People of Antediluvian: Dracons
Well Met Travelers,
Welcome to another worldbuilding session. Last week, I covered one of the Ivory Queen's Favorite Races, the Halflings.
This week, I shall move over to another of the rarer races of Antediluvian, the Dracons.
Dracons are a race of anthropomorphic dragons. These creatures are very rigid and value magic and honor.
Unlike last week's halflings, Dracons are a very tall race of creature. The average height of a Dracon is about 6'2''. Dracons do not grow any form of hair due to their reptilian nature, however, the males of the race sometimes grow tendrils from the sides of their snouts that act like a mustache (think Fu Manchu). Dracons also do not have a defined skin color, for they are covered in a dense set of scales. Being that these creatures are descended from dragons, their scales reveal what kind of dragon gave birth to their bloodline. Eye color among the Dracons tends to range from green, amber, purple, gold, silver, black, and orange. One very important part of Dracon appearance is the presence or lack of wings, for the presence of wings shows that a Dracon is more closely related to dragons and is going to be higher in social class than others.
Dracons tend to be a desert-dwelling people, and as such, their clothing reflects this. Dracons tend to wear a lot of light and airy clothing. Dracons are masters of cultivating the rare Undoric Silk Worms, and as such, many of their finer garments tend to be made of silk. These clothes often have some form of Arcane or Divine runes stitched into them as a form of protection or luck. Draconic Armor tends to be made of thick plates or scales. These pieces of armor are often forged in Dragonfire. This strengthens the metal, and symbols are often carved into the metal to show some form of arcane or religious message.
Culturally speaking, Dracons are a society divided into a caste system. This system is divided into the proximity of the Dracon's bloodline to the dragon ancestor; the purer the bloodline, the higher in the caste system that the Dracon belongs. The top of this caste is the emperor who is both winged and Aetherborn. Below the emperor, the next caste is composed of the Elder Magi, the High Lord of the Champions of Dragonshire, and the Other Aetherborn and winged Dracons. The next caste is composed of Aetherborn Magi, Champions of Dragonshire (the elite soldiers of the Draconic Empire), and winged Dracons. Below this caste are all other wingless, magicless Dracons. Culturally, all Dracons without wings or magic are considered second-class citizens. Magic is a big deal in Dracon society, for it is an indicator of proximity to the Draconic bloodlines.
Magic among Dracons is important, but only if the Dracon is Aetherborn or a Paladin from the Champions of Dragonshire. This being said, those dracons who are Aetherborn tend to be sent straight to the Lyceum of Legerdemain to learn to master magic and sorcery. The Paladins of the Champions of Dragonshire train in the Divine Arts to serve Cameroth, the Scintillating Dragon, The Archdragon, the God of dragons.
The governmental system of the Dracons is an imperial system. It is structured very similarly to their societal castes. The Society sits with the Emperor at the top of this system; he sets the laws and passes judgment as a monarch does. Below the emperor are the High Lord and the Elder Magi. These two entities are responsible for Maintaining religious and Magical structure (respectively) throughout the empire. These are the main entities are the major power structures in government, but government works interestingly, for magi, winged dracons, and Champions of Dragonshire are permitted to gain audience with the emperor directly to file grievances or ask for new law, while the lower castes must meet with both the Elder Magi and the High Lord to discuss what they wish to see the emperor about before they may even seek out an audience. This has lead to the construction of the Council of Drachites (The Name of the Lower Class); This council is a group who has made it their job to lobby the concerns of the Drachites to the High Lord and Elder Magi.
One interesting aspect of Dracons that I have forgotten to mention about the other races is language. While all of the other races that I have mentioned (Elves, Dwarves, and Halflings) have their own languages with different dialects for the different sub-races, Dracons do not have their own languages. Drake Speech is the language of Dragons; this language is split into Elder and Lesser. Elder is the variant of the language that has many words known only to dragons, and very few creatures have ever learned Elder Drake Speech. Lesser Drake Speech is the language taught to the Dracons by their draconic ancestors, and this is the version that most Humanoids learn, but Dracons that are both Aetherborn and winged are often taught Elder Drake Speech in the Lyceum, but they are forbidden from teaching it to outsiders.
Marriage and Funerary Customs
Marriage among the Dracons is quite an interesting process. It involves one of the couple (often the male) getting a smith to forge a Dragonfire forged amulet for the other member of the couple (like an engagement ring). Dracons often have very private marriage ceremonies, usually no more than 10 people besides the couple, but never less than 2 because these Dracons act as witnesses. The wedding involves either The Elder Magi or a Paladin binding the marriage with a magical bond.
Funerary Rights among Dracons are split into two separate systems. Those who are deeply religious are either entombed in the Temple to Cameroth, or if the family is of a high enough Social Class, they would be buried in their own family crypt. Those who are not deeply religious are set adrift in an Aethereal Rift, which rapidly and violently converts the body of the deceased into mana that will be distributed across the planes.
Unnecessary fun Fact:
A lot of debate goes into whether or not certain reptilian races lay eggs, why they should have breasts, and if they are cold or warm blooded. I want to eliminate this debate outright.
Are Dracons warm-blooded or cold-blooded?
My Dracons are a lukewarm blooded race, so they can survive in cold climates, but they need much more winter gear than other races. This allows them a little more regulation of their body temperatures than regular reptiles.
Do Dracons lay eggs or give live birth?
Yes, is the short answer. Dracons are an interesting race, for while within the empire, where there is safety and sedentary life, they tend to lay eggs, giving birth to clutches of two or three eggs at a time. When a dracon is traveling or living a more mobile life, they can carry their young internally and give live birth as a mammal does, allowing the Dracon to not have to carry its eggs. This results in one to two children maximum in a given clutch.
