Dragons of Dominia

A repository of knowledge concerning the Dragons of Magic: the Gathering.

[dragonsofdominia]

[02/20/2021]

Wait wait wait, the Strixhaven college founders are WHAT

[dragonsofdominia]

[02/17/2021]

Now this is what I call an update. Several revisions to old entries, some art collecting, updated list of flavor text, plus two new planes down already. Kind of let down however that there’s not much concrete dragon lore from recent planes... but that’s just how it is. Art, flavor text, mechanics... we’ll check them out and see how they fit.

Also, reviewing some entries and the bonus topic I picked for Niv-Mizzet years ago was... the Guildpact. That is just *chef’s kiss* perfect.

[dragonsofdominia]

Identifying Dragons: Ikoria

Many of Ikoria's monsters can't be contained within single categories and classifications for long - in this world, seemingly straightforward creatures mutate into more complex forms, possessing characteristics of many. A monster mutating before your eyes is a spectacular sight, but do not get carried away: safety is not assured outside of the human strongholds.

Swiftwater Cliffs by Adam Paquette

However, if you are looking for dragons in this plane, you might have to look more closely.

What To Expect

Size of a pixie, rage of a hellkite.

Sprite Dragon by Gabor Szikszai

Sprite dragons stand against a lot of expectations you would have of dragons.

Body: Sprite dragons are surprisingly small, comparable to the size of a regular dragon whelp - maybe even smaller. Besides that, not much is notable.

Wings: The more eye-catching features are their wings. Sprite dragons have iridescent wings reminiscent of faerie wings that shine in blue and purple hues.

Then again, creatures can just suddenly mutate in Ikoria. Physical characteristics may change in a moment's notice, and they may gain new abilities.

Dangers

Breath weapon: unknown

Sprite dragons are really small creatures, but are said to be just as fierce as their larger relatives from other planes. Unfortunately, I have never seen it demonstrated myself, nor has it been documented elsewhere. It is unknown how aggressive they can be, if they are even outright aggressive at all.

As Narset struggled to meditate, tiny dragonlings spiraled around her, conjuring thoughts of ancient clans.

Whirlwind of Thought by Bram Sels

There exists an anecdote, however, of how a swarm of these dragons wielded some form of mental magic using one's memories. Maybe that is how they make up for their size, as such magic could be used to put much larger foes in a daze… or perhaps spark revelation or retrospection in others. Not much is known about them, unfortunately, so we can only speculate.

Travelers usually take note of the important bits, providing knowledge to help the uninitiated find their footing. Not everything is known all at once and there is still a lot of space for discovery, especially in Ikoria where situations are made more volatile by the phenomenon of mutation. When in Ikoria, it is best to keep your distance and observe first. Even the most diminutive of monsters can surprise you - and when they do, quickly take note.

[dragonsofdominia]

By naming itself it takes control of its own destiny. No dragon would allow another to name it. Unlike the small beasts of the lower worlds, they always know exactly who they are.

(from Chronicle of Bolas: The Twins by Kate Elliott)

[dragonsofdominia]

Thunderbreak Regent by Jason Rainville

A Kolaghan dragon blasts lightning over a small remote Ojutai outpost, breaking off one of its overhangs.

[dragonsofdominia]

…Still she struggles, still she fights because she is a dragon, and dragons never bow before lesser creatures.

(from Chronicle of Bolas: The Twins by Kate Elliott)

[dragonsofdominia]

Identifying Dragons: Eldraine

Traversing the world of Eldraine can be a fascinating experience. One time you pass through one of five courts within the Realm, and then after a while you notice your surroundings starting to shift and you find yourself in the unpredictable Wilds. Tales abound in both, of trickster fae, of food gone rogue, of perilous adventures…

Once Upon A Time by Matt Stewart

…and of course, encounters with dragons.

What to Expect

Opportunistic Dragon by Chris Rahn

Eldranian dragons come in many shapes and sizes.

Body and limbs: Their size can range from the size of a small cottage to the breadth of an entire castle. Gait and proportions of limbs can vary from dragon to dragon. Some have long limbs; some have a gait not unlike that of a lizard's; some have thick limbs while others do not. All are covered with scales, but color varies from dragon to dragon.

Wings: I've found two kinds of wing structures among Eldraine's dragons. First is the usual, bat-like wings, membrane stretched across elongated finger bones. The second one, unique to this world, has many more 'fingers' growing directly, evenly-spaced, from the main arm instead of from a common point.

