The Copper Cave Dragon subspecies has a new home! Visit the new subspecies thread and the new sales thread!
@Triblobyte has been kind enough to take over the subspecies as I leave FR, so while this thread will remain for posterity, you should definitely visit the new threads to keep up to date on the latest qualifying genes, to find dragons for sale, and to keep up with other cave-dwelling clans!
These cave-dwelling dragons are well-adapted to the darkness of their chosen homes... their hides glow brightly with bio-luminescent stripes, flecks, spots, and crystals. Their glowing hides are their greatest tools in everyday life, from helping them find their way, to hunting prey, to hiding within their caves to ambush enemies. Many Copper Cave Dragons live the majority of their lives without ever leaving their cave systems at all, their labyrinths of tunnels, chambers, and underground lakes are so extensive. Clans in every part of Sornieth may have Copper Cave Dragons living beneath them without having any idea that they're there at all!
Copper Cave clans may live in vastly different ecosystems and environments, and thus have developed a dazzling array of adaptations and variations in their appearance and behavior. What they all have in common is a copper primary color, with a glowing or crystalline appearance, and a range of additional or highlighting colors mostly in blues to greens.
SUBSPECIES REQUIREMENTS
FLIGHTS/EYE COLOR: Any. Copper Cave Dragons inhabit every land in Sornieth. Visually, dragons with Lightning, Earth, Water, Wind, or Nature eyes tend to match very well with these dragons, but any eye color is fine.
BREEDS: Any. Some clans may be formed of only a single dragon breed, others have a diverse mix of copper dragons. Bogsneaks, Ridgebacks, Nocturnes, and Snappers may be most naturally suited to cave life, but any clan will benefit from the addition of others, as well. Bigger dragons may be powerful excavators, while smaller species like Spirals and Faes are particularly adept at squeezing into narrow spaces and scouting areas where clans may want to expand their cave systems. Some clans live in high, arid stone caves, best suited to feathered and furred species like Coatls, Tundras, and Skydancers. These dragons can adapt to life in a variety of cave environments.
GENE & COLOR REQUIREMENTS
PRIMARY
Genes: Clown, Skink, Crystal, Tapir
Colors: COPPER only
SECONDARY
Genes: Alloy, Basic, Bee, Butterfly, Current, Daub, Eye Spots, Facet, Freckle, Hex, Hypnotic, Peregrine, Rosette, Safari, Saturn, Seraph, Shimmer, Spinner, Striation, Stripes, Toxin, Trail
NOTE: High-contrast genes like Spinner and Toxin may produce bright clashing colors like pinks and purples that aren't very appropriate for this subspecies. These genes are allowed for all colors within the listed color range, for the sake of simplicity, but in general the idea is that secondary colors/genes shouldn't necessarily be so bright that they overpower the "glowing" qualities of the dragon's primaries.
Colors:
BLUE-GREEN RANGE: From IRIS to MOSS.
(Colors included are Iris, Storm, Twilight, Indigo, Sapphire, Navy, Cobalt, Ultramarine, Blue, Periwinkle, Lapis, Splash, Cornflower, Sky, Stonewash, Overcast, Steel, Denim, Abyss, Phthalo, Deep Azure, Caribbean, Teal, Cerulean, Cyan, Robin, Aqua, Turquoise, Spruce, Pistachio, Seafoam, Mint, Jade, Spearmint, Thicket, Peacock, Emerald, Shamrock, Jungle, Hunter, Forest, Camo, Algae, Swamp, Avocado, Green, Fern, Mantis, Pear, Leaf, Radioactive, Honeydew, Peridot, Chartreuse, Spring, Crocodile, Olive, Murk, Moss)
COPPER RANGE: From CINNAMON to COPPER. Colors also allowed, but from outside that range, are BRONZE, TARNISH, BLOOD, AND BRICK. Also allowed, but only in Spinner or Toxin, is STRAWBERRY.
