So I've finally decided to pick up the disaster that was going to be my trilogy... until I over stuffed it with meaningless drivel and it burst. Seriously, it was like an overstuffed turkey!
I've shredded it right back down to the basics, and it has come out of it somewhat changed from the original plan (to engrave the names of my teenage Arch Enemies as baddies for all time *evil laugh*)
Anyway, I digress.
So, introduction over. Essentially if you had a character who could transform into a dragon, how would you kill them?
I'm toying the idea that they're immune to fire. Along that strain of thought they can't be killed with fire even in human form unless *something something something* dragonsbane. Which in this particular story will be like a rock/granite/you get the drift.
But yes, I'm curious to see how the other creative minds here may look at the problem and see if you can see another angle?
It's not really this morbid I promise, but I feel that such an impressive character shouldn't be able to be killed easily...
Crossbow bolt with a dragonsbane arrow head maybe?
:D
11 years ago
Sun Jun 03 2012, 11:31am
Thanks ElspethInnle but I didn't mean "the big end scene" kind of killing though. Haven't even gotten to that part yet. :)
I meant just a general weakness "If one had to be exectued" kind of way- you know, vampires are traditionally killed by sunlight or silver, etc.
They're not immune to everything, just difficult to kill due to their tendency to shift ;) I guess I was more thinking if I was going to make them immune to fire - as dragons themselves breathe fire I find it a bit odd if when they're in human form any little blaze could kill them - then how would they be killed?
Go the romantic angle? If a dragon falls in love while in human form, they lose their superhuman powers and cark it like the rest of us? To rub the point in a bit more, you could have the person the dragon falls in love with kill them.
Mystic Guilden
11 years ago
Sun Jun 03 2012, 07:18pm
Mystic Guilden
Mage
Not sure if I'm on the right track with this or not (so ignore the post if I'm waaaay off base) but, if you use the angle that they are immune to fire, maybe a weakness would be a traditional opposition to fire, like water, except in the case of a dragon, you would need more than a bucket or two and it would probably need to be icy cold..... hmmm, even I'm talking myself out of this option. :(
One type of Dragon holds its strength in its head, so decapitation could be an option. There is another story about a dragon who was "tricked into walking along a pontoon bridge with hidden spikes." I guess that makes an option of killing a dragon by outsmarting or tricking it.
Seems Dragons are difficult to take down outside of Skyrim :P
Haha, good one Ari! Believe it or not I was thinking of something along those lines - but they have dragonsbane spikes through their wrists to stop the shift, they are draped in heavy irons, and drowned in an ice lake :D
Hmm, I'm trying to stay away from a romantic angle at this stage Darga - it will come along eventually, but I'm not writing a romance story so I don't want it to centre around it. But it would be a great idea if I was! :)
Mystic Guilden
11 years ago
Mystic Guilden
Mage
I have to admit Elaria, writing it that way gives the process an almost ceremonial air. The sacrificial dragon, so to speak. :)
I think it would be kind of amusing if this Dragonsbane substance was found quite commonly. So that your dragon folk would just be wandering around having a nice old time, then BAM he's eating at some resturant that for whatever reason has cutlerly that was made with dragonsbane. Suddenly, there are blisters on their tongue.
Anyway, randomness aside, if you're going with the dragonsbane being some form of element or whatever I'd have it so that it would hurt and effect those people who are dragons but is only deadly in certain forms. ie. if they eat with a spoon made of the stuff they are going to get miffed but they aren't going to die. But if they were fed stuff with it mixed in, slowly over time it would eventually build up in their systems and kill them, kind of like what can be done with heavy metal poisoning. Then of course there would be the more traditional maiming and killing with weapons made of the stuff since I'll just assume it's the only 'metal' strong enough to hack through a dragons thick skin.
But yeah, I'm totally rambling cause I'm not really sure what you're after here.
11 years ago
Mon Jun 04 2012, 04:12pm
In my opinion a dragon that has taken human form should have the same weaknesses as an actual human (though perhaps the same weaknesses as a very fit and healthy human) - that would include potential injury or death from fire. I see the dragon choosing to take the risk in return for whatever they hope to achieve while human.
If they were injured they could change back to dragon form to heal themselves (or at least speed recovery), but they wouldn't have time to change in the event of something like a surprise beheading.
I like the idea already mentioned of dragonsbane being used to prevent a dragon changing back. This could be used for a ceremonial execution, to force the dragon to suffer through it knowing they can't save themselves. In that scenario they could even be left to starve to death. Perhaps factoring in another idea, that dragons can be very persuasive, a condemned dragon might be able to talk someone into releasing them...
P.S. When I saw the title of this thread I thought it was going to be a Dining Hall game:
You can chop of their head, Fred.
Or impale them on a spear, dear.
Maybe squash 'em with a rock, Jock.
Or just tickle them to death.
