Dragons Upon the Many Planes

Foreword

It has been said, by quite a few people including shamelessly flattering colleagues who really ought to know better, that I know more about the subject of dragons and dragonkind than almost anyone else. This is assuredly patently untrue, far greater knowledge is held by a myriad of beings not the least of which are the old and mighty dragons themselves. I admit to myself to be only a scholar of some reasonable competence, and the more I learn only reinforces the very limited sphere my knowledge encompasses.

However, in a very specific sense the flatterers have the right idea. On the planes knowledge is a commodity most valuable and most of those who have managed to accumulate some of it horde all their gains worse than the greediest of the Red Dragons. I, by contrast, have accepted the dictates of the Anatomists and believe in the dissemination of the knowledge, dangerous though such actions may be. Therefore it may well be that I do indeed possess some decent quantity of data regarding dragonkind compared to the rest of the limited community interested in sharing it with any with the interest (and a willingness to pay a nominal fee, for we must all support ourselves and pay our printers).

This publication is not intended as a scholarly treatise, but instead as a primer that should hopefully be useful for planewalkers and other voyagers through the multiverse. To my knowledge no such general treatise has been written in at least five hundred years, since the publication of Karnevrin’s Draco Planarum which is now dated and neglected the Inner Planes, whose exploration was then in a much earlier and reduced stage. Dragons have been rather neglected in the recent surge of planar biotic scholarship, which has focused most heavily on the fiends, so I hope my pen shall be sufficient to update this field.

-Dr. [Ijien Deepseeker]

About the Author

Dr. Ijien Deepseeker is an associate professor of the Reptilian and Draconic Life Division of the Anatomical Society of the Planes (the Anatomists) and the second most senior member of her division. She has studied dragons across the planes for over fifty years, visiting every outer plane and the majority of the Inner Planes. Her publication record is extensive and she has reports in her name in over twelve major planar libraries.

In addition to her scholarly accomplishments Dr. Deepseeker is an accomplished sorceress and has mentored a half-dozen wrymling dragon familiars in her career. For anyone wishing to consult her in person she generally resides in the City of Glass, Elemental Plane of Water, but her research requirements keep her primarily in the field.

Introduction

Dragons are not as common on the greater planes as they are on the prime material, but neither are they as rare as many planars believe. The planes are simply rather wider than the prime material and filled with a greater variety of highly energetic and powerful beings in the form of the very numerous exemplars and elementals. However, dragons are indeed found on the planes in some number, both true dragons and the myriad lesser draconic creatures. Indeed, there are dragons native to many outer planes and they may, by virtue of their power and long lives, be quite influential. They are a greater presence on the lesser populated planes, where they do not need to compete with highly populous exemplar races and can wield great localized power.

Despite their prevalence and long history of planar habitation, dragons do retain the conception of rarity on the greater planes, and many planars, even experienced planewalkers, have never heard of them. I am not certain precisely why this is so, as there are dragons present on every known plane and draconic races that are indeed native to most of them. In part disinformation may be responsible; dragons on the planes are more likely to appear in the form of humanoids in order to avoid being targeted. They are also commonly confused with more powerful fiends, especially on the lower planes. Some in turn simply devour most planars who dare to bother them, shrouding their origins in mystery.

Still, none of this is a full explanation. Perhaps the concepts of the power of belief apply here. Many planars collectively know little of and do not believe in the power of dragons, and so, dragons appear powerless to them - please note that this does not mean the power of dragons is in any way actually reduced by belief, only that their collective influence and perception of power is reduced, belief rarely changes the reality of power on the infinite planes, as anyone who has visited any of the Inner Planes knows well.

Setting this aside, in order to peel back the veil of ignorance I shall go plane by plane and detail briefly the draconic populations of each. First, however, I must make mention of certain general definitions.

Dragons versus Dragonkind

The term ‘dragon’ or ‘draconic’ can be very confusing, and refers to a wide spectrum of beings and races. In the vernacular this is rarely a problem as people are seldom referring to many different things at once, but for this subject clarity is required, so I shall briefly explain the difference between the components of all dragons and dragon-like beings.

The first component is the most powerful and majestic, that of the true dragons. True dragons are those dragon species that have twelve full and progressive lifestages extending from wyrmling to great wyrm and a full lifespan stretching unto millennia. There are close to one hundred known species of true dragon, though some are far less common than others. The prime material plane is dominated by a relatively small number of true dragon species, the five principle evil chromatic races and the five principle good metallic races, with a lesser number of the five principle neutral gem dragon races all filling out their numbers. This may change from world to world but is generally consistent, and all other true dragon species are far less common upon the prime material.

The situation on the planes is different, and far more diverse. There are many true dragon races that are indeed fully planar, the Planar Dragons, found on the outer planes. The inner planes are not so blessed with native dragons, but gem dragons are far more common on those planes and are the dominant true dragon grouping. The most powerful true dragons (and indeed perhaps the most powerful of all races of the multiverse) are most common on the Inner Planes as well, though hardly numerous.

Regardless of their locality, true dragons are generally solitary and do not dwell together except for very short periods (in their lifspans anyway) when they may live with a mate and raise offspring. Multi-dragon settlements are very rare and only found in a few select places, as are any kind of draconic society, and these are largely limited to a selective grouping of inner planes. However, individual dragons, by virtue of their power, may still wield vast influence through a network or army of minions and servitors, often including other dragonkind and more rarely the dragon’s own offspring (whether true dragon or half-dragon).

Beyond, or perhaps below, depending on your definitions, the true dragons lies the great bulk of dragonkind. There are many, many forms of dragonkind, and these have few unifying features at all, save that they are draconic and lack the twelve lifespan pattern found in true dragons. These creatures range from very mighty indeed, in the case of linnorms or powerful landwyrm species, to relatively innocuous creatures such as pseudodragons or portal drakes, with a vast diversity in between. The dragonkind category also includes the half-dragons, crossbreed offspring of true dragons and some other creature, most famously humanoids but not limited to such.

The distribution of dragonkind is very different from that of true dragons. While some, such as the landwyrms and linnorms remain largely solitary, others hunt in groups, as drakes do, or may even live in large tribes, such as the humanoid dragon-kin. The distribution of dragonkind on the planes is very spotty. They tend to be generally quite rare but may be locally concentrated, as is the case for many of the more unusual planar denizens. Dragonkind may be particularly common where they have been incorporated into the service of true dragon overlords, with dragon-kin and drakes in particular often grouping in quite large numbers around such a master. Half-dragons often exhibit this pattern as well, as many are spawned deliberately by male dragons to serve as minions or pawns. This sort of arrangement is more common on the greater planes than on the prime material, seemingly in a reaction to the exemplar and elemental races abundance and powerful dragons feel a need to surround themselves with ‘their own kind’ if you will.

Finally there are the dragontouched or dragonblooded beings, of which I myself am a member. These are a variable group as well, though not so variable as dragonkind, and consist mostly of modified humanoids. These include humanoids with just a bit of dragon blood in their veins, such as the descendants of half-dragons, true breeding but clearly dragon-affiliated races such as Spellscales and some tribes of Kobolds, and those whose ancestry includes dragonblood that crops up from time to time, including Silverfall humans, deepwyrm drow, vilescale lizardfolk, and others. This group also includes a variety of animals that have a bit of draconic essence in their makeup. Draconic energies can do powerful things, and the strangest group of dragontouched are those who have been drafted to the cause of dragon gods, the Dragonborn of Bahamut and the Spawn of Tiamat, both rather similar (though they would never agree to such a statement) created races.

Dragontouched are dispersed much like dragonkind, usually found concentrated in the service of dragons. Dragontouched members of ordinary races, as well as spellscales, are most common in areas of the planes where there has been a long-term, persistent, and active dragon population, such as the elemental plane of earth. The Dragonborn of Bahamut and Spawn of Tiamat are prevalent in the planes of their deities, on Mouth Celestia and Baator respectively.

Dragon Cities

Briefly I wanted to make mention of this small topic. Readers from the prime may be aware of the phenomenon of dragon cities, vast metropolis with dozens or hundreds of dragons and thousands of servitors in residence dominating a vast region. However, this is not something seen on the planes. While there are a great number of settlements ruled by a single dragon, and a fair number of small clannish mutual lairs used by a handful of closely related dragons, true dragon cities are more or less absent. Dragons do of course dwell within the cities of others, and can be found in most major planar metropolis, including Sigil (surprised? You really shouldn’t be, but you’ll have to read on or skip down for that piece of information).

Only Hoard, the city of Gem Dragons on the Quasielemental Plane of Mineral, is known to me as a vast, autonomous dragon city. I’ll detail it in the appropriate section. There may of course be other, deeply hidden dragon cities lost in some unknown location of the planes, after all just about anything could exist in say, Nessus, and no one would ever know, but this seems somewhat unlikely.

More reasonable is that draconic cities simply are not very abundant because there are few places with the resources or will to support them. The amount of material and food needed to sustain a city of dragons is immense, and few planes contain both greatly fertile areas, or are willing to share such a bounty. I would also consider that the relatively small proportion of dragons with a liking for urbanized life gravitate to the realms of those dragon gods that do possess cities, or facsimile thereof, within their realms: Bahamut and Tiamat most famously; but also Astilabor, Lendys, Tamara, and Hlal.

Draconic Petitioners

This section is something I must admit to being something of a mystery. Dragons are not, as a general rule, found as petitioners on the planes. Oh, I’ve certainly seen a number of them, in Bahamut’s Palace for existence, or Astilabor’s realm, and even in the realms of humanoid gods when a dragon comes to worship one or another, but never out in the open, as normal petitioners on planes such as the Outlands, Mechanus, or Bytopia, where one would expect to find them. It is a mystery.

Only those dragons who follow one of the dragon gods fairly strongly end up in their realms, and even some of those, such as the worshipers of Chronepsis, are missing (there are no petitioners in Chronepsis’ realm, trust me, I went and checked). There are a number of theories as to this. The first, and simplest, is that draconic spirits are simply converted into a humanoid form upon death and we’d never recognize them. That is certainly possible, but seems rather unlikely and quite the deception. Also, it would be a great lessening of power and it would seem that the powers that be on planes such as the Abyss would rather have petitioner dragons in all their glory at their service. A secondary theory, one that was popular some centuries ago, is that the planar dragons are actually petitioners and they represent the forms appropriately aligned dragons take when they pass onto the next life.

