alt.fan.dragons FAQ
Lady Viriatha de Cordova
FAQ: Welcome to Alt.fan.dragons
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Welcome to alt.fan.dragons ; k:lX
A discussion on all aspects of dragons : k:lX
: k:lX
Last Modified: 08-19-97 : k:lX
; k:lX
1. Introductory Material ; k:lX
1a. What is this group? : k:lX
1b. Posting worldwide to alt.fan.dragons. : k:lX
1c. What about posting binary pictures? k::X.
2. Character Posting On A.f.d k:\X
2a. I've already joined in, is it too late to read this? k:X
2b. Is this role-playing? k;
2c. How do I start and introduce myself?
2d. Nobody replied to my post! Does everyone hate me?
2e. I want to do something that involves other individual's dragons!
2f. Can I post something while "out of character?"
2g. Can I have two "characters?"
2h. I don't know who someone is! Or even what they are! Help!
2i. General Posting suggestions.
3. Frequently Asked Questions about Dragons
3a. What is a dragon?
3b. Do dragons exist?
3c. Where does the legend of dragons hoarding gold originate from?
3d. Spelling of dragon in other languages?
3e. What are some of the creatures related to dragons?
3f. I would like to talk with a dragon, where can I find one?
3g. Where can I find archived post for alt.fan.dragons?
3h. Where can I find the latest version of the faq,
NQCBGT Dragon Art, The CENSUS and the AFD Phone Book?
3i. Is A.F.D writing a book about dragons?
3j. Regarding A.f.d's short description, what do dragons have to
do with automobiles and Pennsic?
3k. I heard about some a.f.d tee-shirts, whats happening with them?
4 Common types of Dragons
4a. Komodo Dragon
4b. Eastern Dragons
4c. Western Dragons
4d. Pernese Dragons
4e. Dungeon & Dragon Dragons
4f. Modern Infestation Dragons
5. Miscellaneous Information
5a. Ftp Sites
5b. Web Sites
5c. IRC Sites
5d.1 Books, Refference
5d.2 Books, Dragon Novels and book series
5d.3 Books, Anthologies
5d.4 Books, Children's stories
5e. Movies
5f. Commercial Art
1. Introductory Material
1a. About this newsgroup.
Alt.fan.dragons is an unmoderated forum for the posting of any and
all topics relating to dragons, as well as opinion, discussion, stories
and poetry about any aspect of dragons. The discussion is not restricted
to any single author's or individual's views on dragons' life-cycles or
behavior, but is a free discussion on any aspect or ideas put forth about
them. It is suggested that you post binary picture files regarding
dragons to alt.binaries.pictures.misc and post a reference here saying
that you have done so and give the posted picture's subject name as you
posted it, so that it can be easily found. (See 1b) The news group was
created on 12/1/93.
Topics could include:
* Discussion on dragon life cycles, social organization, behavior,
characteristics, legends, art styles and other aspects.
* Discussions regarding specific author's ideas regarding dragons.
* Any original ideas, stories or poems.
* Any recent dragon sightings!
* Character posting dragon characters.
* Anything else that is relevant to dragons in general.
1b. Posting worldwide to alt.fan.dragons.
If your unsure how to access news through you local internet provider
contact your local provider's administrator and ask them about how you
can read usenet news on the internet. If your local internet provider
doesn't have a news server from which you can read and post news
articles there is a free web based news provider called Deja News.
The Url is: http://www.dejanews.com
1c. What about posting binary pictures?
We encourage the posting of binary dragon pictures, But
PLEASE DO NOT POST THEM DIRECTLY TO ALT.FAN.DRAGONS! The correct
procedure for posting any binary pictures to Usenet is to post
them to alt.binaries.pictures.misc and have a message posted to
alt.fan.dragons pointing the reader to check in
alt.binaries.pictures.misc for the binary images.
Reasoning:
The reason behind doing this is binaries take up a lot of space
on hard drives. Having images grouped under alt.binaries makes life
easier for news admins. They can easily configure things to retain those
groups for fewer days than other groups, if that's necessary to free up
space, or if they can't afford to carry this stuff at all. If binaries
are posted to this group many news admins will drop the group from their
site. So please DO POST PICTURES - but post them to
alt.binaries.pictures.misc.
Posting to alt.binaries.pictures.misc:
There is a preferred format for posting to a.b.p.m to make it
easier for viewers to find what they're looking for. You should include a
description of the file by itself in the first post which should be
labeled (00/total). Below is what should be included in the subject line
when you post.
- filename.type (part/total) {label} ^REPOST^ [sh] "extraTitle"
^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^
| | | | | | | | |
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
1) The '-' character sets this off as a picture posting
2) The name of the file. REQUIRED
3) The type of picture (GIF, JPEG, PostScript). REQUIRED
4&5) Which part of how many this is. Enclosed in parentheses. REQUIRED.
6) The type of picture ("dragon", "plane", "scenic", etc.).
7) Notifies everyone that this is a repost of a posting that went sour.
8) Flag that notifies people that if the posting uses script wrappers
9) Additional descriptive text to give a better idea of whats in the
picture.
You should also have under the header field "Keywords: alt.fan.dragons" so
that our group can easily find the image by doing a search.
Example:
Subject: - Reddragon.gif (00/09) {Dragons} "Red dragon flaming"
Keywords: alt.fan.dragons
Referencing your post back to alt.fan.dragons:
When referencing your posts back to alt.fan.dragons it is suggested
that you post the following reference in your subject line to let people
know you have posted a picture to alt.binaries.pictures.misc.
- filename.type Posted To: alt.binaries.pictures.misc
You might want to include the description in this message
and the complete subject used the posted image to a.b.p.m.
2. Character Posting On A.f.d
Character posting is allowed in this group as long as it is
dragon related. Since this group is an unmoderated newsgroup,
(ie. no censors) currently there are no rules set in stone regarding
character posting format. However, this section contains some
guidelines you should consider when posting.