(Colors included in the range are Cinnamon, Caramel, Sand, Tan, Beige, Stone, Taupe, Slate, Driftwood, Latte, Dirt, Clay, Sable, Umber, Soil, Hickory, Tarnish, Ginger, Brown, Chocolate, Auburn, Copper)
TERTIARY
Genes: Basic (any color), Capsule, Contour, Gembond, Ghost, Glimmer, Lace, Okapi, Opal, Runes, Scales, Smirch, Spines, Underbelly
Colors: If the tertiary gene is very visible or obtrusive (so pretty much anything but Basic or Spines), ideally it would also be one of the acceptable secondary colors listed above. Any color that doesn't really clash with the dragon's main colors is fine, though. Other genes that would heavily cover or distract from the primary gene/coloration, like Thylacine or Circuit, are not acceptable. With the Underbelly gene, any color complimentary to either the primary or secondary color is acceptable... for instance, sand or beige would match well enough with the primary copper, or tones in the blue-green range listed above for secondaries. White-range underbelly or "snowbelly" is also fine. Any tertiary color that isn't super bright, clashing, or distracting is okay, but colors in the listed secondary ranges above are definitely preferred.
COLORATION EXAMPLES & ADDITIONAL SUBSPECIES LORE
(Please feel free to use this lore to build on your own Copper Cave clan's lore and legend!)
Copper Cave Dragons who were born in high, arid, rocky caves in the cliffs and spires of lands like Dragonhome, the Sunbeam Ruins, and the Shifting Expanse, or the unforgiving landscapes of the Ashfall Waste and Scarred Wasteland, might have more muted colors that will help them blend in to bare stone and volcanic rock. These dragons may often be predominantly in the Copper range secondary and tertiary colors, with genes that only subtlely highlight them with color, or they may have adapted a single point of bright blue-green color, like a glimmering underbelly, that they can hide or expose as they choose.
Others are products of their environments in different ways. In the Sea of a Thousand Currents, the Southern Icefield, and Starfall Isles, where their cave systems are more likely to host many deep mineral-rich pools, lakes, or sea-caves, many clans have developed crystal-encrusted hides, and highlight colors in bright, rich tones of blues and greens that help them attract sea-dwelling prey when submerged in water, or break up or disguise their silhouette from creatures looking up at them from the water.
Similar colors are prevalent also in the Viridian Labyrinth, where Copper Cave Dragons in tones of green are particularly well-camouflaged both above ground in the verdant greenery or below in their caves. In the Tangled Wood, deep blues that help them blend in to the perpetual shadow, and particularly powerful bio-luminescence when they want to produce their light, are especially helpful qualities. Copper Cave Dragons with coloration that helps them blend in above ground as well as in their caves are much more likely to venture more frequently above ground, and are more likely also to wander further and potentially join other clans.
In the Windswept Plateau, these dragons are less reclusive and are particularly bold, and often brightly colored as well; their caves are often carved right into the sides of the cliffs, sometimes even layered one on top of another, with layers and layers of cave dragons burrowing horizontal "floors" of dwellings into the rock right down to the sea. They can often be seen out fishing over the waters that separate their lands from the Southern Icefield, and many of them enjoy luxurious hot springs inside their caves, heated by the magma running beneath their caves before it rises to the surface nearby in the Ashfall Waste. These dragons love to have fun, flying about like brightly colored kites, and are particularly likely to have bright, wild colors in tones of blue and green, which the cave dragons of the Windswept Plateau find particularly attractive. Of all the Copper Cave Dragons, theirs are often the most elaborate and colorful mating displays and ceremonial customs, and they tend to be highly social with others outside their own clans.
Though each region may have particularly prevalent features, and some isolated populations may display only certain adaptations, Copper Cave Dragons can be fairly intrepid explorers, and don't hesitate to venture to other areas of Sornieth, where they may intermingle with other Copper Cave Dragons, or other dragon populations entirely, to produce new variations. Dragons digging new tunnels may find themselves breaking suddenly into the tunnels of their neighbors, within their own regions or under the border into neighboring ones, which often results in friendly intermingling and eventually both clans joining into one. The Copper Cave Dragons of the Windswept Plateau, being particularly adventurous and prone to flying off to distant lands for the fun of it, can often be found scattered among Copper Cave clans all over Sornieth, contributing their brightly colored genes to future generations.
