There are many forms of Dragons on Avamor. Since the time of Ancient Tesh, they have been grouped into four categories based on their magic. A word of caution: Dragons are categorically the most powerful creatures on Avamor. Even the weakest member of a given subspecies is deadly opponent for all but the most powerful and cunning adventurers. Challenge these creatures at your own peril. Any lore you may have garnered about Dragons in general may well be true of the race, but not necessarily of the individuals.
No other species so completely dominates the food chain of Avamor. All members of the Draconis Sagacius species are immortal, and exist in every environment. Some never set foot on land. Others never breach the surface of the vast oceans. It is a given that as a Dragon ages, its power grows. Some few even achieve the status of Dragonmage, though this is rare and such an event has never been recorded, if indeed there even is a single point in time at which a Dragon becomes a Dragonmage. Dragons are the mortal enemies of Unicorns, the only other race known to never die of old age. They vary in nature and personality as much as Humans do. Dragon bodies encompass a full range of forms, though all are hexapods (six-limbed) and saurian in nature. Ocean-dwelling Dragons have much smaller wings that are used primarily for maneuverability underwater. Body coverings range from magically hard scales to tough, but soft hide. Certain Dragons are historically described with both types of skin, which indicates that their shape-changing abilities can affect their Draconic appearance as well.
Dragons are shapechangers, with individual wyrms gaining the ability at different stages in life. They can assume nearly any sort of humanoid form, though rarely will they take the shape of Dwarves. In various guises, they will go among shorter-lived races, watching and learning. All Dragons share two main personality traits: Greed for the treasures they hoard, and curiosity about the doings of the mortals scurrying ant-like about in their brief lives.
Dragons are mighty. If one takes up residence in a civilized area, there is little that can be done save to accommodate the creature or flee. Their innate magic coupled with an intricate knowledge of arcane workings means they are well-prepared for any sort of magical assault. Their physical toughness and raw power means they are also well-prepared for any sort of physical assault. Their senses are so acute as to be able to count the wingbeats of a hummingbird leagues away on a dark, moonless, stormy night. Gallons of poison would be required to affect one of these creatures, save perhaps for the extremely rare asthat toxin. Even then, a Dragon will almost certainly scent the chemicals from miles away, assuming it doesn't see it from even further.
Their manner is that of royalty. For they are, in fact, the supreme power in whatever land they walk, save for other Dragons. Some few are benevolent, others have naught but contempt for less long-lived races. Most simply do not care.
The epitome of the Draconic species, Draconis Archimagi are tied into the very fundamental nature of magic on Avamor. Indeed, the rare death of one of these ancient god-like beings so disrupts the underpinings of magical ebb and flow that whole schools of magic become unusable for decades or longer. The reknown sage Findley the Great theorized that Dragonmagi have lived so long, become so powerful that they are actually focal points for magic on Avamor. Removing one of these focal points "frays" the weaving of any magic relating to that focal point. Only as a replacement focal point forms do the "threads" of magic become unfrayed. Whatever the case, these creatures are power incarnate. History records the death of only two - Iridesce and Azurien during the Illithid War, both of whom fell in battle against the dread mind flayers, sacrificing themselves for their world. That some of them, notably Karaman the Silver and Paradelion the Gold in the Kathnyri Empire, actively participate in mortal affairs is unquestioned. It is rare for any of them to take a direct claw - Paradelion the Gold being the extreme exception. Others lead solitary existences, watching and observing the very magical nature of the world around them. It was once thought that Dragonmagi are the eldest of each subrace of Draconis Sagacius. This is true to a certain extent. As the Teshian's asserted long ago, Dragons are all of one race, but many bloodlines. It is, in fact, the eldest and most powerful of each bloodline that becomes a Dragonmage.
More information is available in the NPCs section under individual Dragonmagi.
Draconis Aluriens are thought to be an offshoot of Draconis Sagacius. They closely resemble their larger cousins, though few grow beyond four feet from nose to tail tip. Likewise, they also exist in nearly every clime.
