Dralu

The Dralu are a reptilian race that resemble what humans would refer to as dragons. Organized into Flights, the Dralu seek peace through words and trade, and will rarely resort to open warfare. Instead, they rely on less conventional tactics, adopting a cloak and dagger policy for solving their problems. They do not have a centralized government and the flights constantly bicker with each other, especially the Noble Flights. Aristocracy reigns supreme in their society, where those who do not belong to the noble flights are almost always doomed to a life of servitude and poverty.

• Dralu Flights
• dralu_history
• dralu_flights

Male Young Adult Dralu stand 7'0“ to 7'​8”,​ and weigh between 450-600lbs. Female Young Adult Dralu stand 6'​10“ to 7'6” and weigh between 400-550lbs.

'​True'​ Adults have a much wider range of height, length, and weight. Males tend to be larger than females and age certainly plays a role. '​True'​ adults can range from 20ft to 100ft+ in length. They usually weigh in at least a few tons while the largest weighs as much as several vehicles.

Dralu have “exotic” scale colors. Each flight has a signature color. Secondary colors are usually a lighter hue of the primary, although this is not always true.

Dralu have three digits, with a thumb for grasping. Each digit has a claw on the end of it.

Dralu have a thin, prehensile tail, covered in scales. Various arrangements of spikes stretch from their head to their tail tip.

A breakdown on anatomy and physiology.

Biological structures with visible components.

The Dralu, like all reptilians, have scales. Their scales are comprised of hard keratin, much like their teeth and claws. A young adult'​s scales are resistant to small arms fire. A '​true'​ adults scales are very resistant to small arms fire.

Scales are shed frequently, with new scales replacing old ones by growing underneath the old scale. When the new scale is fully developed, the old scales bonds with the scutebed are dissolved, allowing the scale to be shed. The new scale takes its place in a matter of hours.

Scales are typically very metallic looking and are able to reflect light. They come in a broad range of colors though each flight tends to have a single shared '​main'​ color.

Horns are a marker for gender among Dralu. Males tend to have long, straight, pointed horns. Females lack horns. These horns are made of bone, making them rather sturdy. Horns are not shed, making them a permanent fixture on an individual. If a horn is broken, it is unlikely to regrow without outside assistance. ​

Dralu have large claws, composed of hard keratin, on each of their digits. They are used for climbing, holding prey in place, and as a natural weapon. These claws are not retractable,​ forcing the Dralu to take extreme care when handling objects or other persons. Most Dralu sharpen their claws daily, keeping them razor sharp.

Claws are shed very slowly. It takes several months for a claw to develop underneath the present claw. When the newly formed claw is ready, the old claws roots are dissolved, allowing it to fall out of its bed. The new claw then replaces the old one.

Structures that are not visible from the surface.

Dralu have a strong skeleton comprised mostly of calcium. As a reinforcer for their already strong skeleton, puberty adds additional layer of strength by coating the bones with fibers of metal, mostly iron. It is usually evident when an individual is undergoing puberty when the person has an increased need for food that is high in iron content. While the metal fibers add to their weight, the gain is not significant enough to reduce their general mobility and ability.

'​True'​ Adults undergo an even more drastic change. Their bones receive further strengthening and their bodies develop fully functional wings. When young adults are undergoing their slow transformation into true adulthood, they are constantly consuming food to supply their body with nutrients and minerals to fuel the building process.

The Draluian nervous system is like most other species. It is responsible for delivering messages from the millions of nerve cells to the brain and delivering commands from the brain to the muscles. The Dralu do not possess anything unique when it comes to their nervous system.

Dralu muscle fibers are tightly bundled, allowing them to have surprising strength despite their '​lean'​ build. '​True'​ adults are better compared to large construction vehicles, mostly because of their size. Dralu are capable of jumping, swimming, and lifting objects several times their own weight, if the individual is fit.

'​True'​ Adults are capable of true flight, using their massive wings to keep their bodies aloft.

The Dralu are omnivores, meaning they consume both plant matter and other living creatures. Dralu are natural predators, meaning they actively hunt for prey animals to consume. They are able to consume mostly anything that a human would be able to and gain nutritional value from it. They tend to prefer meat over plants. Most Dralu have a strong dislike for sweet things and an innate love for very spicy food.

One particularly unique trait of the Dralu is their two-chambered stomach. While one chamber digests food normally, the second chamber is responsible for processing objects that aren't able to be used for nutritional value or are very hard, such as bones. This second chamber, much like a gizzard, is usually supplied with rocks to aid in digestion.

A byproduct of digestion is hydrogen and methane gas. Instead of releasing this gas, it is stored in several storage sacs, awaiting use.

Dralu are capable of creating a methane/​hydrogen based flame by releasing the gases stored in their gas storage sacs and then proceeding to ignite the gases. While the gas is mixing with the oxygen in the air, metallic residue from metal-rich rocks ignite the fumes. Some Dralu places metal caps on their frontal teeth to make fire-breathing easier.

While the Dralu are capable of breathing fire to a limited degree, they are not able to breathe fire for as long as they want. Depending on the size of the individual, storage sacs contain enough gas to sustain firebreath for a few minutes. It takes several days of being well-fed to completely restore these sacs. '​True'​ adults are able to sustain fire breath for a much longer period of time, due to their size.

In Summary: Dralu females are fertilized by Dralu males. The female lays the fertilized eggs in a safe place, where they are allowed to hatch.

Dralu reproduce sexually, where the male fertilizes the female. After the female has been fertilized, she will lay her eggs roughly one to two weeks after initial fertilization. The eggs must be kept in a warm place where they will be safe from predators. These eggs take roughly eight months to hatch.

Maturation from egg to hatching is roughly eight months. Maturation from hatchling to youngling is around 14-17 years. Maturation from hatchling to young adult is around 20-24 years. Maturation from hatchling to true adult is upwards of 100 years.

Hatchlings are rather small and not adept at fending for themselves. Hatchlings must be taken care of by adults where they are sheltered and fed. Their scales are very weak and their claws are very short.

Younglings are Dralu that are just starting to go through puberty. Males will notice a significant gain in horn length. By the end of puberty, Dralu are as fully grown as they will be until they reach '​true'​ adulthood. Their scales are much stronger and claws much sharper. Their skeleton is strengthened by metal fibers.

Young adults are capable of producing offspring and are fully grown. Although they are not technically '​true'​ adults, most members of Draluian society are and will only ever be, young adults.

'​True'​ Adults are formidable specimens. After aging approximately 100 years, both genders begin a long transformation into their adulthood. The most notable changes are the significant gain in size, the growth of fully developed wings, and becoming quadrupedal,​ rather than bipedal. Fully grown Dralu vary greatly in size. Dralu just becoming '​true'​ adults are around 20 feet long. The eldest flight leaders are over 100 feet in length with a wingspan to match.