Rhacodan
Tiny reptilian creatures resembling humanoid lizards or newts in a wide variety of colours, Rhacodans are very reclusive, living among the wild parts of Drakenhelm. Even though they do not dislike or fear their Varanus neighbours, they are extremely shy of them and their big cities. Rhacodans live in small sparse settlements and villages, with 'buildings' standing 4 feet tall at most. Presumably due to holding some relation to the extinct Dragons they are capable of harnessing the Glow and performing magic, albeit in a primal form.
Basic Information
Biological Traits
The Rhacodan are a particularly squat species with most standing around 2 to 2.5 feet tall. Like most reptilian species they sport soft keratin scales that come in a variety of colours from the bright hues to deep cools and in some rare cases sport both. Like nearly all species with draconic heritage they also sport extremely tiny horns that grow outwards along the ear holes, these horns are in effect growths that protrude from the scales and harden with age. Rhacodan mature at the age of 14 and can live upwards to 900 years of age.
The Rhacodan are insectivores with a rather slow metabolism, they often require only one meal a day and can weather extended periods without food. They have tiny teeth meant to grip food as they shallow it whole and it's not built for chewing or cracking through hard shells. Most of their body fat and nutrients is stored in their tails which often indicates the health of the Rhacodan, the thicker the tail the more well fed they are naturally, and while they have the ability to regenerate a lost tail it would often lead to rapid deterioration of the body if not placed in emergency care as the body now lacks it's primary source of nutrients.
Rhacodans for their small size and stature are not physically strong, however they do have exceptionally well developed lungs and eyesight, they can take more aerobic strain then most would accept and their nostrils are extremely sensitive, able to pick up subtle scents in addition to their tongues being able to 'taste' smells, smoke and smog can be deadly to the Rhacodans who are sensitive to rapid drops in air quality from mild irritation to fatal illness depending on the toxicity of the air, a Rhacodan on Terra for example might not be able to breathe properly in cities without the aid of a filter to scrub the smog.
Civilization and Culture
Culture and Cultural Heritage
Traditional Rhacodan society is more primitive and primal on it's surface however those who know the truth about this tiny species will come to learn that their society has much wisdom to convey to the more advanced societies in the wider galaxy. Urbanized Rhacodan are more integrated in galactic society having learned how to adapt and assimilate with their neighbours some retaining their traditional teachings while others adopt the lessons of the taller species.
The Rhacodan are hardly even seen outside of Drakenhelm, being uncommon in the rest of Varanus space, the species for the most part is particularly shy and passive in comparison to other species and tend to remain sedentary among the familiar sights and sounds of their tribeland. Some Rhacodan are different and on occasion travel across the galaxy to sate their natural curiosity for the things they barely understand, while the occasional Rhacodan adventurer may not find much friendship among their own kind they instead form bonds on the long journeys they take most never returning to Drakenhelm.
The Rhacodan have a generally peaceful society however a rare few do enlist in the Varanus Military however because of their physical limitations for most operations their Varanus patrons have developed a unique set of powered armour that acts as a mechanized walker. These Augment suits are often piloted by a select few Rhacodan proven to pilot these expensive suits, while the suits are designed for the Rhacodan and to eliminate their physical limitations the suit does take away their biggest strength as a means to channel breath magic through the suit is yet to be developed. Some Rhacodan believe those that pilot these suits lose touch with their inner breath as they rely more and more on the augmented strength of their suits.
Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals
Rhacodan society itself is split between two sides, the tribal traditionalists living in isolated nomadic communities in the valleys and plains of Drakenhelm and the sedentary urbanized Rhacodan living among other species in Varanus space and beyond. Some degree of societal drift occurs and leaves a degree of division as some of the hardline traditionalists believe that the urbanized are losing touch with the old ways. Most of the urbanized do still cling to their old traditions often trying to balance both worlds, however because of how important Drakenhelm is in these traditions those that go off world would find it near impossible to practice, one example being a ritual to bless the fertility of the soils through wrapping seeds in highly nutrient rich grasses found on Drakenhelm, the tribe would plant it shortly before moving their camp to the next harvesting ground ensuring that something would grow in the time the tribe or other tribes return to the old field. Urban Rhacodan struggle to get the proper materials for such rituals and most see no point given that the urban folk do not migrate from place to place the same way the old tribes do.
Common Taboos
Breath magic is interwoven in the old traditions of the Rhacodan, while not a particularly strong species, they do take great care in maintaining their health with breathing and cardio exercises to ensure their physical bodies can maintain the primal magic in their breaths. Restraint and patience are virtues to the Rhacodan especially to those who show a natural talent towards Breath Magic, those who lack the ability to properly maintain their breath is a liability to the safety of the tribe with the worst offenders being exiled to survive alone until they can prove to the tribe shaman that they have the ability to maintain and control their breath.
History
The Rhacodan for most of their loose oral history has always lived in the protective shadow of the great Dragons of Drakenhelm who lorded over the myriad of life that trickled across their domains. The Rhacodan remained reclusive maintaining a hunter-gather society spread across a few isolated and hidden settlements across the planet. It would be dragon-kind that would share language and writing with the species through ambassadors who often formed the spiritual leadership of the Rhacodan, these shamans would serve alongside a chief or chiefs comprised of the elder and most wise Rhacodan, a structure that would remain unchanged to this day.
