Lesser Dragon

## **Biology**

**Purity: 45-70%**

A Lesser Dragon is a bipedal anthro creature that more or less resembles a Dragon in every way other than its size. Unlike Dragons, which commonly grow up to 30+ feet, Lesser Dragons are only about 6-8 feet in height. There is a small variant of these Dragons too, which only grow to be around 2-4 feet tall.

Lesser Dragons are not lesser because of their purity. Quite the opposite actually. A Lesser Dragon is considered to be more pure than a Dragon because their bipedal nature more closely resembles that of a Human; meaning they have more “pure” genes. A Lesser Dragon is called “lesser” because of its size and strength. Dragons are so mighty and powerful that calling them the “lesser” of the two species would be an insult.

Intelligence for Lesser Dragons varies, and it’s almost directly correlated to their size. The common variant's intellect more closely matches that of a Dragon. They’re very intelligent and cunning beings who commonly surpass Humans. The smaller variant is known to be unintelligent and animal-like. These variants are treated more like Whiver. Used as unskilled workers or servants rather than treated like a sapient being.

## **Personality**

Behaviour wise, both Dragons and Lesser Dragons are the same. Both have the tendency to hoard things, although a Lesser Dragon may be less devoted to their hoards. They also tend to hoard less items seeing as they’re so much smaller. Still, places they commonly reside in are pretty messy and unorganized. Higher beings don’t like to share housing with them because of this, and many places where Lesser Dragons are common will have a segregated section of land designated for them.

Lesser Dragons are also a very proud race. This prideful nature can come off as crass and stuck up at times. Some people think Lesser Dragons are only like this due to their tyrannical government; assuming they’re forced to be positive about their kind for the sake of the king. This is false, however, because even Lesser Dragons born in other parts of the world share the same bold nature. Many Lesser Dragons view being one as having the best of both worlds in terms of biology. All the intelligence and magic of a Dragon with the more acceptable body of a humanoid.

## **Civilization/Culture**

Lesser Dragons originated in the east, with the first known records of the species being from the Aelvale region in the year 5937BDI. They’ve since dominated that section of the world; spreading outwards and taking over Kara and Atwich. From the beginning their race has been warmongering; Hellbent on taking over as much of Mirror Domain as possible. They seek to re-write the purity scale to put themselves on top, and exterminate beings they see as lesser or unworthy.

Overall, Lesser Dragons are a hardworking species. They’re known for their proficiency in physical labour. While it may be considered impure by most, their dragon-like strength has greatly benefited the species as a whole. Lesser Dragon architecture is built to last. Without them, Mirror Domain’s architecture as a whole would be several thousand years behind. They’ve pioneered buildings that can withstand even the worst wind storms or earthquakes, although neither are very common in the area they live. Despite the general outlook on their kind, when people need construction done they’ll look towards their local Lesser Dragon. More often than not they’ll be able to lend a helping hand.

All Lesser Dragons, whether they live there or not, have been somewhat influenced by the thoughts and opinions of Aelvale and its government. They think very highly of themselves, and will often put down other beings because of it. Lesser Dragons in Aelvale follow the Aelvale Purity Scale, which puts their race near the very top of the list. They’ve essentially taken the place of Humans in their home country, and it really shows. This is known to cause tensions between species.

## **Relations**

When it comes to other species, Lesser Dragons only really get along well with Drexel, given the two species are closely related. Lesser Dragons tend to be discriminatory towards other kinds. Centering their architecture around their own physical needs is just one of many ways they isolate themselves from the rest of the world. With Aelvale and it’s allied countries it’s not uncommon for Lesser Dragons to only speak Bellows. Many of their settlements don’t know any other languages, which further complicates interspecies relations.

Other races view Lesser Dragons as impure and stuck up beings. They’re only half Human, so they’re only half as good as a Human. The other half is a blight on their being. A non-Lesser Dragon will commonly view Lesser Dragon’s highly-specialized architecture as proof of their “weakness”. Many places that dislike the race, such as Havenlyn, will intentionally make their building’s entrances too short and narrow for one to enter. Almost all of the qualms between species are passive aggressive. Those who view Lesser Dragons as animals may call them “Lesser Lizards”.