2a. I've already joined in, is it too late to read this?
No, it will help keep you form making any "Net Etiquette" mistakes
with this news group, and give you some guidelines to post by. Most the
information in this section is just suggested guidelines for posting and
interacting with others on the a.f.d news group.
2b. Is this role-playing?
Some individuals consider that it is role-playing, and others don't.
There are many on the group who are dragons in mind, spirit or body. A.f.d
is not considered a typical role-playing game or newsgroup. Individuals
place a lot of their emotions and feelings into their post. Please keep
this in mind when composing your posts. Due to the fact that individuals
are exposing their feeling to other readers of this group, you should
actively be careful and aware of where you are stepping so to speak, so
that you don't cause any bad feeling to flow and start flame wars or
discourage individuals from reading or participating in the newsgroup.
2c. How do I start and introduce myself?
Before posting to any news group, its always best to read it for a
few days to get the feel of it.
First come up with a name, pseudonym or nickname. When selecting a name
you may wish to check the AFD Phone Book or Quentinus Dragon Description
Web site to make sure someone else isn't using that name. These files
can be found at the A.F.D. Web Site. (www.dragonfire.org)
You will also want to fill out the Dragon Information Forms on the a.f.d
web site this will help you to organize your background information and
help allow readers and posters to better interact with you.
Next post a message describing your arrival. Include your name, or dragon
name, describe yourself and say hi.
When describing your arrival there are some things that should avoided.
You shouldn't arrive being wounded, or have any other serious problem or
individuals chasing you. Or arrive declaring to be king, master, keeper
of all of something that involves dragons.
Individuals who have arrived declared themselves the single master,
keeper, god, dragon, etc.. of all dragons, information, or the universe,
etc.. are usually either ignored or scoffed at. You will find there are
a multitude of different types of dragons and others who post from
various different backgrounds and universes. So it would be impossible
to be ruler of them all anyway. Try not to be someone who is invincible
to all things and always wins. A.f.d is not a power gammers role playing
game, so avoid treating it as such. Its for discussion and sharing of
ideas.
When arriving try not to require assistance from other dragons, such as
being wounded or chased. The reason behind this suggestion is that there
are periods when every new arriving dragon is in some way in danger. Some
think that this is a unique and interesting way of introducing yourself,
but many others have already though of it and it happens almost every week.
It's okay to hint at problems you may have or things that are after you due
to some weird event in distant past or whatever. However, it would be best
if such events didn't occur in the first five minutes of your arrival. If
you would like to do something like this, build up to it after your
introduction and gave the other readers and posters of a.f.d a chance to
meet you. The posters of a.f.d are friendly group and they will welcome
you even if your arrival isn't an earthshaking event.
2d. Nobody replied to my post! Does everyone hate me?
No, they don't. There are several possibilities. The most likely is
just that you haven't waited long enough. Wait at least five days before
giving up on replies. The messages from you will appear instantly on your
own news-system, but take quite a while to shuffle around the world. Some
news readers won't receive it for a week or more.
Another possibility is that your news-server isn't working. Find a poster
who seems to be pretty active at the moment, and email them asking if
they saw your post. If not they didn't, try sending it again or talking
with you local News Administrator.
If you're posting for the first time, there a Dragon Welcoming Committee
(DWC) that generally watches for and welcomes all new comers to the group.
Many posters will let the DWC greet newcomers. There are times when the DWC
has problems with their news servers and are unable to greet newcomers.
Sometimes newcomers are missed when a.f.d receives high volumes of posts.
You always can try posting again if your post seems to have been missed.
2e. I want to do something that involves other individual's dragons!
There is one key rule here. Never act for another dragon. Don't say
"other dragon does this", or "other dragon says", or anything similar.
The other dragon or individual will decide what they do. Don't make
assumptions about what other posters will say or do, let them do it
themselves. Just finish your post at a suitable point and wait for
responses. This is one of the most important points to remember when
character posting to a.f.d
If you need to include another poster, get their permission first,
and be aware that others can join in if they choose, so you'll have to
include them in the story. Be creative, a good writer and story teller
can work around anything. Dramatic events have their place in place on
a.f.d. However, a.f.d can also place for relaxing in upbeat silliness.
2f. Can I post something while "out of character?"
Yes, you can. Some of the common terms and phrases used when posting
out of character are "this is my human form saying" or "my typist says."
This is generally used while character posting an event or remark.
Even though the vast majority of what happens in a.f.d is character
posting, anyone is free just to post and discuss any dragon subject or
topic without character posting. The easiest way to go about doing this
is to just post the remark or comment you wish to post just like you
would with another newsgroup.
2g. Can I have two "characters?"
Feel free to create another dragon character, others have done it
in the past. However, do not, create a dragon for the specific purpose
of killing them off or something else nasty in a script you are planning.
This will annoy and dis-hearten many of the readers and posters. Everyone
hates to loose friends they've grown attached to, even on the internet.
2h. I don't know who someone is! Or even what they are! Help!
You can find this out from several places.
If you just want to quickly know what someone is, ie. the type of
dragon or creature they are, email address and their gender for writing
purposes, try looking them up in the AFD Phone book.
If you need more detailed information about their life history, background
and physical descriptions, try the Quentinus Dragon Description Web site.
If you can't find them in either reference documents, feel free to email
the individual and talk with them. Both reference documents are available
through the a.f.d web site.
2i. General Posting suggestions.
1) Keep you line lengths under 75 characters when making posts. Most
people reading news only have screens that display line widths of
80 characters. You may want to use a font like Monaco to keep your
font characters even.
2) When replying to another individual's post don't repost the whole
message. Most individuals reading the newsgroup have already read it.
Edit and post sections that introduce what your replying to
so readers will still know what you are talking about.
3) Please don't post private & personal email messages or discussions to
the newsgroup without consulting the other party.
4) If you have a personal dispute with another individual take it to email.
