Dragon
The inheritors of the world; the natural rulers over all; large and winged; toothy and terrifying; with an intelligence and charisma to match the shadow they cast. In a time long forgotten to most came this awe inspiring species which would be colloquially known as Dragons. Dragons are a unique variant of Demons that migrated en mass from the Immortal Realm, with a zealous and unyielding conviction to lay claim to the entirety of the Mortal Realm, quoting "destiny" and "birthright" largely as their motivations, believing that none others could truly understand the greatness of their intentions. For much of known history before the Meridian, the others species of the Mortal Realm lived under the dominance of the Dragons. At a glance, it is undeniably easy to see how this happened: even the weakest of their kind towers over all others and have a physical prowess that simply cannot be matched by most. Coupled with an innate cunning and wisdom that puts all but the brilliant minds of other species to shame - it could only be natural that Dragons made their way to the metaphorical, and literal, top of the food chain.
However, despite being hatched with a winning hand, they are far from perfect. Perhaps as a result of their indeterminately long lifespan, Dragons are prone to decadence and narrow-minded behaviorism. It is incredibly difficult for the species to think and make decisions on the fly - yet still perfectly capable of doing exactly that - and when they do make decisions, it is often predictable and methodical, with little room for deviance. Advantages withal, other lesser races that come at odds with a Dragon can find themselves outmaneuvering and undoing them with just a little bit of resourcefulness. It was not uncommon for an ambitious Dragon to have to rely on their sheer overpowering nature and force of will and hope that they don't cross paths with anyone clever enough to determine their patterns and subvert them.
With the coming of the Meridian of Stars' Eternal and the New World, Dragons have been put in a position they have never considered: as equals to the inferior Meridii races. During the founding days of the fledgling empire, Astralshaper had incredible difficulty integrating her own kin with the other species', many Dragons facing a culture shock that took them much time adjust, and no small amount of patience from everyone else. The concept of inherent superiority passed down from the many Sutheoss Societies drilled into a Dragon from hatching, was slowly being abolished. With the sovereign, Astralshaper, even going as far as to spend more time on an individual basis with members of her own race in the early days of the Meridian, consistently having to reprimand other Dragons and reminding them of the importance of unity and cohesion in this new era - another philosophy that Dragons struggled with, even internally, for eons.
Now, for the first time in history, other member races of the Meridian find that the mask of supremacy belies a species that isn't entirely unpleasant. Many Dragons have found themselves carving out a peaceful coexistence with mortals, benefiting greatly from the surprising ingenuity they demonstrate, as well as discovering how intriguing and amusing they are to work with. On the flip side, mortals find that Dragons are extremely sociable - since it turns out that a race so long lived has much to talk about - as well as possessing unparalleled mastery of the passion they choose to pursue, sometimes even taking to it with an obsession that rivals a Tabaxi. One such famous example was when a bronze dragon locked himself in the Abjuration section of the East Imperial Consecrate for months, absorbing all the knowledge of the books with no signs of ceasing and scaring away curious scholars. Frustrated, the Solens Arc Curator at the time notoriously stated, "Someone do something about this fat, scaly Tabaxi, I can't take it anymore," before proceeding to jump out of the second floor window. That being said, Dragons can find their niche in life as anything, from craftsman to politicians, scholars to warriors; a Dragon is just as diverse as any species, although can sometimes struggle with tasks that require manual dexterity without specialized tools, as their claws do not possess the same freedom of movement as, say, Human hands.
What really surprised non-draconic Meridii was how rigid, complicated, and downright peculiar the traditions and values that the species places upon itself are. Dragons coalesce into large communities or flights known as a Sutheoss, which is then further subdivided into Circles of Presence. While many Circles can exist within a single Sutheoss, only one may ultimately rule and the values and beliefs of that particular Circle are expected to be displayed and adhered to by all Dragons of that Sutheoss. In the modern Meridian of Stars' Eternal only the ancient Ankr Sutheoss (literally First Sutheoss in Draconic) has survived, reincarnated by Astralshaper and completely absorbing and integrating Dragons from all others in her conquest to unify the world.
If you were to meet a Dragon, they will never introduce themselves to you with their true name - a detail Great House Thirteen theorizes is a result of their Demonic origins - and will instead present their "title" to you. A Dragon's title carries a lot of significance to the individual and the Sutheoss that the Dragon comes from, with most Dragons being exceptionally proud of their title. A Dragon gains their title through a ritual called Incarnation, where said individual lays claim to the title they believe truly represents them most and then proceeds to be judged of their worth to the title by their peers. For you see, each title carries a metaphysical weight to it and is quite literally considered a separate living entity, and by holding one, you are believed to be reincarnating yourself as the present manifestation of previous holders of that title - with all the respect, awe, and credit that may come with it now being owed to you. In this way, a Dragon is not just a singular being, but rather living legacy of those who came before.
