Dragons are creatures with nearly unlimited life spans. They can survive for long periods of time, and no one has found a dragon that has died of old age. Adolescence is usually marked by the growth of a hatchling’s wings, although not all breeds of dragons grow wings and some breeds have other traits that indicate the beginning of maturation. Once they hit adolescence, hatchlings change quickly, maturing to their full forms in only 2 years.

Dragons don’t communicate with each other verbally, but they will growl to scare off predators and frighten prey. Young dragons will emit an extremely high-pitched squeal when they are frightened. To communicate, they use telepathy with each other and to speak to other creatures.

Stone dragons have a tough outer covering made of a stone-like material. They eat rocks, using the minerals they contain for nourishment and to keep up their stone outer shell. They rarely move, and are the heaviest of all types of dragons. Although they have wings, indicating flight ability, no one has ever seen a stone dragon flying.

For years the tiny village had prayed to the dragon statue located nearby. Appearing overnight, its appearance hailed an end to attacks from wild animals and lone thieves. Regarded as a gift from the gods, flowers and charms were placed before it in thanks and peace reigned over.

Then the bandits came.

While the men folk tried to battle the attackers, the women and children fled to the safety of the sacred statue. A handful of bandits gave chase, but their fierce battle cries awakened the stone dragon, revealed to be the dragon Oylas.

Oylas, infuriated that his slumber had been disturbed, killed the bandits with one blow and followed the smell of blood and fear back to the village. There he crushed every last bandit in his heavy claws before returning to his sleep once more in the main square as the villagers rejoiced.

Oylas still sleeps in the villagers midst, where they tread lightly, so as not to disturb him again.