3 – An Overview of Dragons

• Names of Dragons – Critical Warning
• Defining Dragons
• A Dragon’s Role
• Egg Production
• Egg Anatomy
• Addressing a Dragon
• Commands
• Dragon Farms
• A Dragon’s Death
• Star-Bearing Hybrids

Names of Dragons – Critical Warning

• A dragon’s true name may never be spoken by mortal tongue, for to do so would bring the destruction of the Overworld, End, and Nether all at once. Rather, each dragon has a simplified name which she may be addressed by, should the need arise at all
• A dragon’s tongue is locked in the sense that she must always address a hybrid by their true name. It’s possible to use generalized terms of affection such as “child” or “dear,” but even a dragon in the best disguise will be forced to reveal her identity if put in a position that requires addressing someone by name
• I do not know how one would learn the true name of a dragon. I have my doubts that three dimensions could be destroyed simply by speaking a word, but I would be remiss not to warn of potential danger

Defining Dragons

You cannot truly understand hybrids without defining dragons. They are large and influential, and it’s no surprise so much of the biology and culture of this world revolves around them. There were once 100 of them, all referred to as female, and each with their own name. Some dragons are still a mystery to me, shifting like ghosts undefinable. Although I have met them, I never seem to wrap my head around them. This is always the case for those who float between worlds with incomplete code, but I shall record the ones I know.

Apart from an exception discussed below, the term “dragon” refers only to the Ender Dragon herself and her 99 dragon offspring. The story I first penned in Chapter 1 regarding the Ender Dragon’s ability to produce new dragons is the only one of its kind, for no other dragon is known to spawn in a similar fashion.

Dragons are best known for three things:

• Their massive size
• Their ability to produce eggs, which can hatch into either mob or hybrid replicants of their own kind
• Their ability to use commands and world edit in the Between dimension (a world that has no admin the way a server does, nor any ability to access ops powers otherwise)

Dragons are neither mobs nor hybrids, but a category of intelligent beings capable of conversation and decision-making. They consider themselves sisters. It is not unusual for them to visit and appeal to one another for resources, or simply to offer affection and gossip. Each dragon has her own territory, which is maintained through world edit. Thus, Between is broken into cultural groups that tailor to the local dragon’s influence.

Additionally, dragons have the ability to take a humanoid form. While in this state, they are commonly called dragon hybrids, though I’ve met some who deem this term disrespectful. Either is correct, though I find the term “hybrid” assists in relaying an expectation that the original term may not well define, particularly in a social or literary setting.

I feel that dragons are best described as neutral or self-prioritizing creatures. They are coded to protect their own offspring above any other and are likely to become hostile in the presence of other individuals they perceive as a threat. It it not advisable to harass a mob near a relevant dragon, as they often find little distinction between the value of mob and hybrid lives and will lash out in vengeance. It is a mistake to assume a dragon will ignore her non-hybrid offspring, or pass over her mob children in exclusive favor of her hybrids.

• The natives born to this universe often refer to their respective dragons as their mother

As in my initial universe, all players are hybrids of some kind, and although we may comment on “humanoid features” or “our humanity,” there does not exist any person in this world who is wholly “human” without some aspect of hybrid traits in their code (or at least, there is no confirmation of this state of being). Many do hold to the idea that the first player was in fact entirely human, showing no mob traits at all: a belief that tends to dovetail into the first player creating all 100 of the dragons, but not birthed by one initially.

• It is worth noting that the Ender Dragon, who is addressed with capital letters, is a singular individual found only in the Between dimension. A mirror of her code exists in individual servers and is best referred to with a lowercase name

Artist’s interpretation of Charlotte, the Fox Dragon

As a mammal, she bears a pelt of fur and fluffy wings (No feathers)

A Dragon’s Role

All dragons are to be addressed as female and lay spawn eggs (barring the exception mentioned below). Dragons do not feed on existing creatures, but on atoms, energy, and some organic material picked from sculk (or perhaps processed by sculk into a form their stomachs can digest).

