Dragon

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Dragon
Dragon.jpg
CreatorXero
Information
Average Height30cm-40cm (Whelp)
350cm (Adult)
900cm (Elder)
Average Length100cm-200cm (Whelp)
1000cm (Adult)
3000cm (Elder)
Lifespan1000 years
Hair ColoursVaried
Eye ColoursVaried
Scale ColoursVaried
Current LeadersZamendrya (Dragonqueen)
Venorion (Imperian Dragons)
Ring of Elders (Governing Leaders)
CapitalDragonhearth
PlanetWyrmeron
Imperia
Saberos

Dragons are large, intelligent reptilian creatures who possess great skill in the Ways of magic, created as the first lifeforms on Auria chosen by the Eldest as their physical armada to be bestowed with incredible powers and granted the task to safeguard Auria from whatever may threaten its existence.

Dragoosh and The First

In a time long forgotten by most there existed a planet known as Dragoosh. Flourishing with beauty and life, those who called themselves Dragons made their home in Dragoosh's great forest brimming with ether energies. Led by "the first", Matron Zamendrya and Patron Xaxandros, the Dragons lived symbiotic lives with the other lesser races of Dragoosh, granting their leaders gifts in rich resources and teachings of the arcane in exchange for their stories of heroisms and unwavering friendship. To the Dragons life seemed perfect for a while, but overtime the races that interacted with the Dragons started to become hostile towards one another, pride and jealousy started to cause unrest as those who the Dragons called friends soon started to fight against one another in a bid to gain the full attention of the Dragons. To the greed of mortalkind, it was all or nothing when it came to the blessings of the generous Dragons in the great forest.

With an unwavering warmth in her heart, Zamendrya worked tirelessly to fix the conflict between the lesser races while Xaxandros withdrew into his studies, lost and sorrowful of the response towards their kindness towards those he believed needed it. What became bickering and insults quickly turned to warfare as the mortal races used the powers granted to them by the Dragons to kill one another in bloody fashion. The once tranquil and beautiful fields of Dragoosh became ashen and bloodied with centuries of battle for which Zamendrya bled for a resolution that never came.

While Zamendrya acted desperately in order to return the planet to a state of peace, Xaxandros sunk deeper into the pages of his research. Overcome with emotions, he started to question the reality that they were given the task of protecting and through a long sequence of misfortunate steps spanning multiple centuries of isolated existence and increasingly maddening thoughts, Xaxandros would throw himself through the barrier of the galaxy and into the Cosmos, where his body was broken and twisted into a monstrous demon fuelled by an unnatural rage and desire for destruction.

Empowered by the Cosmos, Xaxandros's wings became gateways through which demonkind could rain down upon the planets in his shadow. Furthermore he had created a gash in the holy barrier surrounding the galaxy, opening way for cosmic energies to flood in uninterrupted. Thus began the Dusk of Dawn, a war spanning the entirety of Auria which put to the test the forces of Order and of Chaos. Zamendrya would become the sole leader of the Dragons and charge her kin to spread across Auria to make a foothold on each of its eight planets now under heavy siege by Demon armies summoned forth by Xaxandros. Zamendrya, with the Gods by her side, stood against Xaxandros above the skies of Dragoosh where they would fight, So intense was their opposing forces that Dragoosh shattered beneath them, dooming all who dwelled upon it. Though wounded greatly both emotionally and physically, Zamendrya would manage to apprehend Xaxandros and seal him away.

The Dusk of Dawn would end with Xaxandros' imprisonment in the Afterworld, but Dragonkind would never be the same again.

Winterfury

After the war, Zamendrya took the remaining Dragons and led them to Wyrmeron, to the isolated mountains of Winterfury to recuperate. There were only a few handfuls of them left and even they were greatly injured post-war. All but six of the remaining Dragons would die by Zamendrya's side, the survivors tasked by Zamendrya to each seek out a planet and establish an outpost on it. Seven unhatched Eggs would also be left behind to be taken care of by Zamendrya. She called them the Seven Children of Dragoosh, the future of Dragonkind, and blessed them with fractions of her magic.

