Drake

A drake is one who bears the brand of a dragon, granting them draconic power and immortality. However this comes at a cost, a dragon can freely look through the minds of their drakes, and once a year a dragon can issue an order to a drake that they are physically incapable of refusing.
All a dragon needs to apply their brand is a single touch. The brand will manifest at the point of contact and the new drake will sleep for several days as their body and mind adapts. The children of a drake will also be a drake; and while the same rules apply to them, having the brand since birth naturally gives them a different perspective on things compared to their formerly mortal parents. 

"I didn't have time to think. There were people in front of me, dying people, and I could save them. By the time my reason caught up with me, it was too late, I had done what couldn't be undone."

-Hyperion 

Power and Responsibility

While each dragon has their own beliefs on how to use the brand, regarding how to treat drakes they are mostly in agreement. The inherent power imbalance between dragon and drake is considered a curse, and steps are taken to minimize it as much as possible. While it is impossible to completely remove the potential of issuing irrefusbale orders, using it on something trivial can keep it at bay for a whole year.
Hákon is an exception to the above when it comes to his thralls. His thrall holding had already raised tensions considerably at the first meeting between the four dragons, but it could be barely tolerated on the basis that he had become part of a mortal culture where it was allowed. The added layer of using the brand to turn his thralls into drakes nearly resulted in Aodh outright assaulting Hákon, only stopping due to concerns about the collateral damage a fight between dragons would cause.
Spoiler concerning who becomes a drake

Chrysanthos faced the problem of his drake status making him too powerful as a shah. He and Hyperion agreed that an immortal ruler would eventually make the mortals too dependent, so they struck an arrangement that Chrysanthos would only reign for ten years. If Chrysanthos became like his father or refused to step down at the end of the ten years, Hyperion would use the brand to force Chrysanthos to abdicate the throne.

Cultural Reception

The general attitude towards drakes varies by the culture and whatever dragon is closest to them. For example, in Dravala drakes are considered enlightened figures, since Nisha extensively tests any who seek her brand and is mainly concerned with the protection and spread of knowledge. Meanwhile because of Hákon, the isles of the Revolving Sea view becoming a drake as a form of eternal thralldom, something to desperately avoid.

Special Symbols

The only physical sign of drake status is the brand itself. Because of this some drakes can disguise their true nature by concealing the brand. The brand itself has a different appearance for each dragon, generally related to what each dragon was born alongside.

• Aodh: A Red Dancer completely submerged in fire.
• Hákon: The horn of a jackalope that has been coated in ice.
• Hyperion: A radiant citrine cut in the shape of the sun.
• Nisha: The shell of a fully grown orefruit.

Immortal Insulation

On account of their immortality, both dragons and drakes tend to avoid intimate relationships with mortals.

---

Type

Magical

Affected Species

• Talpman
• Human
• Lizal
• Orc
• Cephal

---

Branding and Lycanthropy

While it is possibles for lycanthropes to become drakes, the inverse is not true. All lycanthropic drakes either had lycanthropy first, or were born with both conditions.

From the Author

If you liked this article or have feedback to give, please leave a like or comment. To know when future articles get posted, click the 'Follow World' button at the bottom of the article.