Dragons do not eliminate waste in the traditional way, as all absorbed energy is used efficiently by the body. Excess energy cannot be used by the body at a later time (as it will lose its potency), so it is instead immediately converted into eggs, which are carried in the gravid state (i.e. internally) before they’re laid in a clutch (multiple eggs deposited together). Each dragon produces a unique egg coloration. Thus, the relevant species of a spawn egg can be easily identified through the use of a guidebook.

• Further reading: Spawn Eggs
  • Minecraft Wiki
  • In the Pixels Imperfect universe, some species are combined under an umbrella; these “lost” spawn egg designs (and joke mob spawn eggs) either don’t exist or are recycled for species from spin-off games like Dungeons that don’t have official spawn egg designs

Sexual reproduction, a type of co-spawning necessary in my world to produce offspring among hybrids, is not possible in this world. Hybrids are best described as sterile– that is, they lack the physical equipment for such reproduction. Hybrids may take fellow hybrids under their wing, providing care in addition to that given by their mother dragon (or in some cases, in place of). Additionally, it is possible for hybrids to form a consciousness outside their own in the form of an AI spark– a floating light which can be guided into a creature, block, or even machinery in order to grant it artificial intelligence, which can be interpreted as a way of continuing their lineage.

• See also, Chapter 9 – “Carrots, Co-Spawning, and Flares”

As hybrids cannot reproduce, a dragon’s spawn eggs are of critical importance to Between society. The development into either mob or hybrid offspring is determined by the care given to the egg before it hatches. A well-cared for egg is one that is kept warm and closely attended to. This will hatch into a hybrid. An egg left to grow cold, or which is abandoned in unloaded chunks for long periods of time, will fade from contact with the outside world and hatch a mob.

Each dragon has her own unique biology. For instance, the Ender Dragon has tough, leathery skin, the Salmon Dragon has scales, the Parrot Dragon is feathered, and the Fox Dragon is a mammal with a furry coat. All dragons produce milk or a similar substance (which, for all intents and purposes, can be described as milk), though not all lactate from the belly. The Parrot Dragon is one of many who produces a slick milk-like substance from her jaws and delicately allofeeds her spawnlings until they wean (typically around Level 3, 4, or 5 in Between dimension XP, though this may vary in some species).

• See also, Chapter 5 – “Hybrid Biology”

Hybrids do not possess teats or lactate. However, most seemed to recognize terms like lactation and correctly associated these with dragons feeding offspring. While dragons can take hybrid form, I’ve noticed mammals tend to position their teats in two rows down their bellies (along the sides) whereas non-mammals don’t include them at all. I’ve yet to see a dragon take hybrid form and position two teats at her breast, as the women wore them in my home world. However, I suppose it would be far more surprising if she did, as traditionally, a mammal has twice as many teats for her average litter size and no dragon has been documented as bearing only one child in a clutch. I imagine a very strong back would be required to carry teats large enough to feed a dragon’s hungry clutch. It’s far more efficient to spread them down the torso.

• Dragons produce milk from their lower body, meaning the teats nearest the tail have the richest milk (and the most of it) while those near the chest have the least
• These rear teats are the ones the offspring vie with each other to reach
• The most dominant and/or aggressive offspring are likely to claim those positions while more passive offspring are relegated farther up the belly

The Cow Dragon and Goat Dragon both possess an udder, which features four teats that contain her richest milk. However, they both have several more teats present along the belly to the chest, allowing them to birth and raise large clutches (unrestricted by the limitation of what the udder can hold). The Sniffer Dragon has no teats. Instead, she secretes milk directly from her fur. She also allofeeds her offspring from her bill. I would not call her a mammal, but I lack awareness of any comparable species in my home world; it’s no surprise to me that sniffers are classified as fey.

Dragons make little distinction between their mob and hybrid offspring, allowing them to suckle beside each other as spawnlings. A mob without an AI spark (i.e. the consciousness created via hybrid co-spawning) is not capable of conversation that a hybrid can easily and accurately understand, but sparked mobs do become self-aware. In present day, it’s considered impossible to spark mobs while in Between, but it’s possible a dragon may be able to communicate with a sparked mob as easily as they do with a hybrid. I am not sure if a dragon can communicate with a mob that lacks this hybrid-produced AI spark.

