Dragon

Introduction

History

Abilities

Dragons speak verbally. Their scales and teeth are as tough as metal, but an arrow or a spear can still wedge between them. It is the massive size, life force, and knowledge of a dragon, and how it uses its Grist, that determines its strength.

Much of what a dragon can do stems from simply being old enough to have survived many trials. They often wield several Arcana, and some of the more intelligent ones may be Ascended. While rare, when a powerful and wise dragon decides to invade this often means mass devastation for entire civilizations.

Grist

All Draconidae have have access to the Glamour of Grist, located within the apple of their throats.

Grist Predation

Dragons may steal the very age of other dragons by slaying them and then feasting on their Grist throat-gland. The most powerful dragons are truly ancient, and dragons slowly grow boundlessly in size with time.

Anyone with the power of Grist can become a full-blooded dragon of the age they’ve slain by eating the Grist organ of a dragon, expending the proper Merits if any as XP debt. Eligibility includes those with Grist: Kobold, and those who are part-draconidae or else part of a Bloodline with Grist. While rare, Maltricians may implant themselves or others with Grist to then absorb the powers of a dragon.

Note: Even non-Dragons without Grist may consume a swallowed Glamour Organ. If fresh, this will confer an additional spell cast worth of Saol for the tier of that organ - but only with Grist whilst eating a Grist throat-gland will the age become a factor.

Natare

Natare is the power for a dragon to idly swim within the air as if it were thicker like water. Their wings, fins, and the undulating, leading edges of their scales are used to move in this way. Flying or Swimming are the skills used for power and control, yet Grist enables and accelerates this. The more massive and less aerodynamic a dragon is, the slower their Natare - many dragons favor long and serpentine-like bodies that make this process more efficient for them. This ability is functional no matter what they Embody, but certain species or combinations of dragon and animal - or race - will make it easier to 'swim' or fly.

Psychology

Dragons tend to be distant from mortal concerns; most of them drift between interests and obsessions. Some of them are self-absorbed, and others are playful with little understanding of social norms for the isolated lives they lead. The age of an adult dragon can leave them feeling detached. They are prideful and solitary, so it is rare to see more than one dragon united over a common goal; they will usually see another's quarrel as theirs alone and will not rise to the defense of other dragons unless they are told to do so by the eldest of them.

Each dragon has a strong instinct to hoard something, be it wealth, power, friends, or even something more unusual and specific. Dragons can sense Grist in others, so they often allow kobold and those with draconic heritage to serve them. Most dragons live their lives exclusively with other dragons and kobold servants in nests of many hoards called Dragonbarrows. Not every dragon is wise; most of them are tribal savages that operate on instinct unless the stories of their elders have shaped how they interact with mortals.

Language

Dragons speak Draconic if they do speak a language. This is a language of harsh, growled words and slow consonants. Some of what they communicate is entirely body language, and some of the context for their statements is given over a frequency that only those with Grist can understand. They tend to be straightforward yet thorough in their speech, but this is not always the case. Two dragons can communicate fighting words without speaking. Dragons who live amongst other races will most assuredly pick up other languages.

Physiology

Dragons are quadrupedal reptiles, usually but not always covered in rigid scales. Some of them are long and spindly, while others are rotund and fat. A dragon comes in all shapes and sizes, with age dictating the upper bounds of its size. A dragon may or may not have wings.

Variants

Every individual dragon is unique, shaped in appearance through its age and Grist. A dragon that exists in relation to metaphor will begin to exhibit the traits of those concepts; for instance, those who eat a specific kind of prey or material will begin to exhibit traits of its preferred food source, and those who obsess over machinery will begin to look like their creations, or even the kin they share their barrow with. A dragon which has slept atop a bed of moss for years will sometimes begin to exhibit moss as part of its hide, or their colors might darken from weeks of depression. Even their general physiology might change from being bulky to thin and long, possibly even smaller and bipedal, even fully humanoid to better exhibit concepts associated with the society they are a part of.

It should be noted that aside from losing natural advantages such as scales or size, and whether or not a dragon has wings, these traits are mainly aesthetic outside of direct manifestations of Grist. Dragons are constantly evolving, often growing unrecognizable to all but those with Grist as well.

Dragons which have become Draugr retain the ability to predate Life Force, converting it to Miasmata within themselves to advance their bodies. Their Grist will also become Geist, and their bonuses to Life Force will instead apply to Poetics - which they may now learn as an Adult Dragon. As they are Draugr, Syphon is a free merit for them.

Life Stages

• Egg -

Dragons begin as an egg. Their Grist will need to settle from being bathed in a concept for about a year, otherwise the egg will remain dormant for centuries without hatching. Warmth is irrelevant, and only the females feel an instinct to protect their young at this stage.

• Whelp - 17 Years or Less, 6" to 3’ tall.

