisition began, and dragon hunting became a sport. This period too became known as the Age of Reconstruction.

The population fell to single digits, then it was decreed into law after the Darkest Night that dragons be named an endangered species that must be saved. King Tobias Lannister created the Dragon Riders and made it their mission to capture and train dragons to work alongside man. This plan was successful. Before the disbandment of the Dragon Riders, the population of dragons had risen by the dozens and it's estimated that there are over a hundred now thanks to an increase in magic from the death of Okysus.

Abilities
Dragons possess many powers and abilities not found in other creatures. Dragons have been known to begin flying only months after their birth. In their youth they can only fly in low heights and small distances, but their capacity for flying expands as they mature. A few years after their birth and they can begin breathing balls of fire. The power again expands after decades. Dragons from the last days of the Illyrian Empire were known to breathe flames large enough to engulf small towns and entire farms. Their scaled bodies make them immune to most puncturation from metals and other surfaces.

Weaknesses
Cold climates are the primary weakness of dragons. While they do not kill them or make them sick, they do limit what they can do with their flames and flight. Dragons are greatly slowed in these conditions and their flames aren't as hot nor powerful. Their bellies, made of sensitive flesh, are a huge weak spot of dragons.

Physical Traits
The composition of dragons have changed throughout the history of Idris. In their conception and before breathing the eternal flame, dragons were large, celestial beings the size of entire holds and castles. Upon entering Idris where there was an immense lack of magic, they only grew to the size of large horses and spanned several dozens of feet long. Now that a strong magical presence has been restored to Idris, they've grown to the size of small buildings and continue to grow with age. All dragons are covered with scales of different colors and patterns, except in their bellies where they have soft flesh. Their scales are hard and immune to being punctured from most metals.