• I believe dragons understand nonverbal signals of both mobs and hybrids, but I do not believe mobs speak in words to dragons

Under no circumstances is it recommended to frighten or harm a dragon within her own territory. In fact, I do not advise harassing them at all, regardless of location or entitled attitudes some may display. As difficult as some personalities can be, we must always remember that they hold far greater power than us and we do not know much about them, including whether they might withhold their reproduction and leave our race to die out.

In addition to bearing eggs and using their command powers to edit the landscape, dragons play a social role as leaders, caretakers, and teachers of those under their care. They mark out their territories and oversee local communities. Each dragon has her own preference for how much she may wish to involve herself in the affairs of mortals, but many seek dragons for food, shelter, or to settle disagreements. There is no mob as large or as powerful as a dragon, and even the smallest dragon dwarfs large mobs such as golems and wardens.

Egg Production

Dragons produce eggs in regular cycles. They assemble their eggs through the swallowing of atoms and organic material (i.e. without the need for a partner). This is known as spawning, as opposed to the activity of co-spawning, which is required among most mobs that can reproduce (although not inherently sexual in nature). A dragon’s spawning behavior seems to be an automatic response to some form of mental signal, such as the shifting of seasons or scarcity of food. To my understanding, a dragon may be gravid for weeks, months, or perhaps years before she lays. The livestock dragons are known for spawning more frequently than most.

• My wife has slapped my head and pointed out that spawning behavior is dependent on when the previous clutch weans, with some species taking longer than others
• All dragons take brief resting periods between raising their clutches, but will soon seek resources to prepare for the next

Eggs are always laid in clutches. A dragon will lay them near her species’ soul spawner unless access is obstructed (such as by caregivers, other eggs, or egg thieves). A dragon has the ability to pick up her soul spawner and adjust its position within a small area. It is not currently known if soul spawners can be moved large distances, but they can be moved between caves and mountaintops, or from one pasture to a greener one. Dragons are highly protective of their spawners, which seem to embody their own life force. The loss of a spawner means the immediate loss of a dragon.

• Dragons appear to be the only creatures capable of picking up and moving soul spawners. Other attempts to pick them up with tools or hands have led to spawners exploding, killing the dragon associated with it- thus setting up the future extinction of the associated hybrid species

The smallest documented clutch was laid by the Allay Dragon, with a mere two eggs. Records report they both hatched into hybrids and were weaned at the expected time. The largest clutch belonged to the Axolotl Dragon with over 600 eggs. However, the Axolotl Dragon showed favor to only a small amount of eggs in her clutch. These were monitored closely and hatched into axolotl hybrids whereas those that received less attention were left to hatch into axolotl mobs (unless they were taken up by someone who incubated them until they hatched a hybrid).

Wandering trader spawnling hatching from an egg in a soft nest

Each dragon has her preferred method of nesting and post-gravid care. Some, such as the Turtle and Alligator Dragons, prefer to bury their eggs and monitor from a mild distance. Others, such as the Fox Dragon, settle closely with their eggs and do not leave the burrow until all have hatched. The Phantom Dragon carries her eggs in the gular pouch at her throat, using her throat muscles to forcefully squeeze and crack them when the time is right (as undead infants cannot hatch without assistance). The Skeletal Dragon wraps her eggs in her tail, also squeezing until they crack, while the Rotten Dragon cracks eggs with her teeth and coaxes her hybrids out by licking shells away with her tongue.

Most dragons are very protective of their young. However, there are many documented reports of eggs removed from a dragon’s nest and incubated elsewhere, even adopted by one or multiple caretakers. Some dragons may be willing to part with their eggs if flattered or offered certain resources. Others may request assistance with the caretaking of their clutch, but allow spawnlings to follow their caretaker elsewhere if desired. Some become aggressive at the approach of an intruder.

Additionally, some dragons may allow their milk to go to fostering the hybrid spawn of another species. This appears to be the exception rather than the rule, as dragons will instinctively protect their own (favoring even mobs of their species above hybrids of another). Many dragons, if presented with a hybrid spawnling to foster, will kill the hybrid so it will respawn in its own soul spawner, whereupon its own mother can care for it. As you can imagine, this causes difficulty and duress to individuals, couples, or researchers who may not have easy access to dragon milk.

