Dragon, True
True Dragons is a term referring to draconic species that share the following traits:
- Biological Immortality
- Constant cognitive development
- Constant physical growth
Basic Information
Biological Traits
True dragons comprise of several sub-races, and are commonly divided into two groups:
Chromatic Dragons
Chromatic Dragons are distinguished by a solid, non-reflective coloring of their scales, most commonly red, blue, green, black, or white. They are inherently evil and usually worship their mother Tiamat; they are known to be greedy, predatory, and vicious. When interacting with mortals, chromatic dragons tend towards subjugation and terror; they are highly territorial and hostile, but not brutish. Despite their might, chromatic dragons also take pleasure in scheming and manipulating from the shadows, weaving intricate plans that unfold over centuries, culminating in a grand finale that sees them as rulers.Metallic Dragons
Metallic Dragons are distinguished by their reflective metal-like coloring of their scales, most commonly gold, silver, bronze, copper, and brass. They are inherently good and usually worship their father Bahamut; they are known to be altruistic, benign, and rightous. When interacting with mortals, metallic dragons tend towards respectful guidance and acts of diplomacy; they are also territorial, though not immediately hostile (with the exception of evil creatures). Despite their docile appearance, metallic dragons can fight fiercly for their cause, and are more than capable of leaving nothing but destruction in their wake.Civilization and Culture
Naming Traditions
For a long time, draconic names were deemed similar to mortal names, as they seem to include a single adjective, a first name, and a long list of titles; however, as dragons became more involved in mortal affairs (e.g. The Ironscale Conclave of Arasil, Aelis of Waleapia, Yrsirelth), it became clear that their names are structured differently.
Despite it comprising of many words, the entire full name of a dragon is much more similar to a mononym; the structure is [exonym] [birthname] [lifename].
Exonym
The exonym is an adjective given by a dragon's worshippers, followers, enemies, or other dragons, usually by the time they reach adulthood. It is usually embraced by the dragon, as these adjectives are commonly percieved as compliments; metallic dragons usually favor adjectives such as "exalted", "benevolent", or "majestic", while chromatic dragons usually favor adjectives such as "mighty", "cruel", or "terrible"; less connoted adjectives, such as "great" or "revered" are equally favored by both groups. In rare cases dragons might reject an exonym if they find it unfitting for the effect they wish to have on their surrounding, or if they simply find it demeaning; a notable example is Sgiadubh who was granted the exonym of "conniving", which prompted him to slay as many dragons and mortals as he could, earning the exonym of "cruel".Birthname
The birthname is, as implied, the name given to a dragon upon their birth; the meaning of most birthnames are vague, even to dragons, much like mortal races.Lifename
The lifename is the life-story of a dragon and holds some sort of magical power; it is not a source of magic, nor can it be invoked for power, rather it is given in a magical way. While the exact process is poorly understood even by most dragons, its causes and effects are well known; a dragon's lifename is comprised of multiple atoms, each usually translated into three to eight words; each of said atom is bestowed upon the dragon at the moment of a formative achievement or act they performed, though as mentioned, the identity of the bestowing party is unknown. A dragon's lifename is immediately recognized by other dragons, half dragons, Kobolds, the Draconic Pantheon, and the dragon itself; the only lifename title that can be predicted is "vanquisher of [birthname]", which is given to a dragon that single handedly killed a dragon much stronger than it is.Major Language Groups and Dialects
Draconic has two major dialects - the wordly tongue, which is used for conversations, descriptions, and every purpose a language is normally used; and the eternal tongue, which is a nuanced system of inflections that comprise a single adjective called an atom.
The words in the eternal tongue are devoid of meaning in the traditional sense, and such any translation attempts are made without full success in mind. While translating an atom into any one language is possible to a certain extent, translating it faithfully into any other language might yield an entirely different meaning.
Each atom is meant to invoke a concept on its own, but much specific in scope than other languages; rather than each inflection changing the tense, case, voice, aspect, person, number, gender, mood, animacy, or definiteness, it changes the entire meaning. For example, while the atom "Fre" might be translated as soothing as a leaf, the atom "Bafre" might be translated as who shatters the earth; and while the atom "Nerha" might be translated as birefringent, the atom "Banerha" might be translated as birefringent wings.