A Whelp is between the size of a raven, to that of a large dog. Its scales are soft yet as durable as bone, and they are quick and flighty at this stage of life. They can fly, but tend to flutter and cannot soar for long distances. They are usually one among hundreds, competing for limited resources or preying upon each other; only the strong survive. This sometimes drives them far from their Dragonbarrow where they are captured by other races and raised as pets or slaves. Primitive Dragons tend to care only about the successful among their brood, praising the best and condemning or even disowning those who routinely fail to impress.

• Young Adult - 18-99 Years, up to 7’ tall.

A Young Adult Dragon is up to the size of a large horse. Its scales have grown to be tougher, similar to copper, while their Grist has begun to shape their form according to how they live. They are no longer attacked by dragons of their own nest, and they have begun to form a hoard, the nature of which may change over time.

• Adult - 100-2999 Years, up to 20’ tall.

The adult dragon may be taller than three men standing upon each other’s shoulders, their size enough to loom over the average single storied home. Their scales are equated to sheets of iron. Something so large and well protected might only need instinct to crush and bite someone too brazen with expert-level combat skills, but a spear might give them trouble. Adult dragons also have an edge with Glamour due to their higher sum of life force; they are able to use half again as many expressions compared to other races without tiring.

• Elder - 3000+ Years, up to 60’ tall.

Elder dragons are oft tall enough to loom over the walls of small castles. Very few places can contain them, their natural strength capable of smashing most forms of stone and common metal without any combat skill at all. Their scales and teeth are thought to be as tough and durable as steel, yet thicker than the traditional plate armor. Elder Dragons can use twice as much Glamour as any other. Similarly, they could rend such material apart with tooth and claw.

• Elder + Meridian Ascension - up to 120’ tall.

The Ancient Dragon is a beast of lore. Only perhaps a dozen exist in the entire world of Antarok. Many of them spend their time slumbering among a hoard of treasures, resolving disputes between their kin, or instructing the younger generations. Some have lived so long that they care little for conquest, power, or wealth as they have likely attained all they could have ever wanted, and others spend their days chasing knowledge for the sake of understanding. Their scales are supernaturally impervious to all but the most potent forms of harm, and their minds can speak so loudly as to make lesser mortals writhe in agony. Most troubling for those who would try and fight them, their boundless life force allows them to use even Expert-level Glamour seemingly without end. Becoming an Ancient Dragon requires consuming the Life Force of an Elder Dragon whilst being a Meridian of Grist.

Playing a Dragon

You may begin play as a natural-born dragon without approval. Understand that many cultures fear or resent dragon-kind, and their size leaves them dependent on magic or special social customs afforded to them should they wish to interact with the mortal races of Antarok. A dragon who destroys their surroundings will be met with retribution by the populace.

Your starting age is limited to 2950. This means you can begin play as a Whelp, Young Adult, or Adult Dragon.

Progression

• A Whelp may be played without penalty, and may unlock Grist as a Minor Merit.
• Beginning play as a Young Adult Dragon is a Minor Merit and requires unlocking Grist.
• Beginning play as an Adult Dragon is a Major Merit which may be spent during character creation as XP debt.

You may also expend a Major Merit during play to become an Adult Dragon without approval, provided you can logically slay an Adult Dragon and possess the Grist necessary to absorb its life force.

• To become an Elder Dragon, you would have to expend another Major Merit during approved play through the act of Life Force Predation, or be Ascended in Grist.
• To become an Ancient Dragon, you would need to consume the Life Force of an Elder Dragon - having spent the Major Merit to be one - whilst being Ascended in Grist.

Merit Debt

Adult Dragons may assign their starting XP elsewhere and let their Major Merit go 250 XP in the negative as debt they must pay off to increase their other skills; beginning with debt is not recommended, as XP debt can hinder one's sense of reward and growth. You may also allocate any Rebirth XP as you wish before assigning this debt.

Example: To begin play as an Adult Dragon, expend a Minor Merit for having been a Young Dragon, another Minor Merit (25 XP) for your Grist,  allocate the remaining 225 XP as you wish, allocate any Rebirth XP, and then begin with up to 250 XP debt for the Major Merit. 

Variant: Dracolych

Some dragons have joined the ranks of the living dead. Created in the same manner as a Draugr, the arisen among dragon-kind see their Grist turn to Geist, and their capacity for Saol inverts to that of Miasmata. This expanded capacity for Miasmata makes them difficult to distinguish from Ghosts as they progress. The Dracolych suffers from every vulnerability a Draugr does, including the constant deterioration of their own body, a spiral towards insanity, and a vulnerability to Luxium.

• Using Life Force Predation, a Dracolich converts Life Force to Anima, allowing them to grow.
• As they are also a Draugr, a Dracolych of any age may unlock Syphon by spending a Minor Merit.
• An Elder Dracolych is able to Apparate itself into Miasmata, and may spend a Minor Merit to do so.
• An Elder Dracolych is capable of Possessing others with its Miasmata, if they spend a Minor Merit to do so.
• An Ancient Dracolych is capable of Remnant.