However, I believe this theory has been rather firmly disproved over time, and there is much evidence against it. Firstly, planar dragons can be summoned to different planes and the prime, something not usually possible for petitioners. Second, they can and do sire offspring, including half-dragons, which petitioners should not be able to do. Third, and finally, heinous though it may be, Planar dragons can be turned into undead such as Dracoliches, surely not possible if they were petitioners.

This leads to the uncomfortable question of just what happens to all the dragons when they die. Something must happen, especially given that the oldest and mightiest of dragons simply will their spirits to depart their present existence when the time comes. What precisely happens, however, is a mystery, and if any dragons know, they aren’t telling. I suspect, though I have little more than supposition, that the answer lies with mighty Io, the Ninefold Dragon whose realm is unknown (despite a great deal of effort on the part of many to find it).

Since all dragons at least nominally revere Io and he encompasses all alignments and none, I suspect he takes custody of the bulk of all dragon and draconic spirits at their deaths, and then does something appropriate with them. Reincarnation seems likely, as available doctrine of the priesthood of Io suggests that a dragon must pass through a full life in a form representing all alignments and all elements before it is ready for the next step, whatever precisely that may be. Given the often vast cosmological power ascribed to Io, just about anything could well be possible.

Planar Descriptions

Now to the heart of the matter, plane by plane briefs of the draconic residents. These are very general of course, and no doubt there are some substantial inaccuracies given the limitations of my personal resources, but I have tried as best may be attempted to be factual and admit to inconsistencies and uncertainties. Nevertheless the general planewalker’s axiom should apply as it always does: just about anything can be found anywhere for any reason you can imagine.

That being said there are some patterns. One thing worthy of note is that on certain planes dragons are more common than others. I have rated planes accordingly, labeling each as Common, Uncommon, or Rare. These are of course relative ratings, dragons are never abundant in the way, say, humanoids, are, but there are distinct differences in the level of presence they possess on a given plane.

This rating governs not only abundance, but also to some degree power. A plane where dragons are common is one where they are going to wield a fairly significant amount of power over a relatively large region. A plane where dragons are Uncommon is more like the prime material, and draconic presence will be strong in a relatively few locations (though they might be important ones) but overall relatively isolated, and probably having little influence on greater events.

A plane where dragons are rare will be one where few information sources speak of them and almost no one has met one very often. Of course, many of these planes, such as Pandemonium, are those where everything is rare, so this should be taken with a grain of salt.

The Outer Planes

Dragons on the Outer Planes are lesser players, their power and majesty marginalized by the mighty races that dominate the various planes and of course by the Powers themselves. Still dragons have a strong and consistent presence across the Outer Planes, especially in the form of Planar Dragons, the draconic races native to each outer plane (well almost all of them, the exceptions will be covered in their respective entries). Planar dragons are strongly aligned to their planes and may take an active interest in the business of their particular residence, assuming that is in the nature of the plane, which it sometimes is not.

Planar dragons are not the only dragons on the outer planes, and in fact, they almost never represent more than half of the true dragon population on any given plane, though they are far more likely than other dragons to have lived there their entire lives.

Other dragons of races native to the prime material are found throughout the Outer Planes, usually in places approximating their own alignment. They generally only deviate from this if on some kind of personal crusade or quest, or if dominated into the service of others, as occasionally occurs. Some dragon species that are particularly rare on the Prime Material are actually more common on the outer planes, including the Ferrous dragons, the aberrant Chromatic dragons (Orange, Purple, and Yellow dragons), and the mystically powerful Hex and Tome dragons.

Other dragonkind are less common on the outer planes. Landwyrms and drakes generally do not favor these planes except when they have been mystically modified to dwell there. Dragonnels are modestly common throughout the upper planes, where they often serve paladins, the eerie tome-dwelling Scalamgdrion seem to make their way into a number of planar texts, and those who realms reside on the Astral Plane as opposed to the Ethereal have upset more than a few mages on the Outer Planes, finally the little portal drakes are often set to guard portals anywhere near other dragons abodes.

Half-dragons are relatively common on the outer planes, whether the offspring of planar dragons or migrants from the prime, for they find the openness of races there grants acceptance, though they are often mistaken for tieflings, and many take offense at this. Other dragonblooded are rare, for whatever reason spellscales are very rarely born on the outer planes, and the convoluted racial associations of the Great Ring make it difficult for dragons to for the traditional racial partnerships that lead to dragonblooded members of humanoid races.

Finally I should make a brief note about draconic realms. The draconic pantheon consists of twelve powers, with at least one representing each alignment, with two extra neutral powers: Astilabor and Chronepsis brother of Io filling certain essential roles and of course Io himself, who is all alignments and none. Of these dragon deities most have their realms on the Outer Planes. The Outlands is the favored site, with Aasterinian, Astilabor, and Chronepsis, having realms there.

Of these Astilabor, who is acknowledged by almost all dragons, has the busiest realm. Aasterinian serves as Io’s messenger and rarely even occupies her own realm.

Chronepsis maintains none in his realm but the hourglasses that monitor the souls of living dragons. Even his petitioners must go elsewhere. Many speculate the Io’s realm ought to be on the Outlands somewhere, much as other alignment transcending deities such as Ilsensine occupy this space, but if present, it is somewhere very obscure and no one has managed to ever find it and return to tell the tale.

The realms of the other dragon deities are more scattered. Bahamut’s palace is located on Mount Celestia, and is a major gathering place for metallic dragons, the dragonborn, and others who follow him.

By contrast, Tiamat’s demesne in Baator swarms with Chromatic dragons, her fiendish abishai, and the dragonspawn. These are probably the two most familiar and active draconic realms in the Outer Planes.

Less well known are the realms of the other dragon gods of evil, Falazure the Reaver and Garyx the destroyer. Neither maintains much in the way of petitioners. Falazure’s successful followers become undead and therefore need not show up in Carceri to see their master, while those who are less auspicious become consumed by their master to increase his necromantic strength.

Garyx is slightly more accommodating, but he takes his wyrmish followers with him on regular pillages across the prime material, eventually merging them with him when they have proven sufficient aptitude for destruction. His realm in Pandemonium is reputedly an empty, maddening place filled only with crazed Howling dragons that delight in terrorizing their meals to death.

Hlal the Jester resides on Arborea, and her love of storytelling shares much in common with the Seldarine of the Elves and Titania of the faeries. Her realm seems to move about slightly, its halls of theatre and storytelling apparently bordering the realm of one of her friends for some time and then another. It is overall an open place of stories and performance, but there are relatively few residents.

The merciful Tamara resides in Elysium in an altogether very pleasant forested realm, but she has relatively few followers. Bahamut has more successfully attracted dragons to crusading goodness in recent ages and though Tamara stands against Falazure so do other, more potent deities, including Chronepsis within her own pantheon.

Finally the lawful Lendys does indeed have a relatively busy realm. Though few dragons worship the uncompromising deity many lawful neutral dragons gravitate to his realm on Mechanus, especially Emerald dragons, for the security, and Iron dragons, to make their plans for future glory.

The realm of the final dragon deity, Sardior the Ruby Dragon, moves about the multiverse, and may occasionally be found abutting the realms of a number of the other dragon gods.

The Outer Planes in Turn

To describe the dragons of the outer planes fully I shall go through each in turn. In order to avoid making an arbitrary judgment I have decided to start with Acheron, as it is the first when placed in alphabetical order and then to simply proceed clockwise through the planes, meaning Mechanus second and Baator last. The Outlands will follow all others, and then briefly, Sigil, which though presumably not a plane is probably best included in this section.

Acheron

Abundance: Uncommon

The polygons of Acheron are filled with battle, but a godly number of them hide dragons are well. These are largely restricted to the first two layers, as the emptiness of Tinitibulous and deadliness of Occanthus are enough to dissuade even mighty beings from settling there. Among true dragons the Rust Dragons are the most famous Acheronian residents. They are not particularly smart, for dragons, and waver between cruelty and simple hunger, but they are much feared by planewalkers for their power to destroy metal objects, and the armies of the plane desperately try to gather them into their forces to turn the tides of battle. However, these dragons have little interest in fighting consistently for anyone one cause, because they believe the laws of Acheron indicate no one should remain victorious.

Sapphire dragons occasionally visit Acheron to practice their tactics in combat, briefly joining with the warring armies to learn something or other, but they almost never stay for a prolonged period. Styx dragons also visit Acheron periodically, to snap up a meal that got too near the river or to gather up the leftover refuse of battle, but they rarely stay long and almost never lair here, for the hard metal of the cubes is not considered suitable for underwater lairs.

Chromium and Cobalt Dragons are modestly common on Acheron, favoring Thundalin for homes, as the plane fits their temperament. A few of the rare purple dragons also reside here, as close as they dare to Tiamat, to scheme and plot against her servants, but they seem to prefer Gehenna slightly for that purpose. A few blue dragons also make their homes in Acheron, though they do not especially like the plane and usually leave after a time. Those that are here tend to work against Ferrous dragons and purple dragons, and try to draw rust dragons into the service of Tiamat.

Among dragonkind few reside in Acheron, finding the artificial environment distasteful, though the occasional Linnorm does dwell here, profiting from the leftovers of endless warfare. Half-dragons are usually welcome in Acheronian armies as well, and a number of those among the goblinoids have decided Acheron is as good a place as any to make a living.

Undead dragons are sadly more common on Acheron, as almost anything that dies with an intact body (and anyone who’s slain a dragon understands that it’s rather difficult to prevent that for a dragon of any real size) ends up reanimated among the cubes, and so skeleton and zombie dragons march alongside the armies of the planes. More powerful draconic undead are rare, though the Necromancer-King Boretti is rumored to have a dracolich or two in his service. Hopefully that’s only rumor though.

Mechanus

Abundance: Rare

Aside from the previously mentioned realm of Lendys, where a great many dragons do reside, there are few dragons on the plane of ultimate order. Though the incredibly orderly race of Axial dragons does indeed dwell on the plane, and these mighty beings work closely with the Modrons and occasionally disguise themselves and manipulate the Guvners and Mathematicians, or at least are said to do so, one can never be to sure about such rumors, they are not a particularly numerous draconic race. Between modrons, inevitables, and formians, it seems not that much draconic help is needed.

