Dragonborn

The Dragonborn

An ancient species that has endured multiple extinction events on Dunia, the Dragonborn are a type of draconid humanoid, branching from the Dragons' common ancestor millions of years ago, but only developing a society of their own recently, in geological terms. They are proud, if sometimes vain, and have a profound sense of identity amongst themselves. Their family names have deep sentimentality buried within them, and slander is not tolerated.
They are, like their originators, capable of producing various elemental effects as a breath weapon, resultant from ancient draconid adaptations. In Antiquity, they were forced into servitude to the Dragon cults but broke free of their bonds after an uprising resulted in a slain Archdragon. Ever since, they have been hostile towards dragonkind at large, and choose to hunt them down where possible. This common goal, shared with the Drakaan, means the limited contact they do have is typically friendly. While hostile to dragons and leery of deals which disadvantage them, they are otherwise friendly.
They are widespread in the Northern parts of the continents and even further inland into Barid, but some can be found in the warmer parts of Karrah and Jazirah.

Adaptations

Dragonborn, since antiquity, have remained mostly unchanged. Their ancestry, though, is what largely grants their abilities. They inherit their mother's genes mostly, with that affecting their appearance, though may inherit the father's horns, patterns, or plumage. Dragonborn, like other draconids, are warm-blooded, and have a countercurrent circulatory system to aid in staying warm when in exceptionally cold climates. Some Dragonborn lineages, though, are better suited to arid, hot climates.
Dragonborn scales' have special properties that allow them to resist specific elemental types, dependent on the chroma of the scales themselves. The chroma of the scales is determined by gestation conditions during pregnancy, and can result in one parent's chroma or the other's dependent on temperature, food consumed, and various other environmental factors, leaving it up to the parents typically to agree upon which chroma their child carries on. For the mother's chroma to be passed on, they'll want to be in a warmer environment, and for the gene donor's chroma to be passed on, they'll want to be in a slightly colder environment.

Culture

Dragonborn proximity to the Belgorost has caused them to codevelop a language unique to the region, which some could describe as 'Rostovian', for which an Earth analogue exists: Western Slavic. This has influenced adjacent species and nations such as the Kobolds, whose blend of Rostovian and Ingvaeonic languages come from the Belgorost, Dragonborn, and Dwarves.
Dragonborn culture is highly family centric, but in the sense that anyone that shares their last name is part of their lineage, and therefore their family, though this is only a surface-level explanation. Their surnames are always hyphenated, where the patriarchal line is the last name and the matriarchal line is the first name in the surname. Dragonborn have developed a system where trinkets specific to a lineage are made when a child is born, and is then handed off to the child when they reach the age of 10 when they decide whose name to take. The trinkets themselves are designed in such a way that they can be combined with other trinkets magically through a pact.
That trinket is then held somewhere safe on their person until they marry into another family, where copies of the trinkets from each family are made for the partner. Usually this is carried around as a necklace or strapped to wearable armor or other jewelry. The system is dual-purpose, to prevent accidental inbreeding, and to also prevent infidelity as Dragonborn are at large, monogamous. There are some exceptions to the rule but all participants must consent. If courting, both of the interested parties will always ask to see the others' trinket. Consent and gaining permission, is, at large a requirement in Dragonborn culture, stemming from their history of breaking free from servitude. If you go behind their backs and do something sneaky or dishonorable, they will view it as the gravest sin. Taking things or doing things without them granting permission is an affront to not only their pride, but their species as a whole, so it's a tremendous insult and will almost always at the very least result in the offending party being exiled or being ostracized.
The bonds that Dragonborn form with one another is highly symbolic and almost ritualistic in nature. They have a strong belief that together they are stronger than the sum of their parts, and this translates to when they wage war. They are highly cooperative and lean on one another's strengths while covering for the other's weaknesses in combat. If one is better at breaking into the front lines in melee combat, the other will support from a distance. They are almost always paired up with someone who complements their abilities when sent out or joining a party.
Killing a dragon is a rare opportunity, but a great honor for the Dragonborn. Dragons on Dunia are largely selfish and manipulative narcissists, and many of them have mutated into more disturbing and nightmarish forms such as the Dunewyrm, or Kuthban-Tinin in Khar-Kushak. Killing a mutant dragon is not only enacting justice for ancient crimes, but also a mercy. The few that remain unchanged are cunning and political masterminds, shrewd puppeteers, and their very existence goes against the Dragonborn honor codes. These remaining dragons are referred to as Archdragons, and they are very difficult to suss out.

