Dragon
Dragons are as any other culture, they have their values and their taboos, their conflicts and their communities. They can be good neighbors or bad, considerate landlords, or cruel tyrants.
In broad, sweeping strokes, dragon culture values five things: honesty, beauty, nature, education, and reason.
Naming Traditions
Unisex names
As dragons are monoecious, they are completely without gender. They are also completely without third person pronouns, referring to anyone who is not "you" or "I" by their name, either their full name (in the case of strangers and other formal situations) or by a shortened name if they are closely familiar.
Culture
Common Taboos
One should not speak about those whose names are unknown. Dragons are not fond of gossip, which is why they have no third-person pronouns.
One must never lie to a dragon. To do so is to court your death, for dragons are rumored to find deception tasty.
Common Myths and Legends
In the days before the end of the Last Landbound War, the blood of dragons washed the united land that was Argentii. So great was the misery of the people, that their cries were finally answered by one of the dragons who could no longer stand to see such small creatures suffering.
And so it was that the great dragon clanlord U the Chaotic gave knowledge of Argentii's deep magical currents and powerful leylines to the people. When the other great dragon clanlords discoverd what U had done, it was already too late. The people had taken the knowledge that they were given, and expanded upon it with their boundless creativity.
And so it was that when the dragons returned to Argentii for the hatching, they found the people had risen up and were at war with each other. Furthermore, they had found many of the nests of the dragons, great and small. Some had been destroyed, others had been looted, and still others were simply held hostage.
And so it was that in a generation of generaions (~361 years) the outrage of the dragons overcame the power of the people, but at great sacrifice to Argentii, to the people, and to the dragons themselves. The dragons could not take away the knowledge of the deep magics, and so, they rent the land asunder and removed the veins of crystal that channeled the magical energies and made the leylines.
And so it was that the once united land of Argentii was broken into 9 pieces, one for each of the remaining mighty clans. The ensuing calamaties ended the wars between people. Meanwhile, each mighty clan took a portion of the land and its inhabitants, to educate the war out of them and teach them the beauty and value of the land around them.
And so it was that the council of clans met to decide the fate of U, the Chaotic. In the end, U was banished to the furthest corner of Argentii, far to the southwest. But U did not go without a fight.
And so it was that the Caldera was formed from U's struggle and, ultimately, U's final curse upon the land, leaving it a reeking, sulfurous, volcanic wasteland of constantly rolling lava and poisoned, acidic sea.
It has a strange and welcome atmosphere of an old man who tells a story from old times. Like Gandalf or Elrond speaking about the First Age or Master Elodin speaking about the Moon and events lost to time. I really love this vibe and the description of the dragons. :)
So, uhm.... Being compared to Master Elodin is probably one of the highlights of my decades-spanning writing career. Thank you, so very sincerely, for reading and I'm so pleased that you enjoyed it.
Haly, the Moonlight Bard
Summer Camp in Avalon
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