Greed to Hunger

Transformed at his own wedding, he promptly ate the banquet, the gifts, and the guests.

Korvold, Fae-Cursed King by Wisnu Tan

I have not encountered tales about named dragons in Eldraine except for one. The dragon, named Korvold, wasn't even originally a dragon to begin with. His tale demonstrates one of many ways the fae can inflict punishment on those they deem deserving. It is said that he was punished for his greed, turning it into an eternal hunger he sates to this day.

Korvold's draconic form displays the unique Eldrainian dragon wing structure. Even in this form the proportions of his limbs remain humanlike. I can only assume that the numerous horns on his head are a mockery of the crown he once had.

Dangers

As the blaze raced towards her, Syr Ameril closed her eyes and pictured Castle Ardenvale so her last thoughts would be of home.

Scorching Dragonfire by Eric Velhagen

Breath weapon: fire

Eldrainian dragons live far from the Realm, far from the human settlements. The Wilds, however, are another matter. Out of their lairs, they can be found lurking in the dark forests, flying near picturesque lochs, or resting among the crags. One might even find the more massive ones reclining against castle ruins. However, a dragon might occasionally wander onto a village and wreak havoc, devouring human and beast alike, although some might just abduct them or steal treasure and take them heavens know where.

Syr Damon looked at the dragon and saw the faces of every innocent it had devoured. Suddenly, his sword blazed like the sun.

Righteousness by Howard Lyon

Knights traversing the wilds or dragons wandering into the realm are causes for conflict, and there are no shortage of tales of such confrontations. It might happen by happenstance, or the knight might be hunting the dragon down for some transgression. Fights could go to either, with the knight striking a fatal blow on some weak point or the dragon burning the other to ashes. In cases of the former, it seems as if the knights' weapons respond to their wielders' will - even burning hotter than dragonfire just to slay their foe.

Despite its ferocity, its favor can be won with a gift of something it’s never seen before.

Loch Dragon by Mike Bierek

They may be fierce, but not all dragons are truly straightforward. Some exhibit a sense of curiosity, and may even spare your life when sated. There are also dragons with some control over elemental magics capable of, for example, magical storms formed by pairs flying in circles.

One tale speaks of how a dragon got its shimmering hide - by trading part of its hoard away. Another tells of how a prideful dragon betted against a fox and lost - although we do not know exactly how. Such stories may just be fictional, fables with lessons to be taught. Maybe they are truth retold, with some fragment from experience hidden within. Either way, there are still more tales to be told of Eldraine - and when you come across one of its dragons, I hope yours doesn’t end then.

[dragonsofdominia]

Shimmer Dragon by Lie Setiawan

A colossal Eldrainian dragon with shimmering blue scales rests on the ruins of a castle.

[dragonsofdominia]

[02/15/2021]

I forgot Eldraine. I completely forgot Eldraine. And their dragons are the oddest bunch so far.

[dragonsofdominia]

Revisions [02/14/21]

DoR Ṋ̵̡̓̾i̴͝ͅc̵̡̫͔̰̰͈̮̈́͘ỏ̸̯̙l̴̡̛͓͎̃̽ ̶̡͕͉̭̀̆̀̌̈́̀̕B̸̟̼̃͌ǫ̷̛l̸̖̯͕̜̤̾̂̈͐̀͆̚͘͝â̶̟̦̌̈́s̷͈͎͍̜̯̟̟͐̓̉̂: Chronicles of Bolas, part of War of the Spark, some rewriting, tried something out

Canon Text Compilation: Flavor text from Guilds of Ravnica, Zendikar Rising, Ikoria, etc.

[dragonsofdominia]

[02/14/2021]

Decided to start doing some rewriting on very old entries, apparently at most half a decade old. Wow. Also been out of the loop since War of the Spark, so if I plan to catch up then there’s at least Kylem, Ikoria, and Kaldheim to write about. I can’t even find proper art for Khorvath to start Kylem with.

Also remembered this blog because I saw Goldspan Dragon.

Look at that gorgeous thing. Lots of axe shapes, rope/vine patterns, antlers and fur. The distinctiveness that’s the very reason this blog exists.

[dragonsofdominia]

Revisions [02/14/21]

ID Innistrad, Theros, Fiora: Parts rewritten, some to more recent standards

[dragonsofdominia]

Greetings Dracologist! Do Dragons have a native name?

