Difference between revisions of "New Species (October 2006 Speculation)"

Revision as of 15:27, 7 October 2006

What follows is that which seems logical after flying around Limbo in world and reading the displays and notecards. Until someone "in the know" can annotate this document, please treat it as logical speculation only.

Three New Species

In the caves under the Cathedral there are three distinct plaques with groupings of eggs around them, presumably denoting three new species of dragon in the works:

Netherworld Dragons

In classical mythology the netherworld simply represents any place in which deceased or newly released souls may congregate, and is not necessarily a place of evil per sae. For example, the ancient Egyptian culture believed in Osiris as their god of life, death and fertility, believing that he ruled over the fields of Aaru, a place where souls were judged and the free spirits of the Good and the Just roamed.

Could the dragons of this new species then be tall and striking lords of all that is proper in the world? Or will they take on the form of more contemporary interpretations of the Netherworld and instead be dark creatures of shadowy intrigue? The teaser name for one of the dragon eggs of this new species doesn't really give much away:

Teaser Egg

• Dracolich Egg

The dracolich is an abomination among dragons: a reanimated skeleton of a long dead dragon. The flesh on its bones and wings have withered away, leaving a menacing skeletal form.

Speculation

Of all the eggs in the main Cathedral hall, the Shadow Dragon seems as though it could fit into at least one interpretation of this species.

Egyptian Dragons

Ancient Egyptian mythology is prevalent in many world cultures to this day, although for many the experience of it is through tales of the Great Pyramids, Cleopatra, and much of the speculation and lore surrounding mummification.

Beyond this though, there is a rich tapestry of myth and belief, such as Anubis, the god of the dead who judged souls at the gates of Aaru or Ra, the highest of gods who drew the sun across the sky in his fiery chariot by day and through the rivers of the underworld by night.

Teaser Egg

• Three blank eggs sit at the Egyptian stand, adorned in simplistic Egyptian bands.

Speculation

The Anubis Dragon egg and the Bast Dragon egg are clearly part of this species, adorned in hieroglyphs and bearing Egyptian names and symbols.

Steel Dragons

A biomechanical breed immediately springs to mind when reading about these dragons. The more pressing question becomes, are they truly natural or the product of the wild imagination of a crazed biomancer? Regardless of origin, they represent a highly imaginative take on traditional dragon themes.

Teaser Egg

• Mech Dragon Egg

The Mech dragon is a solid metal dragon with large hydraulic joints and gears, and fully mechanical wings. Riveted metal plating armors its skin, while wires protrude occasionally from its metallic scales.

Speculation

Based on the description from the notecard of the in-development Mech Dragon, we can infer rather strongly that the recently completed Steam Dragon belongs to this species too.

One New Egg

A mysterious green, yellow and brown egg sits apart from the grouped eggs and offers no information save for its name:

• Forest Dragon Egg

Bibliography

• The Hatching Caves (The in world one)