Dragonkind (dra-gon)

Bipedal humanoids with a particularly strong physique and sturdy frame, dragons have two legs, two arms, a torso, a neck and head. They also have two wings coming out of their upper back, and a long, significantly useful tail that comes out from between their buttocks. Great horns jutt out of their heads, though where they start, their shape, and their general size are very lineage dependent. Dragon necks are proportionally thicker than other humanoids in order to support the added weight of these horns.   Dragons universally have protective scales that grow in particular ways, however each and every lineage has their own quirks in how it happens. The normal way follows two principles: 'hard outside, soft inside', and 'fatty tissue soft, muscles are hard'. Some examples would be: a dragon's thighs will have their heaviest scales on the outside, and they terminate into normal skin for the inner thigh. Dragons have scales on the outside edges of their torso, with smaller, more flexible ones growing across their front and backside. Scales grow down their arms, twisting over the forearm, and coming atop the hand, while leaving the palm itself more skin-like.   Ultimately, the scales exist to augment their defenses, but they do not grow in a way that impedes their tissue/muscle development. How they express doing so does vary: some have thick, plate-like chunks of scale, others smooth, interlocking snake scales. Some, like veltron-aspected dragons, have scales that grow like actual types of rock and crystal. Some have minimal scales and instead grow vibrant plumages of feathers instead. Indeed, every lineage is quite beautiful in their unique characteristics.   A dragon's head has two eyes, a nose, a mouth with two lips, and the general sculpture of a human-like face. Scales favor growing on the jawline, cheek bones, front of the nose, eyebrow ridge, and forehead, generally. Their ears are more complex, fin-like structures that jutt out from beside their heads. The normal look of an ear is typically a thick muscular base covered in scales, from which two-to-five fin prongs emerge. Thin, membranous flesh connects these prongs, and act as the means of receiving soundwaves. Their ears can vary in appearance, becoming more prominent, sharper, thicker, sturdier, and the like. They're highly flexible organs, and a critical component to draconic facial expressions/communication.   For most lineages, the only hair they grow comes out of their head. It often intertwines with their horns, and possesses a wild range of textures and behaviors. However, the actual strands of hair are themselves quite strong, often with characteristics surpassing steel. Hence, even if one thinks that might be a weak spot on their head, they are dead wrong.   The scaled wings of dragons are generally large relative to their bodies, and normally capable of wrapping around themselves head-to-toe. Despite that, their extreme density and weight means the wings alone do not let them be flight capable. Dragons use an instinctual form of magic, typically wind-aspected but not always, in order to propel themselves with their wings. It's important to remember their wings are not something used for one purpose–wings are, after all, hands that evolved with a specific function in mind.   So, dragons are fully capable of reaching around and interacting with their environment using their wings, though it can be much clumsier than just using their regular hands. It gives them a distinct advantage over monsters that only have wings for hands, such as harpies.   The long tail coming out of their buttocks is mostly prehensile, though some lineages have very cumbersome-to-use tails in both size and make. Principally a counterbalance for their distorted center of gravity from their wings, dragons make use of their tail as anything from a third helping hand to a deadly weapon. They're completely covered in scales, and often grow in very individualistic ways. In other words, a sort of visual fingerprint.   Otherwise, dragons have five-fingered hands, and four-toed feet, with particularly large, heavy claws for their toes that double as weapons and terrain-grabbing implements. Their fingers could potentially grow the same claws, but a lot of personal maintenance for dragons is keeping their claws to a useful size. It can make doing fine, technical work nearly impossible otherwise.   Their skin, scale, and hair color ranges are virtually unlimited, possessing not only vast color variety, but texture, glossiness, vibrancy, and more. A 'traditional' dragon is one usually close to their lineage's ancestral colors, such as the Ra and their black obsidian scales and dark, ashen-gray skin. However, some Ra have very colorful scales, featuring irisdescent sheens, streaks of purples, reds, and golds, and so on. Skin and scales alike tend to feature contrasting colors, and make it easy to distinguish which is skin, and which is scale. Hair color may or may not match that of the scales; again, using the Ra as a reference, they usually have molten red and fiery hair colors.   The eyes of dragons have vertically slittled pupils with vivid, jewel-like irises, and the sclera can vary between black, gray, and white. Actual patterns in the iris exist with some regularlity, though they're not always confined to lineages in the same way other traits are. Some patterns are star bursts, iris-surrounding circles, sharply angular or erupting colors, and so on.   Dragons are sexually dimorphic, with females being taller and larger in size than males. The females feature an enlarged chest and wider hips, as well as more pronounced ridges, sharpness, and 'spikiness' to their scales and horns. In general, they take on much more aggressive appearances. Males emphasize sleeker, smoother, or generally pleasant looking scales, and have a uniform, trunk-like physique.

