High Dragons

Basic Information

Anatomy

High dragons are a heavily magical specie, naturally capable of polymorphing between several forms - one humanoid, one dragon, and several in-between, mostly humanoids with various dragon additions, for example scales, horns, sharp teeth and so on.
It is heavily depended on their level of blood purity, with very pure dragons being capable of merely their humanoid and dragon forms, without those in the middle. Their human form is permanent (which means that while it undergoes changes due to age, it is impossible to change via polymorphy into others). Their dragon form is, too, permanent, with all scars and so on remaining forever.
In their dragon form they look similar to their progenitors, Ancient Dragons. They are large, strong and with three pairs of limbs - rear legs, front legs and wings. They, which is also similar to ancient dragons, are capable of flight due to passive ability to change their own mass.

Genetics and Reproduction

It is heavily dependant on their level of blood purity, over time risking genetic degradation to lower dragons, a specie of beast, practically animals. Their level of blood purity defines, for example, how well they manage to polymorph. What deviates them from average sentient species with blood purity being important, is that in their case, the less pure their blood is, the stronger they are.
This is caused by the fact, that their non-dragon part is directly connected to their sentience and connection with the Dark. The less they breed with members of the other races - and more with their own - the more they degenerate, with every sucessive generation much weaker and more bestial. Finally they end up without possibility to assume humanoid form, being nothing more than slightly more inteligent lower dragons, mating with them and finally losing any sort of significance.
Their fertility is extremely low, with average high dragon mating regularly with 4-5 partners (they tend to have polygamy) producing one offspring every 30-40 years at best. On the other hand, they are capable of reproduction practically until death, and they can breed with next to every other race that does reproduce in a way similar to humans. On their non-high dragons progenitors depend the specie whose form they achieve after morphing into humanoids,.
They reproduce in a relatively typical way. Impregnated female high dragon temporarily lose their ability to polymorph, which is actually typical for polymorph reproduction, since it is the easiest way to avoid somehow 'damaging' the child. In case of male high dragon impregnating female from another race, the pregnancy is noticably longer, taking up to 15 months. They are birthed in human form, soon however morphing into dragon form, which is much tougher, significantly increasing survivability during infancy while avoiding the trauma of human woman giving birth to little dragon.
They learn to control their form and change it into human with time, depending on purity of their blood. If they won't learn it until their 20 birthday, they are considered lower dragons and - in most cases - killed.
Very pureblooded high dragons tends to spend majority of time being dragons, while being seriously... animalistic. When that happens they tend to be dangerous, attacking travellers. Especially those of opposite sex are in danger, and sometimes a type of genetically imprinted failsafe fires up, making them feel intense lust for potential partners that will prevent his genes from further devolving. This mechanism is the source before the legends about offering dragons virgins, to - quite literally - 'sate' their rage.

Growth Rate & Stages

Until ~20 yo they are considered infants, still in their dragon form. After learning how to polymorph they are considered children, with their humanoid body looking accordingly, and their sexuality yet to awaken. When their dragon form stops growing (around ~100 birthday) they are finally considered adults, while also undergoing a seriously late puberty in their humanoid form. They die from old age around 500 birthday.

Ecology and Habitats

High dragons are naturally dominating creatures, that feel the best when they rule over others. They also enjoy gathering treasures, which they consider a symbol of their power (just as artifact, trophies and so on). Due to this, they tend to live in 'lairs' separated from civilization, with small group of high dragons (in most cases only one +offspring too young to live on its own) lives.
With of group of (often slave) concubines, and group of servants and/or subjects, with servants and concubines giving them sense of power, while forests and wastes surrounding their 'lair' (often formerly abandoned castle and so on) treated as playgrounds, when they can hunt in their dragon form.

Dietary Needs and Habits

An interesting thing about them is that their level of satiation varies between their dragon and humanoid forms. While being sated in humanoid form has no direct impact on their dragon form, they DO tend to slowly be sated 'offscreen', requiting weeks of being well fed for some serious improvement - and vice versa.
As big creatures (and very magical one) they tend to enjoy food with high ammount of callories, mainly sweets, meat, beer and so on. On contrary, their requirement for vegetables and herbs is very low, and exists only in their humanoid forms.

Biological Cycle

Dragons are, after all, lizards. Thus they tend to prefer spending their winters in human forms, flying only if necessary.

Additional Information

Uses, Products & Exploitation

Various parts of their body are found interesting from the alchemical point of view, in most cases completely different depending if they came from their humanoid and dragon forms, with their middle forms being sort of a mix between the two.
Their scales, teeth and claws are also quite costly crafting materials, used in armors, swords and arrowheads.
The supply of such resources is severely limited by the fact that attacking typical, 'civilized' high dragon is still considered murder, with (almost) all resources on market coming from most pureblooded dragons that went animal and began butchering people.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Varied, especially popular on Dragarian Isles and isle of Verthila, but they are sometimes encountered practically everywhere in Karadia.

Average Intelligence

Tend to be very intelligent, however their arrogance and tendency to live apart from civilization seriously limits their knowledge.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Eyes and hearing extraordinary, also possesing ability to detect heatsources similar to snakes, at least in their dragon form. For some reason they did not inherit ancient dragons ability to feel magic.

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

Varies, depending on traditions of the nearby civilizations, with higher dragons in most cases adapting them overtime.

Major Organizations

Kingdom of Verthila and Dragarian Hegemony are ruled, to a point at least, by high dragons.

Beauty Ideals

In humanoid forms varies just as amongst humanoids, with every one of them having his own preference.

Courtship Ideals

Their 'courtship' tend to be similar of other races rape or enslavement, although with nearly equally widespread tendency to take in various people in trouble, protecting them and helping in exchange of... servitude of sort.

Relationship Ideals

With high dragons at the top, and their partners being sufficiently... submissive, which is the main requirement, as domination can be describe as their specie-wide fetish.


On the other hand, many (if not most) of them, especially males, tend to be very protective and caring of their partners. While possesive, they are surprisingly rarely sadistic, which is probably a sort of a genetically imprinted failsafe, since they have to protect and treat well their partners to have them get pregnant and avoiding losing the children.

Historical Figures

Draxaria the Redwing

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

They consider another species as beings inferior and quality, but superior of quantity (with most of wannabe conquerors quickly overwhelmed and destroyed), generally enjoying their niche of small personal domains on the border of their civilization, which tends to not concern them.

Created by: Ancient Dragons.
IC: Occurence: Very Rare
IC: Danger: Not Threatened

Genetic Ancestor(s)

• Ancient Dragons

Lifespan

500

Average Height

Humanoid form: 1,90m.
Dragon form: Up to 5m.

Average Weight

Humanoid form: 90kg
Dragon form: Up to five tonnes.

Average Length

Dragon form: Up to 15m.