Canon Colors
Gold
Golds are the queens of the weyr. They reach 140-145 feet in length. They are normally stocky in build, made for stamina instead of speed. Their coloring ranges from many shades of yellow and gold, but due to the mutation strain, their hides have also developed the metallic sheen similar to that of the Prism. Unlike their smaller sisters though, they do not reflect colors like Prisms do. Golds tend to be very rambunctious and lively, being the risk takers and the creautures of action. They are the queens that demand the attention of the Prism and tells her to take action. Golds, like Prisms, clutch based on how many queens are in the weyr. They are capable of clutching twice in a turn, but more often they clutch only once every one or two turns. In their clutches, they normally never exceed 30 eggs. They impress upon females that are tough, almost boyish at times. Sometimes they may even have a temper that would fit them to be a Scarlet rider, but their commanding nature and ability to take action normally makes them more suited for this regal dragon. Golds are flown by any king and sometimes Browns, but the traditional pairing is usually Gold to Bronze.
Bronze
Bronzes are the second in rank and size of the kings. They can reach the size of 115-125 feet in length, and are usually of a rather bulky build, built for stamina more for speed. Like queens, they have a metallic sheen. Bronzes tend to be the more arrogant of the kings, conveying their authority and rank with a commanding vigor that either appeals or repulses people. Their open minds and brash, forward ideas are very similar to a Gold's way of thinking, and in a way they are the 'move forward' males of the kings. They make wonderful wingleaders with their courage and knack at command, but even with their quick wit and good foresight, they don't brood over their decisions as a Shadow would. They impress upon males that have a streak of confidence, sometimes borderlining arrogance. Their riders are usually very mentally tough, ready for whatever life throws at them. Bronzes fly any color, but tend to lean toward Golds, but are known to take after Prisms if they catch their fancy.
Browns
Browns can be from 98-115 feet long, and some exceed this to be bigger than some Bronzes. They are hardy and stocky, build for stamina more than speed. Despite this, they actually prove to be quite agile at times, making them an asset in the fighting wings. Their coloring ranges from any coloring of brown from light to almost black. Browns are the thinkers, hard working and almost simple in their way of planning things out. They usually lack the cunning and foresight of the king dragons, but they have a keen ability to make good decisions if given long enough to think about them, and have a patience that is valuable in a wingsecond. They easily adapt to where they need to be, and are always striving to prove themselves. They look for riders that are confident, but not arrogantly so, and being able to make good decisions and keeping a cool head is important for a Brownrider. They impress most commonly to males, but there are some that rarely impress to females. Browns fly any color, but seem to favor the Greens and Scarlets, these female's whimsical emotions seeming to appeal to the stolid brown that wants a little flavor in his life.
Blue
Blues can be from 80-100 feet in length, and their body build varies from thin and lithe to almost as stocky as a Brown. This sort of versatility makes them very good dragons in many different areas of threadfighting. Blues tend to be rather mellow creatures, but their personalities vary quite a bit. They tend to be quite emphatic, picking up on emotions and seeming to feed off them. This makes them good weyrmates with Greens, because they enjoy the strong emotions that the females usually have. Overall, Blues are highly emphatic, which makes them very good Search dragons, and tend to be rather lighthearted and humble. They love seeking to prove that they are worth their weight in firestone, and it's important to watch this dynamic, risk taking dragon for signs of strain, because chances are he'll try to hide it while he's busy out-doing the larger dragons. This is another reason that Blues are forbidden to chase queens. Blues have the ability to fly any of the other colors, but they tend to stick with the lithe and agile females since their stamina can't quite handle flying the more stolid colors. They impress upon males, and sometimes females of a rather happy, bubbly disposition, but with an ability to talk with people and be rather social. This varies, but that is the most common pairing. Blues impress to males most of the time, but are known to go to females also.