The Seven Children would hatch and become the first Ring of Elders, powerful Archons wielding unmatched magical might who would act as the governing body for Zamendrya's Draconic Empire. They would become Zamendrya's consorts in an attempt to rebuild their lost numbers as well as her voice and reason. In but a few millennia, Dragonkind would return to a state comparable to that of Dragoosh.

Yet unlike in the past, Dragonkind would make an effort not to interact with mortalkind so directly, for Zamendrya still suffered from the heartache of mortal greed. In a desperate decision to change the outcome of the future, Zamendrya would deem it too dangerous for non-Dragons to wield the arcane. Instead, Dragonkind would take a backseat in Auria's developments, using their outposts on each world to observe the happenings of the galaxy. These outposts would develop into lairs led by the survivors of the Dusk of Dawn and be given the title of Dragonlords - similar to the Elders in the Ring, the Dragonlords would be blessed by Zamendrya so that they may live and fight in the name of Order without the burdens of the passage of time.

Two millennia ago an Asvar known as Deldarach Hawktalon led an expedition to Wyrmeron in search of the fabled Tools of Creation, a mystical power that the Asvar learned of was kept by the Dragons and is the source of their immense powers. Alongside the Urson, led by Fylkir Fulgon, the Asvars traveled up the hazardous mountains that were said to house the home of all Dragons, finding the Dragon Vaults which held all knowledge of the Dragons. There, the Asvars and the Urson discovered tomes that held the secrets of the Arcane within them, Deldarach commanding the Urson to take the tome and leave before the Dragons found out about them. Unfortunately for them, as Fylkir Fulgon and Deldarach were running off with their stolen goods, the Dragons took notice of the missing tome and in retaliation they sent their flight out to hunt for whatever thieves had done away with it. Sadly, though they tried hard, the Mortals were able to slip away with the tome, the Asvars boarding their skyship during a stormy night and flew back to Imperia while the Urson stayed in Wyrmeron, their hearts feeling heavy after what they had done.

Unable to live with the guilt anymore, Fylkir Fulgon traveled back to the dragon city seeking to speak with the All-Father about the tome, his life being put on the line as the Dragons grew furious when they found out that the Urson took a part in stealing from them but nevertheless he was guided to the ancient Dragon who was to judge him. The Fylkir spoke from his heart and retold everything that he took part in, the Draconic Audience growing more and more angered at the story and wishing for the head of the bear man, but the All-Father calmed them down, saying that his bravery to come forth with this confession will leave him alive for today. Though he was old, the All-Father is also the only Dragon alive who to this day remembers the task given by the Gods and continues to support more peaceful ways of dealing with mortals. Still, the knowledge that the Asvars stole the secrets of magic from them and have begun to openly teach it to everyone angered the Dragons.

Ever since that day, the Dragons grew to view the mortals with a degree of disdain, wanting to completely eradicate them for what they have done but the All-Mother's peaceful beliefs held them back enough. So the Dragons continue to live as they did long ago, watching the mortals like little puppets dancing on their stage, now playing with a tool far too powerful in their hands... nevertheless, curiosity sparked among them when they begun to wonder what the mortals could really do with magic, it was an amusing thought even.

Religion and Culture

Much of what is written here is based around the culture of the traditional Dragons and not their sub-species, although those that live in Dragonhearth have a habit of following these ways as well.

Often thought to have no culture among their numbers because of their bestial builds, the common life of Dragons is often overlooked. Dragons are at their core a noble folk who have been raised to a high pedestal thanks to their close ties with the Gods and the eternal duty which was placed upon Zamendrya and Xaxandros so long ago. Although at the core of their society the duty of protecting Auria remains, many of their populous have begun to seek lives away from being bound by an eternal mission and instead have sought out luxuries to live the good life within their sprawling city of Dragonhearth and beyond.

