Since the Black Mesa Dragon Rookery is found on an Earth-based dimension, there are no dragons 'native' to this world. But because there are still Portal Storms which bring in offworld creatures or spread other dimensions' worth of flora, it is easy to see that Rookery Earth is suitable for most types of dragon lifeforms. The Rookery itself and its nearby Ranch hosts many of the dragons specifically bonded to former employees, Pantheon members, and an assortment of other people who have chosen to remain at this site. Many Color Guard dragons reside in the North Aperture Enrichment Center facility (below or above ground), and there are a handful of dragons found at the Borealis site, as well as deeply under the ocean at Rapture. There are even a bunch living at Lane's Mansion. Some on-site at Black Mesa though, must reside outside of the actual facility due to their size or physical properties (you really do not want a full-bore radioactive dragon living within 100 meters of anything else, do you?) and as such there are a few large cavern openings available for them, as well as sheltered and camouflaged spots for them to roost on the sides of the hills nearby. As the Rookery gains traction and spreads across different areas of the planet, so follow the dragons.
A number of different breeds of dragons live on this planet now, and have already begun breeding. Since most dragon breeds require warm or even hot sands for their eggs to harden in (if they're of the egg-laying variety, as most of them are) there is no shortage of space for exactly that. Not just on the Rookery grounds themselves, but nearby to the west in the open desert, though they must be quite careful when laying out there, as there's little protection aside from what they can give by remaining near their nests. Most of the females have balked at the thought of allowing their eggs to be hardened artificially in those weird laboratory rooms available, but a few might just take them up. (And in RY 2 this does happen, on and on from there!)
Overall however, the dragons are catalogued and have extensive scientific records, because it's impossible to roost in a place that did research and not have scientists poking and prodding, taking skin and blood samples, and asking questions about native habits. As such, the dragons listed on character pages will all have roughly similar information available about them - from their size and overall appearance, to their breeding habits or psionic requirements. In order to standardize this information, the following should be used as guidelines if not overt instruction on how best to code a dragon at the Rookery. Note that there is a little bit of flexibility in terms of size or description, since some dragons may have been recorded quite early in the Rookery's history, and others may have more or less information available due to their time of arrival or lack of other ways to collect it.
The format of the information is as follows, and details about the potential varieites below that.
Name | Gender | Size | Colors | Features | Powers | Parentage | Origin | Other Info
Name
This section will cover the dragon's formal address. Some dragons acquire a name at hatching, others are given multiple names based on qualities or service record, mates, or even titles from Vortigaunt observation. Where required, translation or pronunciation is shown. Numerous dragons come from 'old world' sites, a curious mixture of Pernese-, Icarian-, or Alskyran-specific name endings pervade those dragons, while other origins use 'tribal' names that describe or confirm abilities. Where appropriate, some of those dragons may have offspring that must inherit those naming conventions, while others are a little more flexible about it. Note that when a dragon breed has their own language, it's often impossible for Humans or even Vortigaunts to speak their 'native' name, so any name in use usually reflects a nickname, translation, or bestowed title. Those with telepathic powers are much more easily renamed.
Gender
Most dragon species are binary in nature, being either male or female. However some may have intermediary genders, none at all, or shapeshift between one and another at will or by life cycle. Also some may be born a specific gender and have been rendered infertile, or been born that way yet retain typical gender-specific features otherwise, and simply cannot breed. Additionally, some dragons seek out only their own gender to bond with, while others deviate from that ideal, and still other types don't even normally notice the gender of their human (or other) companions to care. With the local scientific community able to mix and match DNA of not just Humans but other species, for the most part gender has little to do with what potential breeding partners any given dragon might find.
Size
This is possibly the most contentious section of the Rookery's recordkeeping system, because while some dragons insist that they're 'very big for their breed' or 'smaller than typical', the fact is that Humans are around 6 feet tall, and dragons can go anywhere from half that height at the shoulder, to nearly four stories high standing on their hind legs. Size descriptors in particular are arbitrary and occasionally highly subjective. Someone keeps writing 'adorably little' or 'biggie mclarge-huge' instead of a standardized height and length, and while some folks do think that's perfectly acceptable as a descriptor, Baeris and Melissa need a little more to go on than that for their work!
