Drexel

## **Biology**

**Purity:**

Drexel are mostly humanoid creatures with long whip like tails, pointed ears, and horns being the staple differences. They commonly stand between 5 and 7 feet tall, although their horns may extend well past that height given the right circumstances. All of these unnatural traits stem from their dragon based lineage. Their relation to dragons also means that Drexel commonly nave unnaturally coloured skin. Red, blue, and purple are the most common, but they can be any colour imaginable. That being said, pure Drexel will share the same skin tone as a human.

In addition to the above traits, Drexel have a far more carnivorous set of teeth than the average human. This in turn has shaped their dietary needs in a much different way. They’re still omnivorous just as humans are, but their anatomy allows them to consume a much wider range of meat products cooked or otherwise. Raw meat is of no concern to a Drexel.

## **Personality**

While Drexel act mostly human in terms of behaviour their ancestry has given them their quirks. Much like dragons and lesser dragons Drexel can be known to hoard things, although to a far lesser extent than the other two species. Most commonly this exhibits itself as messiness. In addition to their inability to get rid of their own belongings they also lack the grooming instincts most mammals have despite being mammals themselves. Drexel often forget to brush their hair or wear sunscreen because their dragon ancestors lacked hair and sunned themselves on rocks to warm themselves.

That being said, while they have their quirks they’re far from instinctual animals. Most Drexel can seamlessly integrate into human and elf society. The only real thing holding them back is their looks. It’s no secret a Drexel looks the least human of the three. Interactions with more animalistic races, like Kodin or Satyr, is often too difficult as they don’t share the same body language despite sharing traits like maneuverable ears or a tail. Drexel won’t wag their tail when happy and largely keep their ears stationary unless actively listening to something.

## **Civilization/Culture**

From the very beginning Drexel have been an outcast race. Their origins have caused them to be disliked by both of their parent species, so their culture is vastly different from human and Lesser Dragon culture. They’re a very careful and methodical race. Every decision they make is highly calculated which has caused many to view them as slow. Their buildings and infrastructure is highly plotted out. Many Drexel settlements are built on a grid or in a circle. This also results in many of their inventions being over-engineered. It’s common for Drexel artifacts to be highly confusing or convoluted because they overthink pretty much everything and plan for every possible outcome. Their tendency to overthink things the way they do has turned many of their settlements into miniature labyrinths.

Oddly enough, while Drexel generally keep to themselves and stay out of the matters of other races, they are known for being one of the most peaceful races. They can defend themselves, but Drexel almost never instigate a fight or go out looking for trouble. Because of this their governments are highly diplomatic and their law system is extremely vast and, admittedly, a bit over the heads of most.

When it comes to common jobs or trades, most Drexel excel in non-physically exhaustive ones. They thrive in things like bookkeeping, diplomacy, math, science, magic, writing, and things of the like. It’s not uncommon for their settlements to lack people capable of hard labour simply because none of them can quite wrap their heads around things. Short, sweet, and to the point is an alien concept. If a Drexel is going to build a house it’s going to be a fortified castle capable of withstanding any and all weather conditions, but that’s not financially feasible. More often than not they hire other races to build infrastructure for them, under heavy supervision of course.

## **Relations**

Drexel are largely removed from most other races. They play nice with those they do come in contact with, but in general they prefer to keep to themselves. Drexel don’t really have any concrete enemies or allies, as it’s all on a case by case basis. One settlement may hate Lesser Dragons while another may regard them as their most trusted allies.

That being said, other races have opinions on Drexel. Elves generally dislike them for being too far beneath them. Same with humans, although humans view Drexel’s methodical nature to be more of an asset than anything. Satyr tend to get along with them quite well as both share very similar physical traits. They’re both 3/4ths human, after all, just with different parent races.

## **History**

Drexel first originated in the year 5193 shortly after the creation of Lesser Dragons. Once Lesser Dragons had gotten a stable population in place they began to cross breed with humans which, after several generations, led to the creation of Drexel. From the very beginning they were disliked by both races. Humans disliked them for being uncanny, and Lesser dragons disliked them for being too human. When one was born they were usually exiled from their homeland and pushed aside.

Once the population had gotten large enough they split off from their parent races in favour of settling their own homeland. They weren’t wanted by either anyway, so early Drexel figured they’d avoid conflict if they simply disappeared. For a brief period of time it was assumed the race had gone extinct because their lack of contact with the outside world was that profound. By the time they were re-discovered, it was a massive shock, as suddenly Mirror Domain had a new well established race with deep rooted cultures and customs.

Because Drexel had been removed from the rest of the world for so long they adapted and developed their society in ways far removed from human influence. Despite being mostly humanoid they couldn’t be more different. They had to discover or rediscover many already well known topics which culminated in the race to heavily value knowledge and the pursuit of it. Even their newly established god, Vex, was more tied to the pursuit of knowledge than the human god Tilvet, which only caused further conflict between the two races. Their differences were far too profound to see eye to eye and as a result Drexel even today opt to remain isolated from the rest of the world.

## **Religion**

Most Drexel follow the god Vex. Religion and the pursuit of knowledge is heavily valued in Drexel society so it’s more unnatural for one not to have at least some ties to their god. Not only that, but finding a Drexel who follows a different god is almost more rare than finding one who doesn’t follow or believe in the gods at all.

## **Languages**

Most Drexel speak a mix of Standard and Bellows. It’s not uncommon for them to swap between the two in a single sentence, and more often than not they’ll favour words in one language over the other and refuse to use the second regardless of who they’re speaking to.

## **Names**

Drexel’s name often have historical roots. Naming a child after a prominent historical figure, good or bad, is extremely common. The more obscure the better. Hell, by this point its almost become a competition to find the most niche or obscure person in known history to name a child after. Expecting parents are a common sight in libraries of Drexel settlements on the hunt for the perfect name for their new little bundle of joy.

Last names, on the other hand, are fairly different. The last name of a drexel is commonly tied to the origins of their family line. If the entire family originated in a certain town their last name will most likely be either the town’s name itself, a county, or a city street. Families that believe they’ve began a new generation or have established a new homeland will often opt to change their last name to reflect this. That, or give their children a new last name to start a fresh lineage. Because of this its extremely easy to find the country of origin for most drexel

## **Adventures**

While they may have a fairly vast home range Drexel don’t often travel. They much prefer to remain isolated and surrounded by their own kin. If you happen to find a Drexel living outside their standard homeland there’s almost always a story behind it; that story usually linked to either massive tragedy or criminal activity. Other races view Drexel outsiders as untrustworthy criminals, as it takes a lot of effort to drive one away from their home.

## **Abilities**

Drexel aren’t too much different from a human in the physical sense. The only real difference is a slightly more athletic body and natural weapons such as sharp teeth or horns. On occasion Drexel can train themselves to use their tails as an extra limb, but prehensile tails are by no means the norm. Their dragon lineage does give them a slightly expanded mana pool, however. That, paired with their heavy religious ties, has caused a fair amount of Drexel to become some form of Mage. Wizards are common, but other variants aren’t unheard of