The other lawful neutral dragons, the sapphire and emerald breeds, mostly stay away from the plane, preferring other settings, particularly those with caverns, something rather lacking in the gears of Mechanus. A few of the elusive and mystically powerful Tome dragons have settled across Mechanus and some Iron dragons chose to make their homes here as well, but these are not many and they tend to stay out of the way, not wishing to disrupt the order of the plane. A few of the shapeshifting steel dragons are rumored to live among the Guvners, but they do not make much of their presence if there.

Other dragonkind are very rare on Mechanus as well, as it is not much of a plane for cross-breeds, who can be considered in some ways a violation of order.

Mechanus is generally devoid of draconic undead, but there are a few Spectral dragons, given that form for a short time (these are dragons so think in centuries) by Lendys as a punishment, but they keep to the area around his realm.

Arcadia

Abundance: Rare

Arcadia is the only outer plane without a native planar dragon race, or at least, it does not possess one known to mortals at present or any time in the recent past. Perhaps such a race did exist once, or somehow persists forgotten in the most hidden places of the planes, but no one has ever seen these beings. Why this is so is unknown, all other outer planar dragons are doing at least fairly well, and even those breeds of limited abundance, such as the Axial or Chaos dragons are in no danger of extinction. There are many theories and the one I personally favor is that the presence of Marduk, a powerful deity and the binder of dragons, has done something to remove, contain, or otherwise eliminate the dragons of Arcadia from the multiverse. Still, this great mystery remains unsolved.

Now, that is not to say there are no dragons on Arcadia, far from it. A few silver dragons and a number of bronze dragons favor life in the plane or orderly righteousness and make dwellings there and are well appreciated. Despite this their numbers are kept low, for the plane’s order have few open spaces designed to accommodate a dragon, particularly later in life and the dragons themselves have no wish to disrupt this. Indeed many dragons may move off the plane as they age to make room for the next generation, often traveling to Mount Celestia. A small number of Tome and Steel dragons also reside on Arcadia, usually in human form.

Of dragonkind, Arcadia has its residents. Half-dragons of lawful breeds tend to find it more welcoming than Mount Celestia, and are fairly numerous here, especially among the Harmonium. Some of the Dragonborn of Bahamut have made inroads here as well, but they prefer their power’s homeplane. Non-humanoid dragonkind avoid the plane though, as the followers of Marduk, who count among their number some of the most formidable dragonslayers in the multiverse, tend to regard them as menaces and remove them.

Mount Celestia

Abundance: Common

Fully three of the metallic dragon breeds, the Bronze, Gold, and Silver, follow the ways of law and good. Their planar comrades the Radiant Dragons and a number of the ferrous Tungsten dragons also call the heavenly mountain home. All are welcome and well valued here, and may consult closely with the Archons or serve in celestial hosts. Many a hound archon has gone into battle a-dragonback over the ages.

The dragons of Mount Celestia are more active than dragons on most other planes, for many here are followers of Bahamut or at least sympathize with the lord of good dragons. As they would never take treasure from the deserving residents of the holy mountain they other fly forth in crusades against evil, particularly the followers of Tiamat. It is said that at times the airspace between Excelsior and Ribcage and get rather crowded, at least until the Rilmani eventually break things up. At the very least, I know of two merchants in Automata who do a fairly decent business in scavenged dragon parts.

Other dragonkind are fairly abundant on the Mount as well, especially the dragonborn of Bahamut, the most visible symbol of that deity’s growing popularity beyond simply dragonkind. Those spellscales who choose the path of righteousness also tend to gravitate here, as do those few half-dragons who have overcome evil parentage and seek to follow the path to the Heavens.

Among the dragons and dragonkind of the Seven Heavens is a strong desire to reach that uppermost of layers, perhaps in a sense of draconic pride that nothing should be barred to them, but very few ever reach such lofty heights.

No undead dragons reside in Mount Celestia, but a small number have become deathless and serve as mighty guardians.

Bytopia

Abundance: Uncommon

Bytopia is home to the vigilant adamantine dragons, friends of the resident gnomes and strong defenders of the plane from their powerful fortresses, where they occasionally act as guides, though not rulers, for sections of the plane. A smaller number of silver and tungsten dragons, those that aren’t quite lawful enough for Mount Celestia, reside in the wilds of Shurrock, making their homes away from any centers of population. A number of Oceanus Dragons lair in the banks of on this plane, which they do not do in Mount Celestia. Most of the draconic residents of this plane are quiet and stay in their lairs most of the time, emerging to defend the plane only, not going voyaging elsewhere.

The dragons of Bytopia, much like the plane itself, are relatively calm, but there are some more tumultuous factors among non true dragons. Bytopia is one of the few planes to sustain much of a landwyrm population, and these nasty creatures are a menace to the unsettled areas of shurrock. Many half-dragons of the native populace, and the occasional priest of Tamara from Elysium hunt these beasts looking for glory. Many of the smaller felldrakes wander about shurrock as well, though they must compete with other large predators there.

So far as anyone is talking, there are no undead dragons or really any evil dragons at all on Bytopia, though some might be hiding in the base of the mountains, but even if they are, there is no real presence.

Elysium

Abundance: Rare

Though Tamara’s realm is on Elysium, few dragons reside there. Largely this is a consequence of the lack of neutral good draconic race, so very few metallic dragons ever come to the plane. The Elysian dragons are not an abundant race either, lost to indolence in their overly peaceful plane. Some Oceanus dragons do reside in the plane, but they are not particularly numerous.

Other dragonkind are more abundant, as the acceptance of Elysium leads to many half-dragons and dragonblooded, including a reasonable population of spellscales, living scattered about the plane.

The plane of Elysium is far to peaceful and good to sustain undead or evil dragons, but Green dragons do occasionally raid the plane.

The Beastlands

Abundance: Common

Beast dragons, along with some of the more savage Copper and Brass dragons, are found in many portions of the Beastlands. Though not especially numerous, they are at least equal to power in the animal lords in many places, which gives them a certain degree of control over the animals of the plane. This is more of a top-predator interaction than any sort of rulership, but it gives them influence over the plane.

Sand dragons are found in the beastlands on occasion, in the deserts there, but are surly and standoffish. Some evil dragons, especially greens and blacks, make secluded homes on the beastlands, preferring the simple life there to more complicated planes.

Arborea

Abundance: Uncommon

The verdant lands of Arborea, settled by the Elves and Fey, are not an ideal attraction to many dragons. Copper and Brass dragons are not at home in the setting and so are only very rarely found here. The fey Arboreal dragons live here, and associate closely with the elves and fey, but their numbers are relatively small. More common are shapeshifting dragon species, the Steel and Song dragons that often live in close proximity to elven settlements. The wildly cavorting Mercury dragons can also occasionally be found in the skies above Arborea, but no particular species is concentrated here.

Of dragonkind a few groupings, dragonnels, pseudodragons, and the fey-related faerie dragons are quite numerous here, living in proximity with the other residents. Larger and more assertive dragonkind tend to be uncommon here. Oddly, though half-dragons are very often born to elves, they generally do not stay on Arborea, as they do not fit in the society there. They can occasionally be found visiting, however, and a number of dragonblooded societies of elves do exist here.

Evil dragons avoid Arborea, but occasionally chaotic dragons, including the Battle Dragons of Ysgard, show up on the plane to make trouble.

Ysgard

Abundance: Common

The battle dragons of Ysgard dominate dragons on this plane, being loud and forceful in demeanor, but they are not alone. Copper dragons lair in the canyons and mountains of the plane, often battling with evil Gloom dragons or Howling dragons that have crept into the plane via Yggdrasil. Many of these are associated with Nidhogg, the dragon who gnaws at the base of Yggdrasil.

Dragonkind is actually quite abundant on Ysgard, and many form some of the more noteworthy menaces. Linnorms are the most formidable, but mountain landwyrms, rage drakes, storm drakes, and draconic giants all harass and attack anyone they can get away with.

Dragons are generally welcome on Ysgard, and take sides in the battles of the plane on a regular basis, often leading major actions with their physical prowess. They also have a tendency to serve as mounts for powerful beings, including emissaries for the norse deities and the occasional valkyrie.

Limbo

Abundance: Rare

The native Chaos dragons are really the only components of dragonkind that dare to reside within the churning chaos of Limbo. Though many dragon breeds are indeed chaotic beings, all require places to lair and to accumulate hoards, which makes dwelling within Limbo’s churning chaos very difficult at best. The playful crystal dragons may occasionally visit the plane for short periods, but even they do not stay long. A bare handful of the mystical tome dragons also dwell here at times, living hidden among the great citadels of the Githzerai, but they are only present to engage in their studies, they have little interest in Limbo’s primordial chaos.

When the Githyanki attack Limbo to besiege the Githzerai fortress-cities, Limbo’s draconic population may increase markedly. For such powerful assaults the Githyanki always bring many red dragons with them, though those mighty wyrms find Limbo greatly distasteful.

Members of dragonkind are likewise rare. There are few half-dragons or draconic persons on the plane, as the Githzerai disdain to breed with dragons, considering that a vice of their Githyanki foes. Lesser dragonkind usually lack the intelligence and wisdom to safely dwell here, and so are not much found on Limbo.

Limbo is far to unstable to sustain intrusions of evil dragons or draconic undead for any large period, but the occasional Howling dragon does journey in from Pandemonium in an insane rage.

Pandemonium

Abundance: Uncommon

There is little of anything in the howling tunnels of Pandemonium, but some dragons to scratch out a living here, some even seem to like the plane. The Howling dragons, brilliant but cursed with Pandemonium’s insanity, are the greatest race within the tunnels, and the only one fully adapted to it. Though quite mad, it is the brilliant sort of madness known to geniuses and Howling dragons are extremely dangerous and may, should they find the concept appealing, dominate fairly large chunks of twisting tunnel.

Beyond the Howling dragons, several other breeds manage to hold of the madness and live here. The brutal Fang dragons fit into the plane well enough, while a few Shadow dragons hide in the darkest, most frightful tunnels. Some White dragons lair in places of particularly cold wind as well. Deep dragons, however, are the second greatest dragon race of pandemonium, and perhaps more comfortable with the endless tunnels than even the Howling dragons. Deep dragons in Pandemonium are more irrational and feral than those found on the prime or other planes, but they are still very powerful.

