Dragons

> "*I have seen with my own eyes the horrors that this race can inflict upon the world, and I tell you that the mere existence of anything other than ash and wax proves their astronomical restraint.*"
> ― Derian Lefiason, Saverian historian
>
>

## Dragon

### Species

Igniloquitur Draco

**Dragons** are large winged intelligent reptiles native to Draconica, a mountainous region in Roulonne. Dragons are an extremely diverse race, but they are collectively known for their ability to breathe fire, their extremely tough lustrous scales, their long lives and their rapid, agile flight.

Dragons were created by the Titan known as the Flame-Bearer some centuries before the Annihilation. The Flame-Bearer shaped his creations in his own image, but made them considerably smaller.

## Name

The Draconic name for a Dragon is *Drakan*, plural *Drakein*. All other Inecurian languages are derived from this name - for example Roulonnais *Dregan*, Kalzuranuri *Derak* and Nesarian *Dracon*. The sole exception is Onshian, which names them *Naisekka*, literally "Fire-Lizard[s]".

The striking similarity of *Drakan* to Ancient Greek δράκων (*drákōn*) - from which the English name Dragon derives, as well as the name of Dragons in most European languages - is considered by some historians to be pure coincidence, but other historians believe it could be evidence of Dragons once roaming much farther than just Inecuria. The sheer prevalence of Dragons or Dragon-like creatures in folk traditions across the globe is unlikely to be mere coincidence - though the total lack of Dragon remains outside of Inecuria makes concrete conclusions impossible.

## Physical Appearance

Though the diverse races of Dragon have distinct sizes, colours and builds, they all share the same basic morphology. Dragons are quadrupedal scaled reptiles with a pair of wings on their back - so having six limbs total - with long necks and tails, and a set of hardened plates and spikes running along their spine to their tail-tip. Their front legs are thinner but more dextrous than their hind legs, and often double as arms, with hand-like prehensile clawed feet. Dragon tails are flexible but only partially prehensile; their grip is weak and they cannot securely hold heavy objects.

The extremely tough scales of Dragons are normally lustrous. The degree of lustre varies between races, but the scales will always be at least somewhat shiny as long as the Dragon is in good health; matte scales is a sign of severe illness or extremely old age. The scales differ in colour between races and, along with body size, is the most obvious differentiator between the Dragon races. As a general rule, though, the shade of their scales is palest on the underside and darkest along the spine, on the lower legs and feet, and immediately surrounding the eyes.

The wings of Dragons are webbed with leathery skin - called wing-leather - rather than scales. The colour of wing-leather varies between races, but in all cases it is typically one solid colour. Speckled or blotched wing-leather can occur, but is rare and does not appear to be inherited, meaning it arises from a mutation during development. It is also perceived as distinctly unattractive amongst Dragons.

Though the actual eyeball of a Dragon is round, Dragons have distinctive slanted eyes as the openings of their eye sockets are ovals. Their eyes resemble those of felines; their pupil narrows into a slit in bright conditions, and opens into a circle in low light. Their sclerae are universally black, but their iris colour varies by race. Dragons also have horns protruding from the back of their long skulls, somewhat similar in shape to those of a gazelle, with the exact number and shape of the horns varying between races.

### Sexual Dimorphism

Male and female Dragons, across all races, can be distinguished through three main features: eye size, shoulder shape and feathers.

Female Dragons have larger eyes relative to their head, though the shape and appearance of the eyes is the same between the two - the difference is relative size. Female Dragons also have narrower front shoulders compared to their hind shoulders (or hips), and their body in general tapers more strongly towards the snout. Whilst females differ in relative size, they generally do not differ in absolute size; there is no significant difference in size or weight between male and female Dragons. This often leads to male and female Dragons being confused for each other by those unfamiliar with the species, even though the sexual dimorphism is extremely obvious to Draconic eyes.

The third key distinction is feathers. In all Dragon races except the Goldscales, females do not have any feathers whatsoever, whereas males possess a crest of feathers on their head and additional feathers on their tail-tip. Goldscale females have feathers on their head and tail like the males of other races, but Goldscale males possess additional feathers along their spine as well as a "beard" of short feathers on the underside of their jaw. Male and female feathers also differ in colouration; in males they are vividly coloured at the base but pale into white at the tip, whereas in females they are white at the base and gain colour towards the tip.

## Races

Dragons come in four highly distinct races, who differ in size, colour, build and to some extent psychology. The four races are named after colours, which mostly - but not exactly - correspond to the colour of their scales, feathers and wing-leather.