Hmm this is interesting... Here's a few of my random ideas:
1. What if specific dragon's are able to build a resistance to this dragon's bane? Maybe all dragon's try to build one, but since not all can, those who can't are cursed to human form for the rest of their lives! However, those who do build a resistance to it can still die from it, say if it is injected into one and only one area? That would mean if you went with the dragonsbane arrow, you would have to have a rly good archer!
2. i don't know, i had other ideas, but i got so taken up with the first one i forgot the rest. lol, i'll come back and tell ya if i remember X:S
An interesting idea indeed. I was thinking, we are often our own worst enemy. Maybe for a dragon, this could be taken to mean they can only be killed by fire?
Not just any fire though, but a fire made from a certain mix of wood and rock (insert dragonsbane here). Or perhaps a fire that was started by another dragon, but fed by humans in case they ever had the problem again? Maybe they have to be in human form for the fire to kill them. Or perhaps the fire causes them to loose control of their shape turning them into defenceless humans again so they can be killed. Ooh, I like that last one, perhaps I should write about dragons too :P
So many choices....
I never thought there'd be this much interest in the topic! :D Mind you I think I'm more enjoying watching everyones creative juices flowing re: dragons... making me excited!
Have written a history for them, and they weren't the nicest ones around. Traditionally when a youth reached the age of 16, they'd be thrown into a volcano to force their change - and if they didn't, well, it's a way to keep the blood lines pure ;)
I'm not bloodthirsty, but they are. [act]nods[/act]
Heh heh, blame the characters. I like your style! :)
'keep the blood lines pure' *laughing*
I actually seriously accept the blame it on the characters theory. I swear characters are impossible to control. If they want to throw small children into a volcano, then really there isn't much you can do to stop them.
So, anyway the whole keeping the bloodlines pure thing by volcanoing adolescents is reminding me of a book I read earlier this year. It wasn't about dragons but it worked with werewolves in a untraditional way. Basicaly, they would only turn into wolves once the temperature reached a certain degree and stayed below it, so they would stay as wolves for the entire winter. Not sure how exactly this relates to your story, but if heat triggers a transformation you could definitely have fun with it if one of your dragonfolk got caught in a housefire or something.
Poor dragon, innocently doing the night's cooking while in human form. Turns away from the stove for a moment to ask her/his partner how they like their meat. As they do so, oil splatters out of the pan and sets the nearby tea towel alight. Flames blaze high, and the human-form dragon is interrupted mid-sentence as he/she changes shape. "Do you like your meat well... ROAR!!". Partner gapes in astonishment as the roof caves in. Not only is her/his tea-towel burnt to a crisp and his/her loving partner transformed into a giant reptile (somewhat less attractive than the previous shape, although of course that is a matter of perspective), but he/she has to deal with the house insurance company, AS WELL. It's really not turning out to be a good day...
And then they would fold their arms and grumble, "Seriously, again? Aren't our premiums already high enough?"
And they STILL didn't get dinner! ;)
They sat down to eat it later, after the firetrucks went away. But unfortunately, the meat was rather well done....
. . . and by well done, they meant so overdone that it was completely indistinguisable from the rest of the ash pile that was now the kitchen.
Mystic Guilden
11 years ago
Mystic Guilden
Mage
Luckily they don't have to worry about the neighbours complaining. They've already run halfway to Mexico in absolute terror. In fact, there is quite possibly ash free food next door.....
Mystic Ward
11 years ago
Mystic Ward
Twentyfamilies Gypsy
PML. I'm laughing so hard at these comments I forgot what I was going to type.
All part of a rather cunning plan, really, to save a bit of money. I mean, food is so EXPENSIVE these days. Far better to burn your house down and scare off the neighbours, then steal their tucker. Seems quite reasonable to me. In fact, I bet that's why the non-dragon member of the two married the dragon... Uh-oh. I shouldn't have said that out loud. I suddenly hear divorce lawyers looming. Looming... then disintegrating in a pile of ash, following a little encounter with enraged dragon-fire.
HA HA!!! This could totally work if you made dragons a common occurance in your story, then kitchens would be burning down all the time! Of course, you'd still need a bad guy... or guys... so why not 2 factions of dragons? some who r willing to live with the humans, even tho they burn down their kitchens all the time, and the other faction which pushes young ones into volcanoes and want to rule the human race! Of course, depending on if your main char is a dragon or human, this could work in 2 ways... maybe the human becomes a friend of the dragons, or is half dragon half human with unusual abilities (yes, unusual even for a half dragon half human kid.) Or say a 15 year old kid in the bad faction runs away before learning to become a dragon... and the story would continue from there... maybe all the good dragons try to be pacifists, and so this 15 year old kid has to try to get the good dragons to help the human race.
Wow, i love this thread! I hope i get to see what everyone writes about dragons, if they write a story.
So did any of this madness actually help you out, Elaria?