Dragons fearing that one day their vigil might be disrupted also taught the Rhacodan to tap into magic using their innate breath, drawing magic in a primal form directly from the Glow long before the other species discovered it, potentially being the first species to actually harness the Glow. Despite having this unique power their species wanted nothing but to continue their peaceful existence using it only as a means for protection. For the next few centuries the Rhacodan continued their way of life uninterrupted and completely oblivious of the greater galaxy in the stars above and relying on the Dragons for the most part to deal with the local predators that plagued the planet.
On 2570 (one year before the Cataclysm) the Dragons of Drakenhelm progressively entered a period of hibernation, only a fraction remained awake to watch over the temples and lairs of their kind. The Rhacodan histories tell loose stories of interactions with the guardians and of a 'great meditation' they were protecting. One year after the stories speak of metal boxes from the skies shooting from one horizon to the next like a falling star, one story tells of a box landing gracefully in a open field watched in secret by the Rhacodan as the box produced a group of upright creatures much like the Dragons but far smaller that seemed to look around before disappearing back into the box that lifted back up to the stars.
When the extinction occurred, it was said that all Rhacodan awoke as if from a nightmare, all the shamans grew ill, some turned to ash before their families while others would remain sick for most of their lifetime after. The few shamans that could sought answers from the dragons only to find their lairs and temples abandoned, bones and ash being all that remained. For the first time ever the Rhacodan felt collective fear as their guardians were lost, leading to the Rhacodan to actively hide and avoid anything they perceived as a threat especially now that more of the strange boxes began to land in the open valleys, creating towers of metal and walls of light. Utilizing hidden caves and paths across the temple networks and lairs the Rhacodan would hide their society from the eyes above and use what powers they could muster from the glow to hide their tracks. Despite their best efforts they could not remain in the shadows forever.
The Palestar tribe was the one that initiated first contact, hiding in one of the temple ruins the tribe was viciously attacked by a Bonebreaker Wurm, a vicious predator that easily dispatched the tribe's few fighters, the young shaman of the tribe fled to gather aid and ran into a squad of Varanus legionaries that was patrolling the ridge near the temple entrance, despite a language barrier the shaman was able to convince the patrol that she meant no harm and directed the now curious legionaries to the temple, there they discovered the wurm and the slaughter it was revelling in, and without so much of a thought the legionaries engaged with the creature, their advanced weaponry able to dent it's thick bony hide leading to the wurm's retreat. Unfortunately the Palestar tribe was wiped out and it's lone survivor was soon taken by the legionaries to meet with the Tribunal.
After establishing a baseline for translation the Tribunal and the now named survivor Xargliss struck a deal. The shaman would rely their species history, culture and purpose on Drakenhelm to the curious Varanus in return for vengeance on the wurm, naturally she agreed leading to a extensive hunt that lasted over two months as the Varanus and the Shaman tracked the wurm from one den to the next, making note of the wurm's attacks on several other Rhacodan tribes. When the wurm was finally found Xargliss herself landed the killing blow by conjuring a blast of lightning breath into the crack the Varanus gunfire created killing the blighted creature instantly.
Impressed with the breath magics of the Rhacodan the Tribunal extended a new offering to Xargliss, to have her people become part of their interstellar nation in return for protection against the planet's predators. Xargliss wouldn't accept immediately but undertook a pilgrimage across all of the tribal heartlands of the Rhacodan to gather their approval. Upon her return to the Tribunal she accepted and was offered the role of Tribespeaker to represent her race. Rhacodan society over time would start to leave their hidden temples and once again live in the open fields protected by the occasional Varanus patrol.
Over the century the Rhacodan were exposed to the Varanus their society began to split in two, those that remained in their tribal heartlands and those that moved to the city. As more did move to the city they brought forth their customs and wisdom, many became fast friends with the Varanus as it was realized both shared a heritage with the dragons. The Rhacodan in time revealed what the dragons taught them and the lessons taught were welcomed by the Varanus as they became students of breath magic among other things. Rhacodan teachers became respected in Drakenhelm and their teachings eventually influenced the growth of magitek and the unique properties of dragonbone whose powers where known only by the Rhacodan at the time. Much of the religious society of Drakenhelm has largely been influenced by Rhacodan teachings and culture with some Rhacodans becoming connected priests in the Varanus clergy. Some would join the military forces as they learned of the sacrifices and pain the taller species suffered, others simply sought out new ways of living in the urbanized societies.
To this day not much has changed, the Rhacodan have become a respected and valued minority in Drakenhelm and elsewhere in Varanus space, most rarely leave the graveyard of the dragons however making the species a somewhat rare sight to this day. Xargliss the last of the Palestar tribe remains Tribespeaker and has become a permanent part of the Tribunal itself.
The Rhacodan thanks in part to their Varanus patrons now finds themselves in a galaxy of possibilities, most clinging to the soils of Drakenhelm and some turn their bulbous eyes towards the promises of the stars above.
Interspecies Relations and Assumptions
The Rhacodan are one of the few species given direct representation on the Tribunal, with Tribespeaker Xargliss Palestar speaking on behalf of the autonomous tribes of Drakenhelm. It's the Tribespeaker's duty to ensure that the enclaves on Drakenhelm remain seen in the designs of the the planet's authority and to resolve any conflicts between the tribes and their Varanus neighbours.
Lifespan
Rhacodan mature at the age of 14 and can live upwards to 900 years of age.
Average Height
2 to 2.5 feet
Related Organizations