Do Dracons have breasts?
Yes, Female Dracons have breasts because they can give live birth. While eggs provide food to the growing embryo, Giving live birth does not, so the female Dracon needs a way to feed her child, thus Dracons have breasts to produce a thick milky substance that provides all of the nutrition that a Dracon Child needs to grow.
And with that, I think that is all for the Dracons. As always, If you have questions, leave them in the comments below. If you enjoy my work, Click the follow link in the sidebar.
Until Next Time,
Farewell and Safe Journeys, Travelers.
Welcome to another worldbuilding session. Last week, I covered one of the Ivory Queen's Favorite Races, the Halflings.
This week, I shall move over to another of the rarer races of Antediluvian, the Dracons.
 |
| https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/criticalrole/images/d/df/Arkhan_official_portrait.jpg/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/2000?cb=20171002065511 |
Unlike last week's halflings, Dracons are a very tall race of creature. The average height of a Dracon is about 6'2''. Dracons do not grow any form of hair due to their reptilian nature, however, the males of the race sometimes grow tendrils from the sides of their snouts that act like a mustache (think Fu Manchu). Dracons also do not have a defined skin color, for they are covered in a dense set of scales. Being that these creatures are descended from dragons, their scales reveal what kind of dragon gave birth to their bloodline. Eye color among the Dracons tends to range from green, amber, purple, gold, silver, black, and orange. One very important part of Dracon appearance is the presence or lack of wings, for the presence of wings shows that a Dracon is more closely related to dragons and is going to be higher in social class than others.
Dracons tend to be a desert-dwelling people, and as such, their clothing reflects this. Dracons tend to wear a lot of light and airy clothing. Dracons are masters of cultivating the rare Undoric Silk Worms, and as such, many of their finer garments tend to be made of silk. These clothes often have some form of Arcane or Divine runes stitched into them as a form of protection or luck. Draconic Armor tends to be made of thick plates or scales. These pieces of armor are often forged in Dragonfire. This strengthens the metal, and symbols are often carved into the metal to show some form of arcane or religious message.
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| https://i.pinimg.com/736x/d4/63/f0/d463f0554b0a2477e985f8d38d87e2fc--paladino-dungeons-and-dragons.jpg |
Magic among Dracons is important, but only if the Dracon is Aetherborn or a Paladin from the Champions of Dragonshire. This being said, those dracons who are Aetherborn tend to be sent straight to the Lyceum of Legerdemain to learn to master magic and sorcery. The Paladins of the Champions of Dragonshire train in the Divine Arts to serve Cameroth, the Scintillating Dragon, The Archdragon, the God of dragons.
 |
| https://i.pinimg.com/236x/1e/f6/70/1ef6708217e00b2313d3e4418f848094--dungeons-and-dragons-fantasy-creatures.jpg |
One interesting aspect of Dracons that I have forgotten to mention about the other races is language. While all of the other races that I have mentioned (Elves, Dwarves, and Halflings) have their own languages with different dialects for the different sub-races, Dracons do not have their own languages. Drake Speech is the language of Dragons; this language is split into Elder and Lesser. Elder is the variant of the language that has many words known only to dragons, and very few creatures have ever learned Elder Drake Speech. Lesser Drake Speech is the language taught to the Dracons by their draconic ancestors, and this is the version that most Humanoids learn, but Dracons that are both Aetherborn and winged are often taught Elder Drake Speech in the Lyceum, but they are forbidden from teaching it to outsiders.
Marriage and Funerary Customs
Marriage among the Dracons is quite an interesting process. It involves one of the couple (often the male) getting a smith to forge a Dragonfire forged amulet for the other member of the couple (like an engagement ring). Dracons often have very private marriage ceremonies, usually no more than 10 people besides the couple, but never less than 2 because these Dracons act as witnesses. The wedding involves either The Elder Magi or a Paladin binding the marriage with a magical bond.
 |
| https://i.pinimg.com/736x/bc/f0/78/bcf0782669dfa26ae515ea012633a57f--fantasy-team-fantasy-story.jpg |
Unnecessary fun Fact:
A lot of debate goes into whether or not certain reptilian races lay eggs, why they should have breasts, and if they are cold or warm blooded. I want to eliminate this debate outright.
Are Dracons warm-blooded or cold-blooded?
My Dracons are a lukewarm blooded race, so they can survive in cold climates, but they need much more winter gear than other races. This allows them a little more regulation of their body temperatures than regular reptiles.
 |
| https://cdn.weasyl.com/static/media/28/61/84/286184121316ad4379d800c5fa7608a9c794586f415f95c22ab2df963e6e7e8d.jpg |
Do Dracons lay eggs or give live birth?
Yes, is the short answer. Dracons are an interesting race, for while within the empire, where there is safety and sedentary life, they tend to lay eggs, giving birth to clutches of two or three eggs at a time. When a dracon is traveling or living a more mobile life, they can carry their young internally and give live birth as a mammal does, allowing the Dracon to not have to carry its eggs. This results in one to two children maximum in a given clutch.
Do Dracons have breasts?
Yes, Female Dracons have breasts because they can give live birth. While eggs provide food to the growing embryo, Giving live birth does not, so the female Dracon needs a way to feed her child, thus Dracons have breasts to produce a thick milky substance that provides all of the nutrition that a Dracon Child needs to grow.
And with that, I think that is all for the Dracons. As always, If you have questions, leave them in the comments below. If you enjoy my work, Click the follow link in the sidebar.
Until Next Time,
Farewell and Safe Journeys, Travelers.
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