Radiant Might – The strength, power, and durability of dragons is deservedly legendary. Although they are born weak, a dragon's body naturally grows mighty as they age. Indeed, the measure of one's life can be a direct relation to how powerful they are, or at least the starting point. Theoretically this means the immortal dragons have infinite growth power, but no one really knows if there is a 'limit'.   Empathic Conveyance – Dragons are naturally empathic beings, capable of communicating with their very souls in a way that translates their lived experiences. It is a profound sense and ability, something many other species struggle to achieve themselves. It can be likened to a form of telepathy, but it is more that the 'voice' of a dragon is what conveys their empathic meaning.   Supreme Senses – All the senses of dragons are far more capable than Veltrona's averages, such as sight, smell, touch, hearing, etc. While the specifics can vary among the different lineages, their natural physiology's performance is quite ridiculous.   Fixation Habits – This species has a natural habit of becoming psychologically fixated on certain matters, sometimes obsessively.   Reproductive Challenges – Dragons are immensely powerful beings, and conception requires an immense amount of mana in the process. While they can achieve it between themselves without too much trouble, other species are often simply too weak to reproduce with them. Hence, a lot of extra work in becoming powerful, acquiring material aides, and other means is a very literal challenge in those relationship dynamics.

Tarunvu, the syllable-heavy language of dragonkind, makes no exceptions even for the names of dragons themselves. Generally, draconic names range between three-to-seven syllables, while more formal named titles can exceed over twenty. The functional usage of this is that every name serves as an identifier of one's lineage, their immediate parents, and usually any kind of esteemable traits the offspring may have (or believed to have some day).   Hence, there is something of an art to how dragons create their names, and they love loading them with dense, often verbose, meanings. How much that is done does vary; after a certain point their names got so long it became a source of ridicule instead of prestige.   Generally speaking, women inherit the lineage name by default and are seen as the progenitors of the lineage itself. While on the books men can have any kind of name, most parents still ascribe the lineage's name to them all the same. Though there can be some scorn on men regardless because of their 'free spirited' regard.   That is, until they formally marry into the lineage, it isn't clear if they will stay, marry into another species, or even join a different lineage. Women, by contrast, need to formally declare their intentions to look outside the lineage, and that too carries a degree of scorn attached to it. Some lineages, however, simply do not care so long as the lineage itself grows in size, and its traditions/teachings are passed on.   Because much of a dragon can be revealed in their 'given' or 'true' name, they often adopt alternate names when dealing with different groups. Bloodwing is a well-known example, as virtually no one alive (or who would admit it) knows her 'true' name. In fact, her name directly comes from an old human language, something she loves with a particularly ironic twist.

Dragons, being tremendously powerful and ego-centric to a fault, can be incredibly difficult beings to get along with. Each of them is particular in how they work, live, and conduct themselves. Friendships, allies, and family alike are given meticulous attention. The expected degree of respect, decorum, and manners when engaging with them can be overbearingly stressful for most other species. This isn't solely because of some natural born sense of arrogance, though that too does appear quite a lot.   As dragons are empathic beings, how they convey themselves has a direct impact on others (and, by extension, themself when someone conveys to them). Speaking in a crude or crass way can be akin to smearing mud across their face in a viscerally tangible way. Casual speech, as a result, often correlates to 'intimate' speech as it requires all involved parties to have a degree of familiarity. They can 'expect' what is to happen, prepare themselves, and perhaps indulge in the intricacies of communication better.   Conversely, species who do not communicate empathically can seem aloof, secretive, or deceptive. A dragon expecting some tangible feedback and never receiving it can quickly prove aggravating. For their part, many dragons have to train themselves to deal with how most other species communicate. It can still prove problematic, and often depressing, as they don't receive feedback as they naturally expect to.   Taking into consideration such a fundamental issue, more ordinary concerns like 'mutual interests', 'chemistry', and 'sociability' can seem compounding in their difficulty.   Dragons are usually fairly busy individuals, having to manage much from both their societal responsibilities, to the things they care about personally. Learning and navigating this nuance can take literal decades, which is something anyone with less than a century of life span can't really afford to do. Still, it's possible to intersect and connect on certain topics, to which dragons actually rather love when its their special interests.   Finding anyone who can speak their language on something like craftswomanship is precious, no matter the species.   The matter of physical compatibility is also a steep concern for more intimate relationships. Dragons have profound effects on their surrounding environment, and their needs for conception are also quite demanding. To be able to withstand them, let alone endure and flourish, in such intimate contexts is no simple task. Manaesia is a constant concern when figuring out these sorts of boundaries. This often means dragons only have eyes for the most exemplary of people as potential partners, and naturally gravitate toward those with strong capabilities.   Of course, a capable mind and sociable personality are just as desirable, and finding someone who meets all three requirements is a truly formidable proposition.