5) If you are dissatisfied with how something is working out on a.f.d or
or get into a personal dispute with someone. Please don't threaten to
leave or say your leaving because this individual did this. Especially
when you are planning on coming back. Please remember that a.f.d is a
rather large community of friends, so please don't deliberately try to
cause emotional strife on the news group. You will just end up hurting
other friends that you have. If you really must leave and can't work
out your differences. Please don't place blame when you leave. Its
unfair to everyone who has to read a.f.d. to have to be pulled into
your dispute.
Please also note that the order in which other sites receive articles
differs from your site. Your site may receive news articles before other
sites do or may receive them long after the articles have been posted.
The usenet news network is not instant. Don't let it worry you, it just
happens.
You can join into the discussion of any post, but please be polite and
courteous. If you have joined the a.f.d newsgroup for the sole purpose of
causing problems, I will contact your system administrator.
3. Frequently Asked Questions about Dragons
3a. What is a dragon?
drag-on \'dragen, -raig-\ n -s
[ME dragun, dragoun, fr. OF dragun, dragon, fr. L dracon-, draco serpent,
dragon, fr. Gk drakon serpent; akin to OE torht bright, splendid, noble,
OHG zoraht bright, clear, Goth gatarhjan to mark, Gk derkesthai to see
clearly, look at, drakos eye, MIr derc eYe, Skt darsayati he causes to
see; basic meaning: seeing]
1: archaic: a huge serpent
2: a fabulous animal generally represented as a monstrous winged and
scaly serpent or saurian with a crested head and enormous claws
3: a: the heraldic representation of a monster with a griffin's head, a
scaly winged body with four legs and claws, and a long barbed tail
and tongue borne as a charge or used as a supporter
b dial Brit: a paper kite of dragon form
c: a beneficent supernatural creature in Chinese mythology connected
with rain and floods
4: a violent, combative, or very strict person; esp: a woman that watches
fiercely and vigilantly over the welfare of her charges
<jealous and touchy, but a very faithful old ~ with the family--
Ngaio Marsh>
5: any of several arums popularly associated with dragons: as
a: GREEN DRAGON
b: JACK-lN-THE-PULPIT 1
c: WATER ARUM
d: a plant of the genus Dracontium
6: a: a short musket formerly carried hooked to a soldier's belt; also:
a soldier carrying such a musket
b: an armored tractor for artillery
7: [trans. of NL Draco]
a: any of numerous small brilliantly colored arboreal agamid lizards
(genus Draco) of the East Indies and southern Asia having five or
six of the hind ribs on each side prolonged and covered with a web
of skin forming a sort of wing and aiding them in making long
gliding leaps from tree to tree Q called also flying dragon
b: any of certain other lizards of related genera: as
(1): JEW LIZARD
(2): WATER DRAGON 1
3b. Do dragons exist?
Yes, they actually do, but not always in the historical/mythical from
that most individuals are familiar with. There are several lizards that
bare the name dragon, the best known being the Komodo Dragon. Dragons also
exist in symbolism's, history and the largest free roaming habitat of all,
the imagination.
3c. Where does the legend of dragons hoarding gold originate from?
The Legion of dragons hoarding gold originally came from an Italian
religion that worshipped the god Cernunnos, the horned lord of the
underworld. He was the guardian of wealth, commerce and health. Cernunnos
was often accompanied by his horned dragon who was also associated by
wealth, especially that found underground.
3d. Spelling of dragon in other languages?
Please note I'm not a linguist, the word dragon has many meanings
(see 3a). The first meanings listed are probably the closest to the
"mythical" meaning of dragon. No accents or special characters are shown
due to keyboard accent marks vary in location from computer to computer.
African: nrgwenya
Chinese: lung
Dansk: drage
Dutch: draak
English: dragon
Middle English: dragun, dragoun
Faeroese: eitt dreki, eitt flogdreki, ein fraenarormur
Finnish: Lohikaarme, (iso-latin) Lohikiirme
French: dragon
Old French: dragun, dragon
German: Drache (pl. Drachen), Lindwurm (pl. Lindwuermer)
Maybe: tracho, dracho
Greak: drakon serpent, drako
Hawaiian: Kelekona, (plural) Na Kelekona
Hebrew: drakon (plural) drakonim
Hungarian: Sarkany
Icelandic: dreki
Islamic: Th'uban, Tinnin
Italian: drago, dragone, volante, dragonessa
Japanese: ryu, tatsu
Latin: draco, serpens, dracon, draco serpent, dragon
Norse: ormr
Norwegian: drake, dragonet, orm
Polish: smok
Portaguese: dragao
Roman: draco
Romanian: dracul
Russsian: drakon (roughly translated, stress on KON)
Spanish: dragon
Swedish: drake, draken, lindorm
Welsh: draig
3e. What are some of the creatures related to dragons?
There are a number of creatures similar to dragons that sometimes
get thrown into the category of "dragon" but also have a category of their
own.
Amphisbaena: A creature with heads at each end of its body that is capable
of moving in two directions.
Basilisk: A lizard like creature that can kill with a glance, has
nasty breath.
Cockatrice: Often looks similar to a rooster with a lizards tail. Said to
be a serpent that has hatched from a chicken's egg. Has a
deadly glance.
Chimera: Fire breathing creature, with a lion's head, goat's body and
serpent's tail. Sometimes also depicted with 3 heads: a goat,
lion, and dragon. May have wings.
Quetzelcoatl: the name of a South American Indian god. He was believed
to sometimes take the shape of a winged serpent.
Griffin: Creature with the head, forelegs, and wings of an eagle and
the
body, hind legs, and tail of a lion.
Hydra: A many-headed serpent, often portrayed with the body of a
dragon.
Manticore: Creature with the head of a man, body of a lion and tail of
a dragon or scorpion. Often has wings.
Salamander: Lizard-like creature that has the ability to endure fire.
