Dragons

The Dragons of Istaria are an enigmatic, ancient race whose existence predates the earliest of written records. In fact, a good deal of what we know about early Istarian history comes from what information Dragons have shared with the other Living Races. Dragons have always held themselves outside the affairs of the other Living Races; only recently did both factions of Dragon society begin active cooperation with the “naka-duskael”, or roughly translated from the Dragon tongue, the “unscaled.” Even amongst the Dragons, the necessity of survival will foster action outside the norm of their isolationism. This is quite the far cry from a race that many scholars believe were revered as deities in the times before the Age of the Gods. The enormous likeness of a mighty Dragon that was carved centuries ago from the very rock of Dragon’s Perch Mountain is some evidence that Dragons held a place of reverence and awe in other cultures; when dealing with them, the Dragons themselves will be the first to remind others of such.

Dragons are quite alien when compared to the other Living Races physically, contributing to the solitary nature of the race. They are the largest of the races, with the eldest of the Dragons being at least twice the size of the largest specimens of other races. Dragons, once they reach a certain age, achieve the gift of flight; their enormous wings provide balance and some control in the air, but the motive force itself seems to be based more on the harnessing of external, mystical energies. A Dragon’s skin is covered with thick scales, offering better protection than the majority of the armors the Living Races use. Dragons also have the natural ability to expel energy at a target through their breath; most Dragons show an affinity with fire as their breath weapon of choice, though fire is not exclusively the energy used. The age of a Dragon dictates the potency and the variety of energy it might breathe. Dragons shun the use of conventional items and tools, relying more on their innate powers of magic to craft devices that suit their needs and to alter the environment around them. Dragons are also very possessive creatures; what a Dragon owns is of paramount importance. Dragons keep hoards of gold, resources, and items in secret caches known only to them; Dragons seem to feed (in the figurative sense) off of the size of their hoards, giving them added power.

Even with the distinct and unique nature of Dragonkind in Istaria, there are certain realities of being that even the mighty Dragons cannot escape. For hundreds of years, the Dragons have endured what outsiders call the Great Schism. In what is known of current Dragon society (the Dragons are not fond of openly sharing the details of their personal business with the world at large), there are two major factions: the Lunus and the Helian. The Lunus view themselves as the paragon of civilization, and that the other races should serve either to praise Dragon civilization (from a comfortable distance away), or they should simply get the hell out of the way. The Helian see themselves as the protectors of knowledge and of the world at large; they feel the other races of Istaria could learn much from their example, and often inform them as much when they do decide to communicate. While other smaller factions have existed, these two represent the bulk of the mindset of their society.

While at first, the differing philosophies of the factions never found themselves at odds, they began to clash when the maturing Living Races no longer feared and revered Dragonkind as they had in times past. The Lunus, typically the warriors of Dragon society, felt that the other Living Races, especially the Humans, would eventually spell the downfall of the Dragons and wanted to take appropriate action to stop it. The Helian, usually the scholars and mages among Dragons, countered the Lunus by saying that Dragonkind should take the lead in Istarian society, re-earning the reverence the other Living Races once had for them. The differences compounded between the factions, and over time became twisted as the inherent, unflattering draconic characteristics of possessiveness and greed twisted each side’s view to the point that they found themselves at odds. Eventually, both factions became so disaffected with each other that unless immediate and drastic changes were made, the Dragons might turn on their own. The Helian acted first, choosing to relocate themselves away from their ancestral home so that they could pursue their agenda in peace. The Lunus were not happy with their society being torn asunder, but they did not move to stop the Helian; cooler minds realized that a civil war would certainly have spelled the doom that they had been predicting all along.

Though the Dragons now have turned their attention to the continuing threat of the Withered Aegis and their Undead Hordes, the memories of the Great Schism are still as fresh in their minds as though it had happened yesterday. The Helian have an open dialogue (as open as dialogue with a Dragon can be) with the Humans, the Dwarves, and the free city of Tazoon. The Lunus have found it necessary on occasion to work with their neighbors in the mutual defense of their lands from the Undead Horde. The Lunus share their dislike for the Humans with the Fiends, and this mutual dislike has fostered cooperation between them. The Dragons remain two distinct cultures to this day, and even though the menace of the Undead Hordes might force them to work together from time to time, there is little chance that the Dragons will reunite under a single banner anytime soon. Dragons are blessed with unbridled strength, making them fearsome Warriors. Dragons also strike a balance between power and focus, making them solid practitioners of the arts arcane.