In general, the sizing is as follows, with a bit of hyphenation when a dragon falls in one category for their height or length, and another due to their wings or other features such as bulky build, or multiple limbs. Also note that sizes are in FEET for the most part. (Most distance measurements are in METERS, but for the mainly-American-based members of the Rookery dragons feet is a lot easier to break down. As time goes on, and more dragons are catalogued, some individual dragons descriptions may be updated - "medium" has certainly shifted from the earliest part of the Rookery era, and "huge" might also experience a split into "massive" as well if things keep going the way they have been after certain clutches of eggs hatch.
| Description | Tiny / Pet | Sport | Small | Medium | Large | Huge |
| Height at Shoulder* | 1 to 3 | 3 to 5 | 5 to 7 | 7 to 11 | 10 to 15 | 14+ |
| Length from Nose to Tail Tip | less than 4 | 4 to 12 | 10 to 30 | 25 to 45 | 40 to 60 | 50+ |
| Wingspan Including Body** | 1 to 3 | 3 to 15 | 12 to 30 | 25 to 50 | 45 to 70 | 65+* |
| Weight (not typically shown unless important) | under 25 lbs | -- | -- | ~10k lbs | ~15k lbs | ~20k lbs |
| Build | 'noodle' | lean | average | muscular | burly | broad |
* Height at Shoulder may also indicate height at hip, if a dragon is primarily bipedal, or in the case of the few wyvern-styled bonds, at some other arbitrary location as they are upright (usually 'wing joint' if not hip). Also note that Bipedalism often causes the dragon to be of a slighter build than those on four legs. Often enough, the hind legs are more of use in sitting and resting, than 'walking', but most bipedal-style dragons (not wyverns) of the Rookery have smaller forelimbs and are highly likely to also have true thumbs for manipulating objects. ** Wing note: dragon wing shapes vary at least as much as any other avian or flighted creature might, from long slender 'seagull' wings for gliding in steady wind, broad tipped for warm updraft soaring, scoop shaped for strong and steady motion or lifting, or smaller single-tined wings suitable for narrow or close quarters maneuverability. All of these may appear on virtually any sized dragon, some with an ungainly build might have suitably huge wings capable of lifting them at all, while others have apparently small wings but massive musculature to support their weight on long glides. Not all wings are connected along the entire body or side, and it seems that some of the ones which have almost no connective skin may also utilize other means to remain aloft, such as magic or internal heat. Each dragon's description usually comes with information about their flight ability if any. |
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Colors
Dragons obviously come in a staggering array of colors, patterns, and expected combinations. Many 'old world' type dragons have gender-specific coloration, and a very limited overall palette, while others come in a literal rainbow. Each dragon's skin (scales, fur, whatever) may also have markings or variation, and the description will include body, limbs and tail, head and neck, wings, wingsails, horns and claws, eyes, or any other specific body part that has some color on it. Melissa has consulted with one of their Zekiran counterparts about how best to describe some values, as those people have all these colors and then some, and use those terms on a regular basis in their own labs and breeding centers.
Colors may also include auras, glowing bits, Vortally-visible 'magic', and textures if needed.