Wyvern: Very similar to a dragon except it only has four limbs
(2 wings, 2 hind legs, no front legs) Usually in all other
aspects, it is like to a dragon. They are generally not
characterized as breathing flame, but some do.
3f. I would like to talk with a dragon, where can I find one?
Believe it or not, you can chat with a dragon. The only problem is that
he's not very friendly. "CHAT" Conversational Hypertext Access Technology
has a language information system program on the internet that allows you
to chat with a dragon using plain english. To try it out telnet to:
debra.doc.ca (port 3000)
EX: telnet debra.doc.ca 3000
or via the web: telnet://debra.doc.ca:3000
Type in "Maur" at the "Select an Information File:" prompt.
for more info about the program contact Thom Whalen
(th...@debra.dgbt.doc.ca)
or Andrew Patrick (and...@debra.dgbt.doc.ca). You can also see their web
page at http://debra.dgbt.doc.ca/chat/info.page.html
3g. Where can I find archived post for alt.fan.dragons?
See ftp sites: ftp.dragonfire.org /pub/dragons/text/afd
3h. Where can I find the latest version of the faq, NQCBGT Dragon Art,
The CENSUS and the AFD Phone Book?
If you have web access you can get the latest updates from:
http://www.dragonfire.org/
For the latest copy of the CENSUS web to:
http://www.brad.ac.uk/~aclodge/Dpfold/dp.html
Or contact Pendragon. Email: acl...@bradford.ac.uk
3i. Is A.F.D writing a book about dragons?
Yes, a group of individuals is putting together a poetry and short
story book about dragons from various authors who post to A.F.D. The
editors are still in the process of looking through the submissions. The
books working title is "Soaring Heart and Soul: The Stories and Poems
of Dragons" Submissions deadline is July 15, 1996. For more information
browse http://www.dragonfire.org/afdbook/afdbook.html
or contact Quelonzia (lon...@dragonfire.org)
3j. Regarding A.f.d's short description, what do dragons have to
do with automobiles and Pennsic?
The short description for the a.f.d newsgroup at most news sites
currently is listed as:
alt.fan.dragons People just love automobiles at Pennsic.
Pennsic is a yearly "war" or live-action role playing festival
enacted by the SCA in which several Kingdoms battle each other
and have a lot of fun during the Memorial day weekend in the
central USA.
SCAers apparently love automobiles because that's their
transportation to the yearly Pennsic meeting. The automobiles are
called dragons by the SCAers. (SCA) Society for Creative Anachronism
The current description really has nothing to do with alt.fan.dragons.
The original description was suppose to read:
alt.fan.dragons A discussion on all aspects of dragons.
David C Lawrence who maintains the short description list was asked
why we have the current description and he answered:
When I inherited the list of alternative newsgroup hierarchies from
Professor Spafford at Purdue, he requested that I continue the
tradition of whimsical alt group descriptions. I have complied with
his wishes and will continue to do so. Typically the groups that get
such descriptions are ones that did not have a properly formed
newsgroups line in the control message that created the group.
It is extremely unlikely that I will change descriptions that have
been around for a very long time unless I have a very compelling
reason to do so. That's what you get for the anarchy of alt.*.
3k. I heard about some a.f.d tee-shirts, whats happening with them?
There have been several attempts to produce tee-shirts for afd
by different individuals. So far no one on afd has seen a tee-shirt
appear. So currently there are no tee-shirts available. If this
changes in the future, updated information will be added to this
section.
4. Common types of Dragons
4a. Komodo Dragon
The Komodo Dragon is the largest lizard found on Komodo Island,
part of Indonesia in the Indian Ocean. They have long sharp claws,
greenish-black hide, forked tongues (used for smelling), and a hinged jaw
like that of a snake. They are solitary animals but will group around
a carcass to try and get a portion of a kill.
During the mating season the male Komodo will make a kill and let the
female eat from the carcass. After mating, the female goes off and digs a
den in which to lay her eggs. The female lays around seven eggs. She will
stay and protect them for several weeks, but will eventually wander off
before they hatch. The eggs hatch around April and the little Komodos are
20 inches long and golden in color. They climb up in trees and stay for
several years until they grow larger. They start coming down to the
ground when they are around 3 feet long. They dig dens near riverbanks
and slopes with an opening only large enough for them to fit in, and
stay there during the night for protection from the elements and
other larger Komodos. They sometimes have two or more dens for
convenience during the wet and dry seasons when the rivers rise. Older
komodos are 9 feet long or longer and weigh around 200 pounds.
Komodo dragons are natural swimmers and use their large tails to propel
them through the water. They can also dive beneath the water and hold their
breath for a long time.
4b. Eastern Dragons
Chinese dragons have four legs and a long, sinuous body with a snake-
like tail. Their horns resemble those of a stag, head like that of
a camel, eyes resemble those of a demon or a rabbit (because they glow
red),
neck of a snake, belly of a clam, scales like those of a carp, claws of an
eagle, the paws of a tiger, and ears like those of a bull. They have 81
scales and can be black, red, white or yellow (considered superior). They
have a great pearl which they carry in their throats which symbolizes
wisdom.
Male dragons have undulating, concave and steep horns. Female dragons
have straight noses, round manes, thin scales and a strong tail. Most
dragons lay their eggs near water. Eggs may take 1000 years to hatch. When
they do, water will run from the eggs and the parents will cry out. The
cry of the male makes the wind rise, while the cry of the female makes the
wind calm. This has a tendency to destabilize local climactic conditions,
resulting in darkness and torrential rain, with lightning and thunder
causing the eggs to break open. They take 500 years to turn into a Kiao
(scaled dragon), 1000 more years to become a lung (a proper dragon), 500
more to become a kioh-lung (horned dragon), and a further 1000 years to
become a ying-lung (winged dragon).