Green
Greens can be from 65-80 feet in length, and are generally quite agile and lithe. They impress upon males and females equally, but it is advised to have females on the sands for Greens because women seem to be able to handle their Greens' whirlwind emotions better than most men would, thusly making more stable Greenriders. Greens run on a here-now state of mind, and are passionate and run by their feelings. Of course, they don't have the intelligence and foresight of the larger colors, but they go by their gut feeling, which oftentimes proves to be right. While not always the irate creatures many make them out to be, they go proddy often, which gives them the illusion that they are almost always irritable, wily and hotheaded. Greens are known to be the flirts of the Weyr, and can rise anywhere from once a month to once every two months. They chew firestone, and whether they are still sterile if they don't chew is unknown, for with the amount of clutching dragons in the world now, the last thing Pern needs are masses of Greens clutching and making even more Greens! They are flown by any male color, but are caught more often by the more quick and agile of dragons.
Whites
Whites can be from 45-55 feet in length. Their hides are a base of white, with a mixture of the original colors shimmering in their hide in bright light or when very clean. They are usually of medium build, with exceptional stamina for their size. They can be either male or female, and almost always impress their own gender. They are usually quiet, wise, and being a White, oftentimes are overlooked by others. They look for riders with similar dispositions. Whites are special dragons, because they always know when they are. Female Whites almost never rise. They will rise to mate if there is a shortage of kings or queens in the Weyr, or if the resident queen is too old to clutch. Only then will they Fly, producing kings once every turn until hopefully a queen egg is born. They only have one egg, that of a king or queen, and they are usually rather small in size, but they rarely ever get any smaller than the smallest of their color. Oftentimes they have difficulties birthing eggs because of their small size, trying to pass an egg that is supposed to be quite large. Males usually chase after other whites and greens.
Mutations
Prism
Prisms are queens of the weyr, along with the Golds. On average, they reach from 125 to 140 feet in length. Prisms seem to be multi-faceted, different colors showing depending on what angle the light hits them. They have, on average, one or two flights a year. Depending on how many queens there are in the Weyr, it might be less. Their pigmentation is caused by a strange strain of melanin that contains metallic properties, thusly causing a metallic sheen and a strange prismatic array of colors. They can clutch up to 30 eggs, but the larger the clutch, the less that they seem to rise. Prisms are generally built lithe and agile, a bit quicker in the air than Golds, but with slightly less stamina even for their size. They impress upon stable-minded girls with an air of confidence about them. They are usually very in control of their emotions, and mull things over in their mind carefully before making a decision. Of the two queen colors, these are the decision makers, so they have to be very stable. Prisms can be flown by any of the kings, though Shadows have more of a chance at catching them than Bronzes. Rarely, Browns will enter a Prism flight.
Shadow
Shadows are the biggest of the kings, and are built much like the Prism; wirey and lithe with stamina equal to, or slightly inferior to the bulkier Bronzes. They range from 125 to 130 feet in length. Their hide is a series of grays and blacks, making them seem more like a shadow than a dragon, hence the name. Like queens, their hide holds a slightly metallic sheen. Shadows are dark and quiet. This doesn't mean that they are mean creatures; it just means that they like to keep to themselves. They are full of thought, being rather intelligent dragons, but they only voice their opinions when there is dire need to do so. They look for riders much like themselves, with a feeling of calm reserve and introverted nature that appeals to these dragons. They are able to conceal their emotions rather well, and tend to keep it that way. In truth, they can be very compassionate creatures, with a deep care for whoever worms their way into their hearts. Shadows fly any color of dragon, but tend to stick to the higher colors.
Teal
Teals are a rather rare color, only Impressing upon HADs (hear all dragons) or FAD (Feel all dragons). They can be either gender, and impress either gender, almost always impressing to the same gender as them. They reach the size of large Blues, and are stockier in build, almost built like a Brown, but not quite. Teals are quiet, empathic and usually very understanding, having an undying patience for things that would normally irritate others. They make wonderful Weyrlingmasters because of their empathy for other dragons, and because of their ability to be stern when needed. They impress upon riders that have that sort of giving, caring nature that would be considered almost motherly, and it's quite common that their riders could have the disposition to become Weyrhealers or Weyrlingmasters. They grow to be 90-100 feet in length. Female Teals can clutch up to 20 eggs if they do not chew stone, but because of the rising numbers in clutching females, they are almost always told to chew stone, which reduces their clutch number to 5-10 eggs or sometimes lower. Male Teals fly Teals and Scarlets most often, but every now and then they'll fly a Green or a White.