All races of Dragon can interbreed without issue and so they are all regarded as one single species despite their stark differences, but race mixing has long been prohibited through the restrictive nature of the Draconic racial caste system. Though no longer truly enforced - Imperial Law makes Dragons unable to criminalise miscegenation - the Draconic local government still does not recognise interracial marriages as legal, and crushing social pressure ensures interracial relationships are extremely rare.

It remains a matter of some debate whether the racial differences in Dragons are innate and contributed to the creation of the caste system, or whether the caste system caused the extreme racial differences by preventing the mixing of races and so preserving and amplifying any particular traits each race had - possibly enhanced through eugenics and selective breeding in ancient times.

The rank of races in the traditional racial caste system also corresponds to some other key traits. The order of rank from lowest to highest is also the order of population size from greatest to smallest, of fastest to slowest reproduction, of coolest to hottest fire-breath, of shortest to longest life expectancy, and of most to least outgoing and extroverted. It is also traditionally believed that the ranks are the order of least to most intelligent, but IQ tests have not found statistically significant differences in intelligence between Dragon races, and this common belief is likely a legacy of differences in education.

The Dragon races are listed here in their order in the caste system from lowest to highest. This list only describes the races, it does not describe their position within the caste system - this is instead covered in the page on Draconic rule in Roulonne. Where average measurements for the size of each race is given, "length" refers to the measurement from their snout to hindquarters and does not include their tail - however the tail is consistently just under half the length of the body, so one can simply add on another 50% for a rough estimate of total length. A Dragon's wingspan is typically 110-120% of their body length, and the body length itself is typically 150-170% of the shoulder height.

### Greyscales

The lowest Dragons in the traditional caste system - though still far higher than *Kiisana* (non-Dragons) - are the Greyscales. Their scales range in colour from slate grey to near-black (though never true jet-black), with light to medium grey wing-leather, and their eyes are amber-coloured with black sclerae. They have two long black horns with no curvature. Greyscales are the second-smallest of the Dragons, having an average shoulder height of 2.4 metres and a length of 4 metres.

Greyscales are the fastest-growing and fastest-breeding Dragons, and as such have the largest population. They go into heat more frequently than other races, occurring for three weeks every year, usually within the month of June. Fertilised eggs develop within them for approximately four months, and laid eggs take approximately nine months to hatch. Their lifespans are the shortest of all Dragon races - though still long compared to Humans, averaging at 100 years.

Psychologically, Greyscales are the most outgoing, sociable and extroverted of the Dragons, and display their emotions most freely. They are typically regarded as the friendliest of the Dragons - but psychological studies have suggested that there is no substantial difference in the level of empathy and ease of making friends between Dragons, merely that Greyscales are the most overt and open about their relationships.

### Redscales

Above the Greyscales in the caste system is the Redscales. Their scales are usually a dark shade of red - sometimes nearing crimson - with blood-red wing-leather, and their eyes are light blood-red with cream-coloured sclerae. Their scales are the least shiny of the Dragons, but still have a distinct lustre. They have two long horns which are slightly curved, with the curve being somewhat more pronounced in females. These horns are coloured a very dark shade of red - near-black, but easily distinguishable from true black. Redscales are the second-largest of the Dragons, having an average shoulder height of 3.8 metres and a length of 6 metres.

Redscales breed less quickly than Greyscales, so their numbers are not as great. Redscale children develop at the same rate as Greyscales - with fertilised eggs developing for four months and then taking nine months to hatch once laid - but their breeding cycle is much slower, with Redscales going into heat for 2-3 weeks every three years, again usually within the month of June. Their lifespans are longer than those of Greyscales, averaging at 120 years.

### Pinkscales

The second highest race in the caste system are the Pinkscales. They are the only race of Dragons to bear two colours rather than one, primarily having white or silver scales with a pattern of reddish-purple scales covering their feet, back and forehead, as well as bearing dark reddish-purple wing-leather. Their eyes are bright reddish-purple or pink with white sclerae, with females generally (but not exclusively) having lighter-coloured eyes.

They have four horns - two very short ones and two longer but still relatively short ones - which are coloured white or cream. The shorter horns are straight and rounded, and the longer horns are curved and pointed, with males having a more pronounced point. Pinkscales are the smallest of the Dragons, having an average shoulder height of 2 metres and a length of 3.3 metres.

The Pinkscale breeding cycle is slow, with them going into heat for two weeks every five years, usually within the month of July. Fertilised eggs develop within them for approximately six months, and laid eggs take approximately ten months to hatch. Their lifespans are longer than any extant hominid race, averaging at 160 years.

