The Colony

## History

Once, many many millennia ago, this now-thriving momument to draconic history was little more than a pilgrimage point for devout dragons to pay their respects to lost loved ones and the Six Great Dragons of Before. The Colony was considered the most powerful of draconian locations due to the belief that it was the resting ground of *Edar*.

Time continued on and soon the pilgrimage destination became more of a home for some. This continued for nearly a million years before, finally, dragons and similar races began to settled down within the vast caverns and ravines of this mountain. Settlements grew and linked, towns surfaced and amplified until the once barren caves became a full-blown underground city known simply as *Okarthel* to those who are born there.

During the conflict between humans and dragons, the great Colony was considered by many to be the capital monument to all things draconian. Although the city was never outright attacked, the community was prepared for many forms of defense, even so much as to collapse the mountain and to bury the city to avoid it from ever being taken by human hands.

Now the ever-growing settlement behaves like any other civilisation, however many of those who live there are adverse to allowing non-draconic races into their home out of a sense of territorial and paranoid prejudices.

## Society

The Colony's society is largely draconic, allowing for Dragonkin and 'lesser' beings like drakes and kobolds to live alongside the more 'pure' winged lizards peacefully. There is no general policing or security services within the underground civilisation due to the majority of the population being able to take care of their own problems.

Entering or leaving The Colony is easy for dragons who were born within the underground confines, however those who were not, or those who are not wholly dragon, will be subjected to magical and physical testing to ensure that they do not threaten the otherwise peaceful city.

Beyond this general society lies the hierarchy of those who rule this population. Ultimately the Queen Dragoness is the true, above-all-else monarch, however T*he Council* *of the Aged* are to resolve the immediate issues presented to The Colony. Trading situations, foreign relations and general populace information is handled by the Council, which is made up of 20 elder dragons, most of which are over 300,000 years old. Wisened by their gratuitous experience, they are considered the most powerful creatures within The Colony.

### Religion

"...*In the very beginning, before the bustling cities of Ponton or Earnwold, before even the fiery mountains of Lanox, there was only those descending from the true Gods; the great Dragons of Before. It is said that these six great creatures of fire and magic shaped the world to their whim, casting vast oceans and drawing great mountains from the earth like mere playthings. Of all of this creation, the great Dragons of Before found themselves without the strength they once boasted and, in time, each of them forged their own resting places before they finally departed physically from this world.*

***Ixen**, whose breath could rival a thousand suns, tunneled deep into the planet to warm us with his sleeping breath.*

***Pab**, the great sea-dragon, disappeared deep beneath the ocean, never to be seen again.*

***Thrae**, the sky-serpent, flew higher than any mortal could ever dream, before disappearing much like his brethren.*

***Edar**, the dragon of the mountains, is said to have built the the Tailspikes herself as cover for her unending rest.*

***Tobar**, she who brought life to this world, sought to bless the world further by distributing her very essence across the land.*

*However* ***Ixen**, whose very shadow undid all that it fell upon, is said to still haunt those that walk this planet, casting it's cruel and devastating effects upon those who are weak, fearful or otherwise easily manipulated..."*

This is what many young dragons are taught whilst they live and learn and grow within the stone walls of Orkathel. This religion has shaped millennia of draconic history and has often been denounced by 'newer' generations of dragons who have had the benefit of exploring the outside world. However, like most once-religious individuals, the fables are written deep within any and all who learned them, and may haunt even the most defiant of draco-atheists.

Importantly, these great ancestors are never truly defined as 'Gods', however in the new world, they are likened to such and are referred to in a similar form.

## Population

The population of The Colony itself is close-knit, almost familial. This may be because of the fact that nearly everyone who is born there is related in one way or another. The primary cause of this kinship comes from the ancient tradition of a single queen dragon mating with up to 300 males from different backgrounds and lineage. It is interesting to note that the great Dragon Mother is not 'civilised' like anthro-dragons; instead, she is a near-hybrid of feral and anthro. Because of this, the 60-to-90 eggs that she lays do not always secure a generation of feral dragons or anthro-dragons, but both and anything in between.

Many dragons born this way are host to powerful magics almost as soon as they mature, if not earlier. The gene pool is combined with the raw magical energy that flows throughout the Colony, almost certainly ensuring some level of magical power in every dragon.

Of course, this does not mean that any female dragon birthed by the Queen Dragon cannot reproduce on their own. This simply means that their offspring might not be as magically inclined as one who was lain by the Queen.