Features
While almost all the dragons residing at the Rookery are 'Western' type - that is to say, with four legs for walking and two wings for flying - some variations on that theme occur and can be tracked fairly easily. And also as above, there are specific 'seeder' worlds that have provided the bulk of the dragons here, which means that they may have a set of predisposed features that mix or don't mix with other dragon types if bred. In general, the features will include, somewhat in this order, this information:
| Feature | Description and Subtypes |
| Legs | Quantity of walking limbs Muscularity or descriptor (ie: slender, low, broad stance) Number of digits on feet/paws Type of claws/talons |
| Wings | Wingsail type (ie: leathery, feathered, scaled, electric...) Quantity of wings and Size difference if any between pairs Number and Visibility of flight-fingers inside the wingsail if known, also whether these end in claws or talons Shape or functionality if specific |
| Hide or Skin | Scaled, Hide, Skin, Rubbery, etc describing the outer covering Detailed information about different locations (ie: armor plates, underbelly) Fur may be long or very short (though 'short' for a dragon may actually be 4" long strands) Also any Body Shape information is usually included in this area |
| Head | Shape overall Notable features (ie: beak, horns*, external ears are only common among specific breeds) Webbing or frills, spikes, nubs, armor Notable eye feature (most only have two eyes, some faceted, some cat-like, etc; also whether there are 'brow ridges', antennae, etc) |
| Neck and Spine | Ridge features** Rideability due to those features |
| Tail Feature | Length or Shape if notable Ended with spade, sail, etc and its shape If used as weapon, such as a Sandwing or Hivewing's scorpion-like stinger |
| *Horns | Not all dragons bear horns, but some have specific traits, as follows |
| **Ridge Features | Not all dragons have neck or spinal ridges, and some crests are listed with names because of their commonality on seeder worlds -Ryslen-esque - a trademark of one Semi-OldWorld site, with a very tall leading point, trianglular, usually clustered toward the top of the neck and going to base of neck in smaller sizes -Spiked - individual hard tines or skeletal protrusions -Spined - as spikes though usually smaller and closer together, or shaped more dully -Ridged - a traditional ^^^ though without the main crest of a Ryslen dragon, commonly going from back of head to tip of tail -Webbed - often combined with spike or spine feature, with leathery webbing between each point |
| Naming Convention | Some worlds as stated above have world-specific requirements |
| Species-Specific Traits | As above, often a dragon from Pern must be bonded to a human or other suitable being in order to remain 'sane', while others don't require or even tolerate a bond-being Breeding abilities (egg laying, live bearing), also breeding triggers such as going into heat, accepting a specific psychic gift or item, or being in the right place at the right time Multiple sets of wings, or fewer / no wings (Draks and some Pantalan dragons have 2 pairs, while wyverns have only two legs plus wings) Dietary Requirements such as vegetarianism, photosynthesis, and other such traits often come from specific worlds' breeds (some Pyrrhan dragons need only to sit in the sun for a while rather than consume flesh, etc) |
Powers
Dragons are generally assumed to have a number of innate abilities that are either accentuated by their physical traits (such as flight) or in spite of them (such as flight on a wingless dragon). While most of the dragons of the Rookery have what can be called 'Vortal' power - that is distinct mental energy - some of them use 'actual Magic' as in spell-casting for their powers, and others rely on physical quirks to produce their 'power'. Common powers are listed below.
| Power | Source and Descriptive Additions |
| Winged Flight | Usually because the dragon has wings Paired with the dragon's personal ability with flying - duration in the air, how much they can carry, how maneuverable they are while flying, any tricks they usually do, landing and take-off space needed, altitude and power moves Also notable is how easily they may be ridden given other physical features such as spikes or size concerns (some very large dragons can carry harness-based vehicles, while small dragons cannot even be ridden) |
| Non-Flight Travel | If a dragon is geared toward underwater life, burrowing in sand or underground, sprinting, wall-sticking, or other such physically-present abilities As above, paired with the dragon's personal talent with this, such as being able to swim silently, burrow through hard ground, etc In general if a dragon is able to burrow or wall-crawl, they cannot also be carrying their bond-friend, but runners and swimmers can |
| Unique Travel | A non-physical ability only. Some dragon breeds are skilled with the use of teleportation or other instant methods to go great distances, all of these are usually paired with descriptions of how good they are at it, how much they can carry or move with them, whether it's dangerous, etc; the origin of this ability might be genetic, but can sometimes also be learned as a magical skill in some breeds -Pernese-types use a skill called betweening, which may also refer to the void since most of the Rookery dragons have been in contact with other non-Pern individuals and like calling it something other than 'between space'; Alskyran dragons and Icarian Draks may use teleportation with different names, such as Portalling, or Hopping, but all imply the use of 'suddenly being somewhere else' -Dimension Travel and Genrehopping - while most dragons that can teleport cannot do this, some (specifically if they grew up or were abandoned on the Healing Den) have had exposure to multiple dimensions outright, or are descended from dragons who have; as such they may be able to move back and forth between completely unrelated planets found in disparate universes (such as Pern and Pyrrha, Equestria, etc) -Time Travel, other obscure powers, while Lane often expresses that time travel is impossible, it clearly is not impossible. Ignore the nay-sayer, he's just jealous of the ones that can do it |