In China dragons are classified according to their purposes. There are
four major kinds of Chinese dragon: the t'ien lung, (celestial guardians)
who support the mansion of the gods shielding them from decay; the
shen lung (weathermakers) who govern the clouds and bring rain; the ti lung
(earth-dragon) who control rivers; and the fu-ts'ang lung (treasure
keepers)
who guard hidden treasures and deposits of precious metal.
Chinese dragons were said to be present at creation and thus share the
characteristics and some control of the cosmos and elements. The dragons of
China were patron divinities of rivers, lakes and the sea. If pleased they
would give rain, but if displeased they could withhold rain or cause storms
and floods.
Celestial dragons have five claws. Lesser dragons have three or four.
They can shape-change except when being born, sleeping, lustful or angry.
Dragons are said to like precious stones and roasted swallows but to be
afraid of the leaves of the wang plant, leaves of the lien tree, quintuple
colored silk thread, wax, iron and centipedes. They are one of the four
spiritual animals, the others being the phoenix, unicorn and tortoise.
4c. Western Dragons
Western dragons are extremely diverse in every aspect. They are
sometimes classified by body-type and defined by habitat, but this is not
set in stone.
Western dragons have four legs, the front legs often used normally
like human arms & hands. They have two wings often jointed above the front
arms, a long tail and neck with scales, hide or fur. They come in all
colors
and shades. Their hands and feet are clawed. They sometimes have hard or
soft plated ridges from the nape of the neck to the tip of the tail. They
have head crests usually in the form of horns or protective plates. They
are
often able to expel flame, smoke or other substance from their mouth for
the purpose of defense or attack.
Most western dragons have an extremely long life span. They are
usually
wise creatures, and can be friendly or malicious. Their lifestyles and
habitats vary depending upon the group and type of dragon. The following
are different categories of western dragons.
4d. Pernese Dragons
The world of Pernese dragons was created by Anne McCaffrey. They were
genetically engineered from a species of small, flying, dragon-like
creatures called firelizards by colonist settling on a planet called Pern.
There are five types of Pernese dragons:
Color Gender Size (comparative)
Gold Female (Queen) Largest (40 meters long)
Bronze Male Second Largest
Brown Male Large
Blue Male Medium
Green Female Small (25 meters long)
White Male (very small, only one in existence)
Flame is produced by chewing & digesting a substance called Firestone,
which is later spit back out after digestion. They have a special
relationship and telepathic link with their riders from birth. They have
the ability to jump telepathically forward and backward in time, and to any
place as long as they have a visualized reference point to where they're
going. You can find out more specific info on Anne McCaffrey's Pern series
in alt.fan.pern.
4e. Dungeon & Dragon Dragons
The world of D&D dragons contains both western and eastern dragons.
The eastern dragons are based off history of eastern dragons (see 4b).
D&D dragons are able to use magic, and have a wide variety of
characteristics between the different species.
Young dragons begin pairing and mating when they are young adults
around 100 years old. They lay eggs have hatch several dragonets. The
young are raised by one or more parents till the age of 50 when they just
become young adults and leave their parents lair driven by greed to start
a lair of their own.
Western D&D dragons collect and hoard treasure in their lairs and use
it as bedding. Their lairs are usually far from civilization. They hide
their entrances and any evidence of their comings and goings. There is
very little wildlife near dragon lairs. They are very territorial about
the area around their lairs.
After a pair of mated dragons mature beyond the mature adult stage
(400 years) they will split up driven by the need for independence and
greed. Older dragons will raise young but after a pair mate and the eggs
are laid they will split up, leaving one parent to raise the young.
As they mature the dragons become stronger and wiser. Older dragons
know many languages and some can even speak telepathically. The oldest
dragons are among the most powerful creatures in the world. The oldest of
the dragons are known as Great Wyrms and live to be 1200 years and older.
All dragon species are said to come originally from the same roots but
the different species keep to themselves. D&D dragons are solitary
creatures.
Color/
Type Align Intel Environment Size Breath
---------- -- ----- ---------------- --- --------------------------
Chromatic
Black CE 8-10 Swamps 30' Acidic Gas
Blue LE 11-12 Desert 42' Lightning
Green LE 11-12 Woods 36' Cloud: (Poison Chlorine Gas)
Red CE 15-16 Mountains 48' Fire
White CE 5-7 Tundra 24' Frost
Gem
Amethyst N 17-18 Mountains(water) 30' Lozenge
Crystal CN < 8 Snowlands 12' Shards
Emerald LN 15-16 Volcanoes 20' Sonic Wail
Sapphire LN 17-18 Underground 24' Supersonic Wail
Topaz CN 15-16 Seacoast 15' Dehydration
Metallic
Brass CG 13-14 Dry ranges 30' Cloud: (Sleep, Heat)
Bronze LG 15-16 Seacoast 42' Cloud: (Lightning, Repulse)
Copper CG 13-14 Mountains(high) 36' Cloud: (Slow), Acid
Gold LG 17-18 Everywhere 54' Cloud: (Chlorine gass), Fire
Silver LG 15-16 Mountains(peaks) 48' Cloud: (Paralyzation), Frost
Orental
Blue-Green LN Chiang Lung (River Dragon) Expel Storm Clouds
Blue-Grey N Yu Lung (Carp Dragon) Cloud (healing)
Green N Lung Wang (Sea dragon) Cloud: (hot steem)
Multicolored NE Tun Mi Lung (Typhoon Dr.) None
Multicolored CN Shen Lun (Spirit Dragon) Water Fire
Multicolored CN Pan Lung (Coiled Dragon) Water Fire
(Dark Fur) N Li Lung (Earth dragon) None
Other
Abyss ?? 20 Abyss ?? Water from the River Styx
(destroys target's soul)
Adamantite ?? 23-25 Astral Plane ?? Fire-hottest of dragons
Brown NE 13-14 Desert 54' Acidic Spray
Cloud N 17-18 Any high mntn. 66' Icy Air
Deep CE 15-16 Caverns 24' Flesh-eat Gas
Dracolich E Undead(Any Evil Dragon) -- (original breath weapon)
Faerie CG (Multicolored) ?? Cloud: (euphoria)
Mercury CG 13-14 Mountains(warm) 25' Laser Light
Mist N 15-16 Forests(water) 54' Superheated Steam
Shadow CE 17-18 Ruins(dark) 21' Blackness Cloud
Steel LN 19-20 Cities(people) 25' Toxic Cube Gas
Yellow CE 11-12 Desert 36' SandBlast Air
C - Chaotic (minimal social order) G - Good
L - Lawful (stuctured social order) N - Neutral
E - Evil
You can find out more specific info on D&D in rec.games.frp.