## **History**

As stated prior, Lesser Dragons first came to be around the year 5937BDI. Originally Lesser Dragons came to be as a result of Dragon’s hoarding tendencies. It’s no secret some hoard living creatures, humans included. Some of these dragons got a bit too attached to their beloved human pets and thus Lesser Dragons were born. While they were accepted into dragon run communities as to not anger their dragon ruler, none were truly accepted onto the purity scale until the year 3860BDI due to population size. Before then they were seen as anomalies

Throughout the years, Lesser Dragon became more and more prominent in Aelvale. They were powerful creatures. Once they figured out that their natural abilities could dominate pretty much all of the Elves in Aelvale they began to revolt. It took several hundred years, but in 1991BDI a war between the Lesser Dragons and Elves of Aelvale broke out. The Elf population began to get driven out, as they simply couldn’t compete. They were getting slaughtered. The writing on the walls was clear, and by the year 1983BDI Aelvale had been all but taken over by Lesser Dragons. Ever since then, the country’s population has been predominantly made up of Lesser Dragons, with Drexel being the only remnants of the once bustling Human and Elf population.

Aelvale had a major government overhaul in the year 150ADI after the Walker family organized a mass execution of all “higher” beings in the country. After the massacre, a new Purity Scale was put into place which put Lesser Dragons at the very top of the scale, and Dragons in second. This new scale became commonplace almost immediately, and Lesser Dragons have been following it adamantly ever since.

## **Religion**

Most Lesser Dragons do not follow a religion. Instead, they have various organizations centered around the Aelvale royal family. In some capacity these are religious organizations, as many of Aelvale’s teachings have been skewed out of proportion over the years. Their places of worship are usually referred to as Temple or Temples of the Great. It’s less of a temple and more of an optional school. There they learn about the history of both their species and home country, albeit only the parts of history they view as positive.

Lesser Dragons who do choose to follow a religion, usually those born outside of Aelvale or an allied country, most often follow the God Vex seeing she leans more towards Drexel. Whether the religious community welcomes them or not varies from region to region, but most of the time they’re allowed to worship without much issue.

## **Languages**

The vast majority of Lesser Dragons speak Bellows, given its the country of Aelvale’s official language. Many will also speak Standard, or occasionally Yip if they happen to live around Flaidver. Still, most of them are monolingual, which is uncommon for the people of Mirror Domain.

## **Names**

In the past, before Lesser Dragons were considered pure beings, many of their given names were related either to the job they were bred for. Even after being recognized and added to the Purity Scale this naming scheme has persisted throughout the years. Nowadays names are a lot more subtle, and many of them have undergone slight changes in spelling to seem more "name like" and less like a play on words. Many parents will name their children based on what they'd like them to be when they grow up. For example, if a family has had generations of cart pullers they may name their child "Carrie". Last names are more or less the same in regards to the naming scheme, although most last names are far more blatant.

## **Adventures**

Historically speaking, Lesser Dragons are a very adventurous race. They can easily travel long distances and carry vast amounts of supplies. They've used this to their advantage when it comes to times of war. Aelvale has won many wars due to grit alone. Their natural stamina and strength has even allowed them to travel far out into the desert to places like Fallden and Honk; countries most civilized nations avoid due to their proximity to both the mountain range and the Forbidden Territory. The only real thing that prevents most Lesser Dragons from traveling is the language barrier many of them face. If it weren't for this, Lesser Dragons would populate far more of Mirror Domain.

Lesser Dragons will occasionally make their living traveling from place to place. It’s not uncommon for them to run caravans or other similar means of travel. That said, this only really happens outside of Aelvale where Lesser Dragons are far less common. Within its borders there’s no need to rent a cart with a driver because pretty much everyone else can already accomplish the same task on their own. Still, Lesser Dragons can make seriously good money if they’re willing to put the work into learning languages and traveling.

## **Abilities**

All creatures can use Magic, but the vast majority of Lesser Dragons shy away from it. Partly due to the fact that their settlements lean more towards Dark or Red, and partly because Lesser Dragons see themselves as strong and powerful beings without it. Many of them view it as a crutch to either make up for a shortcoming or laziness. Those who do use Magic are more often than not directly tied to the royal family in some way. While Lesser Dragons are strong, Magic does still pose a very real threat to them. They see no reason to put the Walker family at risk when Magic is so readily available to everyone. Almost every guard in the capital can use Magic in Some capacity, even if it’s as simple as a magical shield.

Instead of Magic, most Lesser Dragons focus on harnessing their physical strength. Weather that be running for long distances, carrying heavy loads, specializing in weapons, etc. This has proved to aid them in the past, especially in times of war. While other creatures have to manage their Mana, Lesser Dragons can ignore it all together and focus on outlasted spellcasters until they've run out of Magic to use. A lot of Lesser Dragons pastimes are heavily tied to physical activity. Racing is one of the most common and beloved sports. An average Lesser Dragon can run at about 35mph, but with enough training they can easily exceed 60mph. The fastest ever recorded, without the aid of magic, was clocked in at around 72mph.