| Speech or Communication | Some dragon breeds are capable of speaking verbally with their human companions, while others cannot produce traditional words and instead rely on either an empathic bond or their own draconic type language. It is assumed that most dragons can communicate with one another somehow, either by a shared 'we are all dragons here' body and vocal language, or by actually sharing the words or sounds they make. Where indicated, some dragons are quite verbose, while others are a bit on the dull side... -Verbal Speech - the dragon communicates using specific languages (Draconic, Common Earth Languages, Vortigese, whalesong) and can speak using a voice-box or parrot-like ability -Telepathy - the dragon can link mind to mind, either with their bond or anyone, other dragons, etc, and may have a unique 'feeling' to their mental voice, as well as a range to the effective limits of their communication -Visual Cues - the dragon is able to manipulate their coloration, textures, or other light/physical based presence to convey meaning, such as deep-sea dragons flashing in colorful bioluminescence, or Rainwings that can camouflage themselves or use their colors to flash warnings of their moods (or flash as billboard advertisements we're looking at you Vegas, Baby!)(Yes the ! is part of her name.) |
| Attack Type | A lot of dragons are here at the Rookery because they feature things like 'Claws and Teeth' and 'Fire Breath'; all of the breath or ranged weaponry will be accompanied by information on how far they can spit it, how much damage it does, and what types of things can be damaged by it, how quickly they can do it, etc -Fire Production - a feature common enough that it has its own sub-types: Assisted, Non-Assisted, Magical --- Assisted Fire Breath is a feature of Pernese and related dragons, who require the use of chewed 'firestone' - coal or other such substances - before they can breathe flame, they often have a chemical produced in their gut or neck, which then combines with the substance to burn while in the air; --- Non-Assisted Fire Breath is usually what most dragons have, though some do it differently than others --- Magical Fire is less common and doesn't require the dragon to gear up or worry about endangering their partner cleaning up smelly chemical spills out of their mouth -Other Breath Weapon - many dragons who are sea- or snow-centric may have a 'cold' version of flame production of some type, acid spit, hallucinogenic mist, spores, name it, they've got it somewhere -Non Breath Weapon - wind produced from wing beats, claw attack, venom in body parts, toxic ooze from skin, etc |
| Non-Attack | Any other feature such as 'reads all languages' or 'genetic manipulation' might go after these; Some dragons without overt attacks will concentrate on their non-aggressive abilities, so a speedy teleporter might be relied upon as a courier or supply runner, one with healing ability could certainly be a combat medic helping just behind the battlefront, etc Education and skill sets for some dragons is quite extensive, you'd be surprised at what Pyrrhan dragons have built, and the Vorts like it |
Parentage
If the dragon is from a known pair or creche, their parents will be listed and possibly linked here. While many dragons that are also on the Kshau Protectorate may have links, a good number of those from other site owners have since vanished into the Geocities Ether, and may be listed only in name and not linked. Some dragons are related directly to others in the Rookery and their relationship might also be mentioned or linked.
Origin
If the dragon is adopted from an online site such as Deviantart, Toyhouse, or the Nexus, it will be listed here along with their creator's page or name. Some dragons may be given more information about this, for lineart or species type credit.
Many Nexus dragons were adopted from other creators over the last 20 years, and sadly most of those as above have vanished. However some are also gift art, or descended from / taken back from adoption events (provided there's no evidence that the dragon was ever 'paged', I will take back all of my own dragons as is my right) and their individual event will be listed here (such as the Red and Green Frenzy, Winter Gathers of various years, Nexus Exchanges/Monthly Exchanges, etc).
Origins may also include: Pernese - created by Anne McCaffrey; Wings of Fire - created by Tui Sutherland and with art by Joy Ang; Equestrian - owned by Hasbro, seen in the Links page
Other Information
This is where any spare personality traits, arrival information, history, or facts about the dragon's life will appear. Some have extensive information, others not so much. If the dragon is young or old, their age may be listed if known, also when they bonded or what their opinion on their companion may be, if they're looking for a partner, and the like.