Asparas

Asparas, the dragons of divines, are elegant creatures. They are sleek, serpentine, and have a small build. They stand at six to seven feet tall and have a wingspan between twenty and twenty-two feet. Larger dragons can reach sizes up to twelve feet tall with up to a forty-foot wingspan. Their tails are long with scales that appear like feathers on their tips, allowing for better balance. Their single set of wings are also covered in scales that mimic feathers. They always come in shades of white or gray, never darker than a stormy sky, with a greenish iridescence to their scales. Their eyes are black, with white feline-like pupils. They also have a tapetum lucidum, a reflective layer behind the retina that sends light that passes through the retina back into the eye, to improve vision in darker environments.

The feathers on their tail tip and on their wings are not actually feathers; in reality, they are long, thin scales. They cannot be plucked from the dragon like a feather from a bird, it would be to us like ripping off a toenail. These feather-like scales are arranged similarly to that of a bird's feathers. An aspara's wings have two distinct sets of flight scales. The first set makes up the body of the wing; they are wide and the largest of the scales are how wide the wing will be. The other flight scales act like an airplane's flaps or air brakes. One set of these scales is on a layer under the "primary" flight scales; the other layer is on top of the wing. Asparas have free control over each individual flight scale, which aids them in flying. On windy days on the plains, asparas can extend the scales on the top of their wings to keep them from being thrown into the air.

Asparas are not built for powered flight -- their wings are simply too heavy. Wild asparas use the plains' winds to help them get aloft and rely on thermal air currents to carry them into the sky. Those that dwell in lower altitudes often throw themselves from cliffs to fly. Asparas have a hard time flapping their wings, so most of their flights are short. It is almost impossible for them to fly in bad weather.

Asparas are very social creatures and live in bands of ten to twenty. Most bands migrate around the plains year-round, but those that live in the mountains often stick to one spot. Almost all Asparas can speak Alluumnian, but their native tongue is related to Mivphves. Each band has a slightly different dialect and slightly different words, but for the most part, asparas all speak the same language. They often have social gatherings, most of which are not the happiest of affairs. When a large amount of animals, dragons or humanoids die, asparas, who are connected with the spirit realm, are often deeply disturbed by the happening. They gather en masse for social support and to speak with any lost souls. Because of the morbid nature of these gatherings, humanoids in Alluum have taken to calling aspara gatherings "dead days."

Where asparas roam, humanoids have historically settled. The dragons are said to bring good luck when they pass by a town and are always willing to help newborn demons and angels along with lending support to those who have lost loved ones. Asparas are known to be very serious creatures, but are always glad for conversation.

Along with asparas' inborn ability to speak with spirits, they are also able to travel into the spirit realm. When bonded to a rider, they can also bring their rider with them. Asparas only have a limited amount of time in the spirit realm; unlike the way humanoids often travel there, asparas' physical selves go into the realm. This can cause their soul to separate from their being and they will be stuck there. If they're with their rider, they both will be stuck. The younger the asapara, the longer they can stay in the spirit realm.