Eating These beasts are cannibalistic. If they kill another in a fight, they may eat the loser if they're hungry. If they don't, some other beast will. No rotting Beast flesh allowed. Basic level beasts are in constant danger of being dinner, making bonding these dangerous to one's sanity. The smaller beasts breed frequently and rarely bond, making them constantly available for snacking. They tend to reside in a large sandy crater west of the hatching arena, which is often referred to as the buffet� Mothers in the Arena will often pare down the number of eggs by eating them. They don't care that they've devoured their children. Angeronath will snack on the eggs of other females, but most other Beasts are denied these treats. Sometimes freshly laid eggs of the smallest variety are cooked and served to the humans. One egg makes enough omelet for about three people. Names The formal name ending is three letters for females (ending in "a") and four for males -- the same three plus "n". Basic level beasts formal/full names end -isa or -isan. Greater is -zja or -zjan. Soldier is -vha or -vhan Imperial -tya or -tyan Majestic is -cza or -czan Chaos is -kha or -khan Lower level beasts should -always- address higher level beasts formally (but often don't -- which might explain why they're most often the ones being eaten), and higher beasts only use the titles for lower beasts when they're being mocking or derisive. Names that end -th (Angeronath, Wykorth) get that chopped off to add the Beast honorific. Hence Angerona'tya & Wykor'zjan. Multiple Bonding Up to 8 heads (or a combined ranking of 50) may be had by any one bonded at any time. Sanity rules apply to additional bonding. Multiple bonding may induce sanity loss - the beasts may hate each other and fight constantly. Bonding two beasts with a high disparity in ranking (#5 and #25, for example) may be detrimental if the larger decides to eat the smaller. Intent to bond a second (or third?) Beast when the first is not from Arx Atra Mons requires an exam of the first Beast/Dragon/HyDragon by TyGryph to determine equivalent rank. Mating Unlike dragons from most worlds, the mate of a female Beast is not decided by a flight. These horrid creatures decide by a fight. A male can claim mating rights on a female who is nearing readiness to mate. This compares to "signing up" for a flight. There are three ways this can end: (1) If only one male makes a claim, the female can accept him, or fight him. If she chooses to fight him and wins, she will not mate. He might not survive. If he wins (assuming she survives) he will mate with her whether she likes it or not. (2) If multiple males make claims, she will choose the two she likes best and they will have to fight for the right to mate with her. The fight can be declared when two acceptable males have made claims. (3) Otherwise, the males can challenge each other - Male #1 makes a claim, #2 challenges. Winner keeps claim, and the loser relinquishes his. Male #3 challenges winner, and so on until the female is ready to mate. There will be a limit of five challenge-claims on this type of mating. Unbonded (wild) Beasts roaming Arx Atra Mons may make claims. Beasts may be killed/eaten as a result of a fight. Only wild Beasts will die unless the owner's permission is given. Riders of killed/eaten Beasts may rebond. As always, Sanity rules must be followed. Those bonded to Beasts are NOT affected by mating through the bond. A proddy beast will have no more effect on her rider than she does on anyone else. The bond may not know their Beast even mated until she lays her mess of eggs! Also, Beasts can't get any more inbred than they already are. Twins of opposite genders would likely be encouraged to breed Hatching and Bonding None of the hopeful bonders are allowed to visit the eggs before the hatching day, as the mother or Angeronath (Angerona'tya to you!) would be very likely to eat them. The bonders would not be missed on hatching day, as Beasts can and do go unbonded. If the bonder values his or her hide, they will heed this warning and avoid the hatching arena before the appointed time. When the hatching comes, the beasts nearest the bonders will snatch them up from whatever they're doing and deposit them in the hatching arena. If this means they're in their pyjamas or dripping from the bath, so be it. The eggs usually hatch from smallest to largest, sending dozens of basic beasts out before their more impressive siblings. Once a beast breaks shell, it starts looking for its first meal - be it one of its slithery siblings or a weak bonder. Once their hunger is sated, they will make a choice and bond or not. Even after they've bonded, the bonded and beast are not safe from being a meal. Their strength will have to save them. Spectators watch the carnage from a gallery 10 feet above the sandy floor. This keeps them away from ravenous hatchlings and keeps the cowardly bonders in, but does not prevent the mother or Angeronath from picking off visitors they dislike. That's always fun. The bonded pairs are retrieved after all the eggs have hatched and are abandoned into the "care" of Regina and her bond where they will be trained to be precise and claclulated - to be even more deadly than their birthright entails. Hatchlings are 1/8 their adult size -- 1.5 to 7.5 feet. Sexual maturity is reached at 1.5 years, give or take six months. Beast Types: All Beasts from Arx Atra Mons have only one stage, and come in nine colors: mud, ash, slime, smog, poison, blood, oil, coal, and black.

Basic Level	1 head 0 limbs 1 tail 0 wings 15 to 31 feet	1 head 2 limbs 1 tail 0 wings 16 to 32 feet
1 head 0 limbs 1 tail 2 wings 17 to 33 feet	1 head 4 limbs 1 tail 0 wings 18 to 34 feet	1 head 2 limbs 1 tail 2 wings 19 to 35 feet