Though Pinkscales are naturally more introverted and reserved than their Greyscale and Redscale cousins, they are generally characterised as being more open towards *Kiisana* (non-Dragons) than the other races. Various factors have been suggested as to why this reputation has been established, though a major factor may be the Pinkscale psychological and physical aptitude for using foreign languages.

Though Pinkscales are not more intelligent in a general sense, studies have consistently shown them to learn new languages more quickly than any other Dragon race, enabling them to better understand *Kiisana* foreigners. Perhaps more importantly, however, Pinkscales are better at actually speaking these languages than other Dragons. The species as a whole greatly struggles to produce some sounds that come easily to hominids due to how their mouths are formed, and can only make approximations of sounds that are impossible for them - however, Pinkscales suffer the least from this. They are superior to the other races at approximating impossible sounds, and they are the only race of Dragon that can properly produce rounded vowels (e.g. "o").

Another likely factor as to why Pinkscales engage with *Kiisana* better than other races is simply their size. The smaller size of Pinkscales struggles to inspire the same awe and fear that a Redscale or Goldscale might, but that very fact means that Pinkscales are able to communicate with *Kiisana* on a more equal footing, enabling a freer flow of conversation.

### Goldscales

At the top of the caste hierarchy (though, technically, beneath the Flame-Bearer) are the Goldscales. Their scales are gold to amber coloured, and their wing-leather is pure white. Their eyes are bright gold - lighter and more vibrant than the amber eyes of Greyscales - with white sclerae. They possess two sets of ivory-coloured horns, with one set being long and curved and the other being short and straight. Goldscales are unique in that both males and females are feathered, but males have additional feathers along their back as well as a short "beard" of feathers under their chin. Goldscales are the largest of the Dragons by a substantial margin, with an average shoulder height of 4.9 metres and a length of 8.1 metres.

Goldscales are the slowest-breeding of all Dragons, and as such there are few of them. They only go into heat for a single week once every ten years, usually occurring in the month of August, with fertilised eggs developing for six months and then taking twelve months to hatch once laid. Their lifespans are the longest of all Dragons by far, averaging at 190 years.

## Fire-Breathing

The method through which Dragons perform their most famous and unique ability - the breathing of fire - is not conclusively known, and there are two leading theories as to how it is accomplished, both of which are explained through conjecture based on the lungs and heart of the Dragons, which are extremely large in proportion to their body size.

The first theory, often dubbed the "scientific" or "materialist" theory, speculates that the Dragons produce some kind of flammable gas within their large lungs which they can pressurise and shoot out at a high velocity, ignited in the mouth through an electrical spark. Its proponents describe it as the most rational explanation, but it has two main holes in its logic. The first problem is that there is no explanation for how the gas is produced, as no gas-producing organ has been found and an explanation based on bacterial fermentation is unlikely given that such a process would be too slow. The second problem is that there is no explanation for how the gas is ignited, as no organ or body part responsible for producing the necessary spark within the mouth has been found, and it is unclear how the body could concentrate its minute electrical discharges into a spark strong enough to ignite gas.

The second theory, often dubbed the "magical" theory, explains away the fire-breathing of Dragon simply by calling it magic - specifically, plasma magic. Some proponents of this theory agree with the materialists in that there is a flammable gas produced in the lungs, but they claim that it is ignited not through an electrical spark, but through a burst of plasma. Most adherents of this theory, however, claim that the fire blast itself is plasma magic in a dispersed form. This is not only based on the assumption that there simply is no other reasonable explanation, but also on the physical appearance of the fire itself; one would expect fire to range in colour from orange to white, but Dragon fire is a combination of white, crimson and burgundy, sometimes with hints of violet; the same colours one would expect from plasma magic.

Proponents of this theory bolster their claim that the fire is magical by pointing to a fundamental problem in the physical structure of the Dragons, which is that - if they did not have the magical assistance which they are presumed to have - they would be unable to fly, as their mass would require an extremely wide wingspan - at least double or perhaps even triple what they actually possess - powered by the most powerful muscles of any animal. Therefore, proponents of this theory state that since their flight is made possible through magic, it is rational to assume that their fire is also made possible through magic.

## Reproduction

Dragons are notoriously slow at reproducing. Their eggs take a long time to develop and hatch, and their young take a long time to grow to maturity - however, perhaps most importantly, Dragons are not permanently able to mate like hominids are. With some exceptions, it is almost impossible to arouse a Dragon to make them capable of breeding outside of the brief but regular periods in which they go into heat.