4f. Modern Infestation Dragons
The Modern Infestation (MI) is a western scientific view of dragons
suddenly appearing in the modern world. It was written by Pamela Wharton
Blanpied in the from of a technical journal.
History:
Towards the end of the 19th century a series of "fire falls" came from
the sky and fell throughout Western Canada and other parts of North
America.
Shortly after the in areas where flaming balls descended, reports came in
of
missing cattle and other livestock. The disappearance of people, wildlife
and livestock grew and soon the cause became obvious, dragons. As the raids
became more common the military was called in to deal with the problem.
Years of study showed the dragons were hard to track and current weapons
were
often to slow to damage the creatures. New weapons created specifically to
track dragons were only still partially effective. In Europe, using the new
weapons, the military managed to wound a young dragon over Hamburg. The
retaliation by the dragons that followed was massive, Northern, Central and
Eastern European areas were attacked, leaving the countryside between
Groningen and Warsaw in ruins. New methods for dealing with the dragons
were
needed. Military action was dropped in exchange for more passive methods
such
as sonic shielding and more indepth study programs on the creatures.
MI dragons are covered with protective scales and vary in colors.
They can changes these colors at will for camouflage, assuming the
texture of their surroundings. Their size ranges 20 to 30 meters in length
when full grown, with a wingspan of 15 to 24 meters in length. Their front
and back feet are small but have very sharp claws. Their head and body is
the same size as their neck and bear a vague resemblance to a wing snake.
They are able to compress their bodes to 3/4 their length like a earth
worm,
becoming fatter in the middle. Such a gesture can either be considered a
challenge or a playful act.
Their internal structure is unknown. It is hypothesized that they have
three "stomachs." The first coats the food with digestive acids, the second
is used to store the food till its needed and the third is a atomic "fire
chamber" in which the food is broken down into submolecular particle used
in
the body. The flame of a dragon is caused by the extreme levels of heat
from
its high metabolic rate that is expelled from its mouth to cool itself.
They have no respiratory system and need no oxygen. Their "fire
chamber"
supplies everything their bodies need. Their blood is heated to the
temperature of hot steam near the fire chamber and distributes nutrients
and
heat throughout the body.
For more information see 5d.1 (Books, Refference) Dragons: Guide to the
Modern Infestation, By Pamela Warton Blanpied. <72703...@CompuServe.COM>
5. Miscellaneous Information
5a. Ftp sites
Here are a list of sites where you can find some dragon pictures:
ftp.dragonfire.org /pub/dragons (alt.fan.dragons ftpsite)
ftp.math.uni-hamburg.de /pub/misc/tolkien/pics/glorund.jpg
/pub/misc/tolkien/pics
/pub/pic/jpg/fantasy
/pub/pic/gif/fantasy
ftp.sunet.se /pub/pictures/fantasy
You can also watch for pictures posted to alt.binaries.pictures.misc
5b. Web sites
World Wide Web pages & ftp sites regarding dragons:
Alt.fan.dragons Web site:
http://www.dragonfire.org/
- Has links to most of the known dragon web sites, plus current
informational files, a.f.d Usenet news link and IRC #afd chat
channel, plus dragon web rings.
5c. IRC Sites
IRC - Internet Relay Chat - is a means of talking with friends over
the internet in real time rather than thru e-mail or newsgroup postings.
In the channel #afd you can chat live with dragon fans, dragons and
their friends. While there are several IRC Networks that have AFD
extensions the primary one is on DALnet. Dalnet was founded Dalvenjah:
Sven Nielsen in Feb. 1995. To reach #afd you will need to a IRC client
program some suggested program are:
Dos & Windows - mIRC http://www.mirc.co.uk
Macintosh - IRCle
http://www.ex.ac.uk/%7Ejastaple/irc/irchelp.html
Other systems - http://www.kei.com/irc.html
If for some reason these web addresses are out of date or you can't find
a irc program for your computer system try searching
http://www.shareware.com
Quick Irc commands:
/msg helpServ ? -get help from the Irc help server.
/join #channel -join a channel.
/quit -quit irc.
To connect to DALnet:
/serv irc.dal.net 7000 (using a irc client)
telnet telnet.dal.net (using telnet)
Here are IRC channels where you can chat and discuss dragons:
/join #afd (active discussion of a.f.d)
/join #IRCHelp (operator help channel)
/join #kelekona (AFD poetry readings Sun 8pm PST)
/join #Hawaiian_Weyr (AFD poetry workshop Sat 5pm PST)
/join #afdbook (AFD publishing meetings Sat 12pm PST)
To join the #afd listserver emailing list, send email to majo...@ict.org
and in the body of your email message put "subscribe afd" Topic of this
list are generally technical issues regarding the running of #afd.
Contact dalv...@dal.net for more information on DALnet.
Or visit the Dalnet Web Site at http://www.dal.net
and The Tentative #afd infopage at http://kauhajoki.fi/~jusantal/afd.html
5d. Books
5d.1 Books, Reference:
The Beasts of Never, By Georgess McHargue; Illustrated by Frank Bozzo
For the young reader. An introduction to many myths. Two chapters devoted
to the dragon.
The Book of The Dragon, By Montserrat Sant & Ciruelo Cabral
A general study of the subject of dragons emphasizing western legends
and contemporary treatment of dragons in literature. Very good art work.
