- "And of course there are the legends that claim the dragons once lived alongside the gods, and were able to use magic. But they earned themselves the wrath of the gods, and the gods left them little more than dumb beasts. Or so the tale goes.... Dragons are rare in our modern world. We should at least try to record all that we can about them in case they disappear entirely." —Traveling Author of Northreach
Dragon in the Whitewood
Dragons (ドラゴン, Doragon) are a rare race of winged reptiles that dwell in Orsterra. They can channel wind magic and breathe fire, and legends claim that they once possessed the power of speech.
Description[]
As demonstrated by the boss dragon's sprite, dragons have plated gray scales with leathery wings and tan undersides. While this boss may not be representative of the entire dragon species, its appearance suggests that its race tends to be large and stone-colored.
The dragons that appear in Champions of the Continent are red and dark blue respectively, but share the same physical structure at the standard boss. Their coloration may be created by magic rather than nature.
Appearances[]
Dragon in Octopath Traveler
In Octopath Traveler, one dragon appears as a boss; others are mentioned in sidequests such as Kaia, Mother of Dragons and Here Be Dragons. In Champions of the Continent, two dragons (Ruby Shadow Dragon and Sable Shadow Dragon) make an appearance, although those are recreations of Orsterra's memories within the Tower of Remembrance.[1]
In Octopath Traveler II, Cateracta, one of the three Creatures of Legend, takes the form of a serpentine Chinese dragon with power over water. However, since Cateracta and her child hail from Solistia and are not explicitly referred to as dragons, they are not considered representative of the Orsterran species.
Dragon boss
The more common creatures known as drakes may be related to dragons, as they resemble small, hornless, winged lizards. Although the Tyrannodrake appears large enough to qualify as a dragon, it lacks the firebreath that defines dragonkind.
Known Dragons[]
History[]
According to the Here Be Dragons quest, Orsterran legends claim that dragons once lived alongside the gods. However, the dragons earned the gods' wrath for reasons unknown, and as punishment the gods removed their power of speech, transforming the dragons into dumb beasts.
About 217 years before the events of Octopath Traveler, Odin Crossford obtained the Dragonstones, which contained the magic of dragons. He used the Dragonstones to seal the Gate of Finis, then entrusted the Dragonstones to the Ravus household.
Another legend states that King Beowulf built the stronghold of Everhold in order to do battle against a red-eyed dragon.
Story[]
One dragon appears in H'aanit's Chapter 3, dwelling within the Whitewood. This dragon guards the rare herb-of-grace, Orsterra's only known cure for petrification. H'aanit proves her hunting prowess by slaying the creature.
The Here Be Dragons quest reveals that only three specific dragons are known to exist in modern Orsterra, two of which are now deceased:
- The dragon of the Cliftlands was slain by Z'aanta, who fought the dragon using no more than his bow and his loyal wolf companion.
- The dragon of the Frostlands was slain by H'aanit, and is theorized to have used the Whitewood's herb-of-grace as a lure for prey.
- The dragon of the Highlands is the only known living dragon. It is said to possess the power of speech, and is probably the dragon referenced in the Kaia, Mother of Dragons questline. This dragon is known to be female with a voice like a "highborn lady, ever so posh."
In Kaia, Mother of Dragons, a dragon visits Kaia in a dream, telling her to take care of its egg. Kaia hatches the dragon egg using a blazestone and disappears into the wilderness, where she plans to teach the baby dragon to speak.
Trivia[]
- In order to hatch, dragon eggs require the heat of a volcano or a blazestone found in Orewell.
- Kaia's dragon egg is reported to be bigger than a human head, and is referred to as the "Giant Egg."
- The Egg Man in Quarrycrest claims to have seen fragments of dragon egg before.
- According to the Egg Man, the wisest dragons often leave their young in the care of humans.
- Two dungeons in the game are named after dragons: Dragonsong Fane and Maw of the Ice Dragon. A dungeon in Octopath Traveler II, Dragonridge, also bears the name of the species, although only the Dragonsong Fane has a tangible connection to dragons as Kaia, Mother of Dragons (III) requires the player to battle a thief there.
- The Traveling Author in Northreach is fascinated by dragons and seeks to find and write about them during his travels. When Guided/Allured, he asks if there's any chance that the journey will take him to see a dragon, and when Provoked he cries hopefully, "Is that... a dragon!?" It is theoretically possible to bring him into battle against the Dragon in H'aanit's Chapter 3, although the closest he can get to a dragon through Provoke is H'aanit unleashing a drake. (He does not have any special reaction in either of these scenarios.)
- The Curious Cleric at Dragonsong Fane promotes the worship of dragons as an alternative to the Sacred Flame.
- Several items, weapons, and armor pieces are named after dragons:
- In Octopath Traveler: Dragon's Scarf (grants its wearer SP at the end of each turn), Dragon's Helm, Dragon Saber, Robe of the Dragon Princess, Dragon's Vest, and Dragonscale Armor.
- In Octopath Traveler II: Decaying Dragon's Essence (deals non-elemental damage to a foe and reduces their shield points by 4), and Fire Dragon's Glaive (which once slew a "fire-breathing fiend" in the Wildlands—implying that at least one dragon has dwelt in Solistia).
- Chinese dragons feature prominently on the banners of Ku in Octopath Traveler II, though no living specimens appear in the game.
- Though otherwise unrelated to dragons, Cetus Maximuses use an elemental attack called "Ice Dragon."
- The false Divine Beast Kulshedra resembles the Sable Shadow Dragon.
- In Champions of the Continent, Sonzon the Flameguard fights alongside a serpentine dragon of light formed by the Sacred Flame.