Understanding draconic cultures can be a tricky thing to do, as their fundamental nature is often so far apart from all others on Veltrona. Those closest to them are often other immortals, who possess that same sense of timelessness that is so pervasive in the draconic mind. Still, that doesn't make them impossible, but the work involved can be a real headache sometimes.   From an outside perspective, one must regard each and every dragon as a sort of living nation. They are normally raised within the context of their bloodline lineages and taught all sorts of ancestral knowledge. Great effort goes into preparing them for Veltrona's myriad trials, and competency is woven into their beings. In many respects, they are the living archives of an entire culture otherwise unrecorded anywhere else, mistresses of arts, and wholly capable combatants.   There is much that goes into them, and so the weight of that responsibility is unyielding in its enormity. For dragons, success in that keeps the living spirit of their lineage alive, and accrues all kinds of honor and esteem. To bring insult against them is in a very real way to insult their lineage, way of life, and everything that entails. When one begins to envision the many decades and centuries this sort of upbringing requires, a single adult dragon has potentially centuries worth of work in them already.   And even then, they are still considered relatively 'young'. Though dragons physically mature in their thirties-to-forties, they are considered intellectually immature until their first century, typically. More often, it takes several centuries (the average being around four or five) before they're seen as proper adult dragons. The reasons for this is generally because of the expected breadth of experience, not necessarily specialized talent.   A dragon could conceivably become a mistress in a single art, say metal smithing, within their first century of life. However, their lack of similar education, experience, and wisdom in other fields makes them appear very lopsided. A well-rounded approach is often held as the most virtuous way, and that is not something that can easily be rushed through.   That said, hardships within the last millenniums have sort of pushed this traditional view around. The world's increasingly rapid pace of development means more work must be done to keep up with it. No matter how timeless they are, dragons are still individuals, and they have very real limitations because of that. Younger dragons, building a name for themselves in the newer, cutting edge fields are earning more prestige and regard than they might've otherwise.   In the end, while tradition upholds a well-rounded approach, specialists are what keep the lineages in the technology race.   Overall, the pursuits they take shape much of the draconic way of life. Collectors tirelessly build up entire libraries and vaults of their chosen vices, while the sokral build ever increasingly complex devices. Mages spend forever blundering through the endless possibilities of magic, for better or worse. Huntresses and warriors go far and wide, seeking challenge, glory, or some other nebulous goal.   They all take great pride in their work, and coupled with their upbringing, the infamous 'dragon arrogance' many others attribute to them is a lot more understandable. Perhaps deservedly, perhaps unfairly so, but when any come into contact with them, it is rarely something simple.   That too is a history that dragons have made with other peoples. Sometimes their (unwitting) rulers, sometimes protectors by agreement, workers by convenience or contract, and much more. They have long been the target of envy and admiration, respect and scorn, and they do not shy away from correcting a wrong sent their way.    

The Dragon Lineages

Blood relations are the bedrock of draconic civilizations, and hence much of their cultures and social mechanisms utilize it extensively. Those of the same lineage are, in some measure, considered 'family' or belonging to the same social group. Actual family lines are still tracked in order to prevent inbreeding difficulties. How each lineage addresses this problem does differ, though. After dozens of generations, there is enough bloodline variance that it cannot even be considered inbreeding anymore.   However, copulating with one's biologically distant descendants does seem to leave an awkward taste in the mouth.   While the mannerisms of each lineage can be extensive and different from one another, it can help to know who the lineages are. Some are, understandably so, quite larger than others. Some stay within a specific region or locale, and others are so scattered and secretive they're the only ones who know each other. Keeping track of who is who can be quite problematic sometimes.  

Kar

Veltron-aspected dragons who primarily live in the northeastern territories of Etzli Cuauhtla. They used to extensively live in Lophern and Aerthen, but when the World Gate exploded, a great deal of their number was lost. Thousands of years later, they are still trying to recover.   The Kar have ever been exceptional architects and builders, creating incredible landscapes, cityscapes, and more. They were indifferent to the rise of the Imperium, though often edged against its racist policies. The Kar, being somewhat holistic, viewed all forms as life as important in some capacity. This has made them among the friendlier lineages, for a given value of 'friendly'. Kar builders, though, are ever in demand across Veltrona, and so they are often extremely wealthy.    

Ra

An uld lineage, the Ra are volcanic dragons who've long inhabited the molten and blisteringly hot desert regions of Veltrona. An incredibly insular lineage, they largely spend their lives away from others so as to work on things their own. This apparently arose as, very early on in their history, their naturally molten and fiery nature was dangerous to others.   That is, between having to do the proverbial equivalent of 'sucking their gut in' constantly, or living amongst themselves, they chose the latter. Although the Ra learned to tame this issue eventually, they regard most other forms of life as 'too weak' to survive around them. Younger dragons, more interested in the world outside of the lineage, can and do leave on their own regularly. Some branch lineages form as a result, such as the Nyra.    

