Developing my project idea further

Sentient species

 After discussing my project with Justin on Friday, I decided that the Sentient species should also be reptilians, as this not only makes more sense with the environment they live in, being able to cling to the cliff walls and possibly having vestigial wings, but also will allow me to go out of my comfort zone when it comes to designing them and their culture. By having the species be Reptiles, I can play around with certain features like tails, body types, markings etc. which I wouldn't be able to do if the sentient species were just standard humans. I will need to put more work into the culture and society though, as these things would work differently with reptiles as they do with humans. I'm thinking that they'll be semi-aquatic, relying heavily on the fish in the rivers and lakes for survival.

I'll need to think about the distinguishing features between genders, as there aren't as many differences between Males and Females in reptiles as there are in Mammal, and certain aspects can even be reversed - for example, female reptiles like snakes and turtles can be larger than males to make laying eggs easier, but the males will have specific body parts be bigger such as their head. I'm thinking that physically, there won't be that many extremely obvious differences, and instead have the different genders be represented more obviously through clothing and adornments.

'Workhorse' Dragons

For the dragon creatures, I'm thinking that they'll act more Bird-like, but physically be an equal mix of Bird, Bat and Reptile features. I need to think about how many different variations of Dragon creature are needed, and what differences they'll have to make them more suited for their Jobs. I'll also need to consider more how their relationship with the sentient species works.

Environment - Landscape

The biggest inspiration for how the terrain will work are Croatia and Peru, being mountainous, vertical terrain, with the settlements being located in the basins and valleys. To elude to the ancestors of the dragon creatures, the jungle will have massive skeletons scattered through them. I'm thinking that they've been there so long that the terrain surrounding them has evolved over time around these skeleton remains. These sites with the skeletons could also be considered 'holy' or important to the sentient species. 

Environment - Architecture

As moving large amounts of building materials in this landscape to create larger buildings would be difficult, most of the buildings (especially the important ones, such as religious buildings, nurseries, etc.) Will be carved out of the cliff faces, similar to the Dalaman caves in Turkey and the ancient city of Petra in Jordan. I'm also thinking that the buildings could be brightly painted. These buildings could be dug out by a specific variation of the Dragon creatures. I'm thinking that there will also be buildings made from wood and stone closer to the lakes, along with perches for the dragons built closer to the lakes. There will also be buildings and farms underwater, to reflect the semi - aquatic nature of the sentient species. The architectural style will have links to the reptiles to make it more cohesive.

Other thoughts

As farming large animals to create things like leather and cloth in this environment would be extremely difficult, I'm thinking they create their textiles through alternate, mostly plant based methods, such as Mushroom Leather (perhaps there's a specific form of large, leathery mushroom that they use for this), Leather-like skin from species of large fish, or maybe they use their shed skin for some form of textile. Things like furs and possibly even wool (maybe there is a species of Alpaca or Sheep that live in the Jungles) will still be available, but be expensive in this place due to their limited quantity and the risk that's involved in getting them.

Next steps - Research

Sentient species

-Different reptile species and adaptations for living in a vertical environment. 

Look at: Arboreal species, species native to Croatia, Monkey-Tail Skinks, The differences in males and females of different reptile species

-Reptile behaviors and breeding habits; how would these translate into a sentient species?

-Pattern Morphs, could these be a way to distinguish between castes in the civilization?

-Look at ancient Civilizations

'Workhorse' Dragons

- Bird behavior: How they Perch, act towards each other, Nesting and breeding behaviours etc.

- Look at different species of Birds, Bats and Retiles that could go into the design of the Dragons

- What equipment is used with different working animals, E.g. Tack for Horses, Harnesses etc.

Environment

-Research Croatia and Peru more

-Research the Dalaman Caves and Petra more