Within the last fifty rotations, Dragons have mysteriously begun to vanish as a Meridii species, and as of the current rotation: only one known Dragon remains in the Mortal Realm, Astralshaper. No one really knows why or how the Dragons disappeared, some scholars believing that the Evening Star is somehow killing the whole species, but the theory is difficult to prove, as no corpses have been left behind to study. For all intents and purposes, they could be considered an extinct race, with their abandoned homes and districts left eerily intact and untouched as if waiting for them to return.
However, despite being hatched with a winning hand, they are far from perfect. Perhaps as a result of their indeterminately long lifespan, Dragons are prone to decadence and narrow-minded behaviorism. It is incredibly difficult for the species to think and make decisions on the fly - yet still perfectly capable of doing exactly that - and when they do make decisions, it is often predictable and methodical, with little room for deviance. Advantages withal, other lesser races that come at odds with a Dragon can find themselves outmaneuvering and undoing them with just a little bit of resourcefulness. It was not uncommon for an ambitious Dragon to have to rely on their sheer overpowering nature and force of will and hope that they don't cross paths with anyone clever enough to determine their patterns and subvert them.
With the coming of the Meridian of Stars' Eternal and the New World, Dragons have been put in a position they have never considered: as equals to the inferior Meridii races. During the founding days of the fledgling empire, Astralshaper had incredible difficulty integrating her own kin with the other species', many Dragons facing a culture shock that took them much time adjust, and no small amount of patience from everyone else. The concept of inherent superiority passed down from the many Sutheoss Societies drilled into a Dragon from hatching, was slowly being abolished. With the sovereign, Astralshaper, even going as far as to spend more time on an individual basis with members of her own race in the early days of the Meridian, consistently having to reprimand other Dragons and reminding them of the importance of unity and cohesion in this new era - another philosophy that Dragons struggled with, even internally, for eons.
Now, for the first time in history, other member races of the Meridian find that the mask of supremacy belies a species that isn't entirely unpleasant. Many Dragons have found themselves carving out a peaceful coexistence with mortals, benefiting greatly from the surprising ingenuity they demonstrate, as well as discovering how intriguing and amusing they are to work with. On the flip side, mortals find that Dragons are extremely sociable - since it turns out that a race so long lived has much to talk about - as well as possessing unparalleled mastery of the passion they choose to pursue, sometimes even taking to it with an obsession that rivals a Tabaxi. One such famous example was when a bronze dragon locked himself in the Abjuration section of the East Imperial Consecrate for months, absorbing all the knowledge of the books with no signs of ceasing and scaring away curious scholars. Frustrated, the Solens Arc Curator at the time notoriously stated, "Someone do something about this fat, scaly Tabaxi, I can't take it anymore," before proceeding to jump out of the second floor window. That being said, Dragons can find their niche in life as anything, from craftsman to politicians, scholars to warriors; a Dragon is just as diverse as any species, although can sometimes struggle with tasks that require manual dexterity without specialized tools, as their claws do not possess the same freedom of movement as, say, Human hands.
What really surprised non-draconic Meridii was how rigid, complicated, and downright peculiar the traditions and values that the species places upon itself are. Dragons coalesce into large communities or flights known as a Sutheoss, which is then further subdivided into Circles of Presence. While many Circles can exist within a single Sutheoss, only one may ultimately rule and the values and beliefs of that particular Circle are expected to be displayed and adhered to by all Dragons of that Sutheoss. In the modern Meridian of Stars' Eternal only the ancient Ankr Sutheoss (literally First Sutheoss in Draconic) has survived, reincarnated by Astralshaper and completely absorbing and integrating Dragons from all others in her conquest to unify the world.
If you were to meet a Dragon, they will never introduce themselves to you with their true name - a detail Great House Thirteen theorizes is a result of their Demonic origins - and will instead present their "title" to you. A Dragon's title carries a lot of significance to the individual and the Sutheoss that the Dragon comes from, with most Dragons being exceptionally proud of their title. A Dragon gains their title through a ritual called Incarnation, where said individual lays claim to the title they believe truly represents them most and then proceeds to be judged of their worth to the title by their peers. For you see, each title carries a metaphysical weight to it and is quite literally considered a separate living entity, and by holding one, you are believed to be reincarnating yourself as the present manifestation of previous holders of that title - with all the respect, awe, and credit that may come with it now being owed to you. In this way, a Dragon is not just a singular being, but rather living legacy of those who came before.
Within the last fifty rotations, Dragons have mysteriously begun to vanish as a Meridii species, and as of the current rotation: only one known Dragon remains in the Mortal Realm, Astralshaper. No one really knows why or how the Dragons disappeared, some scholars believing that the Evening Star is somehow killing the whole species, but the theory is difficult to prove, as no corpses have been left behind to study. For all intents and purposes, they could be considered an extinct race, with their abandoned homes and districts left eerily intact and untouched as if waiting for them to return.
EXTINCT
Scientific Name
Dyrmyth
Lifespan
Immortal
Average Height
Unknown
Average Weight
Unknown
Related Ethnicities
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