Dragonkind found here include a number of half-dragons and draconic creatures, for Howling dragons will mate with almost anything. Dragonblooded members of ordinary races are also not unknown, as drow and derro touched by deep dragons can be found in distant corners of the plane. Underdark landwyrms, maddened by the winds, are surprisingly abundant, and form a substantial hazard to travelers of Pandemonium’s tunnels.

Regrettably, many a dracolich can be found deep within Pandemonium’s dark tunnels, for they see safety and refuge within the plane. The maddening nature of the winds also leads to the formation of spectral dragons, most dangerous undead when insane.

The Abyss

Abundance: Uncommon

Though the Abyss would seem to be the natural outer planar dwelling place for the powerful and chaotic Red dragons, they are only very rarely found here, and most of the other Chromatics avoid this plane as well. In fact, the rare Yellow dragons form the only chromatics found within the infinite layers in any numbers, and they are not abundant. Instead the freakish, tentacle-bearing Chloe dragons haunt the Abyss, often seeming more like Tanar’ri in dragon shape than true dragons by their mindsets, and many are indeed dominated by powerful Tanar’ri to prevent them from challenging the strong as they age. Many who manage to survive an encounter with one of these beings fail to realize it was a dragon they faced. Styx dragons occasionally lair in the Abyss, if they find layers with an environment of their choosing, but most commonly only pass through briefly.

More abundant than true dragons are the dragonkind. Abyssal drakes are the signature species native to the infinite layers, and they are only very rarely found anywhere else. The wyvern from which those cruel creatures were bred stalk portions of the Abyss as well, and many have been modified by chaotic energies into unusual forms found nowhere else. The savage humanoids called dragonkin are found in the Abyss also, and are at their most savage and bestial here, unbound by the rule of more powerful draconic forces. The Ssvaklor, malformed draconic creatures bred by the Yuan-ti, creep and stalk in the Abyss, anywhere where the snake-men are abundant. The occasional linnorm or landwyrm also makes its home among the demons, if they find a layer whose environment suits their needs.

Rumor and hearsay speak of one layer of the Abyss that is ruled by an extraordinarily powerful Chloe dragon, or possibly dracolich for those beings are found often enough here as are vampiric dragons. I have not been able to confirm this, but such a layer would surely be a truly maddening and deadly place. However, it would likely also be under siege, as it is hard to imagine the demons allowing dragons free control over a piece of the Abyss, especial since many demons strongly associate dragons with their foes the devils.

Carceri

Abundance: Uncommon

The prison plane of Carceri is home to the Reaver god Falazure, and this fact colors the nature of the dragons present there. Though many dragon races, Shadow dragons, Deep dragons, the rare Orange dragons, the cruel and mystical Hex dragons, even the occasional Black, Green, or Nickel dragon, lair here, it a willingness to at least accept the dictates of Falazure (even if he is not worshiped directly) that allows them to reside in this plane. Dragons that refuse to acknowledge him shortly become meals for the cruel god of draconic undeath, who takes their souls to be his strength. Tarterian dragons and Shadow dragons, the species most solidly behind Falazure, are the dominant dragons of the plane, and the only ones who truly like Carceri. Other dragons and dragonkind tend to bow down before them, especially before those who have become undead, whether dracolich, vampiric dragon, spectral dragon, or some other intelligent undead form, for they have the blessing of the Reaver.

Undead dragons of course, are more prevalent here than anywhere else in the multiverse, and this forms a very good reason why not to visit Carceri very often. Indeed, it is said that, much like Apomps can convert the bodies of those who die onto Carceri into Gehreleths, Falazure has the power to animate, at least temporarily, any draconic corpse on the plane as a skeleton or zombie dragon. One should be thankful that Falazure absorbs the essence of his living worshippers, and does not chose to unleash them as an army upon the plane instead.

Dragonkind are actually less abundant here, for they have little desire to serve Falazure, and no wish to reside within the prison plane. A few landwyrms and the occasional unlucky half-dragon exile are the bulk of those forced to occupy the blasted orbs. Powerful sorcerers and wyrm wizards, however, do get exiled to Carceri on a regular basis, and so draconic forms of magic are fairly common on the plane.

The only even marginally benign dragon species in Carceri are the Brown dragons, which occasionally stalk the desert here. Apparently their population originated and is occasionally boosted by dragons falling into Carceri from the environs of Curst, when the gatetown is irregularly absorbed. They are very paranoid beasts now, worried that Falazure will try to catch them and eat them as choice morsels, so they tend to consume those who discover them.

Gray Waste

Abundance: Rare

Dragons, whatever breed and whatever their faults, are vibrant creatures with masterful force of life. The Three Glooms, which drain this away, are an unpleasant place for almost all dragons. Only the native Gloom dragons and a few blasted Shadow dragons reside here by choice, and it seems the plane itself serves to keep their numbers low. A few other corners of the plane, particularly Hel’s realm, host some captive dragons stuck here as their unfortunate fate, but they are not many.

Dragonkind avoids this place as well, because those who stay have a tendency to become larvae or food for the teeming hordelings otherwise. Blasted evil half-dragons, who have lost their hope, form the only real dragonkind residents of the Gray Waste.

The Gray Waste does regularly host an influx of dragons from the outside, however, as a great many chromatic dragons fly forth under the orders of Tiamat to side with the Baatezu in the blood war, so Chromatics of all colors can be found marauding about the glooms. Even further, dragons of all kinds who have fallen afoul of the Blood War machinations of the Yugoloths can sometimes be found suffering and struggling on the plane.

These draconic armies lead to large numbers of draconic dead, and thus undead, particular as dracowraiths or spectral dragons, and even the occasional dracolich, often a desperation move undertaken to stave off the emotional draining for a dragon trapped in the Waste.

Gehenna

Abundance: Uncommon

Short of Baator or Mount Celestia, Gehenna is among the outer planes most dominated by a single race, in this case the manipulative and scheming yugoloths. This tends to reduce the dragon population as most know better than to try and accumulate any real power here. Otherwise Gehenna’s climate and terrain would likely appeal to a broad cross section of evil dragon races. Instead, only the native Pyroclastic dragons, bombastic and destructive, are in any way abundant among the Furnaces. Universally angry, these dragons seem to avoid the machinations of the yugoloths by shear ferociousness.

Less wise perhaps are the other dragons who dare to dwell among the Furnaces. Some of the villainous Purple dragons reside here, much like others of their kind do on Acheron, in an effort to strike at the stronghold of Tiamat in Baator. However, they spend most of their time protecting whatever territories they can manage and make little real headway since even if a dragon does manage to outmaneuver the yugoloths for a time, the battles of the Blood War come calling on a regular basis.

Less concerned with grand plans and more their personal power are the Hex dragons, powerful spellcasting wyrms that actually deal directly with Yugoloths, considering themselves smart enough and grand enough to handle it. Occasionally this even proves true, and there are Hex dragons with little fiefdoms scattered about the plane. There are also those serving beneath the yoke of one or another Ultraloth and it has even been reported that the General of Gehenna occasionally rides to battle on a great wyrm Hex dragon, though this is unconfirmed and doesn’t really seem fitting with what little is known of the General.

Dragonkind is not particularly abundant here, but there are some. Half-dragons and draconic beasts trying to escape the yoke of Tiamat and the Baatezu sometimes make their way down the Styx to Gehenna, though it can hardly be called an improvement. Displaced fire and magma drakes may dwell regularly among the furnaces and it is said that for a time many were actually bred by certain ambitious yugoloths. They have apparently been naturalized to the plane since, and magma drakes can even be a modest force on a local scale.

Undead dragons seem to be modestly abundant on Gehenna. Many Hex dragons have the mystical power to transform themselves into dracoliches and yugoloths hate to waste anything, so dragons that die when the hosts of Baator drive the Tanar’ri from the plane tend to end up serving new masters as undead.

Baator

Abundance: Common

Tiamat resides on Baator, and this fact is of tremendous importance when discussing the dragons of that plane. Her realm on Avernus is filled with representatives of the five chromatic dragon species and with her innumerable dragonspawn, half-dragons, abishai, and other servants. In fact Avernus likely has the highest concentration of dragons of any layer on any outer plane, for Tiamat’s servants are many. Their loyalties, however, are mixed. While all dragons here nominally serve the evil dragon queen, many have been caught up in the politics and machinations of the Baatezu, often becoming trapped in bad deals or outright slavery to the devils. Others retain a degree of independence, selling their services to the highest bidder.

Beyond Avernus, things are very different. Baator does not truly have a native planar dragon race of its own, linking it to Arcadia in that sense. However, there is less of a mystery here. There is a general consensus among planar dragon scholars that there was once a planar dragon race native to Baator (referred to as the Tyrant dragons for lack of a better term) but the plans of the Dark Eight or the Lords of the Nine changed them, turning the race into the Hellfire Wyrms, the deadly and mighty dragons of Baator. Hellfire Wyrms are exceedingly powerful, but they are not true dragons, even though they may once have been. They tend to reside further down in the Hells, staying out of Avernus for they continually fight with Chromatic dragons if found there, as the Chromatics consider them perverse, though Tiamat apparently has an agreement to tolerate them.

There is an interesting wild rumor that the Tyrant dragons may not be quite as extinct as some believe, instead hiding out in deep and forgotten places on Baator, such as the jungles of Minauros or the caverns of Maladomini, perhaps even frozen into the ice of Stygia. Certainly there have been reports of strange things from those regions, and many a secret has been found hidden on Baator in the past, but this is very unconfirmed. For personal reasons I am unable to travel to Baator at present so I have not been able to undertake to confirm these rumors. I hope to do so eventually.

Dragonkind are numerous on Baator and are dominated by the dragonspawn servitors of Tiamat and the half-dragon offspring of Chromatic dragons. There are also populations of humanoids with dragonblood, such as Frostblood Orcs and Sunscorch Hobgoblins dwelling in settlements near Tiamat’s realm. Rare are the members of dragonkind found beyond Avernus.

Undead dragons are actually quite rare on Baator. Tiamat would rather her followers report to her upon their deaths, and something in the nature of Hellfire Wyrms apparently makes them enough like outsiders that they have great difficulty becoming undead. Therefore the plane’s few dracoliches are those pledged to the noble Baatezu in deeper layers beyond Tiamat’s five greedy maws.

