Black Dragon Ecology

by Fortuan

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Black Dragon Ecology

I had slain every kind of dragon except the Black. Mighty reds, Cunning Blues, Dangerous Greens, and Primal whites all pale to the horrors that I found in that lair. At first, it seemed like any other foul beasts lairs, but then I stumbled upon, na=h smelled the feeding chamber. I turned back and never retook another Black Dragon contract. - Radiald Dragon Hunter

Introduction

Many dragons are feared and worshiped; hardly any Black Dragons would be in the latter category. Most would say that the great reds are the worst to come upon, but some would argue that's true of Black Dragons more so. Black Dragons are evil and sadistic like many chromatic dragons, but they revel in the anguish of victims. Tales of heroes overcoming a dragon often come from dragons of other colors, as Blacks don't make that mistake. They have pride just like any dragon, but they take pride in their art of torture and revel in their victim's fear. To be caught by any dragon means death, but being caught by a Black Dragon means a prolonged and excruciating death.

Black Dragons are the cruelest of the cruel and take their time. They are patient, cunning, and dangerous. Woe to those who find themselves in a Black Dragon's lair as you are unlikely to escape. They are powerful creatures that could destroy many beings in a fair fight that never fights fair.

Physiological Observations

Black Dragon Aesthetics

Black Dragons are similar in frame to other dragons. Long serpentine necks and reptilian heads, with tall cat-like bodies and long tails, make them intimidating already. Like other dragons, they can become immense and seemingly never stop growing. They differ in many ways from other dragons, especially considering they're entirely amphibious.

Black dragons' feet are webbed both in front and back. They have a tall frill, extending from their spines, from the skull to the end of their tail. They can breathe air or water and seem to enjoy just laying in the muck waiting for prey.

Skull Dragon

A Black's skull and head are the defining features. First of all, the large segmented horns that come off the sides of their heads and point forward are the most evident markings. These horns have incredible durability, so don't count on cutting through them. Their faces are unique in that their eyes are sunken in and continue to appear so with age. Their noses are nothing but 2 sunken in nostrils upwards, pointing at the end of their snout. With age, the skin on their head and face gets thinner and thinner, sometimes exposing bone. This appearance gives them their apt nickname of skull dragons.

Mobility

Like any other dragon, their wings are large and powerful, although, given the terrain of swamps and fetid lakes, they prefer swimming to flight. While swimming typically, the wings are folded tightly to their sides and back but can be opened up to help push for powerful rushes forward. They are able with this process to go from wholly submerged to flight.

Scales of Black

A Black dragon's scales are always black, but where they can differ is accents in color. Typically the wing, frill membrane, and horns will share the same hue. Typically, it is a muddy grey color, but more exotic specimens have been observed with yellow and greens for accent colors. These colors usually match up with the murky swamp waters they inhabit. More exotic marshes that have green or yellow waters give these black dragons their unique colors.

Breath of Acid

As with any dragon, a dangerous breath weapon can be used to decimate foes. While a Black prefers to torture enemies, they rarely hesitate to use their breath to fell foes. They can spew a long line of acid that is so dangerous it melts any organic material it comes in contact with. This causes a slow debilitating but excruciating death that they more than enjoy watching.

Tails of Venom

The most overlooked yet hideously vile part of the dragon is the tail barb. It stores a totally different kind of acid or even venom in the tail. It seems to have a necrotic and excruciating effect on the area stung. It's very thick, which seems to prevent travel through the body like most other venoms. It puts this to great use, as discussed further when feeding.

Hunting

Black dragons are probably the most patient hunters. They prefer to wait in the mud for a hapless victim to get close enough and then snap much like a crocodile would. If the initial attack doesn't work, they either finish off prey with their teeth and claws or on rarer occasions when prey is larger or tougher to kill it will use the horrible breath weapon to end the fight.

Sadistic Nature

Before I write on feeding, I must speak on the evil nature of a Black Dragon. It's very well known that chromatic dragons are entirely evil, but no other dragon is as sadistic and cruel as a Black Dragon. They plot and scheme the torture and misery of any creature near it and revel in their pain. A Black's favorite thing to watch is a society crumble and die, especially by their own claws. They love finding ancient submerged or waterlogged civilizations often making their home in or near them if suitable enough.