• Milk and souls (i.e. “raw code”) are the only nutrients a spawnling can accept, thus dividing the population into “live code eaters” (anivores and omnivores) and “non-live code eaters” (herbivores, frugivores, insectivores, etc.)
• There are no carnivorous hybrids (i.e. those who only eat flesh). If a hybrid would be carnivorous in my world, it appears to be an anivore or omnivore in this one. Presumably, there isn’t enough flesh to go around, but there is an abundance of light and code
• I have never met a hybrid who considers the skin to be a source of food. However, I’ve known anivores to lick or chew on skin to eat the “strings of code” that bind the skin to the soul. Skins, however, are not viewed as consumable and are abandoned even by anivores once the code strings are licked from them. I imagine they resemble the tough rinds of fruit or the bark of a tree and are ignored by most creatures

Many hybrids seem to believe the best way to care for a lost spawnling is to kill it (with the exception of pack-oriented species, who are more likely to adopt it, or any hybrid who is expressly looking to provide caregiving, such as a medical professional or simply a sympathetic soul). I’ve also known wandering traders to bring spawnlings further with them on the road in case others may give it a home.

I imagine this habit of killing the young is taught to hybrids culturally, as they grow up assuming that all species (barring cluckshrooms and allay) will respawn at their spawner and be cared for by their mother dragon. I’m curious to know if hybrids lack a natural caregiving instinct, and if they would be more inclined to care for unknown young if they were capable of sexual reproduction. I’ve witnessed hybrids tame wolves and cats as pets before, so I presume there must be some caretaking instinct present. Arguably, sending a spawnling back to its mother may be a survival method as it prevents depletion of local resources.

• To each their own, but I would never trust my own offspring with a fellow hybrid unless I felt incredibly certain they understand my preference for it not to be killed while under their watch

Egg Anatomy

A dragon’s egg consists of four parts:

• Shell
• Vessel Membrane
• Chalaza
• Milk

From the time they are laid, a dragon’s eggs are considered “empty.” The soul is not present until sparked via account creation, which is outside the bounds of this world. When account creation occurs, a player-spectator pair are formed in whichever eggs in Between have been waiting the longest for their souls, which may belong to the same dragon or separate dragons. Sometimes, the pair may be born within the same spawn egg (as a result of both targeting the same destination, with the second of the pair hatching simultaneously with the first instead of minutes apart). These are known as identical twins, and are almost always considered siblings due to proximity and the shared egg.

• Identical twins may develop different gender identities and may adopt skins that look quite different from each other. The term “identical” simply refers to player-spectator pairs who hatch from the same egg and are the same species because of it.

Dragon eggs are lightweight, but surprisingly firm and strong. They may lack a soul until their final moments, but some aspect of life forms in them nonetheless. A dragon develops an egg in her body, and when it is laid, it contains a membrane that will cradle the incoming soul. This thin membrane is called a vessel and determines the shape (i.e. body type) of the soul. Variation does exist within species, but some species are prone to certain shapes. For example, enderman hybrids tend to be tall, owing to the fact that the soul molds itself to an elongated vessel within the egg.

The empty vessel is coated in a second thin membrane called chalaza (kuh-lay-zuh); a sticky white substance goop produced by the soul. The purpose of the chalaza is to act like glue, sticking the soul to the skin it will wear. Once soul and skin are connected, the body is capable of moving. For example, the soul can bend the fingers, blink the eyelids, and experience touch (including pain). Chalaza adapts to the shape of the vessel. The two terms may be used interchangeably, though this is colloquial and not technically correct.

• See also, the Dressing in a Skin section of Chapter 5 – “Hybrid Biology”

The skin is the outer layer of a hybrid’s body. I find the best way to describe it is as a single-piece item of clothing (such as a onesie) that covers the body, hands, feet, wings, tail and includes a hood. The hood can be pulled down over the face. A skin can be removed and replaced with a different design (affecting skin color, hair color, freckles, minor scars, and so on). However, skins must be tailored to fit the vessel of the person wearing them. It is possible to dress in the skin of another individual, but compressing your energy into a smaller skin is near impossible, and a skin that’s too big will be baggy.