Dragons do not inherently worship a God or Goddess, believing themselves on equal standing with them, though this does mean that they largely believe in their existence and make a habit of respecting them for their part in Auria's existence. Dragons do, however, hold Zamendrya to a higher standing, honouring her like she were a Goddess as well as a mother to all of them - both ways of looking at her being partially right to a degree too. Dragons are also one of the few in Auria who know of the existence of the Eldest and sometimes regard them highly, though these worships are oft isolated to their own form of a church within Dragonhearth.

They spend much of their time studying existence and its boundless opportunities, divulging themselves in a versatile and varied selection of sciences and arts. To them, Magic is of high importance and many of those that live in Dragonhearth practice and train with it like it was a second set of wings to them, naturally weaving spellcraft into their everyday life as well as the environment around them, creating a city brimming with aetheric energies with mechanical Automatron assistants powered by magic being the working force of it, allowing most Dragons to live the life of laziness and luxury that affords them enough time to feed their life-long curiosity for studying.

Society and its Structure

All of Dragonkind is united under the banner of the Draconic Empire. In the empire, social standing is based on the role of the individual as well as the lineage from which the Dragon comes from. Above all stands Zamendrya, the Dragonqueen, with the Dragonlords directly beneath her. Next in the social pyramid is the Ring of Elders, a convocation of Elder Dragons who are seen as the main governing power of the empire.

Next are the Highborn who come from an historic and important bloodline that has contributed to the evolution of the empire in some way or other. As per tradition, Highborn Dragons carry with them a name with the suffix of their bloodline's Runeword. (Example: Anderaku is from the infamous Raku bloodline, meaning Star in Runic)

The Lowborn are those who carry no important family name with them and as such their names are often times less organized and consistent than with those of the Highborn. Although in a systemically manner they are lower in a social standing, most Highborn see the the Lowborn as equals in person, with very few discriminating the idea of identifying themselves with the Lowborn.

Although not directly Dragons, the Draken and the Wyaur are a notable part of the Draconic Empire as well, serving as the foundation of their continued society. Draken are tasked with organizing and up keeping their city as well as whatever lairs they may live in outside of Wyrmeron or serving in the empire's prime military as soldiers and generals. Draken themselves are split into three social classes: Chiefs, Architects and Commoners. Certain Draken may also serve directly under a Dragon's will.

The Wyaur are the laboring force and also a military force of the Empire that closely work together with the Draken in building structures and machines as well as repairs while in combat serving as an elite form of cavalry class unit often in the front lines or serving as a respected mount for a Draken to ride into combat with. Higher ranking Wyaur may also serve directly under a Dragon as a servant much like the Draken. The Wyaur do not have separate social classes as everyone among them is expected to be a laborer, militant or servant however a select few prestigious enough have been given the rank of Ser and boosted to the standing of leading the Wyaur.

Powers

All species of Dragons share the common ability to breathe elemental energies out their mouths to burn, freeze, poison or shock those caught in the way.

Traditional Dragons are the best practitioners of Magic when it comes to any species or even any living being on Auria. They use this skill to accomplish a number of feats in combat and out of combat, making them incredibly difficult to predict as a Dragon's combat tactics are based entirely on the individual. In other traits, Dragons are average in toughness and average in physical strength, often using their sharp fanged mouths and frontal claws to strike at enemies in close proximity or flapping their wings to push them away.

Sub-species of Dragons

Over the course of countless millennia the Dragonqueen worked to increase her brood's numbers, giving birth to hundreds if not thousands of Dragons and ordering them to spread their wings and fly across Auria to establish footholds in every corner of the world so that they may keep closer eyes on the Mortals and document their actions, ordering specifically not to attack them unless it is to warn the Mortals to not bother the Dragons. Overtime, these Dragons that made lairs on different continents evolved to take on different forms better suited for the environment there.

Dragon - Wyrmeron, Imperia
Serpent - Serena
Drake - Gwynbrenon
Wyvern - Grukoor
Hydra - Saberos
Chimera - Voi'Runil