Rom

Not to be confused with the Ron lineage, the Rom are a lineage best known for their mages and magic research. Natural explorers, but also reclusive hermits, their immediate families and most useful friends are those they are well-known toward. The Rom, otherwise, adventure across Veltrona, in search of lost secrets, unknown fortunes, and fantastical discoveries. Many of them end up falling into different civilizations for a time, becoming a local denizen for whatever that entails.   As they're so dispersed, they are lacking in a unified front compared to other lineages. The Rom do have an ancestral homeland of a kind, a massive and arcane fortress that houses their most valuable knowledge. It is considered tradition to report one's findings every other century or so. These secretive meetings are some of the few times the lineage ever comes together as a cohesive whole.   While it's not clear who started it first, the Rom and baarham, both having deep magical interests, have a sort of rivalry going on. It is something that has changed over the millennia from the time of the Imperium, less 'kill on sight' and more 'prove them wrong'.    

Ron

Not to be confused with the Rom lineage, the Ron are water-aspected dragons who live in, and around, the ocean of Ebalatan. Likening themselves to the world's best huntresses, the Ron go far and wide across Veltrona's waves. Whether their prey is in the dark oceans, or some reclusive land yet unnamed, they'll journey far in pursuit. They delight in nothing more than hunting down the Relentless Herds and Packs, whom they regard as their greatest prey.   Not that that saves other animals from their attention, of course. The Relentless just get priority.   The Ron, by necessity or pragmatism, also function as traders and merchants. Their migrating caravans take their huntresses far, who in turn bring back all sorts of materials. The Ron then trade these for interesting or useful things from other civilizations. Given their world spanning nature, these caravans can and often do bring goods from one side of the planet to the other.    

Su

A wind-aspected lineage, the Su largely live in the farthest flung mountains, and high above in Prak. They have the most wyverns by ratio of any lineage, generally being split down the middle between them and dragons. While the Su are not isolationist by nature, their chosen habitats are often difficult or dangerous for others to survive in. Still, they're generally welcoming, and interested in fun experiences, being somewhat hedonistic by nature.   They're most well-known for their strange and, frankly, dangerous forms of technology. The Su often think of an idea, but do not stop to ask themselves the consequences of that idea. Even disastrous side-effects, to them, is a worthwhile subject of study. The upside is their inhospitable homelands means there are few who'd be caught in the explosion. No end of mages, inventors, and clever minds have gone out in search of the Su, hoping to make deals or work together.    

Nyra

An exiled branch of the Ra lineage who later joined with traitor Nyum, the Nyra were minor powers who lived in the mountainous northern regions of Dorvar. During the age of the Imperium, they were among the first to side with Imperious, and reaped massive benefits for doing so. The Imperium's later downfall and the subsequent World Gate explosion decimated the lineage from its glory. The survivors migrated to Votyoger, claiming a prestigious mountain for themselves.   The Nyra are rabidly xenophobic, and believe in their own superiority even over other dragons. While they learned some measure of being cordial with their own kind, other species are less than fortunate to meet them at all. Of the lineages once loyal to the Imperium, the Nyra embody its brutal and racist ideals the most.    

Unn

A composite lineage made up of many different dragon families that dwelled within the lands of Unneyria. The Unn came together after the Wing Shattering War as a result of intense reconciliation by the survivors. Almost entirely water and ice aspected, the Unn are the superpower of Unneyria that few others are capable of contesting. Because of where they live and its relative distance from everything else, the Unn are largely isolated from worldly affairs.   They do, however, send out trade fleets, roaming scholars, and other curious minds that wish to see the rest of Veltrona. For whatever reputation dragonkind may have, the Unn are particularly prideful, but also generally cooperative in their own arrogant way of doing things. They were notably unaffected by the age of the Imperium, as the Unn lived far beyond the reach of Imperious. In that sense, they're an example of a draconic culture that wasn't horrifically scarred by what the Imperium did.    

Nyum

An uld, wyvern-centric lineage that once dominated Prak in ancient times. Adherents to 'survival of the fittest', they were a competitive lineage that largely focused on their ever-churning social ladder. They had little regard for other species, as they perceived them as too weak to bother with. While this engendered a stiff disregard, for many who had to deal with the Nyum, they were dangerously problematic. It is this bloody friction that eventually motivated many harpy tribes to unify under a single war banner.   Foreseeing a war the likes of which that might destroy Prak, the Nyum matriarch, Bloodwing, ordered the lineage to descend to Veltrona and settle upon Mount Skyreach. Despite the turmoil in doing so, the Nyum did, and generally thrived on the vast mountain range. They would later be destroyed by Imperious at the dawn of the Imperium, with few surviving to the modern day. While the Nyum bloodlines may persist across Veltrona, the lineage as a functional entity is no more.