Chalaza – The white, sticky layer of membrane that acts as a barrier and adhesive between soul and skin

Vessel –  The inner membrane that cradles the soul and gives it shape. It is thin and easy to pierce (physically and emotionally), which can lead to lasting damage. By this, I mean any scars that reach this level are not likely to be cured via respawn. This occurs when the emotions surrounding the damage were so overwhelming to the individual, they have not made peace with them; the soul carries the damage even between respawns. Discarding a vessel is not as easy as changing skins, but it may be tweaked by a skilled individual

The vessel layer can be modded to create the appearance that a person is not the species they were born as, though I use the term “appearance” because that individual’s soul cannot be altered and they will continue respawning at the soul spawner for their initial species

Soul – The aspect of the body that carries sentience and produces a glow (White for mobs and blue for hybrids). It is humanoid in nature, but bears hybrid elements for the species as applicable (Ex: An axolotl hybrid may have large gills on the face)

Skins are designed with thin mesh over the eyes, allowing the hybrid to see through them (as it is the soul, not the clothing-like skin, that perceives the world). If a soul is in the connected state, the eyes will glow due to the thinness of this mesh. Other thin patches can be added to the skin at will to create additional glowing. Some glowing is involuntary, such as the swell of energy that fills the cheeks when flustered.

Lastly, eggs contain milk, which feed the spawnling temporarily if the mother dragon should be absent at the time of hatching. Some species may produce a substance that differs from the composition of milk, but the purpose is for nourishing the young and it is widely known as milk for consistency’s sake.

• It is not possible for an egg to be considered a “dud” (i.e. an egg that will never hatch) as an egg does not contain a spark of life until just before it hatches. All eggs will hatch in due time unless physical damage has been done to break the shells and disrupt the interior. However, some species (particularly the undead) require outside assistance to leave their shells

There does not exist a “Dragon Dragon,” and no further clutches of dragons were ever produced (by the Ender Dragon or any other). Seeing as no new dragons were born to fill the role of the two who were slain, I presume the knowledge of how to form a dragon has either been lost to time or deemed insensitive in their memory. I imagine that in the absence of all dragons, hybrids would cease to exist and the world would be filled with whichever mobs and ambiance creatures who evolved to fill the niches.

• I theorize that golden carrots may have been consumed by the Ender Dragon to spawn the original 100 dragons. It is widely believed that carrots are extinct in the Between dimension, now existing only on servers. If this is true, I imagine there will be no more dragons in Between

Addressing a Dragon

A dragon should be addressed with respect, generally with stricter rules of decorum than might be shown a fellow hybrid. All dragons have a title (i.e. identifying their species) and a personal name. The address Madame X Dragon is appropriate in all situations, such as in Madame Ender Dragon. I’ve also heard terms such as Mother Ender or Mama Ender, spoken in endearment.

In most cases, a dragon’s offspring may freely approach and address their mother (though some dragons may not appreciate what they perceive as a plea for resources from a needy adult). It is rarely appropriate for an unrelated individual to address a dragon directly, and one would need to be very close to address them to their face by name in place of species title. Some, however, do seem to prefer their name, and identifying subtext and subtleties is key to winning a dragon’s favor.

• Be cautious not to make assumptions. For example, the dragon who lays zombie eggs is not called the Zombie Dragon, but the Rotten Dragon, as she also lays the eggs for husks and drowneds
• I would be curious to know if her soul is split in three pieces, and if it would require the loss of all three spawners to cause her death (Though I certainly don’t encourage anyone to seek such answers out)

Commands

Commands allow dragons great abilities, such as teleportation (of self and others), item creation, item cloning, adjusting nearby weather, adjusting the difficulty level of surrounding mobs, manipulating sounds (including voice mimicry and the muting of others’ voices), and enchanting items, which can turn an already powerful creature into an great ally (or great danger).