Playing with Their Food

Feeding is by far the most common enjoyment a Black Dragon enjoys. While their diet of unthinking marine animals consists of the day to day diet, they revel in other prey in a very different way. Humanoids are the favorite prey of Blacks and almost anything intelligent. They don't just gobble up humanoids like they do with fish; they make sport of capturing and torturing victims for long times. The mentioned tail barb is put to use to disable creatures' legs, and then they are dropped into the feeding chamber. Once stabbed, the venom kills the appendage over time. Paired with being always submerged in the water, causing water rot, the limb becomes forever useless and dead. This is when they feed.

They chomp off the rotting "pickled" meat and enjoy the prey's horror, and disgust repeatedly endured when all they have left to give is their life. Pickling, as they call the process is practiced on many beings and most often humanoids. They enjoy watching from the shadows or secret compartments, their prey futilely trying to escape. Most may survive the initial dragon attack, but few ever are relieved by that fact.

There are very few, if any, accounts of survivors of feeding chamber victims. I did manage to track one individual down who gave a relatively detailed explanation of how the room was. The place is enormous and submerged in shallow fetid water full of rot and disease. There were 4 live victims with the remains and parts of many more, making the rotting smell entirely engulfing. The survivor was able to escape after losing an arm to the pickling process. He managed to climb the slimy wall using broken bones as picks he stabbed into the muddy walls and climbing out of the ceiling chamber. The dragon was waiting for him in the tunnels and congratulated him on his efforts and let him go. "Well done, human!" The dragon had bid him on his way while the dragon climbed fed on another victim. He didn't question his fortune and hurried to town to tend to the rotting stump the dragon left of his arm. This is where I met with the man who unfortunately succumbed to the disease festering in him from the wound only a few days after I spoke with him. His last words to me were that of paranoid thoughts of the dragon following, even haunting him out of the corner of his eye. It wouldn't surprise me that the dragon let him go knowing his wound mortal and enjoying the psychological damage done.

Lairs

Black Dragons make their lairs complicated networks of chambers in the mud and dirt of any swamp, lake, or flooded forest. There are typically at least 5 chambers in every Lair, Bedding area, Visiting or Entertainment chamber, Treasure chamber, Feeding Chamber, and Observatory (typically into the feeding chamber). Dragons like to make their lairs complex for weaker creatures to navigate. For instance, they usually drop down into a chamber from an angled slope somewhere on the ceiling. They typically will not do this for the visiting hall as they like the surprise to outsiders to be complete. They usually tunnel down under the water and allow the air to keep the water at bay, or not, merely allowing it to spill. They will always keep their treasure room up higher to avoid water damage to any precious goods they may have or soon obtain. Their lairs and the areas around them are usually "spoiled" with fetid water and rotting smells. Dens will always have at least 2 entrances/exits. Typically the main entrance they can fly out of for escape but is usually concealed. The 2nd is almost always underwater.

Treasure

Black Dragons are particularly fond of coins as treasure, making them easier to bribe with gold than most others. While they hold coins in high regard, the most value ancient artifacts of lost civilizations. They are eager to obtain such things and not against bargaining for them. A typical Black horde will have mostly coin and occasionally some magic items. On rare occasions, mighty ancient items are found in their lair as they continuously keep an ear or eye out for such treasures to add to their collections. They are also fond of dominating and toying with sentient magical items. Typically older dragons will get their claws on at least 1 such item and use it regularly for entertainment when not sleeping.

Life Cycle

All dragons live a long time, and Black Dragons are no exception living for millennia. But like most, they are not immortal and will eventually die. They continue to become more robust and more powerful until the last few months of their lives, where they wither and die quickly. Almost all dragons seek a way to avoid death in many means. The most typical way for a Black Dragon is that of Lichdom. They are extraordinarily talented at this form of immortality. They can maintain their sanity for a long time, given their sensibilities are very close to that of a lich, to begin with. They may lose over time their love for torture and instead go for a quick kill, but that will take thousands of years to even start to occur.