Only dragons with certain qualities are considered to be a part of the subspecies, but Copper Cave Dragons do not by any means only intermingle with their own kind, and many may breed with other dragons and produce offspring of wildly different colors. Some clans have even joined with other clans above ground, to create a single large clan that lives and hunts both in the world above and in the caves below, creating a sort of combined culture of their own.
SOME GENE-SPECIFIC LORE
Clown: The Clown gene gives dragons beautiful bright blue spots, which the dragons themselves can control. They can make their spots glitter in waves, to mimic a whole twinkling colony of glowworms hanging from a cave ceiling, or they can make just a few of their spots glow most intensely to draw in small prey items looking for a meal. The bioluminescence of the Clown gene is versatile but these dragons most often use it as a form of protective coloration; in caves already filled with bio-luminescent insects, fungus, and other forms of life, these dragons can more or less disappear instantly into their native cave environments, should they choose to do so, which is a helpful adaptation both for hunting and for defense fo their homes from rival clans or wandering beasts.
Skink and Spinner: Dragons with Skink or Spinner genes have developed stripes of bioluminescence (green along their bodies, though their wings may have different colors entirely) that they use not just to illuminate their way in the dark of their caves, but also to hunt prey inside their cave systems. They can use the stripes and spots on their hides as glowing lures; they particularly enjoy twitching their bright tails along a tunnel as a lure, and then pouncing on any unlucky creature who falls for the ruse.
Crystal, Facet, and Gembond: Caves can be ecosystems all their own, and they can often include systems of subterranian lakes. Some are cold and deep like the sea, some steam with volcanic heat, but almost all are rich in mineral and stone deposits. Dragons who enjoy soaking or fishing in these lakes, sitting motionless in their waters for long periods of time, may eventually develop a hide covered in mineral-rich gem material. It may completely encrust their bodies or their wings, or only bond to their hides in a few specific spots, almost like a decoration; either way, these crystals and gems eventually become a part of the dragon itself. This can be a particularly helpful adaptation for feathered and furred species (like Coatls, Skydancers, and Tundras) who are living in particularly damp cave environments, as the crystals give them additional protection against the moisture. These dragons still have bio-luminescent spots or stripes beneath their now crystalline hides, and particularly in dragons with Crystal genes, that glow still shows through from beneath, refracting beautifully through their mineralized hides. These crystal coatings, once formed behaviorally, quickly become inheritable, and these dragons will hatch offspring whose hides are already gem-encrusted.
Glimmer: Dragons with Glimmer have often spent a lot of time lying on their bellies in damp mineral-rich tunnels or shallow waters, waiting to ambush prey or fish, which has eventually resulted in these dragons developing a protective and beautiful fine coating of gems and minerals along their underbellies, which makes their sit-and-wait hunting style even more comfortable for them. This adaptation is closely related to Crystal, Facet, and Gembond, and is simply another more specialized expression of the same.
Scales: Dragons with Scales often developed these extra-thick, extra-tough coatings of scales by spending so much of their time digging inside their cave systems, usually as part of the work of excavating into new areas and creating connections to additional natural cave systems, to help their clans expand and make room for new additions and hatchlings. These dragons often have particular skills in engineering and decorative carving; they may simply dig extremely stable systems of passageways, or they may spend months carving cathedral-like ceilings, intricate gargoyles, and brilliant etched murals to make their homes more beautiful.
Runes, Ghost, and Smirch: Cave dragons love to paint their caves, and themselves, with their own formulations of pigments, including glow in the dark pigments. Some clans paint their own bodies with mystic symbols or skeletal ceremonial paint, and others just... had a bit of an accident with their glowing pigment experiments. An exploding accident.