Such abilities do exist on-server and can be possessed by admins, but dragons are the only ones to wield such abilities in Between. Additionally, only dragons have the ability to mine and place blocks in Between. However, they carry with them an Allow field: a radius that allows nearby blocks to be altered. With consent, this field can be overlaid with a Deny field, and this is typical of interactions between sisters (i.e. one deferring to the other, or both to a third if they intend to meet on neutral ground).

• Further reading: Commands, Command Blocks, Vanilla Modifiers, & Votes
  • Minecraft Wiki

Dragon Farms

Hubs function best when hybrids are able to support themselves off their surroundings. Total reliance on a dragon is not a good way for a hub to thrive. In other words, survival tends to go best in hubs that are hybrid-managed, but dragon-supported. Thanks to commands, dragons can use their magic to generate many resources. However, as Between does not run on creative mode, there are limits to these abilities. Examples:

Dragons cannot produce spawn eggs for other species

• This is true even if the dragon is near another’s soul spawner

Dragons specialize in blocks that fit the theme of their species and/or nesting hub biome

• Many may not be able to generate wood or soil from other biomes

Dragons can only generate natural blocks or adjacent blocks that fit their specialty

• A dragon cannot generate cake as it is a complicated food

Dragons cannot generate mobs, meaning they cannot generate meat

• Dragons can lay spawn eggs for their associated mobs

Dragons cannot produce seeds, carrots, beetroots, or potatoes directly

• Many dragons can produce grass, which may someday grow seeds

Dragons CAN produce saplings and wood

• They can also produce crafted wood that fits their nesting biome’s theme, such as planks and fences

Dragons can only generate ore veins in environments that meet the spawning conditions

• Ex: Heat, pressure, level of salt or acidity, wetness, dryness, depth, and so on

It seems that dragons can spawn in new ore veins, but only if the surrounding environment has the right conditions to allow placement. When conditions are fitting, the environment may replace the ores by naturally respawning the vein (i.e. changing existing blocks such as stone or deepslate into ores). In other words, a dragon seems able to create ore blocks, but can only place them in certain locations, and by the time the dragon remembers to do that, the world itself has probably met the conditions already.

Because of this, many hubs have farms that simulate the conditions to spawn valued resources, like ores. These farms may be small structures (allowing only one or two blocks to be spawned in at a time, leading to more frequent harvesting in smaller amounts) or much wider structures (which may take longer to meet spawning conditions, but produce more at once when harvested). These are called Ore Farms (for ore specifically) or Dragon Farms (a broader term).

• Dragon farms receive resources from dragons. They do not harvest the body or drops of dragons

Keeping ore farms near the nest makes it easy for a dragon to evaluate them and determine if conditions are right for spawning new ore veins. Dragons tend not to create ores unless asked (as it isn’t natural in their behavior cycle and they don’t default to this activity). They may demand fees in return for doing so, but each dragon’s personality differs. Some dragons will spawn these ores simply because they’re asked to. Many dragons have only a small selection of favored individuals they will listen to- i.e. hybrids who follow etiquette and make polite requests.

I would compare this to an invisible trust meter; thus, a dragon may ignore a stranger’s request to ask for resources. Dragons do not respond well to aggression and impoliteness. Unless you’ve been granted permission, approaching one of these farms within sight of a dragon is not likely to end well for you. Many dragons see this as dishonest, rude, or dangerous behavior – similar to approaching eggs or their nest – and may attack.

Dragons do not build or maintain farms, especially ore farms, though a dragon may have a space where they create resources such as moss, leaves, or dirt to lie down on (as a dragon is programmed to build a nest when they’re expecting eggs, and nests can come in a variety of materials). These farms are built and mined by hybrids, who may need to replace damaged parts. Automation may be possible, though the Slime Dragon’s nesting hub has never been found, leading to a lack of slime aboveground (and a lack of pistons to automate the work).

• See Chapter 12 – “Important Points In History” and the “Exploring Dimensions” section of Chapter 21 – “Additional Info”

Artist’s interpretation of the late Cluckshroom Dragon, Mallory

A Dragon’s Death

Two dragons have been lost across the centuries. The first is the Cluckshroom Dragon, slain for greed. Cluckshroom mobs and hybrids are extinct in modern times, though remnants of their existence remain. The second lost was the Allay Dragon, whose spawner was silk touched by an enderman hybrid. Soul spawners appear to have a connection to the dragon’s soul (or at least their pathfinding), causing the dragon to immediately explode in a burst of sparks and energy.

