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Dragons are, to put it most simply, explorers. Their unquenchable curiosity
and continuous quest for knowledge take them to the farthest corners of the
Universe and other dimensions as well. They have no qualms about contacting
intelligent races from the planets they visit, if they believe they are
advanced enough. Dragons are a peaceful race, avoiding conflict whenever
they can, even if this means running away. However, they will defend
themselves if they have no choice, and recently the race as a whole has been
slowly making some large changes.
History:
The most significant period in the dragon's history is called by them the
Time of Sorrow. This period started when the dragons first made contact with
the species of a planet know by its inhabidents as Earth. This species was
known as humans, and they encontered the dragons during their medieval era.
Unfortunately, the humans took the race from the stars as a threat. Though
the explorers were much larger and more advanced than the primal race of
bipedals, with their superior numbers and the fact that they attacked the
dragons instantly and without provocation, every member of the initial party
was slayed. The dragons on the homeworld, having lost contact with their
fellows, sent numerous search parties to the planet to investigate. None of
these parties returned. The dragons were unsure of themselves, and afraid.
Never had this happened in all the mellenia that they had been travellers of
the stars. They didn't understand what could be happening to their fellows.
That they had all been slaughtered didn't occur to them. Of all the races
they had encountered in the past, (including hostile ones) none had been
able to murder an entire exploring party before. (Added note from Earth's
history: This is how the myths and legends of dragons were started in human
history.)
It wasn't until a young dragon from the last search party, a cream-colored
male by the name of Flicktail from the Clan Brightsinger, managed to return
to the dragon homeworld that the rest of the race discovered what happened.
Flicktail told all that he had managed to find out while on Earth. A young
human female had taken pity on the race and left her home to find a dragon
and see if she could commune with the beings. She met Flicktail and gave him
knowledge that he could tell his kind when he returned to his world. (Added
note from Earth's history: This is how the young virgin sacrifice myth
began. Of course, from a human perspective it is a bit warped.)
The dragon race was thrown into an uproar. Entire parties of their kind had
been mercilessly slaughtered! By a species so undeveloped emotionally, and
yet able to advance technologically at such an amazing speed. The dragons
were terrified. They didn't know what to do. Mass hysteria was beginning to
grip the entire race. Finally the Elders of each Clan gathered at Meeting
Rock. Eleven days later they decended, decreeing that no dragon shall leave
the homeworld for as long as the decree stood. Messengers were sent to
explorers to call them home. Soon every dragon that considered themselves of
the original species (see Related Races) was home. The dragons turned their
lives inward, trying to surpress the call of the stars.
For 1,200 years dragons remained confined to their homeworld. Three
generations. The hatchlings of the hatchlings of the old explorers were
still mostly adolescents and young adults when the call became to strong.
After several years of debate and disussion, the decree was lifted. The
young and brave (or follhardy, depending upon who you ask) were the first to
leave.
This is now the beginning of the Time of Freedom. Dragons are again taking
up their natures of exploring and searching the stars for knowledge. They
find a Universe that is very different than the tales the grandparents tell.
(Of course, don't all tales differ from the actual experiences?)
Appearance:
Dragons are quadripeds, (they walk on four legs) but they occationally rise
up on their hind legs to grap things with their front paws (think raccoon).
They have long, tapered muzzles filled with the fangs of a carnivore. Their
eyes are one solid color (not white around colored irises, such as some
bipedals have) with a slitted black pupil. They have equinine (horselike)
ears. Their necks are long like their whipcord tails, and only a little
thicker. Large, bat-like wings with leathery membranes sproat from behind
their shouldblades. Five talons such as a bird-of-prey would have adorn each
of their four feet. A small row of spines rise from behind their ears and
travel to the tip of their tails. The most distinguishable feature dragons
have (aside from color) is their facial horns. Some dragons have no horns on
their heads. Some have two in front of their ears, on their forheads. Some
have two behind their ears. A nose horn is also not uncommon. Any
combination of these has happened (for example: a dragon with a horn abouve
each eye and one on his nose). Dragon's are usually two colors: the main
color of their scales, and a secondary color of their wing membranes and
spines. Occationally their membranes and spines will be different colors, or
the dragon will have distinctive markings on their bodies. While these are
not unheard of, they are rare enough to be uncommon. Dragons may be any
color. Earth tones such as browns and greens, metallic colors like gold and
silver, or anything else. Pinks, purples, blues, reds, ect. Color is not
dependant upon parents' coloring, location, time, or any other known factor.
They are just natural occurances. One dragon family may consist of a red
mother, a green father, and blue, green and yellow offspring. There is no
disernable pattern to dragon coloring. It is one of the mysteries of the
Universe.
Names:
Dragons get their names from words of nature, put together. It's easier to
give examples than to explain, so let me give some: Darksight, Sungreeter,
Spiritwalker, Brightflash, Starchaser, Stormbreeze, Rumbleweaver, and
Crystaldance are just a few. (I don't mind if anyone uses these.) The night
before a mother dragon's eggs are to hatch, she often has a vision of what
her children will be like as they grow up. Usually she and her mate choose
their childrens' names depending on these visions. For example, if a mother
recieves a vision that her son will be brave and adventurous, she might name
him Lightningdancer. It is a serious insult to shortan a dragon's name while
addressing him or her, even though they might be long and tonguetwisting. A
dragon's name is a very important part of him. He takes great pride in it.
