Dragons

The Emerald Circle
"When Lady Nelindara and Lord Khurendor left the mainland, they set about creating a Council wherein the eldest of the Dragonkin could rule their own kind and prevent lesser folk from ever getting out of control again. The Council met inside a tremendous Temple caved entirely of Emerald. It is to this that the Council and consequently the Temple were both called by the very stone of which they had been crafted." - Bard Antiochus, "De Draconibus", Preverse.

From the Encyclopedia Allerius.

"I saw it! wuz th' durndest thing I've ever seen... da sky went black and somethin' flew overhead! I was so a'scared I nearly soiled my britches! T'was a Dragon I tell ya... durn amazing too!" - 'Zeke' Thornton, Human Grain Farmer, Riparia-Centripax.

Dragons are an elusive race, having disappeared during the Age of Chivalry. Best known for their magical skills and physical capabilities, dragons are also famous for their unique breath weapons, which are a kind of gas or energy blast which exudes from the creature's mouth.

"I had never SEEN a dragon you understand... just heard about them in stories.... you know tales the old folks tell. But I tell you when he came flying towards the Practorium shooting Ice Orbs it was amazing! I nearly got blasted by a Xet soldier when he shot those flames out of his mouth though! he was BREATHING fire!!! Enough flame for a hundred torches easily!.. well! You don't see THAT every day... not even in the Veldar Elite." - Vernon Thallus, human soldier, VE, just after the famed P'Karth's appearance in Medonia during the Liberation from the Xet.

There are many different kinds of dragons, usually defined by their colours. They obtain their colours by eating certain kinds of ore; these ore also strengthen the scales and talons. Thus an older dragon, having eaten this ore all his life, will have a darker colour, and tougher scales and talons. These ores are incredibly hard to find, and expensive to purchase, which is why dragons live in mountainous areas and collect hoards--aside from greed or desire for privacy, that is--they need a lot of money to get it.

"I heard that them Dragons have HUGE treasure hordes the size of mountains... just keep 'em for eatin' too... weird folk... dragons." - Barumin Haverstam of the North Sherian Haverstams, Halfling.

Until they reach their full growth, dragons will shed their scales every few months as they rapidly increase in size. These scales are sought by magicians and alchemists, as it is easier to get the scales this way than to kill the dragon. Dragons, however, are jealous of their scales, and do not let them go easily, especially since a person with the right spell may use the scales to control the dragon. The scales may have different properties according to colour, probably because of the different ores that each dragon eats. For instance, a potion made from the scales of a gold dragon may heal almost any wound, while the scales from a red dragon create a volatile fluid that is quite useful in battle or engineering.

"...And what you have to trade for this transaction hmmm???... oh some Dragon Scales! Well WHY didn't you say so??? we HAVE A DEAL!!!" - Abawakne The Wise, Archmage Gnome of Alchemy, Centripax Province.

Dragons have a complex society which very few people in Aelyria know about, and this from before the Age of Chivalry when dragons went into hiding. Dragons of different colours have different habits, for instance, black dragons are generally evil while gold dragons are generally good. An ancient text speaks of a law that all dragons must abide by, and that is to respect the sovereignty of each dragon; thus dragons may not interfere in each other's business. It is rumoured that dragons still exist, and occasional sightings by people whose reputation is impeccable support this. Legend tells of an island where dragons congregate and rule over themselves, but if this is true, no sailor has discovered it--or lived to tell about it.

"I tell ya... I know where they live!!! they have treasure hordes the size of islands! I have the map right here... I'll sell it to you for only 20 Crowns!" - Unknown human in Aelyria Prime.

Among the different documented kinds of dragons are red, gold, silver, black, brown, green, blue, and a strange one called the faerie dragon. Of course, this list is inconclusive, and may not include every type of dragon. Gold and silver dragons are protected by Imperial Law. Dragons are reported to live for many thousands of years and are rumoured to grow to enormous sizes as time passes by.... although the exact length of a Dragon's life-span is unknown, many scholars agree that a Dragon's life-span is one of the longest of any of the recorded races of Aelyria.