The Outlands

Abundance: Uncommon

In some ways the Outlands are a mix of every outer plane, and for dragons this is no exception. Scattered about the planes are a number of dragons from many different races, dwelling in areas close to their plane of choice. However these scattered dragons are rather rare and largely consist of individuals clustered near a few Gate-Towns. Green dragons, Nickel dragons, Brown dragons, Mist dragons, and the occasional Sand dragon are the races represented in the Outlands in some numbers, finding terrain the suits their temperament found in few other places on the Outer Planes. The neutral gem dragons, for whatever reason, are very rare on the Outlands, preferring the inner planes instead.

Regardless of their identity, all dragons stick to the outer rings of the Outlands, avoiding the magic-nullifying effect of moving closer to the Spire. Inherently magical beings, they disdain to dwell there. All species that is, save one. The Concordant dragons who are native to the plane dwell all the way up to the Spire and some are even rumored to lair within its flaring base. More than any other dragon race the Concordant dragons are allied with exemplars. They are trusted by the Rilmani, welcomed in their councils, and in some ways practically are Rilmani. A scary thought to those have offended the balance that dragons should number among its enforcers.

Dragonkind are not especially common on the Outlands, mostly half-dragons looking for acceptance among the scattered communities and some members of the wilder dragonkind races such as Dragonnes. However, the unnatural and non-magical nature of the Outlands’ ecology seems to drive more powerful dragonkind one might expect to be present, such as Landwyrms, away. The oceans of the Outlands are home to a few draconic representatives, accommodating Sea Drakes and Sea Serpent breeds, but not very many of them, as these creatures, like the gem dragons, prefer the Inner Planes.

Sigil

Abundance: depends on how you think about it

Yes, yes, there are dragons that reside in Sigil; true dragons too, not simply members of lesser dragonkind. In this Sigil is not different from the other great planar cities, which all have a dragon resident or two. Obviously these dragons to not parade about in their natural forms much past the wyrmling stage, but there are resident dragons. Some even wield more power in the city than one might think.

I’m afraid I must be rather circumspect and vague in this section, as I know most of the beings I am about to describe personally, and have some promises to keep. Please understand this.

Firstly, Sigil is home to at least a handful of wyrmling dragons of a number of species. These serve as the familiars to mages such as myself and to Dracolytes who live in the city. They are not really permanent residents though. Instead that honor goes primarily to the shapeshifting Song dragons. Sigil has two in residence, one of great age and the other still in the later years of her youth. This lady, who I have the honor to call a friend of mine, runs an inn for dragons, dragonkind, and the draconically inclined. Those who have the right to find her probably will, those who do not, I wish you nothing but ill-luck.

Song dragons are benign creatures, more or less, but Sigil has less kind dragon residents as well. One calls himself Iridoor, though this is not his real name. He is an ancient Sapphire dragon living quietly in the Clerk’s Ward who serves as something of a reporter and spy for the dragon clans of the planes of Quasielemental Mineral and Elemental Earth. He has allowed me to reveal this much because his identity is not secret; his presence is geared to monitor trading dealings and so forth. He has resided in Sigil for decades, but it is not his home and his hoard is most assuredly not in the city. Another bothering him had best be wary, however, Iridoor has been known to eat the discourteous.

More dangerous by far is the Green dragon that lairs among the city’s Golden Lords. Beyond her existence I have little knowledge, knowing neither age nor name. I do know the name of her company, but I dare not reveal that here (traveling through Sigil is going to be dangerous enough after publication as it is). She has a reputation for slowly ruining competitors and the foolish over decades and then eating them when the time is right and they have nothing left. Why a Green dragon should go into business in Sigil I do not know, but she is apparently quite good at it.

Most ominous of all is a creature that exists in an unconfirmed state, supported by rumor and terrified stories emanating from those who dare to venture into Undersigil. This is apparently a powerful undead dragon, presumably either a Spectral Dragon or Dracowraith. Little more is known than this, but this being supposedly commands a life-eating fungus colony and is at war with several powerful cranium rat packs. Until someone slays this undead terror Undersigil is likely to be an even more dangerous place than usual.

In terms of dragonkind Sigil is certainly not lacking. Obviously the most wild types such as drakes do not reside in such a polluted city (though they say the Godsmen had a Smoke Drake infestation in the Great Foundry’s towers a couple of centuries ago) but half-dragons are surprisingly abundant. Most Sigilians do not recognize them and falsely believe them to be tieflings or half-fiends, but they are found within the city. Several notable half-dragons in the city include: Aya Lung Feng, a half-T’ien Lung who is Soke of the Lady’s Ryu of Shinobi, and Eicular, a half-black Sensate sorcerer known for polymorphing his mouth into different forms to experience new tastes (and occasionally selling illusions of what it’s like to be eaten by a dragon; something he apparently experienced firsthand).

Sigil also has a small, but vibrant, population of Spellscales, who enjoy the city life. They cluster in the Clerk’s Ward and Lady’s Ward and many have joined the Sensates. Packil Hridofen, a prime transplant and mighty sorcerer with what is considered impeccable fashion sense by Sensate standards, loosely speaks for their community.

Ah, well, I believe that covers the Outer Planes, moving on then.

The Transitive Planes

In some ways it seems foolish to group the transitive planes into a category, given their small numbers and vastly different natures, but there is some commonality in the way dragons reside upon them, so it is perhaps useful. Each of the transitive planes is dominated by a single dragon race, either one native to that plane as in the Ethereal or Astral, or naturalized to that plane in the case of the Plane of Shadow. Other races may be found on these planes but they are clumped into highly localized high concentrations.

The transitive planes differ from the outer planes, and from the more draconically populous inner planes in a single very simple fact: they lack mass. All are vast expanses of more or less formless nothing with the occasional object floating in the void. Dragons being creatures of objects, since they have to have a platform upon which to store a hoard if nothing else, this influences where and how they lair upon these planes.

This limitation of environment is particularly potent on the weaker dragonkind and, aside from humanoid half-dragons, they are almost entirely absent from the Transitive planes.

One of the most interesting aspects of the Transitive Planes from a draconic perspective is the Sphere of Concordance. These small demiplanes were created by Io to provide solace to his children and his followers throughout the multiverse. Though they can nominally be found anywhere, the vast majority lie on the transitive planes, particularly the Ethereal and the Astral. These small refuges are not easily found by any save Io’s followers, and have a strong tendency to be occupied regularly, but they are worthy of mention. Some are the homes of particularly powerful priests of Io, including some dragons of phenomenal power.

Astral Plane

Abundance: Rare

Though the long, streamlined Astral dragons are native to this plane and have a storied history, they are not particularly numerous. These graceful dragons ignore visitors to the Astral, but are often sought out by natives of the plane for guidance. Astral dragons are foes of the Githyanki, but their limited numbers means they have a minimal impact. Their depredations, when gathered together, only force the Githyanki to call upon red dragon allies for support. Still, the battle between a Githyanki astral cruiser and an Astral dragon is something to see.

A few red dragons do indeed lair permanently in the Astral plane, particularly those who have chosen to live fully among the Githyanki. Previously these beings were slaves, but with recent perturbations in Githyanki society many have seized a modicum of power over certain fortresses and in the future red dragon influence may expand widely over the entire Githyanki race.

Githyanki half-dragons, almost always descended from Red dragons, can be found in some places on the Astral plane, but they are not well accepted in Githyanki society, for the xenophobic Githyanki are distrustful of even this blending with their most ancient allies.

The Ethereal Plane

Abundance: Rare in the Deep, Uncommon in some borders, Common in certain demiplanes

The Ethereal plane can be a very strange place, and its draconic elements share these unusual patterns. The moonstone colored Ethereal dragons are the only dragon race that dwells much in the Deep Ethereal, occasionally coming up to the border regions to spy on prime material worlds. Their race is fairly populous in its way, but is scattered throughout the borders of a million prime worlds and demiplanes that they are hardly ever noticed in numbers.

In the borders around the Elemental Plane of Earth and the Quasielemental Plane of Mineral reside families of Emerald dragons. These are particularly paranoid representatives of that cautious race who have chosen to distance themselves from the squabbles of the draconic communities on those planes and the depredations of Falazure cultists and other threats that gather where dragons are abundant. They dislike being disturbed and will use violence to preserve their anonymity.

The border regions around many prime material worlds are more dangerous. Ghostly dragons, tormented undead beings of incredible potency, dwell within these areas and will react with great violence upon any who should disturb them. Even the ghosts of goodly dragons are horrifically dangerous and show little mercy to the living who come near the ruins on their hoards. Some ghostly dragons even enslave other ethereal creatures, using them to search about for treasure and bring it back to them. In the environs of certain prime material worlds, particularly those that have recently experienced major dragon wars, ghostly dragons can be frightfully numerous.

The Ethereal plane maintains few members of dragonkind, though the realms of some of the Scalamagdrion are found within the Ethereal in isolated enclaves, and these anti-magical creatures can be very dangerous when roused. Half-dragons are uncommon here, though some Ethereal dragons may breed with Nathri.

I should briefly make mention of the demiplanes at this point. As anyone familiar with demiplane theory knows almost anything can be represented as a demiplane. Therefore is should come as no surprise that some demiplanes are affiliated with things draconic. Powerful dragon sorcerers and wizards are just as likely as humanoid ones to create demiplanes to serve as their private abodes, and there are at least a half-dozen greater demiplanes that encompass many miles of space and are home to dragon cities or small civilizations. Some of these are strongly linked to prime worlds and serve as sheltered refuges from the advance of ‘lesser’ races on the dragon’s homes. Surface elves are said to do much the same thing on many worlds.

However, there are a few demiplanes involving dragons with somewhat more cosmic importance. One is the demiplane of ectoplasm, a place of mental reality and mental power. It has its own race of dragons, the Ectoplasmic dragons, which almost never leave the plane. I know little of them, for I have never journeyed to that strange place.

Most awesome of all, there is a demiplane that is home to, or at least frequented by, the most powerful of all types of dragons. This is the demiplane of time, and the dragons I speak of are the Time dragons. Little is known of creatures with this level of might, said to be able to challenge the powers themselves to battle and win easily in the case of Great Wyrms. Able to jump from one end of eternity to the next and possessed of a breath capable of hurling beings into the future it is difficult to say anything of them with certainty. Nevertheless, they can be found by the daring or the mad upon the demiplane of time, though it seems they do not truly reside there, preferring to observe the twisting timestreams of the Prime Material.