The most famous of all drakes are, of course, the misnamed Faerie Dragon. Faerie Drakes are best known for preferring homes among Elves, dryads, and other fey creatures, as well as for their propensity for tormenting humans dwelling in cities. Drakes vary far more widely in personality than Dragons. Some are painfully shy, reclusive individuals who are never seen or heard of. Others are loud and actively curious. Drakes know well to fear shorter-lived races, for their numbers were decimated by the war wizards of Ancient Tesh. Their shapechanging abilities are much more limited than a full Dragon's. Drakes can only alter their bodies within the confines of their original form - size (becoming smaller - it seems to be a limitation of their abilities that they can not innately increase their size), hide/scales, color, claw length and so forth. This appears to be a more instinctive ability among the drakes, however - as shown by the Faerie Drake's ability to display far more teeth than such a small mouth could possibly hold. Drakes are much sought after by wizards as familiars, for the mage gains the drake's lifespan and magical knowledge in the process. Such a pairing is rare in the extreme.
Do not mistake the lethality of drakes when compared to their larger cousins. Drakes tend to live in small colonies and will band together to exact a terrible toll on their opponents. City governors live in dread of offending Faerie Drakes, and townsfolk often leave offerings near forests to appease the misnamed Pseudo Dragon or Forest Drake, in case they have accidentally trespassed near a favorite tree. According to the writings of Sage Findley, even the long-ago Drow, at the height of their madness, walked very carefully near the mysterious Shadow Drake.
All Drakes are naturally stealthy and are nearly impossible to locate via scrying magics. Indeed, it comes as a great shock to many aspiring magi when they gain sufficient skill to detect these creatures, who have actually been following and spying on said arcanist for quite some time. Drakes keep a careful watch on the shorter-lived races. What they lack in raw physical power they more than make up for in wily cunning. It would be childishly easy, as an example, for a drake to slip in and engineer a painful or fatal accident to an enemy. A panicked horse, a gnawed rope, or a cleverly cast spell will easily suffice, to say nothing of more direct means such as depositing poison in an evening glass of wine.
In general, drakes use civilization to their advantage, partaking of as many creature comforts as they can while engaging in almost childish amusement with their shorter-lived playthings. They are fully as greedy and curious as their larger cousins, but are more willing to take personal risks in order to satisfy the latter personality flaw.
Draconis Sapiens is the result of a Dragon - mortal crossbreeding millenia ago. Although extremely rare on Hybrana, Karutheans are very familiar with this dracoform. These creatures always exhibit some feature of their Dragon parent, be it a Dragon-shaped birthmark or a hideously malformed body. The Dragon blood breeds true in each succeeding generation, such that even twenty generations from the original pairing, the descendents will still exhibit even a small fraction of the wyrmblood.
Though originally half-dragons, Drakken have so intermixed the Dragon bloodlines that now it is difficult to tell whether an individual Drakken is descended from the Red, Black, Blue, Gold, Siler, or any other specific Draconic subrace. A distinguishing characteristic of the Drakken is that the Dragon-blood can specificially be brought out in an individual, expressing more and more of the Draconic heritage, and less of the human.
Drakken gain many advantages from their heritage. An innate capacity for magic is universal, though in some this may exhibit itself as no more than a natural talent for wizardry. Enhanced physical abilities are also common, ranging from tougher hide or even scales to fully developed wings, tail, and claws. The White Death, famed Taro Kamakura of the Illithid War, is a prime example of a Drakken exhibiting the majority of Dragon heritage. His legendary physical toughness and ability to survive and fully recover from any injury was assuredly Draconic. As was his monstrous appearance. Kamakura was an exceptional individual - strong in his ancestral heritage, yet possessed of an iron will that kept the madness in check.
Universally feared, ostricized and persecuted by all races, Drakken are often killed as demonspawn before they reach early childhood. It is not surprising then, that many of them are hostile to all of the known races. Those few who are so fortunate as to inherit the Dragon-parent's shapechanging abilities have a much easier time blending in with their chosen society. The wyrmblood exerts a powerful influence over a Drakken, for the wyrm's natural avarice for power runs nearly unchecked through their bodies. Many behave as young, ravenous Dragons out carving territories of their own and challenging all potential rivals. The desire to dominate is strong in them. Only the most strong-willed of the Drakken can keep this tendency at bay. Unfortunately, this reputation has far outstripped the danger it actually poses. Only those rare individuals who bring out the full wyrm-heritage, and succumb to the madness, are truly a threat. Such Drakken are so rare that they can be counted in generations of Elves. As the wyrmblood is diluted, so too is the power and influence that comes with it.
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