Architecture

Dragonborn architecture is largely dependent on what materials are available, but prior to the cataclysm, there was a wide range of extant examples of dragonborn designs. Both traditional, and very industrial, brutalist design philosophies often clash where Dragonborn have had long-standing settlements and cities. The brutalist approach came from a post-war world, where raw concrete was the fashion of the time. They felt that the brutalist designs needed to stand on their own as good designs versus the much-more-decorated traditional Dragonborn domed buildings. There was a lot of pushback against the brutalist approach in the historic districts. Greater materials access pushed the dragonborn further into experimentation as time went on, so there were some very unconventional and unorthodox designs for their museums and financial districts. Most of these buildings survived the Cataclysm further North and closer to Barid but many have been reduced to rubble further South from their usual territory.
Post-Cataclysm, Dragonborn designs have taken on a much more pragmatic philosophy and their approach to settlement design often centers around a location of exchange where the market is more central to any given settlement and naturally radiates outwards. There is still a main corridor present in this approach where other buildings with different purposes fill the niches. They use recycled materials that are available to them since concrete production has largely declined, but also once again incorporate a lot more wood and metal in general construction.
Their settlements are mostly powered by salvaged and rebuilt hydroelectric facilities where possible, but otherwise might run on coal or gas generators since other power options aren't available as far north as the Barrier Forest. Most water access is through wells and motorized pumps, similar to other human settlements.

Technology

Dragonborn technology is largely a collaborative effort between them and the Belgorost. There were some joint developments with the Eadwellian and Verdoyant people post war, but it quickly turned into an arms race. They developed the first electric lighting systems and the incandescent bulb, where later they'd work with the Dwarves to design multi-stage rockets and the very first lasers. Dragonborn and the Belgorost were the first to orbit during the space race that occurred roughly 30 years before the Cataclysm. Dragonborn also invented the first gyrocopters and helicopters after the Verdoyant and Eadwellians developed the first motorized aircraft. They also contributed a lot to mathematical engineering.
Some of their less-benign developments were the Armanov weapons manufacturing facilities and the Zarya DBO armaments factory.
A lot of their modern technology was developed far away from where the Cataclysm occurred, so engineering blueprints and records survived for the most part, allowing the Dragonborn to rebuild a lot of what was lost.
Their current manufacturing base is probably 20% of what it was, but it is still operational, which is miraculous when compared to the rest of the world at large.

Unique Vehicles

3K74 "Chel" Chelyabinsk
A self-propelled, tracked, armored anti-air vehicle meant to replace the aging 2K63 Shilka. The 3K74 is nicknamed 'Chel' by most, and carries a terrifying complement of 8 Surface-to-Air missiles as its primary armament with a secondary armament of two twin-barrel 30mm autocannons, each with a capacity of roughly 2,000 rounds each, with a combined rate of fire close to 2,500 RPM. All of its weapons are carried on a singular turret located in the center of the vehicle that can rotate 360 degrees. Its armour is only meant to defeat up to rifle-power rounds, however. It carries a crew of 4 and runs on a V12 dieselectric drive train. During the cold war era, prior to the Cataclysm, this was deployed in backline areas near borders, since logistically it could keep its supplies up without issue. It has a cruising range of roughly 300 miles and a maximum speed of 45mph (only in combat maneuvers). It can travel 1 hex per day and some change, just about before needing to refuel.
T60 Kharkinov
The former main battle tank of the Shedari allied forces, designed by the dragonborn, the T60 saw many revisions and upgrades leading up to the year of the Cataclysm. While it is not nearly as threatening as it used to be, with aging parts and mechanical stress, it is still an MBT, and it is still very dangerous to go toe-to-toe with one. It was one of the first Dragonborn designs equipped with an automatic loading mechanism for its main gun. It has a gunnery station, a driver's station, and a command station. It uses a smoothbore 125mm main gun with a discarding-sabot fin stabilized projectile. Its secondary armament is a full powered rifle cartridge anti-air machine gun where the commander sits. Next to the main gun is a coaxial machine gun that uses intermediate cartridges. Its average cruising speed is roughly 30 mph and its operational range is 240mi, and with extended fuel tanks up to 480mi.
TR-70 Zavodi
A 4-axle amphibious armored vehicle that is capable of going just about anywhere, the Zavodi was a post-war design that saw widespread usage with many countries. It could carry up to 14 passengers, with a crew of 2. The original design was an open top build, but it was quickly discovered that this could lead to a lot of problems in urban combat. Its armor is meant to protect against small arms fire and shrapnel from most directions. There are two pintel mounts for light machine guns and an armored heavy machine gun turret in the top center. Heavily modified versions exist with the crew compartment replaced with living quarters, and there are some that were used as command stations. Its armored design protects against fire-based attacks. It has a cruising speed of 45 mph and a top speed of 60 mph, with an operational range of 480mi.
K-24 Kalinin
A hulking multirole helicopter with twin turboshaft engines operating its prop, it also has a very recognizable silhouette with its two bubble canopies, one for the pilot, and one for the co-pilot/gunner. It is equipped with a host of anti-tank weapons and an actuated remote turret controlled by the gunner but it lacks agility thanks to its armored frame. It can carry up to 8 passengers and has quite a bit of external storage. It is resistant to small arms fire. Its operational range is roughly 1 hex (240 mi) but it can cover that in an incredibly short period of time, in just an hour at cruising speed (240 mph). This helicopter is still a very rare sight, regardless, by virtue of fuel consumption and somewhat limited operational range.