The Plane of Shadow

Abundance: Rare

Shadow dragons were not originally native to the Plane of Shadow, for it was not yet a plane in the vast ages past when they came to be, by they have dwelled there almost as long as memory, and may be considered a fully naturalized presence. Their extreme aggressiveness and insularity has kept out all other dragon races from the plane, and they are among its most powerful residents, competing with Nightshades for control of vast tracks of shadowy emptiness. Many shadow dragons do not live in isolation on the plane they consider theirs, but instead rule small communities, favoring the native Shadar-Kai or transplanted populations of drow as minions. These shadow-dragon dominated drow communities are nasty and mean, schooled by their draconic masters to hate other members of their race and the spider goddess Lloth. As a result many are more or less at war with drow who live elsewhere, including communities ruled by Shadow and Deep dragons on the Inner Planes.

Aside from the half-shadow dragons those dark wyrms like to produce to cement control over their minions, dragonkind are very rare here, though there are rumors of a shadow form of elemental drake, but it is not confirmed to exist. Instead shadowy undead that were once dragons are much more common, and Dracowraiths wander about the plane as well, killing all before them.

The Inner Planes

Ah the elemental planes, that ‘other’ multiverse so often neglected by the many planewalkers of the Outer Planes and Sigil. Some say that’s because the Outer Planes are more vibrant and important than the Inner Planes. Perhaps they are correct, I will not judge on that matter, but with regards to dragons it is the Inner Planes who reign supreme. Where dragons are at best bit players in the great dramas of the Outer Planes, on certain of the Inner Planes they may be a dominant force. Of course, they are not a challenge to the native elementals, who always dwarf the populations of other beings on every Inner Plane, but elementals are not active in the way of exemplars, nor do they usually possess much in the way of an agenda, so creatures like dragons may shape the politics of the Inner Planes and certainly govern many of the sites of interest to planewalkers.

Unlike the Outer Planes, however, the Inner Planes are not blessed with native dragon races. Instead, they are generally populated by a small subset of true dragon races and their lesser minions. Chief among these are the gem dragons, the five commonly known species and the cruel and outcast Obsidian dragons. These dragons have developed a greater sense of communality on the Inner Planes than any group of dragons elsewhere on the planes. They are clannish, and on planes where they are abundant, these dragons form loose associations that can build real power, defend their own, and present a modestly unified draconic front. Of course, said front tends to become involved in fighting with Shadow, Deep, and Obsidian dragons that have formed a dark alliance in opposition to them.

The dynamic of draconic vibrancy and religion is also very different between Inner and Outer planes. Bahamut and Tiamat dominate the draconic pantheon on the Outer planes and drive the major draconic conflicts, representing the only dragon gods there to gather in substantial numbers of non-dragon followers. On the Inner planes Falazure has taken the role of dark dragon lord, replacing Tiamat more or less completely and in many ways far more dangerous. Replacing Bahamut is not another benevolent deity, but instead a mixing of Sardior and Chronepsis, both powers of neutrality with their own reasons to oppose the Reaver dragon. Of course, on the neutral Inner planes, neutral powers have greater pull than elsewhere, and I have been told many members of reptilian races find the message of Chronepsis somehow comforting. They must be more fatalistic than their mammalian comrades.

Beyond this difference there is a fundamental difference in dragon society on the Inner planes due to the nature of non-elemental civilization on those planes. While the Outer planes are more or less contiguous the Inner planes are pocket-based, grouped into little isolated communities that find a way to survive in very hostile environments. Dragons, by virtue of their personal power, can often establish rulership over sites of this nature, ruling something the size of a modest prime material town across plane after plane. This may even be passed down to offspring and there are sites that have been confirmed as ruled by dragons in continuous descent for over ten thousand years (also of note, on the Inner planes, history stretches as long as the memories of some very, very old beings).

There is only one dragon god whose realm resides in the Inner Planes, and that is Sardior the Ruby Dragon. His grand palace is filled with gem dragons of all five breeds, and occasionally neutral dragons of other origins. This palace is most commonly found on the elemental plane of air, but in fact Sardior’s realm wanders more widely than that of any other known god, appearing across all the planes of the multiverse, both Inner and Outer. It tends to show up at odd times, but there’s a better chance that the Ruby dragon will be on hand to attend any really, really big parties than anything else. It’s even rumored that some efreet caliphs limit their guest lists to reduce the chances of his palace showing up.

Though divine realms may be in sort supply the Inner Planes do have another sort of draconic gathering place of a rather different kind: dragon graveyards. There are a handful of these scattered about the Inner planes where the resident dragons, including some from the transitive and outer planes (many Outer Planar dragons prefer not to die on those planes, possibly out of a connection to their primordial natures) go when their time has come. At least two are on the elemental plane of earth, one each on the paraelemental planes of ice and magma, and one of the quasielemental plane of dust. There may well be others. These are places of danger and death, and only the most formidable or mad dare to venture to such places. There are occasionally treasure or secrets to be found in dragon graveyards, but defiling such places is unwise in the extreme, for they are surely not unguarded.

One other thing of notable mention, the Inner Planes play host to perhaps the only true dragon city on the planes, and certainly the most potent, Hoard, a massive bastion of the Quasielemental Plane of Mineral. It shall be described in turn with its plane, but it is worth mentioning that Hoard has a very broad influence and having the authority to reside there is a very big deal for many inner planar dragons. A number of powerful dragon clans can trace their lineage to residents of Hoard. This sort of genological one-upmanship resembles that of certain noble lineages among humans or elves, and could be almost comical, except these are mighty dragons often with mind-bending powers to enforce their judgments.

The Inner Planes in Turn

The standard order for cross-planar descriptions dealing with the Inner Planes is to take the elemental planes alphabetically, followed by the positive and negative energy planes, then the paraelemental planes alphabetically, and then the quasielemental planes alphabetically. I have followed this order accordingly, starting with the elemental plane of air.

Air

Abundance: Uncommon

Though generally hospitable to life, especially the kind that flies, the vast majority of the elemental plane of air is empty. This makes it somewhat difficult for dragons, or indeed many species to dwell there. Moreover, though they do not need it, the djinn rather like having places to stand upon and so claim a number of the very best sites for themselves. Other powerful races, such as cloud giants, also put their hands in. That marginalizes dragons somewhat and makes it more difficult for them to gather here. Still, their presence is significant in its way.

No one dragon race favors the elemental plane of air, all can be found here and none are numerous. Colder species aggregate to areas near the paraelemental plane of ice, where the chill skies welcome them, but others can be found just about anywhere. They tend to rule small fiefdoms sitting on or inside of little pockets of some more solid element. Some try to expand their dominions to encompass multiple sites, but this is very difficult, given the distances involved and how many sites in the elemental plane of air on constantly moving about seemingly in random directions.

One dragon race that does have great power here are the Force dragons, aloof and distance creatures of tremendous power. They ignore those beneath them and work to keep the areas about their secretive lairs clear. This is one of the few planes where there is any number of these mighty creatures, and everyone else stays well clear of them as much as possible.

Dragonkind are quite abundant, starting with the native Air drakes, but also including all kinds of flyers, from pseudodragons to Sunwyrms to wyverns. Anything with wings can occasionally be found in this plane, and most members of dragonkind have wings. Particularly notable are some breeds of half-dragons, including massive beings such as rocs or other dominant beasts of the sky. Only the storm drakes, standoffish but wise, match such potent cross-breeds in strength.

Draconic undead are not prevalent here, but there are a few spectral dragons wandering around the wispy edges of the plane.

Earth

Abundance: Common

The Elemental Plane of Earth is one of the great strongholds of the Gem dragons, second only to Mineral. All five breeds can be found here in some numbers, often with linked clans stretching influence or even rulership over vast expanses of tunnels. Many are bound up in the fate of these dragon rules, including dwarves, drow (such as myself, once), Pech, deep gnomes, shad tribes, and anything else that lives in the plane. Dao slave traders work with dragons often, buying and selling according to their needs and elementals occasionally mount assaults against these ‘foreign’ residents. The elemental princes may try to use dragons as pawns in their warfare, but the gem dragons usually unite against such meddling, and even Ogremoch is careful when dealing with great wyrms.

The gem dragons are opposed by Deep dragons, who have their own lairs all about the plane, particularly linked with settlements of Drow. The occasional shadow dragon also lairs here, but they prefer Mineral, where the servants of Falazure are more concentrated. Still, the wars between these dragons and the gem dragons, particularly the regal Amethysts and militant Sapphires, can be legendary. Woe unto those caught in the crossfire, for the results can be unpleasant, as I know all too well.

Earth drakes serve as the native dragonkind on the plane, and they are numerous and formidable in their way, but they are only one of many types of dragonkind found in the carvens carved into the endless mass of dirt and stone. Powerful landwyrms, particularly of the hill, mountain, and underdark varieties, stalk all about the plane, often made to serve greater dragon masters. Stone drakes, rock wyrms, and others are also at home in this land of darkness and solidity. Many half-dragons are bred here as well, particularly to Sapphire and Emerald dragons, for military might or trustworthy security, respectively.

Elemental Earth is also one of the few planes to feature mineralized draconic beings. This mystical transformation is usually applied to half-dragons or more humanoid dragonkind, such as dracotaurs, who then serve as minions in draconic armies. Members of reptilian races, particularly troglodytes or the beings known as Min’Varan, also undergo this process readily. The reasons are obvious; a servant who has been mineralized (also known as becoming a Mineral Warrior) no longer need eat or breathe, removing the need for two quantities in short supply on the plane. The supernatural strength and toughness also make this transformation appealing. Indeed, it has afflicted the Min’Varan so completely that they are a true breeding race of the elements now, cut off from their fleshy past.

Falazure is not at his strongest on Elemental earth, but he’s strong enough to muster more than a few dragons to follow him into dracolichdom. These are usually deep dragons, but more than one gem dragon has felt death’s pull too strongly to resist the lure of dark immortality, and now stalks the tunnels for all time.

Fire

Abundance: Rare

Of the principle elemental planes, Fire holds the fewest dragons. That no gem dragon is affiliated with fire has likely a great deal to speak to this. The aggressiveness of the efreet, and their military authority, also serves as a deterrent. Obsidian dragons, that might be expected to dwell here in some numbers, prefer the plane of Magma, though a few make their way on this plane. Instead, it is the Red dragons that are notable here. A few have managed to make citadels in this place, though even they have difficultly preventing their hoards from simply melting away, which is likely the other major deterrent to settlement on the plane.

