Snail Dragons

Snail Dragons are a species which appears in the Fantendoverse τ, a humanoid creature with traits similar to those of the Terran Molluscs as well as mythological Wyrms. They're considered one of the older species in the universe due to their long presence as a space-faring species. Perhaps most notable about Snail Dragons is their innate Generational Magic.
==Physical Characteristics==
The exact appearance of a Snail Dragon can vary somewhat as the species has a wide pool of genetic features and can range from the small Metallurgic Dwarf Snail Dragon which grow to less than 3.5ft to the giant Shelless Aquatic Snail Dragons which are over 9ft in height, the large variation primarily relates to the major dynasties and families that exist within the species and although mixing of genetics is common it is an abnormality for a Snail Dragon to be naturally shorter or taller than those two sub-species.
Snail Dragons have soft, moist skin which is kept that way through a droplet mucus they excrete from pores along their skin similar to human sweat glands, the mucus is typically 99-99.9% water, this not only serves to prevent the Snail Dragon from drying out from exposure to heat but also helps maintain their naturally low body temperature.
Many sub-species of Snail Dragon have distinct and colourful body patterns in every colour of the rainbow although are traditionally two primary colourations with additional colourations being extremely rare and usually a sign of either a skin condition or a rare perfect mutation of two sub-species. Some species of Snail Dragons also have a thin membrane that can appear across parts of their body which is predominantly a very dark colour with a light coloured stripe around the rim of the membranes, this is known as the Luminous Sensor and is a special adaptation some sub-species developed which allows them to detect different unique types of light which can help them navigate potentially lethal environments such as avoiding radiation.
===Hybrids===
TBA
==Societal Behaviour==
Snail Dragons due to the significance of family on many of their major attributes live in very large families typically spanning up to five generations and sometimes six, much of the importance of family runs deep within their various cultures and how the different families have developed their cultural uniqueness over the generation stems from the individuals who heralded that particular family.
Families are typically grouped into Dynasties, of which there are several hundred that exist, some sub-species have as few as one Dynasty such as the Royal Emerald Snail Dragons to as many as over three hundred in the case of the more well-known Gaea Swamp Snail Dragon. For a long part of the Snail Dragon's history the dynasties long dictated allies and enemies among the groups as many Snail Dragons would often vie for power by forging alliances either through trade, marriage or cooperative wars. Typically a Dynasty is lead by the head Patriarch and Matriarch forming a Diarchy within the Dynasty, it is important to note that except under rare circumstances, Snail Dragon law prohibits the Patriarch and Matriarch from being from the same family as to prevent the centralization of power in one group. When either of a Dynasty's leaders dies, the other will be presented possible new leaders from the various families within that dynasty, there have been some instances where families from outside a dynasty have been able to send a potential leader however this is typically rare and is even rarer for the outsider to win the position. Typically heirs to the position of Patriarch or Matriarch must compete for the position including a notably violent fight between the final two competitors known as Akra'norr named after the First Uniter of the Snail Dragon species in the period known as the Chaotic Era.
While many Snail Dragons reside on their homeworlds, the species is known to travel far, often hoping to invest into new potential businesses to expand their family's influence as well as be the first Snail Dragon family to contact a new species. These more nomadic Snail Dragons are commonly referred to as Branches and sometimes will start families separate from the ones they originated from, these families started away from homeworlds are known as New Seeds and are considered a significant power play by the individual who starts a New Seed as they're forfeiting all influence and power they had on their original homeworld and laying claim to the power of a new homeworld (or equivalent location).
==Generational Magic==
Among the more standard capabilities of the Snail Dragon, perhaps their most notable attribute is that of their Generational Magic, a particular strand of magic which is quite rare and is distinct from Heritage Magic which is simply the passing of unfocused magic from parent to child, commonly seen in lower species such as Humans. Generational Magic meanwhile is the innate ability to pass focused magic from parent to child, allowing the child to be naturally proficient in that particular magic much earlier. Due to the importance of family within Snail Dragon society, this Generational Magic has become extremely sharpened to the point where Snail Dragons actually have greater difficulty using other types of magic outside of the ones they inherit, hybrids can acquire magic from both of their parents although it is rare and they're usually not as proficient as either of their parents.