SOME APPAREL-SPECIFIC LORE
Some apparel can be used to create an effect of an actual biological addition to your dragon, and a few of those are particularly perfect for Copper Cave Dragons. For instance, all varieties of Deepsea Bulb are perfect for these cave dragons; the Deepsea Bulb, glowing with its own light, dangles above your dragon's face and makes a perfect hunting lure, whether they're fishing or drawing in other small cave-dwelling creatures. (Any animals attracted to the glowing bulb will end up conveniently right in front of your dragon's mouth, like self-serving hors d'oeuvres!) Roundhorns come in some beautifully coordinating colors, and work great with the subspecies lore; dragons could use these tough horns to batter away at stone while excavating their caves. Glowing Claw Tips, brewable at Baldwin's, are also a great additional touch for any Copper Cave Dragon, whether you imagine them as a permanent biological addition or a left-over bit of glowing paint for your resident cave artist. The various types of mushroom colony, also available for brewing at Baldwin's, are a great touch for dragons who farm mushrooms, or who simply live in extremely damp cave systems, perhaps as sit-and-wait predators
FAVORED FAMILIARS
The familiars that prove to be the best companions for cave-dwelling dragons are those already adapted to the environment, like Cave Jewels, Dwarf Truffles, Skinks, and other denizens of the Forgotten Caves. These dragons are usually particularly attracted to familiars who have similar coloration to their own, like the Emerald Cave Jewel, and ones that also exhibit bio-luminescence, like the Murktooth Bramblekeep.
They don't tend to keep any familiars that have trouble adapting to a life of damp, darkness, and stone, though they will often keep aquatic species when the clan has access to cave river or lake systems, or adequate underground pools or mineral springs. Some cave systems even open into larger sea-caves, where dragons can keep really large aquatic animals as familiars. They usually have no particular affinity for Stone Borers, but will try to acquire these mechanical golems because they're very helpful for the excavations involved in expanding their caves. A Molten Wartoad is also a particularly coveted companion for any Copper Cave Dragon clan, as the Molten Wartoad's naturally high temperature helps to heat the nursery caves where these dragons keep their eggs, and the Wartoad's diet of stone also helps keep the caves clean when the dragons are excavating new areas; the stone waste won't have to be removed, simply fed to the Molten Wartoad. These are just a few of the familiars that Copper Cave Dragons may favor most:
FAVORED ITEMS & OBJECTS
A Copper Cave Dragon's favorite items are a highly personal choice, but as a subspecies they are generally attracted to anything that glows in the dark. Most also live in cave systems with heavy mineral deposits, so they also tend to have an affinity for crystals and gems, and other reflective and refractive items that help amplify their own glow. Some Copper Cave Dragons have even set up elaborate systems of reflection and glowing items, by which they can light entire rooms simply by walking in, as their own glow bounces off of various surfaces they've set up, until the whole place is lit up like daylight. Their excavations often uncover riches beyond imagining in gems and ores, but Copper Cave Dragons tend not to value those items much beyond their sparkle or their value in trade with clans living above ground.
Many cave dragons love to decorate -- both their caves and themselves. They're masters of making their own glow in the dark pigments and dyes using materials like slimes and Cerdae Sparkle, and they love to decorate their lairs with claw-drawn murals, especially ones that glow. Some clans will cover their cave walls in glowing paint to brighten up entire rooms; others will mark their tunnels with glowing stripes like a map to help clan members and visitors find their way through the maze of tunnels in extensive cave systems. They'll also decorate with items like Potted Deepmine Fungi and Dwarf Truffle Spores, which they'll cultivate in little nooks and cracks in their cave walls, or in vast underground greenhouse caves, growing mushrooms and other cave-dwelling plants to snack on.
These are just a few of the items that may be found collected in a Copper Cave Dragon's hoard:
FAVORED APPAREL & ACCENTS
All the fashionable cave-dwelling dragons are wearing some seriously fabulous gear. Huge thanks to @Heeroku for helping with this list! Please post a comment on this thread with any other suggestions!
As far as skins go, these dragons should mostly wear accents so as not to cover up their bio-luminescence. Accents that are themed around crystals, metals, stone, cave painting, and natural glow all make great lore-related accessories for these dragons. So festival skins from the Earth, Shadow, or Lightning flights may often turn out to be perfect. These are just a few suggestions that are commonly available in the auction house; if you'd like to suggest more, please comment on the thread!