Dragonkind, without the requirement to keep hoards, does slightly better. Fire drakes are perhaps the iconic drake species, and they are rather common on the plane. Some efreet even breed them as guards or perhaps pets. Their abundance makes up for their general lonesomeness, though some half-dragons take up employ with the efreet, who do pay well for mercenaries.

The rare red dragon that does chose undeath seems to find the elemental plane of fire accommodating, so there are some dracoliches to be found here, though they mostly stay out of the way.

Water

Abundance: Common

Though most people associate dragons with flight, there are a shockingly large number of breeds that excel at swimming. All of them, apparently, can be found on the elemental plane of water. The three species of Sea Serpents, which though unusual are true dragons, are the most dominant upon the plane. Black, Bronze, Topaz, Nickel, Mist and the oddly named oriental dragon species are all found here, though they tend to find small pockets of substance to make their lairs upon. This is most often vast growths of coral.

Water probably has a greater density of living being in it than any other Inner plane, and as a result the relatively high number of dragons fit in fairly easily. Much like on the elemental plane of air they do not form much in the way of groups, but tend to rule small fiefdoms, of whatever race fits their temperament the most. Only the Sea serpents roam widely, simply consuming whatever gets in their way.

Dragon eels, dragon turtles, the mighty sea drakes, and the common water drakes, all can be found in Water, as can a fair number of half-dragons. The oriental dragon races tend to breed with the small colonies of sea and river spirit folk found here, and many of their half-dragons wander about the plane. Evil dragons that rule over Sahaugin kingdoms may interbreed with sharks, creating some of the most terrifying aquatic predators in existence that are almost fanatically followed by the sea devils.

Elemental Water is a bad place for draconic undead, they don’t move through the medium very effectively if all bones, or lose most of the advantages of incorporeality otherwise, so they migrate to other planes instead.

The Positive Energy Plane

Abundance: Rare

Very little of anything survives on the positive energy plane, the accumulation of power there is simply too much for almost all creatures to endure. However, it is not completely devoid of draconic life. A few of the mighty Force dragons make their homes in the vast stretches of this plane, and the occasional Tome dragon may very rarely hide a domicile here. A small number of Dragons Ascendant, drawn from all the breeds, gather to this plane after they have more or less completely their transition to the ranks of the divine. Apparently it appeals to such refined sensibilities.

Other dragonkind are almost universally absent here, though some of the priesthood of Io make occasional trips to this plane as part of their worship of the creator aspect of that deity, and it is considered fashionable among planewalking spellscales to have made the trip at least once, even if only very briefly.

The Negative Energy Plane

Abundance: Uncommon

There are no dragons living on the negative energy plane, but there are plenty of dragons there. Like all liches, Dracoliches of a certain type gravitate to this plane, particularly those who practice powerful necromantic magic. Other forms of powerful draconic undead, such as dracowraiths and spectral dragons can also end up here, though the lesser skeletonal and zombie dragons are not sustained on the plane, and vampiric creatures avoid it because there is no blood. The dracoliches are cruel and manipulative beings, but the plane seems to mellow their violence somewhat, so they are supposedly less active here than elsewhere, though I have not been to the Negative Energy plane myself to confirm this.

Aside from the draconic undead there are really no other members of dragonkind on the plane.

Ice

Abundance: Uncommon

The dragons residing in ice are divided up regionally. White dragons can be found throughout the plane, but they are not alone. Topaz dragons hunt the area near the border with water, and Chromium dragons the border with air, though neither race is especially abundant. The White dragons, among the least intelligent of true dragons, are fairly bestial in nature and tend to get into nasty brawls with paraelementals, frost giants, and just about anything else they think they can kill and consume. Most of them keep only limited numbers of minions as a result of their low intelligence, however. A bare few Silver dragons have remote, and often secondary, lairs on Ice, keeping what watch they can over the White dragon population.

Of course, most is not all, and a singular dragon has established a powerful presence on the Paraelemental plane. Albranthanilar, a particularly intelligent white dragon with sorcerous power vastly beyond that of other most members of the race, is one of the major power players on the plane. She has gathered a huge number of followers, including many of the native Ice drakes, to her banner, and schemes and struggles with Cryonax, the Archomental of Ice. While it’s unlikely that this battle will come to a head for another millennium or so at least, many are already involved on the fringes of the posturing struggle. Of course, other white dragons often want nothing to do with Albranthanilar, and this limits the expansion of her power.

The native ice drakes are the most numerous and recognizable members of dragonkind on the plane, but Tundra landwyrms are also fairly common beasts. There are a number of half-white dragons, many from arctic races, wandering about the plane, sometimes serving a white dragon master, but just as often not.

Magma

Abundance: Uncommon

The Paraelemental Plane of Magma is the stronghold of the Obsidian dragons, where this rejected and violent breed of gem dragons remains as they plot and scheme and extends their tendrils of power further out into the rest of the Inner Planes, opposing other gem dragons. Exclusivist and xenophobic, the Obsidian dragons allow few other dragons to lair here, though a few Red dragons have managed to barter for domains, as has the occasional Iron dragon.

Spurned by Sardior for mysterious regions, the Obsidian species has fallen far, and many now worship Falazure the Reaver, choosing a strange, psionic form of dracolichdom rather than passing on as they properly should. These draconic undead are universally very powerful and some say universally insane. I cannot vouch for that rumor, but the record does seem to indicate that the Obsidian dragons as a whole can be very irrational at times.

In terms of dragonkind, Magma presents an interesting case. The Magma drakes are the most powerful of all elemental drakes, and many are an equal match for an adult dragon. As a result the race has managed to maintain a certain independence, and few serve true dragon masters. Instead the Obsidian dragons rely on lesser followers, such as half-dragons and the Min’Varan. The Min’Varan who serve Obsidian dragons are uniformly black in their stony armor, and such ‘Black Min’Varan’ are always associated with the followers of Falazure, including many who serve Shadow and Deep dragons on other planes. Still, the hostility of Magma limits the number of servitors that can be found here.

Ooze

Abundance: Rare

Paraelemental Ooze has secured, in several consecutive planewalker surveys, the title of ‘least worthwhile plane in the multiverse’ so obviously, not much lives there and dragons are no exception. Further, Ooze has a surprisingly large standing population of Illithids, and the Gem dragons, also possessing mental powers, avoid these creatures, as Illithid colonies seem to occasionally be seized by the hunger for draconic brains. I cannot think of any dragon species that has any real numbers here. A few desperate Nickel and Mist dragons, outcasts or exiles or some kind, have been forced to try and survive in Ooze, but they simply hole up in whatever lairs they can manage and stay there.

Likewise, dragonkind is singularly un-abundant. The native Ooze drakes, cruel and miserable creatures, do survive here, but that’s about it. Even half-dragons that happen to be born on the plane do their best to leave immediately. Only the warped Ssvalkors, creations of the Yuan-ti, truly reside here, mixed in with the scattered colonies of the brilliant but vile snake people.

Ooze is a place for exiles to be dumped, and some draconic undead have accordingly been exiled to Ooze, usually from the prime material. Some are stuck in the depths of the ooze itself, like so much else, but others manage to find some opening and continue their bitter existences.

Smoke

Abundance: Rare

Smoke is another principally empty plane, and it is also filled with toxic vapors, making habitation by dragons difficult. Further, it is a battlefield between the Djinn and Efreet races, and many of the residents of the plane have all they can do to stay out of the middle of those unending battles. As a result very few dragons prefer to reside here. The occasional Red dragon may seize a lair of cinders from the Belkers, and some younger Brass and Mercury dragons come here to take the fight to evil, often in the company of the Djinn, but most tire of it quickly.

Dragonkind are somewhat more abundant. The Smoke drakes dwell here, getting along well with mephitis and paraelementals, but fighting with the Belkers and genies. A few Storm Drakes also claim cinders as their own, though they prefer more open planes. War is good for adventurers, and so a number of half-dragons are drawn to Smoke, as are some spellscales and dragonblooded individuals, many having passed through Slaan. That city surely deserves a momentary mention, as it is a stronghold of reptilian races and the faith of the dragon gods is strong there. Several dragons also dwell within the city itself, and may be approached by travelers with a good reason.

Only the most daring shadow dragon dracoliches enter Smoke, and mostly temporarily, in an attempt to strike at Slaan or make alliances with the efreet.

Ash

Abundance: Rare

Ash is where Fire goes to die, and this simply does not suit the sensibilities of the dragons that might live here. Cold-resistant dragons prefer places of ice and chill triumphant, not the decay of ash. Some Shadow dragons seem to like it though, and once they secure protection from the cold, make their homes here. A few Sapphire dragons have also decided to settle in this relatively empty territory, attempting to carve out empires of their own. They tend to get into lots of fights with the undead who stay here. Regardless, none of these dragons are here in any abundance.

Ash, like all of the Quasielemental planes, does not have its own drake species, so the dragonkind presence is somewhat depauperate. A few half-dragons who’ve joined the Doomguard seem to like the plane, and many spellscales who have made the transition to undeath form parts of the undead communities scattered about Ash, but this is not a unified thing. Tundra landwyrms stalk about parts of Ash, if they can find enough open area and things to hunt.

Of course, all the negative Quasielemental planes tend to attract undead, and Ash has a few draconic representatives. Not really dracoliches, but there are a number of vampiric dragons here, including a surprising number of vampiric landwyrms and linnorms. They are dangerous, and hungry for any live source of blood that comes there way.

Dust

Abundance: Uncommon

Life in the decaying whirlwinds of Dust is difficult, but difficulty doesn’t dissuade certain dragon species. The tandem of Emerald and Sapphire dragons is known to dwell here, the Emeralds for the security of the impassable Dust, the Sapphires for the challenge and opportunity presented by the hostile environment. This is turn draws Obsidian dragons in to oppose them, though they truly hate the plane. These struggles can get particularly brutal, swallowing up the many struggling communities of desert-born reptilian races (ex. Khaasta, Mon’Varan, Asabi) that barely cling to life here. Brown dragons can also be found in Dust, but they have no part of its conflicts, save to oppose the ravenous destruction of the quasielementals and their warlord.