Unique Weaponry

Armanov Vspyshka-6 Magnesium Cartridge Laser Revolver
Description
The Vspyshka, or 'Flashbulb' was originally an experimental design early after the great war but as the technology matured, so did the design. It is probably the most common example available of a working handheld laser weapon. Its original design was intended to blind hostile nations' astronauts if engaged in a tense situation, but its power per cartridge was brought up substantially so it's a lot more threatening than the super-bright flashbulb it once was. It's a chemically-powered laser revolver.
Zarya Kuvalda-9-H Jet-propelled Hammer
Description
The Kuvalda is an unconventional and somewhat experimental jet-propelled sledgehammer that hits hard enough to send opponents flying, and its tremendous force can send shockwaves that crush bodies underneath armor, but it is very difficult to use. When it does manage to hit something, though, whatever it hits is sure to have a bad day. This particular design was developed at the Zarya DBO propulsion laboratory.
Zarya Polyus-17-F Laser Pistol
Description
Manufactured by the Dragonborn-operated Zarya DBO, produced at their photonics factory, the Polyus is known as a fairly reliable sidearm that is capable of emitting powerful bursts of focused light. It uses a small, but powerful capacitor that can be recharged either via normal means or magical means. It is one of the few Dragonborn-developed laser weapons that can be recharged without needing new ammunition. Unsurprisingly, laser weapons are fantastic against creatures sensitive to light. Its original intent was to be used in special operations against the Verdoyant, but its development was stalled until the Cataclysm.
Zarya Sokol-19-F Laser Rifle
Description
Manufactured by the Dragonborn-operated Zarya DBO, produced at their photonics factory, the Sokol is the big sibling of the Polyus, and is capable of emitting even more powerful bursts of focused light. It uses a small, but powerful capacitor that can be recharged either via normal means or magical means. The Sokol boasts a much greater range than the Polyus and better overall ammo efficiency, but at a cost to weight.

Species Features

Your draconic heritage manifests in a variety of traits you share with other dragonborn.
Ability Score Increase: Your Strength score increases by 2, and your Charisma score increases by 1.
Age: Young dragonborn grow quickly. They walk hours after hatching, attain the size and development of a 10-year-old human child by the age of 3, and reach adulthood by 15. They live to be around 100 to 120.
Size: Dragonborn are taller and heavier than humans, standing well over 6 feet tall and averaging almost 250 pounds. Your size is Medium.
Speed: Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Draconic Ancestry: You have draconic ancestry. Choose one type of dragon from the Draconic Ancestry table. Your breath weapon and damage resistance are determined by the dragon type, as shown in the table.
Breath Weapon: You can use your action to exhale destructive energy. Your draconic ancestry determines the size, shape, and damage type of the exhalation.
When you use your breath weapon, each creature in the area of the exhalation must make a saving throw, the type of which is determined by your draconic ancestry. The DC for this saving throw equals 8 + your Constitution modifier + your proficiency bonus. A creature takes 2d6 damage on a failed save, and half as much damage on a successful one. The damage increases to 3d6 at 6th level, 4d6 at 11th level, and 5d6 at 16th level.

After you use your breath weapon, you can’t use it again until you complete a short or long rest.
Damage Resistance: You have resistance to the damage type associated with your draconic ancestry.
Languages: You can speak, read, and write Common and Rostovian. Rostovian, linguistically functions like a West Slavic language.