If by native name you mean their name in their language... Well, at least for sapient dragons around the Multiverse with a draconic language, yes they do. I think. There’s a lot of uncertainty on details, however.

For example, in Dominaria there were Elder Dragons directly spawned from the Ur-Dragon itself.

“By naming itself it takes control of its own destiny. No dragon would allow another to name it.”  (from Chronicle of Bolas: the Twins by Kate Elliott)

It appears the act of naming themselves is innate to these dragons. It has always been said that the victors of the Elder Dragon War gave rise to all the other dragons of the plane. Could that trait have been passed to all Dominarian dragons? Not sure.

“What is the Old Draconic meaning of Rhammidarigaaz?“

In dread realization, he whispered, “Conception.“

—Between Rith and Darigaaz (from Planeshift by J. Robert King)

Crosis, Rith replied easily. It was an ill-fated name, the root of the draconic word for death. (from Planeshift by J. Robert King)

There’s also Old Draconic, where the Primevals’ names come from... is what I’ve always said, but now that I think about it, their names might be just where those words came from, having embodied such concepts. Regardless, it’s either (1) their names have roots in their native language or (2) they named themselves, or both. It’s shown that they can speak the vernacular, and The Primevals have referred to themselves and each other with their names. These dragons are sapient, after all. Dominaria has dragon nations. They can handle names.

There might be other things that influence names though, so maybe names are given, especially when you consider that Rhammidarigaaz was son of Gherridarigaaz, and Rorix had descendants including Verix, Karox, and Tarox. Do these names mean anything in Old Draconic? Maybe. Elements exclusive or passed down through broods? Maybe.

However, there are cases that we can’t be sure unless it comes directly from the dragons themselves. Prossh comes to mind - does he call himself Prossh, or did nondragons name him Prossh? Can he even tell us?

In Tarkir there’s also another Draconic language, but this time supplemented by physical movement.

“Yes, student, I am here to speak to you. Ojutai" —she said his name with the correct Draconic accent, flicking her wings to add the appropriate emphasis— "has heard of your dedicated practice. We all have. You are quite the talk up in Dragon's Eye Sanctuary.” (from The Great Teacher’s Student by Kimberly J. Kreines)

It appears that while what names we know are their native names, or at the very least, close approximations of their native names. It seems that, as with their language, there are aspects of those names that can’t be expressed unless the speaker is also a dragon - or is able to replicate said aspects with something similar.

Niv-Mizzet... is Niv-Mizzet. He’s always called himself that. Ancient Ravnican dragons might have had native names that were known.

Other named dragons from other planes with no known draconic language? Uncertain. Most dragons from other planes are either mostly feral, or at the least cannot communicate in the vernacular.

At least, these are what I remember from the top of my head.

[dragonsofdominia]

[09/11/2019]

Got the urge to finally, finally, update this blog. but probably temporary. Already did a little rereading. Let’s see what I left undone the last time I opened OneNote:

DoR: Bolas and Ugin

Chronicles of Bolas (done?)

The Gathering Storm

War of the Spark (no copy of the book, can’t do this yet)

When this happens, probably a rewrite of the intros to fit current states

Probably just a lot of rewriting

DoR: Dominarian Elder Dragons

DoR: Niv-Mizzet

Guilds of Ravnica

The Gathering Storm

War of the Spark (not now)

Rewrite intro yada yada

ID: Kylem (should be short, needs art)

ID: Dominaria: Jamuraa and Nearby Islands

Canopy dragons

Nekoru

Maybe a few others

Then I can delete the old entry for good

It was a mistake to sort them by color idk why I did that

[dragonsofdominia]

Information we learned about the Elder Dragons from the Chronicles of Bolas. The have multiple hearts, and can stare at the sun.

Noted.

Especially because they’d need an entry a la Spirit Dragons and Primevals.

[dragonsofdominia]

Did Niv-Mizzet kill the other Ravnica dragons?

I’m not sure where this came from, to be honest. I checked the old entries here and found that I didn’t put it in. I re-checked the old Ravnica novels, there were ancient dragon eggs that Niv wanted destroyed, and not really much more than an implication that they’re a threat to him. If anything, the only thing associated with killing all the other ancient Ravnican dragons was the Guildpact.

[dragonsofdominia]

Can you do a lore post specifically about Elder Dragons as a species of Dragon, like how you did posts on the specific broods of Tarkir?

Since they’re legendary, expect them to come out as a Dragons of Renown entry, similar to what I did with the Kamigawa spirit dragons and Primevals.