Dragons, additionally, tend to focus their magic in two areas. Most dragons are elementalists. Their unique breath weapon is in fact a reaction of their elemental magics and the ores that each dragon ingests. Further, quite a few dragons tend to learn Mysticism for several reasons; mothers often communicate with their young in the shells; telepathy is a wonderful way for dragons to talk in the air, where the wind would tear their words away; and many of the subtle auras of fear and panic that surround a dragon are in fact originating from their mind. In addition, most dragons abhor being controlled--and mind control is one of the most effective ways to control a dragon. Therefore, most dragons chose to learn mysticism to protect themselves.

A few dragons will also learn sorcery, but it is practically unheard of for dragons to learn thaumaturgy or necromancy, since the religion of a dragon is a very individual one, different for each dragon.

History

"I heard tell that dragons used ta live all over. Now they're gone, so's they say. Dunno what made'em die..." - Davram Barshok, dwarven storyteller.

Long ago, dragons existed everywhere. They were wise and magical beings, some peaceful, some not. But during the Age of Chivalry, when men decided that the dragon was dangerous and evil, the dragons became concerned. Many of them had already died by the swords and lances of Questing Knights, and their magic was often overcome by the group efforts of mages seeking their parts for special rites. Most of the dragons decided to withdraw from Aelyria, feeling that they were outnumbered and that it would be easier if the twoleggers believed them dead. So they sent some scouts out, seeking a place to withdraw.

One lone dragon, in communication with sperm whales and dolphins, discovered the caldera of an ancient volcano, deep under the sea. This dragon, by virtue of his wit and powerful magic, created a shield of Air over the caldera, protecting the now-dry crater like a sheltered valley. His mate, her magic more naturally inclined, had plants and trees teleported into the area, and encouraged their growth with her own powers. The sides of the valley were soon lush and green, and could support life.

The pair returned to the mainland, telling of the secluded area they had found and nurtured. Since the other scouts had not returned with satisfactory areas--indeed, some had not returned at all--the dragons decided as a group to move their homes to the Caldera. Some objected vociferously to leaving their beloved and sacred mountains, where all the Elements met. They refused to accept that the Caldera was such a place, because the Air was manufactured, and would not exist there save for draconic intervention. They refused to leave, and so began the Great Division. Save for a rare few who are now almost certainly dead of old age, the dragons who stayed were likely annihilated by the twoleggers.

Society

"I'm sorry, I'm tired. This has been a unprofitable day. I must end our conversation and go home to supper. Too bad I am only a scholar of races, it would make the whole conversation more interesting if I were more. Serale." - Pontuus Geel, Scholar of the Races, on the subject of Dragons.

Dragon society is not well known by Aelyria, however moving on with what we have covered so far it can be determined that the dragons who chose to were now going to abandon their solitary lifestyle, they must form a governing body. Again, there was opposition, but this was smoothed over--it was not so big a change as had been asked of them days before. And so they formed the Council, and the governing laws that guided all dragons.

There are four main laws, that are sacrosanct and may not be broken on penalty of death. Each of the four laws represents an Element, something central to the draconic religion.

The Air Law: As the Air is free and may not be controlled, so too are each race of Dragon. Each Race has their own customs and traditions upon which no dragon may infringe.

The Water Law: As Water hides and protects things, so too will the Isle remain secret. No dragon may reveal the existence of the Isle to any being not sworn to the dragons.

The Fire Law: As Fire must be controlled or be devastating, so too must anger. Therefore, the Isle is sacrosanct. No dragon may violate the person of another dragon on the Isle.

The Earth Law: As Stone endures, so must the Draconic species. The Isle must therefore be protected by life, limb and magic, and volunteers must be found to leave the Caldera every generation and live outside it, so that the draconic race does not become soft and weak, nor hidebound and conservative.

The Council members, chosen by their peers due to intelligence, power or experience, apply these laws to all dragons of the Isle and extend them to those dragons who have left voluntarily. They create corollaries to the Laws, such as the law that protects the ecology of the surrounding area, derived from the Earth law that says the Isle must be protected. There is one Council Member for each Race of Dragon, i.e. there is a Gold member, a Black member, a Green member, and so on. The Races include those and blue, red, silver, brown, and faery, among others.

It is interesting to note that Elder Dragons have the ability to change their shape into other forms, and hold those forms for extended periods of time, making it much easier to survive under the extreme racism a dragon will deal with. (Constantly being sought after to be slain by young knights being only one of many hazards). Additionally it makes infiltration into Aelyrian or 'two-legger' society much easier.