Dragons are creatures of dread and terror, but also creatures of wonder, living curiosities that some might dismiss as tales of yore or wild stories told by fools. Still, there might be truth in the rumours and legends surrounding Dragons, their lairs and their hoards.
These are things a company might hear about Dragons should they seek out wisdom and lore concerning them. Not all of them are true, but some might well be.
• "There are many kinds of Dragons, and you may know them by their limbs. There are Dragons with no legs that slither like serpents, those with two legs that walk not like a man but like a great scaly bear, some with four or more legs, and those with wings. The last may have any number of limbs, though six is the normal amount."
• "They say that a foul serpent of the line of Scatha crept silently into the forests of Mirkwood in the days when that dark wood was known as the Greenwood. Do not be deceived by those who say that a Necromancer lairs in Dol Guldur, it is a Dragon, of that I am certain."
• "Dragons are creatures of fire and stone, that is why they lair under mountains. If you plan to slay such a beast, do as good King Bard has done; take them on the wing and plunge them into water. Now, flushing the beast from its roost, that is the trick."
• "Whosoever might taste the heart of a Dragon would know all the tongues of Men and Elves, of birds and beasts."
• "None can taste the blood of a Dragon and live, for it is as a poison of fires that slays all save the mightiest of strength."
• "A Dragon must wake from its slumber from time to time to feast, and by watching for that moment, a brave warrior can sneak in and lay a trap."
• "It is well known by learned people that the Grey Mountains are rife with slumbering Dragons, but what is not known is why so many sleep now? Will they stir in time, perhaps at the call of some changing of the stars or the rise of some great master?"
• "In my grandfather’s youth his uncle told him that a Dragon swooped down and snatched up an entire caravan of merchants travelling from the East to Dale. Now, this was in the days before Smaug came to the Lonely Mountain. This caravan was loaded with wealth, for it was the desire of some Eastern king to purchase many finely wrought suits of armour from the Dwarves. What might have come of this treasure… or this Dragon?"
• "The only tale I have heard of Dragons is that of Hón daughter of Hanar and distant cousin to Grór brother of Thrór. Many long years ago, longer than even the coming of Smaug to Erebor, Hón journeyed into the Grey Mountains to seek revenge on the Dragon that had slain her father and kin. Now, she went alone, and was never heard from again, and let that be a lesson to you to never face a Dragon without stout companions. The thing to remember, though, is that she took with her the only item saved from her ancestral home from when the Dragon came, and that was an axe forged in the first days of Durin’s folk, an axe said to be so sharp it could cleave a column of smoke in twain."
• "There is a Dragon named Sticlas that lairs not far from here, or so the tales go. While it is true that there is no wasteland about its peak, smoke rises there from time to time and shepherds report a strange and terrible beast that comes down from the sky and gobbles up entire flocks, and shepherds too!"
• "The tales of worms are many, and they are creatures of great diversity. There are three types they say: those that spit poison, those that breathe fire, and then there are the ‘Cold-drakes’ that do neither."
• "The worm Eletredde was the first of a brood of three and fought her siblings to the death. Although in the end victorious, the broad curve of her horned head was damaged, so you will know her by her many broken horns.
Between those stumps of horn is the place to lay your blow, for the armour of her hide and strength of her bone is weakest there."
• "Dragons are creatures of greed, and as such can always be tricked by that same greed into rash actions and cunning traps."
• "The sight, hearing and other senses of a Dragon are especially acute, but one must keep in mind that their memories are even sharper than their fangs. A Dragon knows by sight every item in its hoard no matter how small or how fleeting the first viewing was. Just so, they know this by its smell, its touch and its taste. Keep this in mind, for they will not forget any theft nor wrong nor slight, and will seek vengeance."
• "Should you seek the worm Brégnes, look not in the caves of the mountains nor in the depths of the forests.
for she is a great thing of long body and no limbs save the two forepaws she drags herself along with, is a burrowing creature, a worm that lives beneath the earth. She sleeps in old barrows, loots from those same tombs and lairs in a muddy pit filled with the grave goods of ancient heroes, but also the mouldering remains of those same warriors of old."
• "The mind of the Dragon is the true danger, for their thoughts are wicked and evil, so wicked and evil that they leak out and pollute the hearts of others. This wickedness does not end with their deaths; it lingers like a foul odour and taints all they touched."
• "It is rare that a Dragon should make slaves of lesser creatures, but some do. Mostly it is the lowest form of Goblin, but the corruption of Dragons might make even the wild animals that frequent the land about a worm’s lair into its unwitting sentries."
• "Of the land the Dragon resides in, it is always tainted and thus you may tell where they lair. Beware, though, for the taint of worms takes many forms and depends on the nature of the beast in question. Some cause such widespread destruction that the land is torn, burned, and ruined. Others send out their terrible thoughts and thus pollute the trees, animals, and even the rocks and streams."
• "People speak of the greed of Dragons, but that is but a manifestation of the true nature of their taint, namely selfishness. To a worm, there is no more important creature than itself, and all that is in the world is measured based on that. When looking for the Dragon-sickness in others, do not just look for covetousness, but for overweening pride, prickly dignity and furious self-righteousness."
• "Cûtœl, a Fire-drake of the line of Ádfyr, attacked a fortress of the Men of the West in ages past. He did not find a wealth of gold, though there was some, but this fortress was an armoury of a king. Thus the worm took to his treasure hoard finely wrought weapons of powerful might, and he lay down upon them to sleep."
• "Of the Dragons that spit poison much has been said, but it is not just they that are poisonous. The very body and blood, every bit of a Dragon, is a danger to mortals. Touch not a worm with your bare hand, but only with a mailed fist, or better yet, a stout pole tipped with a bright head."
• "Few know this, but I have heard tales of it. Dragons fight with other Dragons and even with other servants of the Enemy. Indeed, they are not so much slaves of the Shadow, but creations thereof. With this knowledge, one can turn beast upon beast and foe upon foe, but who is cunning enough to trick the mind of a Dragon? Who is foolish enough to try?"