Some notable Generational Magic includes;
*Command Magic - Unique to the Royal Emerald Snail Dragons the more advanced techniques are typically only taught to those that take up the mantle of Patriarch or Matriarch. Considered one of the most powerful forms of magic, it has allowed the single family which makes up the sub-species to retain power on the original homeworld for forty-six generations (ninety-one excluding the Tragedy on Hightide).
*Eclipse Magic - Unique to Family Urumaki of the Ti'ming Dynasty under the Singing Lotus Snail Dragon sub-species, the magic is notable for being incredibly powerful during an eclipse and has been used to usurp power several times throughout history.
*Big Demon Magic - Unique to Families Gar'don and Mamatoa of the Kelgaradaara Dynasty under the Blackstone Snail Dragon sub-species, the magic actually originates from a pact made between the families and Big Demon Bobby (BDB) a satanic creature from hell, ironically both families intended to use BDB to wipe out one another and in reality now allows BDB to siphon magic from each member of both families for all time.
*Beach Party Magic - Unique to Family Hanamana of the Rhutelli Dynasty under the Cherry Blossom Snail Dragon sub-species, the magic is a variant of the Dynasty's more traditional Ocean Magic although was adapted by the family founder To'moa to be able to conjure magically inclined beach party objects including a frictionless beach ball, a pocket dimension sand castle and entangling palm trees among other things. Notable for being used by Galea to take control of Outpost Gamma.
==Notable Members==
*Akra'norr - First Emperor of the original homeworld and known as the First Uniter, considered by many to be a god in his time, he was able to quell the chaotic conflicts of the thousands of voices of Snail Dragons attempting to take power by using great Psionic Magic to calm the minds. According to legends he went on a great purge across the planet, smiting down those who opposed him with great fury, it's unknown how much of his legend is true and some sources site a Matriarch ruling alongside him.
*Divinius - The First Modern Emperess and original Matriarch of the Royal Emerald Snail Dragons, little is known about her early years and no one really knows which group of Snail Dragons her sub-species branched off from. Divinius has long been considered the great peacekeeper and is typically put on par with Akra'norr before her as the Snail Dragon Uniters of Order.
*Skag the Foul - The Usurper Emperor, vilified throughout history, Skag, birth name Shakra'gnarr was responsible for the Tragedy on Hightide, having slain the Child Empress Malynomy resulting in a rare vacuum of power that appeared as no Royal Emerald Snail Dragon was ready to ascend to the throne, as such Skag as he would become known ruled the original homeworld for ninety-five ruthless years and became condemned and hated by many. An expansionist, Skag attempted to spread his influence to other homeworlds breaking the cardinal sin of the New Seed, as such an all out revolt broke out on the other Homeworlds against Skag who was eventually dethroned by The Gallant. The Nurinma Family were condemned by many as a result of Skag's actions and driven off the original homeworld to start a New Seed on a small dusty planet close enough where the original homeworld could keep watch over them.
*The Gallant - It's not known who dealt the mortal blow to Skag during the Battle of the Monsoon so this somewhat legendary figure typically draped in great shining, platinum armour wearing an accented helmet which includes features from many different dynasties refers to many individuals who are believed to be responsible for Skag's death. The current leading theory is that Mortori the Vindicated of the Takresus Family was actually responsible and likely never spoke up as the battle took place during her Great Solitude, a tradition in the Takresus Family to prepare their proposed heir to the Halfmun Dynasty throne.
*Galea - Considered a bit of an explorer by her family, Galea is the current leader of Outpost Gamma a super-massive transport and trading hub that doubles as a tourist destination due to the planetoid it crashed into roughly twenty-seven years ago. Galea is considered a bit of an oddity as in spite of her long distance from the rest of her family she has never attempted to start a New Seed or even splinter off onto a new Family. It's believed this partially stems from a deep respect she has for her father, Patriarch Adalus who is the current residing Patriarch of the Rhutelli Dynasty.
*Chulu - Daughter of Galea and a Human-Snail Dragon Hybrid, as a mixed-species hybrid, Chulu is a bit of an odd-case among Snail Dragon society. For some she is considered an outsider particularly to those that see her as a threat to their positions of power within the Rhutelli Dynasty. Others regard her, similar to many other hybrids across the galaxy as no different from a regular Snail Dragon, in some respects Chulu would be considered unremarkable however due to the nature of Humans having Heritage Magic Chulu is notable for being able to stray into forms of magic beyond that of her family with much greater ease, having been able to pick up other strands of Ocean Magic from her relatives in other Families within the Rhutelli Dynasty.
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