Dragons
We were the first to wander the skies of Avestra. Unlike your Aarakocra, we allowed no one to test our supremacy. The Vemcin - Giants - may have owned the land but they could never match us in the skies. The very elements were ours to command! And yet we lost it all. But one day, we will reclaim what is rightfully ours. And we will make sure that we never lose it again.
Dragons are large reptilian-like creatures known as one of the three Ancient races of Avestra. Divided into numerous "subspecies", these creatures range from animalistic to sapient in mentality but are all dangerous in their destructive ability. Draconics such as the Dragonborn , Dragon Fera, and Draxeeli known them as their betters at best and rivals at worst. But no matter if something is friend or foe, it is best to be careful when dealing with Dragons. Because being useful can only get someone so far when they are a nuisance to powerhouses such as these.
Basic Information
Anatomy
True dragons are known for being the largest of any type of dragons. There are two subtypes of True Dragons: The Hardri and the Togikari. The Hardri are four-legged dragons with two large bat-like wings extending from their backs. The Togikari have slender, serperentine-like bodies with their dragon scales being in the pattern and feel of fish scales. Unlike the horns of a Hardri, they have horns similar to that of a deer or elf in terms of material and feel. They often have manes running along the back of their heads and their spines, all the way down to the tip of their tails.
Lesser dragons refer to any dragons such as wyverns, dragon turtles, and drakes. They are referred to as such since they are simply draconic creations or they are not true dragons or elder dragons. There is a variant amongst wyverns created that creates special types: Bird, Brute, Fanged, Flying, Piscine, and Snake. Regardless of variants, there are two common anatomical forms. Some have two wings and two back legs with their wings and a tail that potentially has a stinger on it. The other being a creature that stands on 4 legs similar to a dragon or two back legs and two weak forearms. These type of creatures lack wings and sometimes a tail.
Elder dragons refer to an experimental subspecies created by the Dragons. They are powerful creatures with abilities that can even dwarf True Dragons such as control over weather, powerful breath weapons, or even grander designs. Elder dragons often mimic true dragons with 4 legs and wings adorning their backs. Each elder dragon type has a unique quality to them such as skin made from the rotting dead around them or even made from metallic materials.
Additional Information
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
All dragons possess a form of darkvision that grows stronger as they get older. However, only truly powerful dragons can have access to blindsense and at the apex of that are dragons who unlock true sight, able to see through invisibility and even the Ether itself.
Civilization and Culture
History
The Dragons formed on Avestra after the Eternals vanished. At first nothing more than beast-like creatures that preyed on the Giants and other slowly forming races, the True Dragons slowly reached sapience of their own, whether through natural evolution or supposedly through a gift from their gods through the Leylines as some like to believe. That was a rarity at the time as the only other group that gained sapience was the Giants and the two were rivals for centuries.
The dragons dominated the skies, burning and pillaging countless Giant settlements and leaving the land devastated. However, the Giants used magic to match the dragon's raw destructive power. As such, a truce soon came between the two groups. Giants were allowed to stay to the ground and lowlands while the Dragons took to the skies and highlands. While the Giants thought they got the better end of the deal, the Dragons learned to live with the sections they had access to. Many dragons in present-day Avestra tell stories of large chunks of land in the sky, similar to the palaces of Djinni in Faenum. Dragons would go to and from these places down to mountain tops or hidden valleys the Giants didn't have access to.
The post-Dragon-Giant War was a golden age for their kind as they even looked to the stars above. Despite the cosmic barrier stopping any Outsider from getting in, it didn't stop Avestran species from leaving and coming back. And the Dragons made great use of that as they explored the other realms. They even formed colonies on other realms where they could live, becoming parts of conflicts that they never would've experienced on Avestra. And that experience eventually led to hubris.
That hubris led many True Dragons to start contemplating if they could create new species themselves. With magic at their beck and call, they and the Giants began experimenting. This led to the rise of the special wyverns and eventually the Elder Dragons. However, the power they gave the Elder Dragons made them so different from their creators that it didn't take long for the created to turn against them. And when they did, they devastated Dragon and Giant alike. The great empires that ruled Avestra came crashing down. The True Dragons were left to run and hide and fend for themselves.
And through their downfall, the rest of the races of Avestra could rise as the Dragons stayed to themselves. Only when their lairs were encroached upon would they make themselves known and they were quick to defend any of their personal territory or hoard. And that was why they threw themselves into the war against the Elders . While they lost a sizable chunk of their kind, the True Dragons celebrated in victory alongside their supposed creators, the Eternals.
The Dragons walked away from the conflict invigorated. Maybe there was a chance for them to regain their old empire again. To take their rightful place as rulers of the sky. When they heard that the Giants were making moves once again, the couldn't fall behind. But the Dragons had been separated far too long. Disagreeing over what the right path is, they rally between two different countries or don't even both to unite. And with an Empire from the southern lands daring to invade northern Avestra, the Dragons may have to test their mettle soon against these foreign invaders and the Elder Dragons that once again wake to complete their own goals.
Interspecies Relations and Assumptions
- Giants - The two ancients harbor a grudge as they blame each other for the fall of their ancient empires. This time, the Dragons will dominate them as much as the other races and they will not allow them to ruin their great empire this time.
- Dragon Fera - Capable servants and warriors all in one. Due to their humanoid appearance, they serve as good spies should the need arise.
- Dragonborn - A mutation born from a mistake. The Dragons see the Dragonborn as a stunted version of the great Firebrand. If they didn't have a use, it's likely the Dragons would wipe the Dragonborn out.
- Firebrand - The ultimate specimen of Dragon design. At first a created race, the Firebrand served as generals and diplomats. As powerful as they are, the Dragons are not happy to see them free and creating children on their own. One day, they will bring them to heel and make it to where these Firebrand can only be born from the vats their ancestors started out in.
- Kobold - An annoyance at worst but capable tinkerers at best. Dragons were surprised to see that kobolds could outmatch other species in raw numbers and the gadgets they employed. That's most likely why they are allowed in Dragon hoards to set traps against any intrudersa dn even architects for siege weapons for their soldiers.
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