Black Dragons from the time of birth hang around the father's territory building their own 1 or 2 chamber homes until they reach a young adult stage. They will then depart usually after directly visiting their father for advice on a location and then build their own lair over the next few years. While building, they are often more concerned with the act and only hunt for food. Once a lair is established and finished, though, life carries on as usual. The older a dragon gets, the more comfortable they are with leaving their territory for short periods. They usually go on an annual "treasure hunt" to specifically build up their horde. Males will generally inform children they are actively guarding at the time and not travel more than 100 miles.

Social Observations

Isolation

Like many chromatic dragons, Black Dragons are primarily solitary. They live most of their lives aware of but not near other Dragons. Being enormous and dangerous predators, the environment may not suit even 2 fully grown Dragons. The most likely time to see multiple Black Dragons is when mating has come into play.

Black Dragons treat other Black Dragons with general mistrust and even as a potential threat. They will very rarely cooperate, considering any conflict achievable by themselves. Like most other dragons, Black Dragons are prideful to a fault and will be stubborn and independent to their end, with one exception discussed further. That pride, unlike other dragons, doesn't cause them to overestimate a humanoid.

Fatherhood

Most animal males fight for a female to impress them, but it goes the other way for Black Dragons. When a female is ready to mate, she will travel far from her den if needed to find a male. She must display her worth and will typically show this by completing tasks set by a male. This may include fighting other females if multiple suitors arrive at once for 1 male. Once she was proved her worth, she will then mate with the male to create eggs. She will carry the eggs for around 3 weeks before giving birth to them in the male's territory. At this time, the maternal instinct has come to an end, and she returns home, usually cursing herself for leaving her hoard unguarded.

Black Dragon males from the time of egg lying are tasked with guarding the eggs in his territory. He will protect them from predators but usually keeps a distance from them. Males will watch over hatchlings for many years until they fly away, looking for their own territories. This is generally at the time of early adulthood, about 40 years.

Males give their young protection from potential threats and even guidance from time to time. This interaction between father and child is seen by humanoids as cold at best. The paternal instinct in a Black Dragon is powerful and conflicts with their sadistic and evil natures resulting in a "tuff love." Most Blacks would never admit it, but they have a soft spot for their children. The children also often idolize their fathers. This may be why females fight over males as father figures may influence that decision. It's important to note that when attacking young Black Dragons, you're likely to face an adult male. Although the connection is loose at best between father and child when the child leaves, they still hold a fondness for them for the rest of their lives. This is probably the only chink in any emotional armor to a Black Dragon.

Intra-Specie Observations

Black Dragons are notoriously sadistic and evil, and due to this, they do not get along with many creatures. Most humanoids are destroyed and eaten when entering their territory. As watching civilization crumble is their favorite thing in all of their existence, any nearby towns are likely to have a Black Dragon invade local politics through bribery and manipulation. Nothing pleases them more than when riots break out, and the city destroys itself.

Other Swamp Dwellers

Sometimes Lizardfolk and Bullywugs are slaves or worshipers of Black Dragons as they share a swamp-like territory. Black Dragons are particularly fond of Bullywugs as their society is disastrous and will entertain them to no end. They usually do not allow other races to stay long as they will often start filling up their feeding chamber when bored of any other creatures. They will keep a society of Lizardfolk or Bullywugs close for centuries as guards if needed. Lizardfolk are desired as being competent and obedient guards.

Battle Tactics

Black Dragons are born fighters and killers, so when pitted against formidable opponents, they like to fight and know-how, but always fight dirty. When against other dragons, they will immediately go for the eyes with their breath weapon or attack from the shadows. They will then wade in with a frenzy of bites, claws, goring with their horns, stinging, and bludgeoning with their tails. They also like to mainly target other dragon's wings as they want the flight advantage if things get too dangerous for them.

With humanoids and other smaller foes, they like to start with a tail whip and knocking as many enemies as possible. Once unable to move, they will douse targets in their breath weapon and move in to finish them off with their teeth, wings, and claws. There's nothing easy about fighting with a Black Dragon. They also prefer to keep at least a few survivors for pickling.