Interspecies Relations and Assumptions
There are many hypotheses attempting to reconcile dragons and their ability to conquer with the fact they rarely attempt to establish polities; however, the following two are the most agreed upon:
The Silent Dominion Hypothesis
According to this hypothesis, dragon civilization already rules the world, even if the meager races are too dim witted to recognize it. They do not sit on humanoid thrones as they are be far above the thrones of the meager1. As far as dragons are concerned, society has operated more or less the same way for thousands of years; a meager empire is a meager empire is meager. This perception, labeled outgroup interspecies homogeneity bias, raises the central question for dragons: Why govern? Dragons have a naturally low population density, but this does not mean that they are antisocial creatures; not entirely. Although their notion of "personal space" encompasses vast territories, sometimes across multiple meager polities, dragons' ability to traverse great distances allows for some contact, friendly or otherwise, with other dragons and their distant lairs. The presence of humanoid settlements within this space is as threatening to dragons as a flock of sheep living on their lands; their true competitors are other dragons. Mortals are akin to rabbit colonies in their backyard, constantly multiplying but failing to achieve anything great, oblivious to the dragons' social culture that spreads wide across the world and spans incomprehensible timescales. These settlements gather resources just by being allowed to exist and left to their own devices, without any particular political guidance from their natural draconic masters. A dragon needs only to wait a mere century and those dwarves would have mined all sorts of treasures out of the hills over there, just as surely as the crops would grow in the farm in the neighboring human kingdom. To reap the ever bountiful harvest, the dragon simply has to show up, maybe burn a few houses and abduct the occasional princess, remind people who truly rules the land, and then wait for the tribute filled wagons to roll in. Dragons have no reason to exterminate humanoids; as long as mortals remain awed and fearful, they will build the dragons' hoard for them. Following the same logic, dragons actually protect mortal territories from other dragons, to ensure that they're the ones getting the protection money, not a competitor. Dragons may also protect humanoid settlements from genuine existential threats (i.e., things that would make the useful humanoid population go extinct); after all, while a farmer may care little for the life of a single corn stalk, the same cannot be said on a fire consuming his fields. A dragon looking to build their hoard wants to terrorize villages, extort merchants, devour livestock, and other such activites; they have no incentive for commiting wholesale slaughter or genociding mortals.The Godly Decree Hypothesis
The Draconic Pantheon and essentially, the creators of the draconic race, Bahamut and Tiamat, had prohibit the genocide and extermination of the lesser races - for many reasons, among them their will of the lesser races to flourish. Meager races, whether knowingly or not, worship draconic gods. Be it the Dragonborn who tend to worship the pantheon as it is, the Kadians who worship an aspect of Bahamut within the Andorian Pantheon, or the Dharaek Khanate worshipping Bane who's an aspect of Tiamat, the dragon gods draw strength from the populous meager races. As dragons are few in number, and since gods grow more powerful the more worshippers they have, the deities of the Draconic Pantheon decreed that mortal races are not to be exterminated. Furthermore, they decreed that dragons should not opress the more intelligent races, as this may harbor hatred within them and turn them away from worshipping the draconic gods, or even illicit their renounciation. This hypothesis in essence makes the same claim as the silent dominion hypothesis, but regarding the draconic gods rather than their children: though they can easily eradicate the meager races if they truly wished to do so, they refrain from doing so as the current state of affairs benefits them.
Scientific Name
Draconis Draconis Draconis
Related Organizations
Draconic Treasure
Although goals and ideals vary among them, all dragons are covetous. They like to hoard wealth, collecting mounds of coins and gathering as many gems, jewels, and magic items as possible. For dragons, there is no such thing as enough treasure; it’s pleasing to look at and bask in its radiance; dragons like to make beds of their hoards, shaping nooks and mounds to fit their bodies. The oldest among dragons may have hundreds of gems and coins embedded in their hide. However, there are two less known qualities to a dragon and their hoard; the first is a dragon's ability to grow its hoard by sleeping in it, an ability that begins manifesting in old dragons. A centuries old dragon will usually make its bed among a treasured portion of its hoard, which will then grow by the dragon's mere presence; mortals who know of this property often make offerings to a dragon for the dragon to sleep upon, in hopes of it returning the favor.Dragons usually do not sleep among their most treasured portion as they attribute greater value to treasure gained (e.g. a copper dragon would rather make its bed in a gold pile rather than among its artworks and curios). The second quality is the dragon's power increasing with the size of their gained hoard. The exact nature of this increase varies between dragons and hoard size, and is evident only once a dragon reaches adulthood, which is usually the time they have their own hoard. This invariably enhances and grants intangible qualities, though these new powers vary between dragons. Examples include a more imposing presence and stature, innately attracting kobolds, a greater appeal to potential mates, and affecting their environment to be more accomodating.
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