Dragons and The People - Drecoria

## Dragons - Nature's Wrath and Nature's Beauty

In Eura, dragons are quite common, and they come in various forms. In Eura, most dragons come in similar shapes with most having either four or two legs and a set of wings. These dragons come in a variety of sizes with the smallest being the size of cats and the largest being as large as mountains. This page is an introduction to who Eura names the "Dragon People" and their dragon culture, now we will unearth the culture of the land of the dragons, we will unearth Drecoria.

### Dragons - Where? What? When? Why?

Dragons appeared to have originated in Eura during the Great Game when the dwarven God, Dwav was making a large array of potions until his hold was broken into by skittering lizards who drank the potions and stole their power. These creatures then spread across the world and became dragons. In Eura they decided to settle mainly in Drecoria as it had tall, volcanic mountains with plentiful livestock and easy weather. These dragons would plague Eura in its early years but eventually the people adapted, and dragons became something that one could prepare to face and things that could be fought off if you shout enough. In Drecoria, they had a slightly more demanding situation as although the mainland had large but few dragons, Drecoria had large, small, many and few dragons all at once and eventually entire cultures dedicated themselves to worshipping, slaying, and adapting to dragons as forces. For thousands of years this would remain the same with the limit Elves impact on the island proving useless to this problem. Eventually when the Elves left after the War of Iron and Leaf, Drecoria was plagued by further problems as the dragons were starved from the war and now hunted the populus. This would last additional centuries and little if anything would change until the rise of King Henri I.

### Dragons - Friends? Weapons? Monsters? Companions?

Henri I was the first King of Drecoria and would get his power from the dragons themselves. The creatures that had plagued the island for over a millennium had become their greatest assets. Henri first met his companion, Fire Bringer during a coming-of-age mission with his father. His goal was to slay a dragon, the procedure for if he failed was for his father to simply let his son die but he refused and went to save Henri. As a result, Henri's father perished and with the rage, Henri slew the beast. This event made him realise that hate and wrath will only lead to further bloodshed as he knew if he let the last living child of the dragon survive then it would merely come to him for vengeance and the cycle would continue. Instead, Henri took the dragon in to give peace to the soul of the mother and as a show of respect. When he returned home, it was in ashes and thus he hunted the culprits and with his companion, he was the first in known history to wield the power of the dragon as an ally as the young dragon incinerated any who came to attack Henri. This show of force inspired many while it horrified others. The once thought eternal divide between man and dragon was shattered and no one was prepared for what was to come.

### Dragons - A Bond in Blood

Eventually, with his dragon by his side, Henri would take over Drecoria and rule as The Dragon King. When his first child was born, Henri made a blessing to his children and thus set up a tradition and eventual prophecy for centuries later. This was that every child with Drecori blood would be able to have a connection to a dragon and that every royal would receive a dragon to treat as a companion and friend, finally there was the final tradition, this being that the animosity and hate between the Drecori and Dragons would die and now the two could live in peace, only when one attacked the other could violence be justified but to push that violence onto the next generation would be the greatest crime. This mutual and even spiritual connection would end the destiny for Drecorians and dragons to fight for eternity and instead treat one another as just other beings in the same realm. This connection lasts to the modern day with many in Drecoria holding dragons dear to their hearts and some keeping them as companions as a culture formed around them.

### Dragons - War, Peace, and All In Between

#### War

This dynamic changing overnight saw many drastic changes in Drecoria which still lasts today. One significant impact was that of the military. In Drecoria, the standard military was made up of standard foot soldiers and knights. However, the dragon revolutionized this as nobles began to create a class of "Dragon Knights" who would act as some of the most decorated and powerful knights in the realm. However, the taming of a dragon is not an easy one and although the noble and the dragon may grow together, they may grow apart. The royal family have no such issues as they have a closer connection through blood, but the standard person only has around a 20% chance of taming a dragon which can be an expensive and tedious task if it is fated for them to be found in combat as larger dragons are difficult to bond with and even more difficult to control. In combat these Knights perform extraordinarily well with one of these knights being present in most battles with different forms of combat depending on their houses and commanders. This dynamic between their dragons and themselves are comparable to that of a horse, dog, or other companions but Dragons cannot bark for if they did then it would a far fierier endeavour.

#### Economics

Dragons are an interesting species economically as they used to cost entire nations everything in a single attack when now they are rarely outwardly aggressive and instead provide their own economic problems when it comes to taxation and care. Dragons themselves do shed and can provide scale male with dragon scales being a key export for Drecoria but this is not a common industry and dangerous if not handled correctly. Dragon breeding is a strictly controlled issue by the royal family with any who do not detail their dragons with the government being highly illegal. There is a dragon tax and dragon insurance as "giddy" dragons can destroy entire homes and working dragons can make difficult tasks simple, so they are a key source for taxation. Dragon hunting is strictly illegal without reason such as self-defence or with a permit, so the dragon meat industry is a very heinous crime and is seen as disrespectful. Dragon markets are an issue in Drecoria as dragons are illegally bought, sold, killed, and breaded with "Fire pits" proving difficult to destroy as they are often well hidden with the fights occurring in these pits being disastrous for the dragons involved. This resulted in the formation of the DRPA (Dragon Research and Protection Agency) who research and protect dragons with funding coming directly from taxes and the royal family to support and help dragons and the understanding of them.

#### Standard Life

In Drecoria it is not uncommon to see a cat and a small dragon fighting in the streets over some raw fish and it is not uncommon to see a baker being helped by a dragon companion with dragon flame bread being a great delicacy in Drecoria. Dragons provide protection and help perform tasks for thousands in Drecoria. Ice dragons can be used to destroy fires while water dragons can be used to gather fish more efficiently. Most dragon companions are no bigger than medium sized dogs and no smaller than cats. Larger dragons are far more expensive and not eligible for the average person as they are difficult to maintain and are more suited to larger scale tasks rather than help washing dry or getting rid of waste. Dragons are often identified by brandings of family symbols which are done with that dragon's specialty as the brander to not hurt them. For example, a poison dragon will be given a branding covered in acid as to not hurt them but more tickle them or fire dragons will receive hot iron brands with the same effect.

#### Dragonology

Dragonology is the study of dragons across the world and Drecoria is the centre of everything dragons. Here dragons are not hunted or seen as pests and therefore with support from the DRPA, dragonoloy thrives in Drecoria with Charle Dancer being the first formally recognized Dragonologist in Drecoria with his research being pivotal to understanding dragons and how they work with his book, "Dragons: A Study Into The Life of Nature's Most Beautiful Monsters" with many considering the book a historical accomplishment while historians and dragonologists also acknowledge many inaccuracies since knowledge has grown in that time and so has this massive community.

### Conclusion

In conclusion, this investigation into the Drecorian people and their interesting relationships with nature's most beautiful monsters has provided a key insight into not only understanding dragons but also us. Drecoria has provided a key look into the world of dragons and how we no longer must fight for each other's place in it. The peoples of the realm and dragons can get along and can thrive together, it is only if we are willing to break the cycle and help one another can we achieve this future.