• This burst buffets nearby creatures backwards, but does no harm (although the creature may be hurt by fall damage or crashing into other blocks, like a cactus)

Dragons drop blocks in their full, large forms, which fall due to gravity (like sand). These blocks form in a pattern called a dracofall. Dragon deaths are not well-studied, but this appears to be the pattern given what we know about the Cluckshroom and Allay Dragons.

• Dracofalls – Nutrient-rich structures that provide renewable nutrients to many creatures

Dragons drop the following:

• Unesu Blocks – Raw meat; also found in naturally generated dracofalls in the deepwater biome
• Fossils – Bone blocks in a skeletal shape
• Drops associated with their relevant mobs, in block form if applicable

The Cluckshroom Dragon’s dracofall is presumed to have been picked clean by hybrids. According to all known records, the Cluckshroom Dragon was the first dragon slain. Despite speculation on the origin of some fossils, there are no records indicating other dragons beyond the 100 have existed in Between.

• Two speculated Helsian dragons are discussed in Chapter 21 – “Additional Info”

If a dragon dies near sculk, the sculk spreads rapidly and will wrap the dracofall. This prevents most of the nutrients from being consumed by other creatures. In darkwater biomes, water flows through the sculk and can carry small particles upwards, which some creatures feed on. On land, however, sculk retains its grip. As with anything else, the sculk can consume the dracofall for nutrients or preserve it for later.

• The Allay Dragon’s dracofall was consumed by sculk and is currently preserved and overseen by the locals
• See also, the “Notable Landscape Changes” section of Chapter 11 – “Between’s Landscape”

Star-Bearing Hybrids

A hybrid who kills a dragon gains a brand upon their hand: five dots positioned in a star, which pulse with a rainbow glow. This brand, known as the command star, grants the ability to wield commands in the Between dimension, including teleportation, weather manipulation, and large-scale world edit. Whomever kills the holder of the star will also take it from them, as it becomes branded to their skin (and removed from the former who possessed it). Once the star is taken, all dragon abilities are stripped from the former and possessed solely by the latter who caused their death.

In accordance with protocol, even a hybrid who bears the star is addressed as a dragon (assuming their identity is known). A star-bearing hybrid also creates their own Allow field. This can be disabled at will, but should it still be enabled, the existence of such a field may betray their identity as a “dragon” even if the brand on their hand is concealed.

Star-bearing hybrids may express any gender identity, though in my experience, dragons default to terms like “sister” and she/her pronouns. Star-bearing hybrids have the ability to take on dragon form (albeit a much smaller one than a natural dragon). As far as is known, these new “dragons” are still biologically hybrids and lack fertility. No new spawn eggs have ever been produced for the two lost species. Furthermore, a hybrid bearing a command star is not restrained by other aspects of dragonhood, such as the forced use of true names.

As of yet, I’ve also not known a star-bearing hybrid to add teats to their body, as hybrids do not naturally have them. I suppose it may be possible to nurse a newborn, but I doubt a hybrid would know how to convert their internal functions into mammary glands. Following that logic, it is potentially possible for a star-bearing hybrid to take dragon form and bear eggs, but I do not know how the internal anatomy of a dragon would be studied, as living dragons convert to their drops after death.

• The Cluckshroom Dragon’s command star is currently in my possession
• The current holder of the Allay Dragon’s star is unknown

Archivist’s Note – [Minor Series Spoilers]
– In most of the Pixels Imperfect works, Scott | Smajor1995 is the holder of the Allay Dragon’s command star. He obtained it following the events of “Criminal Experience” and “Closed Door Policy.”

– It is not known how Herobrine obtained his star.

Could new hybrids be born without their soul spawner? Would such a body change bring only mobs into the world? Is there any way to forge new soul spawners, which must have been created in the ancient days, even if guided by the caretaker spirits spoken of in legends? Perhaps these are questions we’ll never answer, though the moral debate of seeking answers – and potentially reviving a lost species – is certainly an interesting one to have.