Dust is seen as a proving ground for many of these dragons, and nowhere else in the multiverse is dragonkind more militant or does the war between Falazure nad Chronepsis rage with greater ferocity. The conflicts here can not math those of Mineral for scale, but both faiths have major temples on the plane and are drawn to it for some reason, so the bodies of dragons and their allies pile high before the dust consumes them. Little posturing, more violence, that is the rule of Dust.

Dragonkind on the plane is limited, save those half-dragons who serve their draconic overlords, and the many Min’Varan they bring to battle. Desert landwyrms reside in some areas of the plane, and do their best to stay out of the way of greater conflicts, with mixed degrees of success.

There are a number of draconic undead on the Quasielemental Plane of Dust, mostly of the spectral or wraithly kind though, Dracoliches don’t like the place. Instead, the war rages so hard that sometimes both sides forget to stop when they die, resulting in more Emerald and Sapphire draconic undead than you’ll find anywhere else. The clerics of Chronepsis have their hands full dealing with that problem.

Lightning

Abundance: Uncommon

If Lighting had more ground, it would probably be the Blue dragon idea of heaven. We should all be thankful that it doesn’t so most content themselves with simply visiting the plane as often as they can. That means Lightning has the largest transient population of dragons of anywhere in the Multiverse. The Blue dragons here are often in a decent mood too, cavorting about in crazy aerial displays, even mating with abandon, if you can believe their boasts. The few of them who truly fall in love with the plane find what places they can to make lairs, often in the border regions.

Heshadenuen is one such, claiming the border region near ice as his own and his offspring’s. He is a very large specimen, larger than most great wyrms ever become, and has some pull over the other blue dragon residents. Mostly this seems to be directing vigilance against incursions by Cobalt dragons, who would sorely like to knock the Blue dragons from the plane, but lack the numbers. Still, they raid here when they can, and may try to ruin choice lairs so the Blue dragons can’t use them anymore.

As for other dragon species, well, a few Song dragons have made themselves homes among the scattered settlements of Lightning, sometimes living with Djinn. The occasional Fang, Topaz or Amethyst dragon who’s secured protection against the punishment of the sparking plane also makes a lair here as well, though they are usually careful to avoid bothering the Blue dragons.

In terms of dragonkind there are not too many residing in this landless plane, though many a half-blue dragon can trace their parentage to randy parents in Lightning. Mystical spellscales tend to like the plane as well, using the lightning to charge up certain magic powers.

Mineral

Abundance: Common

Welcome to paradise draconic, the Geode. Mineral is the favored home of the gem dragon races, all five of them, and why not, it’s literally a gigantic horde, so what dragon could resist. They’ve been carving tunnels here for so long that there’s plenty of open spaces with air as well, and the quasielementals don’t bother the dragons unless they try to take riches off the plane. This usually isn’t a problem, as most are engaged in bringing more in. Dragons form, along with quasielementals and Tsnng, one of the principle power groups of the plane. In fact, the ruling council of Hoard, composed of five great wyrms, one for each gem dragon race, likely wields just as much, if not more, power than Crystalle, the elemental prince here.

Amethyst, Crystal, Emerald, Sapphire, and Topaz dragons are all quite abundant on mineral, though some prefer more open regions and others denser ones. They have a loose clan structure based around respect for the elders of the race and a slow advancement of broad goals for all gem dragons. They also universally oppose the other three dragon racs that regularly lair here, the Deep, Obsidian, and Shadow dragons, all given over to Falazure, and bitter enemies of the Gem dragons. In fact, the whole plane is organized into something of a state of continual war, as the followers of each side batter against each other, including vast armies of Min’Varan, mineralized drakes, half-dragon commanders, dragon samurai, and others hammer at each other at their masters bidding. This struggle is occasionally aided or abetted by the mysterious Tsnng bands.

Dragonkind on this plane consists almost universally of those drafted by either the gem dragons or their enemies to do battle. All kinds of landwyrms, reptilian races, drakes, and others can be forced to serve. Many are mineralized just as they are on earth to make them immune to the plane’s effects and more powerful warriors. Half-dragons and even ordinary humanoids who have sworn allegiance play an important role as officers and commanders in these armies of tunnel warriors.

Draconic undead play a role here, of course, as many of the Deep, Obsidian, and Shadow dragons choose that path to increase their power, but on Mineral they are surrounded by powerful foes seeking to destroy them. So may have relatively short lifespans or eventually move of the plane seeking a safer location. The truly fanatical go down fighting in the name of their horrid master.

Quasielemental Mineral is also unique in that it contains perhaps the only true dragon city of the multiverse, Hoard. Ruled by gem dragons it occupies a massive ovoid cavern over two hundred miles wide on the long axis and one hundred on the others. The many lairs of hundreds of dragons are scattered about in the walls and titanic buildings dwarfing constructions of humanoid hands serve as the seat of power. Though it hardly seems a city from the scale of someone like myself, it most assuredly is to the dragons, and has great influence. Hoard is a center of trade within Mineral, and a pipeline for sending things off the plane, though usually not gemstones or ore, since the Quasielementals don’t like it, but magic, weapons, and more instead.

Hoard is ruled by a council of five great wyrm dragons, each over three thousand years old and representing each of the five species. They only meet once a year or two, but leave the day to day running of the city to their humanoid administrators, including wyrm wizards, dragon samurai, priests of the dragon gods, and all kinds of other persons. Hoard also runs something of a government for all the dragons of Mineral, though this is very loosely organized. Still it is the most obvious representation of unified draconic power and influence anywhere on the planes. There is not the time here to discuss the city in great detail, but it is a place of palpable power and majesty, and it makes one truly understand the full potency of dragons to visit.

Radiance

Abundance: Rare

Radiance is a beautiful place to some, though not myself, as my eyes are far too sensitive for such a place, and likely many dragons would dwell there, except for one thing; the plane as been claimed as the exclusive habitat of a single race. These are the Prismatic dragons, immensely powerful beings second only to the Time dragons and themselves often capable of matching powers in sheer potency. Gregarious and inquisitive, Prismatic dragons like to meddle with other, ‘lesser’ beings and this keeps other dragons well away. No one wants a Prismatic dragon staring over one’s shoulder.

Dragonkind and undead dragons all stay out of the plane, intimidated into finding better places to be than trouble the luminous overlords.

Salt

Abundance: Rare

The plane of Salt is a funny place. It has a long, storied heritage of draconic residence, but few dragons have ever dwelt there at any one time. Sand dragons are the most prevalent species, dwelling high in the salt pans, away from the elemental plane of water. Topaz dragons, Nickel dragons, and some others occasionally lair in the more watery areas, but the past millennium or so has been rather bad for them. This section of elemental salt is one of those Inner Planar areas dominated by a singular being. In this case Tor Salinus, a brine dragon of absolutely immense size, at least double that of a normal great wyrm of that breed, perhaps more; no one has really managed an absolute measurement. Tor Salinus wants to be left alone, and fully intends to consume anything that gets to close, meaning anything within the entire planar border region. As a result, much like in Radiance, other dragons have decided to stay away, far away.

A few Brown dragons, Yellow dragons, or Emerald dragons eke out an existence in Salt, having secured some protection from the plane’s dehydrating effects, as does the occasional Deep dragon that opposes them, but these populations are very small and widely scattered. There are rumors, however, that greater settlements of dragons once existed on Salt, perhaps of the ferrous species before their ages old decline, but no one has ever confirmed this.

Dragonkind are not all that abundant in Salt, vulnerable to dehydration. Some desert landwyrms make their homes here, and the occasional mineralized drake has escaped to this plane, but overall they are uncommon. More would surely reside in the salty sea if not for Tor Salinus.

The undead communities of Salt are small, and not much for undead dragons, but there are scattered temples to Falazure here, and at least a few dracoliches reside among them for certain. Also, in this plane were corpses tend to preserve well, skeletal and zombie dragons are relatively abundant, animated by the resident necromancers.

Steam

Abundance: Uncommon

Though the Quasielemental Plane of Steam lacks ground, it is otherwise rather pleasant. Many dragons have accordingly claimed valuable pockets on the plane. Topaz dragons in particular find this plane highly accommodating, though a smaller number of Amethyst dragons also lair here. The Topaz dragons are irritable and predatory, while the regal Amethyst dragons actually serve as effective, though not exactly benevolent, rulers, and many have small towns as their domains. Both races are one good terms with dragons in Mineral or Water, and as a result can sometimes be considered an extension of those plane’s dragon clans.

Storm drakes are the strongest dragonkind found here, but there are others, serving the Topaz and Amethyst dragons. Half-dragons of course, but also displaced air drakes and water drakes, and a surprisingly large number of spellscales decide to reside here. Also, and this is indeed a little gem of a fact, Steam is the plane the Dragonborn of Bahamut almost universally retreat to if they should forsake their service to that deity. I don’t know why this is, but it does happen.

Undead dragons usually stay out of steam, but the occasional Ghostly dragon crosses in from the Ethereal to make trouble.

Vacuum

Abundance: Rare

There’s nothing in Vacuum, except for elemental pockets, and that makes it rather hard on dragons just as much as everything else. The extremely potent Force dragons can sometimes be seen flying about the plane, apparently having no trouble with the nothingness, but others don’t have it so easy. It takes an awful lot of mystical power to make something survive in vacuum, and few dragons are up for it. Some Amethyst dragons have taken up the challenge though, being creatures of force. They build glowing citadels where everything works out exactly how they want it, and then keep everyone out of their ‘perfect’ domains. A bare handful of the mystical tome dragons have also come to Vacuum to practice experiments in an utter void. They usually only stay here for a few years though.

It’s hard to imagine any members of dragonkind surviving here outside of the realms of Amethyst dragon masters, but a few strange things do. The Scalamagdrion, mysterious beings that they are, can somehow be found here. Apparently being in nothingness doesn’t bother them much, perhaps spending most of your time inside a book serves to acclimate them some how.

Conclusion

All right, that’s it, a description of each and every plane. Hopefully it was enlightening and helpful. I’m aware that this is a very rough description, but additional levels of detail would take a lot more time, so don’t be surprised if you run into something you didn’t expect. After all, life is more tenacious than anything, and draconic life even more so. Things get around into all kinds of places you’d never even imagine until you see them there and it suddenly makes perfect sense. So, when dealing with dragons, so respect, be polite, and only go looking for them with good reason. That should help to keep your head attached.