User:Ecstasy Amphetamine/sandboxu

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Habitat
The Earth Dragons are fossorial creatures, meaning that they are burrowing dragons who spend their lives primarily, but not solely, underground. As such, their home is within their own element of Earth, dwelling in complex networks of interconnected tunnels and chambers that can span for approximately more than hundreds of meters, and even bigger if it is excavated by an eldwurm. In these darkling warrens, earth dragons lay their clutches in nesting chambers.

A vast and seemingly bottomless earth dragon warren was found beneath a mountain and its foothills, just without of the town of Barrowhaven. It was home to many nests and clutches as well as hatchlings, wyrmlings, and a certain Eldwurm. They also attacked Dragon Hold, implying that they dwelt somewhere near that keep.

According to the show's writer, Ashley Miller, Uldorak the Earth Eldwurm terrorized and destroyed Candoness in life, albeit offscreen. It's unknown if this is canon or not.

Characteristics
Incarnations of the material plane's gritty essence, all earth dragons are the element of earth made flesh.

Life Cycle
All eight dragon types undergo a life cycle that consists of four stages, excluding birth and death, the two of which are an obvious part of the life cycle: hatchlings, wyrmlings, adults, and eldwurms. So far, we have seen only hatchlings, wyrmlings, and eldwurms of the earth dragon variety. The stage when earth dragons may reproduce and oviposit is currently unclear. By definition, the adult dragon should be sexually mature, but air wyrmlings are seen ferociously guarding their nests, implying that the earth dragons can also reproduce once they have grown into wyrmlings. However, it is also currently unknown if this applies to other types. The size of dragon eggs varies from species to species, with earth dragon eggs almost reaching the size of an adult human.

It's unknown how long an earth dragon's lifespan is but a rogue void dragon named Kashurra lived for 3000 years. Dragons, including the earth type, might be comparable to that, but given the circumstances surrounding Kashurra's unique existence, this may or may not apply to other dragons. Like everything else in the material plane, these lesser dragons are not eternal or immortal and will eventually succumb to old age as an eldwurm or die from other causes. Their life may wane very slowly as they age, but their elemental or fundamental powers will grow stronger (but never weaker) as they grow older and reach the summit of their powers when they grow into an eldwurm.

Elemental Powers
Like all other elemental and fundamental dragons, their power remains active and ready to be used even after their deaths, the amount of powers preserved in their remains is roughly proportional to the dragon's age before it died. Earth Dragons are the avatars of the earth element. Thus they are as strong as the earth itself, since they embody its aspects of physical strength. Their strength allows them to effortlessly break down the earth to dig tunnels that can vary in size, depending on the size of the dragon that dug it. They break into the earth with their claws, or simply dive into it headfirst as if it were water. Such strength is required to loosen up tons of rock at high speeds.

Burrowing allows them to ambush their prey from below, although they can still be detected by the paths of broken earth that they leave and the ground movements that occur when they're digging. This technique is much more effective when both the Dragon and its prey are underground, because there's naught for their prey that can signal their presence and where they may strike, besides the earth that shakes whenever they dig. Although one may be occupied with anticipating where and when an earth dragon may breach, one must also be aware of them even when these beasts are still digging. Subterranean tunnels that are dug close to the surface can damage its structure. Anyone who stands above these tunnels may be consumed by this brittle earth and fall into their tunnels, potentially putting them in harm's way, or even the harm itself. Even when not in the path of a burrowing dragon, standing too close to a breaching dragon is dangerous as this sudden discharge of rocks can harm. Thus it's best to stay out of the path of a burrowing earth dragon, lest one may fall into their tunnels or be caught once they burst out of the earth.

When wounded or in danger, earth dragons may burrow into the earth to retreat and seek respite in their home element. Besides their mundane ability to dig through the earth, some earth dragons have special superpowers over the earth itself. As a possessed corpse puppeteered by Terrorblade, Uldorak struck the ground with a glowing claw, causing a large pillar of rock to burst out. His pillar was tall enough to reach Slyrak who was flying tens of meters above the ground. This ability may be unique to eldwurms only, since all dragons grow more powerful as they age, probably gaining new mastery over their inherent element or fundamental force.

The Eldwurms
Uldorak

Hunting
The Dragon Knights of Dragon Hold slay all kinds of dragons as part of their purpose to protect this world from its dragon scourge, including the earth dragon species.

Despite all the death, destruction, and suffering that they inflict upon lesser beings, the Dragon Knights still respect these creatures, with the full knowledge that they are still savage and wild animals. Part of these Knights' Creed includes honoring every Dragon that they kill. This is not an empty credo, for they respect these dragons by making them useful even in death, harvesting every part of their remains—scales, flesh, and bone—to fashion into many useful things: armors, weapons, miscellaneous equipment and even food and other luxuries. Sometimes, a community that survives a dragon-strike may keep the remains of their Dragon terrorizer as a trophy, courtesy of the Dragon Knight who responded to that strike. Profaning slain dragons, such as cursing and damaging their corpse out of hate, is disrespectful to them and may be punishable by death.

Kaden wears a pair of bracers made from the remains of an adult earth dragon, imbuing him with the same strength that it had when it was still alive.

Trivia

 * Uldorak and his earth dragons' design may have been influenced by the original depiction of Uldorak in the Wyrm Helm of Uldorak cosmetic for the . The helm's features included a pair of long horns and green eyes that carried over to the earth dragons' design.