The Dragon Lovers Guide to Pern
A reference book to the world of pern, tells about dragons, people &
the planet of pern. (see 5b.2 The Dragon Riders of Pern series)
Dragons, By Peter Hogarth with Val Clery
A general study of the subject of dragons with emphasis on the eastern
legends.
Dragons: Guide to the Modern Infestation, by Pamela Warton Blanpied
A very convincing and well written book on modern dragon sightings,
behavior, and lore. (Back in print!) It can be order from:
http://www.Boydell.co.uk/2664.HTM
19 b/w illus. 168pp, Sterling c.9.95 Stock: UK 668 US 189
Dragons, Their History & Symbolism, By Janet Hoult
This is a small illustrated book which investigates historical
(and some legendary) dragon references. 58 pages.
The Enchanted World: Dragons, By the Editors of Time-Life Books.
A survey across many cultures of dragons and examination of the
development of the legend. Excellent reference section.
The Flight of Dragons, By Peter Dickinson, Illustrated by Wayne Anderson
An investigation by Mr. Dickinson of his theory on how dragons could
achieve flight. A living dirigible theory! (Note: movie w/ same name)
Man, Myth & Magic an illustrated encyclopedia of the supernatural
By the Editors of Time-Life Books. Volume 5 Pps. 689-695.
A casual investigation of the subject of dragons. Good for examination
of some specific legends.
A Natural History Dragons and Unicorns, By Paul and Karin Johnsguard
Describes the classification, life cycle, types and history of both
dragons and unicorns as if actually existing in the world today.
5d.2 Books, Dragons Novels and Book Series:
A Book Dragon, By Donn Kushner.
A unique young dragon finds purpose in his life when he finds a valuable
treasure to guard, worth more to him than gold. Very nicely illustrated.
The Dragon Riders of Pern series, By Anne McCaffrey.
Colonists with genetically engineered dragons face challenges on the
planet
pern.
Dragonflight Dragondrums Dragonsdawn
Dragonquest Nerilka's Story The Renegades of Pern
The White Dragon Moreta: Dragonlady of Pern All the Weyrs of Pern
Dragonsong The Girl Who Heard Dragons The Chronicles of Pern
Dragonsinger Dolphins of Pern (Firstfall)
Dragonsbane, By Barbara Hambly.
The story of Jenny Waynest as she tries to banish or kill a very
powerful and intelligent black dragon.
Dragons in the Stars, By Jeffrey A. Carver.
Dragons from the another of space come to the aid of a young pilot who
must take control of her life before she falls too far into the power
of an abusive master.
Dragonworld, By Byron Priess and J. Michael Reaves.
The last dragon is the only hope of averting the worst of wars prompted
by tragedy.
The Forging of the Dragon, By Robert Don Hughes.
An evil two-headed dragon must be created to unite the
fragmented societies of the old One Land.
Guardians of the Flame series, By Joel Rosenberg.
Six books: ("finger jo...@winternet.com" for latest info.)
The Sleeping Dragon The Heir Apparent
The Sword and the Chain The Warrior Lives
The Silver Crown The Road to Ehvenor
The James Eckert series, By Gordon R. Dickson:
James Eckert get transported to a parallel dimension with magic where he
becomes known as the Dragon Knight, man and part-time dragon who fights
the forces of encroaching evil. Original short story "St. Dragon and the
George" first published in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
(c) 1957, and can now be found in Isaac Asimov's Dragon Tales anthology
(see below).
The Dragon and the George The Dragons at War
The Dragon on the Border The Dragon Knight
Her Majesty's Wizard, By Christopher Stasheff
A wizard get transferred to another dimension to help a princess gain
back
the crown. He is aided on his mission by a dragon and a knight.
The Krystonia Chronicles, By Mildonian Ltd
Many varied types of dragons form their own regiment of society.
(see 5d. Krystonia Collectors Club)
The Chronicles of Krystonia Krystonian Adventures
Krystonia III
Pit Dragon series, By Jane Yolen.
A series based on a backworld planet with dragons that are trained
for pit fights. Jakkin as he grows learns to truly commune with the
dragons.
Dragon's Blood Heart's Blood A Sending of Dragons
Rangard series, By R.A.V. Salsitz.
The fate of all beings on Rangard depends on what the new awakening of
the dragons from the grave will bring upon them. Series currently
consists of three books:
Where Dragons Lie Night of Dragons
Where Dragons Rule
The Shadow of His Wings, By Bruce Fergusson.
The aid of the ancient Erseiyr Rizzix must be sought to save the hero's
people from a war that goes badly, however Rizzix is reluctant to help.
Tea with the Black Dragon, By R. A. MacAvoy.
A black dragon comes to America to fulfill his destiny, and helps a lady
search for her missing daughter.
Vlad Taltos / World of Dragaera series, By Steven K.Z. Brust.
A sarcastic and humorous jhereg (very small dragon) accompanies Vlad as
his familiar in and out of many chilling adventures. Currently seven
books:
(there are supposed to be 17 eventually)
Jhereg Teckla Orca
Taltos Phoenix
Yendi Athyra
5d.3 Books, Anthologies
Dragon Fantastic, edited by Rosalind & Martin Greenberg (c)1992.
Many more tales, most by less-known authors.
A Dragon Lovers Treasury of the Fantastic, edited by Margret Welis
Includes stories by Orson Scott Card, Ann McCaffery, Roger Zelazny
and others.
Dragons of Darkness, edited by Orson Scott Card (c)1981, released 1988.
Many excellent tales including authors Edward Bryant, Jeffrey Carver,
Ben Bova. Note: this book is hard to find.
Dragons of Light, edited by Orson Scott Card (c)1980, released 1988.
Authors include Roger Zelazny, George R. Martin, Greg Bear, Jane Yolen.
Dragon Tales, edited by Issac Asimov (c)1982.
