This is a Good Article! Gold dragons were the strongest and most majestic of the metallic dragons , and were considered the apex of the draconic race. A gold dragon's head was characterized by a short face with long and smooth metallic horns that swept back from its nose and brow, as well as the neck frills that adorned both sides of its neck. From the mouth and nostrils descended four pairs of long, flexible muscular spines that resembled whiskers or barbels. Along with the dragon's narrow eyes, these features contributed to give them a look of sagacity.
As the dragon aged, its pupils faded away until the eyes acquired an appearance of shiny, liquid gold. Other facial features included a pointed tongue and small cheek horns that grew sideways. Gold dragons had broad sail-like wings [note 1] that started from their shoulders and extended all the way to the end of their extremely long tails. During flight, the wings moved in a graceful rippling motion that resembled swimming. This elegant flying motion was considered by many scholars, as well as by the gold dragons themselves, to be the most graceful among true dragons.
When on the ground, the wings were kept closed upright over its back if the dragon was at rest, or folded facing back if the dragon was walking or running. A newly hatched gold dragon had dark yellow scales dotted with metallic specks that increased in size with age, until they totally covered the scales, giving a shiny and radiant golden color to the adult dragon's entire body.
Despite being capable of eating almost anything, gold dragons tended to hunt large and dangerous monsters [10] and were particularly fond of including pearls and gems in their diet. Older dragons even had the ability to supernaturally locate gems in their vicinity. They tended to receive such gifts well, except if they were given as bribes. Gold dragons could breathe underwater. It was common for gold dragons to appoint themselves with quests to promote good. Those that earned a gold dragon's fury found a relentless enemy who would not rest until the utter and complete subjugation of the evildoers.
Either by slaying or by bringing villains to justice, a gold dragon's only acceptable outcome was complete victory over evil. When looking for a lair, gold dragons usually sought secluded and remote locations. They had a preference for idyllic or picturesque locations, such as rivers or the bottom of lakes, cave complexes, ancient ruins, deep gorges, high plateaus, or mist-covered islands. Older gold dragons were capable of shapeshifting into humanoid or beast forms.