Many tales of heroes biding time with a dragon playing against its pride have led many to believe this is a viable strategy in dealing with Black Dragons. When in truth, most dragons and especially Black Dragons are smart enough to see past such ploys and only entertain themselves by playing with their food as they call it. A Black Dragon likes to position themselves when facing a humanoid that at least part of them is obscured to surprise sting with their tail. They will entertain conversations for long times if the topic is exciting and sometimes spare a creature if it feels the relationship could be beneficial, for a time at least.

When a Black Dragon is outmatched or in danger, they have no qualms in leaving to fight another day, as they will fly away. Per their personality, they will typically remember those foes and plot a subtle and excruciating death for all involved later on down the road. Letting a Black Dragon live is sometimes more dangerous than finishing a close fight. They are crafty and creative in their revenge and exact it ultimately.

Various Forms

As with most creatures, Black Dragons can be found in many forms. You could consider the various colors of dragon variants of the Chromatic Dragon specie as they share many aspects and features. This is more of different kinds of a Black Dragon as they all can be one or more of these at one point in their lives, except for gender changes (usually, magic can do some strange things).

Females

It's important to distinguish the difference between females and males in particular. Females are far more solitary in nature, only possibly keeping in contact with their fathers. Usually, a dragon is never far from their lair, but with females, this is possible, and they are far more likely to employ trusted slaves, servants, allies, or pets to guard treasure while gone. Females never mate with their fathers, this is openly admitting a fondness or weakness.

Males

Males are just as evil and sadistic, but this behavior clashes with their love for their children, although begrudgingly. They usually don't leave their area and are slightly distressed in leaving their territory, incase young need guidance and of course their treasure. Males are more prone to bartering and conversation being less traveled than females but still enjoy a fun pickling as any other.

Dracoliches

The Black Dragon Dracoliches are different because they retain a majority of their personality for many more years than that of other Dracoliches. Males still harbor a love for their children as the paternal instinct is powerful and often the last aspect to go.

Humanoid masqueraders

This is one possibility when a Black Dragon takes a "vacation." This usually is when they start to sew the seeds of discord in a community. They typically play the part of the politician and seek to destroy the unity and "rock the boat" as some humans might say. They usually appear as a raven-haired member of the dominant race and enjoy solitary quarters. They will stay this way for a few months or as long as they feel needed to start fires and leave to watch the show. As they usually are an outsider, they will try and quickly gain the trust of a leader and influence or even force them to specific positions.

Treasure Hunters

This is the other possibility of a "vacation." This is when a Black Dragon is roaming and looking to increase their horde. Usually, they will travel within a 500-mile radius and pick a location to plunder. They favor ancient ruins hoping to find treasures and take pleasure in learning the fall of the society. They usually are never gone more than 2 months but longer journeys they'll stretch to 3. They typically do not attack communities outright. They will employ or force laborers to transport treasure back to their horde, and usually add them to their pickling room when finished.

Good Black Dragons

It's not unheard of for a Black Dragon to succumb to "good" as good folk succumbs to evil. Males battle with their sadistic nature and love for their children, some take to the love side of their personality. Females are far less likely to occur as even among males, this is an infrequent occasion. The dragon acts more as a protector of their swamp than a great danger to outsiders. Given other conflictions, even a good dragon may consider humanoids food but torture while always a desire is withheld in these individuals.

DM's Toolbox

Black Dragons are a powerful adversary like any dragon, and they fit the bill for a great villain who's calculating and ruthless. Here are some ideas on how to use a Black Dragon.

  • Your standard run of the mill, kill the dragon get the treasure

  • A trade caravan has to go through a known Black's swamp and needs protection

  • A city is dealing with a somewhat disruptive individual politically that seems to be swaying the town politically into a downward spiral.

  • a critical NPC or team member has been captured and is in danger of or being pickled.

  • A father Black Dragon as a last resort looks for help in aiding a child from a dangerous situation or rival like another dragon. (very tricky RP situation as a dragon as an "ally")

  • Run in with a treasure hunting dragon wanting your campaign's McGuffin.

  • A curious encounter with a good Black Dragon.

Thanks for reading my 6th ecology!

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