Kongensvik

FIRST DRAGONS

It is unclear where the first dragons came from, but many trolls believe that some of the ancient troll guardians (The Voktere) that watched over them disappeared into the earth bestowed their strongest and most faithful troll servants each with a gift. With a piece of their hearts each that turned each of them into dragons. Legends say that the heart-shards can still be found in the graves of these ancient dragons, and that a heart-shard may still be used to turn a troll into a dragon. However, it is still but a legend, no one has seen nor found proof of any truth to these stories.

BONDING – IN THE WILD

Dragons must bond to hatch. However, this does not exclusively mean they must bond to trolls. In the wild a dragon may hatch if either of its parents are present on the nest on the hatching day and they will hatch to be wild dragons. Trolls may attempt to gain the trust of wild dragons to see if they can bond to any of their clutch, but it is a perilous and foolish endeavor sought out only by hardy warriors as a rite to prove themselves, or by idiots with a death wish.

BONDING – WITH TROLLS (CONTROLLED)

Generally, clutches that are bonded with are from the dragons of riders. Large events are held on the day of hatching (a dragon-parent always knows when its eggs will hatch) and hopeful trolls travel from far and wide to these events in the hopes of having a chance to bond. All are invited to these events so that the eggs are exposed to as many eligible trolls as possible. Once the dragon recognizes a soul that reflects its own, it will hatch and go to the troll it has chosen.

Dragons hatch with stubby horns and these will grow to match the horns of its bonded troll as much as possible. In the early stages of their lives, trolls must provide for their dragons for up to four months. Dragons grow quickly and are usually ride-able (barely) after six months.

On the mainland, the evil king, Korgmak'tun, has been taking eggs from the wild and his riders and only exposing his elite army to the eggs in the hopes of only allowing loyal riders to rise to power. No events are held for public dragon-bonding sessions anymore and this is one of the many reasons the settlers have fled.

1. Bonded trolls live as long as their dragons live (under natural circumstances) so up to three hundred years. In extreme cases, potentially four hundred years.
2. Dragons bond with a soul they feel most compatible with. At a young age, before even hatching, they can recognize an individual they may grow to respect.
3. If an egg does not bond it does not hatch. Wild dragons bond with other wild dragons but not in the same way. They hatch and then live their own lives with no soulful ties to their parents.
4. Dragons and their riders will not always get along. Sometimes it can take a long time for a dragon to understand why it chose its rider, and other times they will get on well from the beginning. Dragons expect their riders to prove themselves.
5. Dragons hatch with stumpy horns. These grow to match the horns of their bonded, though they may be larger and thicker, or shorter and stubbier versions.
6. If a dragon dies, so does its rider. The same applies vice versa.
7. Being bonded to a dragon means that a troll can learn to summon a specialized weapon or shield at some point. The weapon will have glowing markings on it the same as the trolls eyes and markings. This is considered dragon magic but it takes time to master.
8. Dragons do not speak out loud, they communicate telepathically. They can communicate to their bonded troll and other dragons only, but not to other trolls, even if they are bonded. Dragons must relay messages to their bonded.
9. Dragons breath fire, though the flames take on the color of the dragons marking/eye glow. They can also learn to spit fireballs.
10. Dragons have tough hides and are hard to kill with spears and arrows unless extra force is applied. Dragons are best fought or killed by other dragons or dragon weapons.
11. They can fly.
12. Aging: Dragons grow quickly after hatching and reach midsize at about seven months and full size at about 14 months (there will be the option of aging time skips potentially)
13. Naming Dragons: Dragon names are either a trollish (Norwegian) word(s) (these can be merged together into one better sounding name, excluding some elements of the original word) that describes them OR a descriptive title such as Gut-wrencher, Blue-Hide.

Dragerørt

The Dragerørt ('Dragon Touched') are trolls who have bonded so well with their dragons that they've started to physically and often mentally change. It is a rare occurance that a dragon chooses to do this to its bonded, but these trolls do not look quite like trolls anymore. They may gain more horns, physical shape changes, longer tails and generally start to look more like their dragon. This increases strength and durability but usually takes a long time to take shape.