Orange
Oranges are 85-88 feet long. They are long and lanky, with a large build and good stamina. Oranges tend to be outgoing and friendly, but highly empathic and in touch with other dragons emotions. They see a beauty in things that others may not see it, and they tend to hold a respect for their less intelligent kin like firelizards and whers. It is not uncommon for an Orange to encourage their rider to Impress upon these flightless, blind creatures. They have a keen interest in human activities, having a more humanlike appreciation for art and music, almost to the point where they can catch onto the underlying meanings to these things. Their foresight is not that of the higher colors, but when it comes to what's going on right then and there, and in the near future, they have a strange ability to have a good perception of things. These dragons also have a way with understanding such ambiguous human emotions as sarcasm and double meanings. They Impress upon males and they look for riders that have the same artistic understanding as they do, oftentimes impressing upon artists, and occassionally harpers with a passionate love for their music and the meanings behind it. This strange mutation has a little quirk about his hide. Predominately red or yellow, it is flecked with the color opposite of its base hide to evenly that it appears orange. It is suspected to be a defect in the distribution of melanin and other chemical pigmentations in the skin, but nevertheless it turns out to be a rather beautiful effect. Oranges impress to males, and there is no record of female Orangeriders as of yet. Oranges typically fly after every color except queens because they are such open-minded creatures.
Scarlet
Scarlets can be from 80-85 feet in length and are almost always built very stockily, though there are times where leaner Scarlets have been hatched. Agile and full of energy, they are excellent Threadfighters with a voracious attitude toward Thread that will make the more squeemish cringe. It is hard to pull these creatures from a Fall, even when the dragon has sustained injury and needs to go back to the Weyr. One thing about Scarlets though is that they almost always have mighty tempers. While they may not always be highly emotional, they tend to get annoyed terribly easily, and is likely to explode on anyone who steps on her toes. Girls that impress to these fiery dragons are usually very passionate and confident about what they want in life, and oftentimes have a short fuse of their own. Scarlets generally have four flights a turn, maybe more or less depending on their rider, but are sterile. Another thing about Scarlets is their strange ability to flame without firestone. This develops later in life, usually not until after their maiden flight. The reason this happens is because an evolution linked to only this color has occured so that the body has begun to make the chemicals needed to mix with gastric acids to produce flame. This secretion is kept within a pancreas-like organ until mixture is needed, and it is drained into the second stomach to produce the gases needed to produce flame. It is easy for them to run out of this secretion, and it takes about a week for it to create another dose. Till a Scarlet can use her ability, they must chew stone to fight Thread. They are flown by any color, but rarely whites, who tend to find the Scarlet's temper too daunting to deal with. Scarlets impress to females, and rarely males.
Two-Tones
Two tones are a type of mutation that is a mix of two dragon colors into one. They can only get as big as their highest color, but normally tend to be a bit smaller, sometimes midway between the size of the two colors. Two tones can be either male or female, and their size, body type, and personality are usually a blend of the two colors that they are. They almost always Impress upon their own gender, but a dragon that is part Green or Blue or another one of the colors that Impress both genders may have a slight chance to choose someone of the opposite sex. Females fly depending on their color, some flying more often than others. They clutch only once on their maiden flight before going completely sterile, whether they chew firestone or not. They usually clutch an average of what their highest color could clutch, but if their highest color is sterile, they will have, on average, about five eggs. Males though, have the possibility of becoming kings if they are large enough. Males can fly any color, provided that they are similar in size.