Includes short stories by many well known writers: Gerda, Dragons' Teeth,
Two Yards of Dragon, A Hiss of Dragon, The Bully and the Beast,
The kings Head and the Purple Dragon, Soft Come the Dragons,
St.Dragon and the George, John Robert and the Dragon's Egg,
Demon and Demoiselle, Weyr Search.
Here There Be Dragons, By Jane Yolen
Compluation of Jane Yolen's short stories and poems about dragons with
comments by the author.
5d.4 Books, Children's Literature:
The Dragons Are Singing Tonight, By Jack Prelutsky; pictures by Peter Sis
A collection of poems about dragons for the young, good for kids of
all ages.
How Droofus the Dragon lost his head, By Bill Peet
The Paper Bag Princess, By Robert Munsch
5e. Movies
DragonHeart, Universal Pictures. (103 min)
Bowen at knight believes that his prince's soul has been poisoned by
a dragon that saved the prince's life. Bowen vows to destroy all dragons.
When he encounters the last dragon he learns what true vows are.
ISBN 0-7832-1915-6
Dragonslayer, Paramount Picture Corp. (110 min)
A young apprenticed mage sets off to rid a kingdom of a dragon, the
king does not want his help. Movie. (see address below "Critics' Choice")
Cost: $14.95 Item#: EAPAR001367
DragonWorld, Moonbeam
A young boy grows up with a dragon as a friend in a Scottish castle. Due
to tax problems he decides to lend his dragon to an evil tycoon who
wants him for his amusement park.
FESTIVAL OF ANIMATION 1991 (animation)
Denny Goes Air-Surfing, Lance Kramer. (2 min)
What does a dragon do for fun? It goes air-surfing. How does a
dragon go airsurfing? That would be telling. This piece looks like
an immature work of someone with potential. And it is not a bad gag.
The Flight of Dragons, Rankin/Bass Production Inc. (98 min) (Cartoon)
Based off of Gorden Dickson's 'The Dragon and the George'
A young man from the future is magically transported to the past to save
the land from an evil mage and is accidentally placed in the body of a
dragon.
Incorporates Peter Dickenson's 'Flight of Dragons.'
copy can gotten from Critics' Choice Video (ask for a catalogue)
Cost $19.95 PO Box 749
Item#: EAWHV000956 Itasca, IL 60143-0749 U.S.A
Phone: 1-800-544-9852 (8am-6pm CT)
Merlin and the Dragons, Lightyear Entertainment 1991 (27 min) (Cartoon)
Written by Jane Yolen. Narrated by Keven Kline. Merlin tells a young king
Authur a story about fighting dragons, clashing armies, and a young boys
dreams. Lightyear Entertainment
350 5th Ave. suite 5101
NewYork, Ny 10118 U.S.A.
Phone: 1-800-229-78679 ( Mon-Fri 9am-5pm ET)
Record of Lodoss Wars (355 min) (Cartoon)
Japinese animation. 13 episode series. 13 episodes have been
subtitled over into english. Dubbed versions will be out later this year.
Based off of a Japinese novel by the same name. The story takes place
in a AD&D setting. A party of adventurers tries to find the reason
behind the growing war on Lodoss. Lots of dragons! (6 VHS Tapes)
Cost $116.96 The Right Stuff International Inc.
Item# USM1273 Box 71309
(or) Des Moines, Ia 50325 U.S.A.
Cost $26.96 http://www.dwx.com/~centsys/Welcome.html
Items# USM1267 - 72 Email: at...@centsys.com Phone: 1-515-279-7434
Dragon Era (Cartoon)
Scorpio (Cartoon)
Dragon Half (Cartoon)
5f. Commercial Art
There are a variety of places in which you can find some excellent
artwork at affordable prices. Here are a few places I suggest you look:
Dancing Dragon
5670 West End Road, #4
PO Box 1106
Arcata, Ca 95521 U.S.A.
1-800-322-6040
Email: dra...@northcoast.com
Web site: http://www.northcoast.com:/unlimited/product_directory
/dancing_dragon/dancing_dragon.html
Glass Onion Graphics
PO Box 88
Brookfield, Ct 06804 U.S.A.
(203) 798-6063
Landmark Calenders
Po Box 6105, Dept 1
Novato, Ca 94948-6105 U.S.A.
1-800-775-1994
In the following calenders:
Dragon Lords
Fantasy
Julie Bell Fantasy Calenders
Krystonia Collectors Club
110 E. Ellsworth Road
Ann Arbor, MI 48108 U.S.A.
(313) 677-3510
Design Toscano
15 E. Campbell Street
Arlington Heights, IL 60005
Laughing Coyote Press
P.O. Box 475335
Garland, TX 75041
m...@netcom.com
Marty Magic
P.O. Box 318
Santa Cruz, California 95061
(408) 429-9805
fax: (408) 429-1012
Email: ar...@cruzio.com
Marty Magic is a source for dragon jewelry. Over the last
fifteen years, she has sculpted dozens of dragon designs.
You can order many books from by telneting to: books.com
to find dragon related meteral its suggested you do a title search
under "dragon" or keyword search under "dragon"
They ship all over the world for only $3.50
Please note that for people located outside the U.S.A. most of these
dealers will still ship merchandise to you, but it will cost a few
bucks more, though probably not much. Call or write and find out about
shipping costs and product information.
Special thanks to John Katen, Mike Pflueger, Hisatamo Shoten,
Roger Chen, and Samuel Marshall for helping gather information.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Internet: e...@dragonfire.org
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Lady Viriatha Atyriv de Cordova y Elenia
http://afd.stormdancer.net/
DC2.~Dw/H Gf L/- Cbl/fs Bfl A? Fr++(tomato)
Nu M++ O+++ H++ $ Fj/v~ R++ Ac++ J S+++ U
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Keeper of the Tasty Beverage, Editor AFD
News, Niftian, Mistress of Multi-Tasking,
Friend to Sock Puppets Everywhere
Freedom is just a hallucination created by a pathological lack of paranoia.