Social Structure:
Dragons are grouped together in Clans. A Clan is something larger than a
family, but something closer than a community. Each Clan has its own name
that is similar to a human's last name. There are anywhere from around
twenty to sixty dragons in a Clan. They live in seperate Lairs, but
socialize very closely among one another, though there are only a handful of
dragon Clans. If you can do a little math, you may realize this means that
there are not that many dragons. This is because they are such a long-lived
race. (If you are creating a dragon character contact Gobrianna and we'll
figure out where your dragon came from. ^_^) Dragons do interact with other
dragons from other Clans. Each Clan has one or several Elders. These are the
oldest dragons of the Clan, and the members of the Clan bring their problems
to these Elders. Young and old also go to the Elders if they seak knowledge
or tales.
When dragons choose a mate, it doesn't have to be of the same Clan. The
couple decides together which of the Clans they come from they would like to
live, and then one dragon leaves his or her Clan and becomes a member of the
other's. If dragons are mated, they Lair together. Children also Lair with
their parents. When a child has reached maturity it finds a Lair for itself,
and lives alone until they take a mate. Because Clans are so close-knit, the
loner is not really so alone. A female dragon usually lays three or four
eggs about the size of an ostriches, and only has one nest her entire
lifetime. This keeps the dragon population down.
When a hatchling (term for dragon that has not yet been counted as an adult)
reaches his full maturity he partakes in a ceremony called the Soar to
Adulthood. When he is finished one of the Elders of his Clan will teach him
the magic that allows him to fly between dimensions. He is then considered
an adult to every member of the race. (This goes for females too of course.)
Dragons have no technology as we understand the term. They do not use
machines to better their lives. They have no written language, and no
labor-saving devices. Their simple exploratory lives do not require these
things.
Religion:
Dragons have two gods. Their names are Lord Darkdeath, a dragon so black
that to look into him is to stare into a black hole, and his mate Lady
Truesight. She is so white that to look upon her is to go instantly blind.
In the legends, this mated pair are the first dragons. When a dragon closes
his or her eyes for the final time, they appear before the Lord and Lady for
judgement. They keep their eyes downcast, for even in death one cannot look
upon the Lord and Lady. These two gods are often used in dragons
expressions. But unless they are actually beseeching the two gods, (this is
done in a prayer-like, with eyes closed and downcast) the gods are only
refurred to as the Lord and Lady. The expression can be used, for example,
as surprise: "By the Lord and Lady!" When the gods are beseeched is it
appropriate to use their true names. However, it is blasphemous to use their
names (Darkdeath and Truesight) in a frivolous manner.
Lifespan:
A dragon lifespan is easily related to a human's life (convinient, huh?
^_^). You simply add a 0 to the end of a human's age to compare it to that
of a dragons. For example: A dragon who is 100 years old is about the age of
a ten-year-old human child. (Told ya they were long lived.) Dragons are
"teenagers" from age 100-200. At about 200, they take the Soar to Adulthood
and become adults. Dragons can only lay eggs between the ages of 200-300.
After that they are sterile. A dragon between 300-500 is considered "middle
aged." Dragons live to be about 1000. Age doesn't concern a dragon very
much, because they live for such a long time. When asked his or her age, a
dragon will reply, "Oh, about 240 or so," or something like this. They don't
pay attention to exact years.
Dragons change size rapidly the span of their lives. When hatched, they are
about the size of a grown man's cupped hands. They grow little for the first
200 years. By the age of 250 they are about the size of a large cat or small
dog. By 300 they are around the size of a horse. After that, dragons
continue to grow until their deaths. Middle aged dragons are usually a bit
larger than elephants. Older ones are even bigger. Elders are usually HUGE!
Homeworld:
Very little is known about the dragon homeworld. Even its location and name
is not revealed. This was agreed upon when the degree was lifted by the
Elders, to keep the homeworld safe from other space-travelling races.
Because the dragon's name for their world is not allowed to be known, when
talking about their world to other races it is known as Dragonworld.
Related Races:
There are many dragon-like races in the Universe, just as there are
different planets populated by humans. Dragons from Dragonworld believe that
they are the first, original species of dragons. Because they are explorers,
small groups finding a planet they like and splintering off to become their
own race is not uncommon. The Rain Dragons (Risua Darkfire) and the Darhls
of System 1 are believed to be such splinter groups. These beliefs cannot be
proven.
Magic:
Dragons are a species of telepaths. This is how they communicate. They have
no spoken language, although they do hiss and roar and make other emotional
noises.Dragons have a special form of magic they call Phazing. When a dragon
Phazes, a clear coating that looks like glaze covers the dragon. They can
then withstand the rigors of space and literally fly between worlds. This is
how the dragons explore the universe. Magic enebles them to fly at such
tremendous speeds, they are able to reach entirelly different solar systems
in a matter of hours (similar to warp speed, Star Trek fans.) They can only
reach this speed while in space, however. And they can only survive in space
while Phazed.
A second part of Phazing is called Shifting. This magic allows dragons to
slip from one dimension into another. Dragons are only able to learn this
magic from the Elder(s) of their Clan, and can only be taught after their
Soar to Adulthood.Other Info (couldn't find any other place to put this):
When dragons dream, they don't see images as we do. Their dream are shapless
vistas of colors. (Just thought you'd like ta know. ^_^) There is a popular
artform that dragons call skydancing. This is pretty self-explanatory,
right? Also, dragons are fascinated by stories, which they call tales.
They'll always stop to listen to one, as it will add to their collection of
extensive knowledge.
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