Dragonborn
Basic Information
Anatomy
Dragonborn are bipedal humanoids.
Biological Traits
Many phenotypes and traits depend on the draconic ancestry and lineage of a dragonborn. Scale coloration, elemental resistances, breath characteristics, and so on can vary dramatically between ancestral lineages.
Genetics and Reproduction
Dragonborn lay eggs to reproduce.
Growth Rate & Stages
A young dragonborn is able to walk within hours of hatching. By age three, a dragonborn is roughly the size of a ten year old human. By age fifteen, a dragonborn is physically mature and can breathe their elemental breath.
Additional Information
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Dragonborn can be found in a wide range of environments due to different lineages' inherent resistances. Silver or white lineages prefer colder climates. Gold and red lineages prefer tropical climates.
Civilization and Culture
Naming Traditions
Dragonborn place their clan name first, due to their pride in community and family. They are also given a personal name at birth, though they will refer to themselves as their clan name when in the presence of those not of their clan. This is because they believe that it means they are representatives of their clan and will only use their personal names when another of their clan is involved in their dealings.
Beauty Ideals
Beauty for a dragonborn is a deeply personal concept. The qualities that determine attraction can vary widely between individual dragonborn. For some, the smallest detail can inspire attraction. This could be the size of a single scale, the curve of the horns, or even scent.
Gender Ideals
Most non-dragonborn find it difficult to tell a dragonborn's biological sex. The sexual dimorphisms between dragonborn are very subtle. Gender expression is more useful, but even gender archetypes vary between lineages.
For dragonborn, biological sex is rarely a factor for attraction or beauty.
Relationship Ideals
The culture of the dragonborn seeks to ensure that dragonborn find partners whose type of element matches. This is to ensure that a particular ancestry never dies out.
Major Language Groups and Dialects
Draconic is the language taught to every dragonborn from the moment they are able to be taught.
Common Dress Code
Much of how a dragonborn dresses is reflective of the time they are from. It is remenicent of ancient traditions of dress, with genderless flowing robes and garmets. Much like their draconic ancestors, dragonborn are proud to show off their wealth if they have it, so they will be adorned with jewelry and fine cloth. Even for metallic dragonborn, who did not go into chrysalis, their traditions hold fairly stable through the years, choosing to be mostly removed from the outside world in their enclaves.
Culture and Cultural Heritage
While a dragonborn reaches physical maturity at age 15, chromatic and metallic dragonborn differ when it comes to when a dragonborn reaches moral and social maturity. For chromatics, it is within that same year a young dragonborn will reach moral maturity, going through a coming of age ritual that proves their ability to make their own decisions and join the armed forces. Within three years after that, a chromatic dragonborn is considered a full adult, and expected to start courting for marriage,
Metallic dragonborn are quite different. By the time a metallic dragonborn is considered morally responsible for its own decisions, a chromatic dragonborn is expected to start settling down. It isn't until the age of twenty-two that a metallic dragonborn is at the point in their life that they are culturally expected to be socially responsible.
History
The history of the dragonborn on Caanae is a wild tale of biomancy. The chromatic dragons led by Ausdremwuld wanted to create a workforce that was more physically imposing than the kobold. They knew that making half-dragons would be sterile and eventually more hassle than their worth. So instead Ausdremwuld developed a plan that ended up with the creation of the chromatic dragonborn. In secret, his brother Zindraaldein performed his own ritual to create the metallic dragonborn, to counterbalance the vicious and terrifying nature that he believed would be inevitable based on the chromatic dragon's natures.
This escalation culminated in what is known as the Time of Ruin, a period in which the Concordance of Dragons destroyed itself with infighting, leaving the lands devestated. Horrified, Zindraaldein created books containing magic that he used his dragonborn to disseminate amongst the mortal races, providing them the tools necessary to destroy dragons. Eventually, this led to the Mythical Age, great heroes triumphing over the dragons and mortal kind spreading like wildfire over the world. Fear of dragons and not desiring their control, they even turned on the metallic dragons, and the brothers Ausdremwuld and Zindraaldein made their plans, hiding their dragonborn from the world and eventually combating each other. Zindraaldein imprisoned Ausdremwuld beneath Mt. Gaulmar where he would remain undetected for millenia. As for Zindraaldein, he perished leading mortal heroes away from where Ausdremwuld was impsrisoned and the result of his death created the Valley of Silence.
The chromatic dragonborn would remain in chrysalis for the rest of the Mythical Age, until they were awoken in the Age of Mist along with Ausdremwuld. The metallic dragonborn have yet to show their hand since the days of Zindraaldein's death at the hands of their fellow mortals.
Historical Figures
Ausdremwuld and Zindraaldein are deified by the dragonborn. Each side views the other differently though. Chromatic dragonborn look at Ausdremwuld and see a strong and powerful leader capable of the impossible but view Zindraaldein as a betrayer and resent his choice to give dragon magic to the mortals. For metallic dragonborn, they view Ausdremwuld as a tyrant and fearmonger, and revere Zindraaldein as a martyr and saintly example to follow.
Origin/Ancestry
Magical
Lifespan
~80
Average Height
Over 6 ft.
Average Weight
~250 lbs.
Body Tint, Colouring and Marking
The first dragonborn had vibrant scales that greatly resembled their draconic lineages. Presently, a few metallic and most chromatic lineages of dragonborn still have scale coloration and other phenotypes reminiscent of the first dragonborn ancestors. The majority of metallic lineages have intermixed to produce a wide range of scale patterns and colorations. These intermixed lineages tend to have striped, splotted, mottled, or dotted metallic scales of various hues (i.e. bronze, copper, silver, gold, or brass).
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