Dragon heat is often misunderstood by *Kiisana*, especially since Dragons always attempt to hide themselves from other races within Draconica during their heat. Contrary to popular belief, heat is not a state of continuous heightened lust or arousal - rather, it is merely a period in which these feelings *can* occur, and outside of the period of heat a Dragon is mostly incapable of feeling sexual attraction or lust. Heat is infrequent but occurs on a regular and predictable schedule, and always occurs at the same time of year - though that time varies between races.

In both sexes, Dragon genitalia is sheathed within their bodies unless consciously decided otherwise by the Dragon, making breeding literally not possible unless both parties are in heat and aroused. A side effect of this is that it is essentially impossible for rape to occur in the Dragon race - and before becoming rulers over *Kiisana* in Roulonne, they do not appear to have known what rape was and were greatly confused by the concept. Similarly, because mental maturity occurs much earlier in Dragons than physical maturity, the species does not have a concept of an age of consent, because it is physically impossible to mate with an immature Dragon.

Dragon eggs require intensive care by the mother; they must be kept very warm through cuddling them and periodically breathing fire on them, requiring near-constant attention for the many months of development before hatching. As such, Dragons have become known for the extreme degree of loyalty they show in their monogamous marriages, as it is up to the father to provide everything for the occupied mother.

## Psychology

The psychological differences between Dragons and other intelligent creatures are often discussed and debated, with the argument that they are significantly different and the opposite argument there are only superficial differences both being proposed by Dragon and non-Dragon alike.

A commonly referenced behavioural trait of Dragons is not one that appears to be inherent to their mind, but rather one inherent to their physical nature - and that is simply because they are much bigger, stronger, faster, more agile and generally more powerful than virtually every other creature on the planet, it is difficult for even a well-meaning and kind-hearted Dragon to not see all other creatures as lesser at a fundamental level, in the same way it is difficult for a Human to see themselves as equal with smaller animals such as cats and dogs. This fact of Dragon psychology is often given as the root explanation for why, historically, non-Dragons were legally inferior to Dragons. Dragons who converted to Christianity, few as they are, tend to believe that undoing this arrogant attitude is their biggest hurdle to salvation, and that passing this challenge will greatly please God.

Another important aspect of Dragon psychology that differs from non-Dragons is their perception of fear. Some psychologists claim that Dragons, while still being able to feel fear, process it in a completely different manner to non-Dragons. Modern psychologists sometimes describe the Draconic response to fear as "robotic"; they are capable of assessing the danger of a threat and responding accordingly with either the fight or flight response, but exhibit no obvious outward signs of fear, dread, terror or horror. A Dragon may flee from a threat if they believe they are incapable of overcoming it, which can technically be labelled as a "fear response", but all the classic symptoms of fear are entirely absent. This has led to occasions where Dragons have acted in a manner that could be described as psychopathic; it is difficult for them to empathise with a non-Dragon's fear responses when their own are so different, sometimes causing fatal misunderstandings.

## Counter-Dragon Tactics

The modern designation of Counter-Dragon Tactics, CDT for short, is something of a misnomer as it refers to not only battle tactics designed to defeat Dragons, but also wider military strategies and operations.

Part of the reason why Dragons never conquered beyond Roulonne despite their overwhelming strength is due to their own self-restraint, which their most famous proverb attests to; it has been said in Draconica since antiquity that "he who burns the world rules only ash". The Dragons were well aware that they could potentially rule the entire world if they so wished, but doing so would cause so much devastation that there would be nothing left to rule. This sentiment was combined with the fear that having too many non-Dragons within their race-based caste system would cause the system to collapse under its own weight, since the Dragons would always be outnumbered by non-Dragons.

However, attributing the relative lack of success of the Draconic race purely to their own unwillingness for expansion is false, as non-Dragons developed several techniques for slaying the great winged beasts throughout the centuries, and were capable of resisting Draconic invasions.

### Magic

Magic was a highly effective means of countering Dragons on the battlefield. Magical shields were an effective counter to Dragonfire, as they were immune to the effects of heat and were highly efficient insulators. Both plasma and shadow magic were powerful as ranged weapons against Dragons; even if an attack did not bring them down immediately, it was often capable of maiming their wings to force them to land, where Dragons could be easily surrounded and outnumbered. Air magic was also a powerful weapon against Dragons; it could do little to harm them directly, but a skilled air mage could interfere with their flight and potentially completely stop it, sending them plummeting down to the ground.

### Pre-Gunpowder; Early Era

Before the arrival of gunpowder weaponry to Inecuria, the most effective non-magical means of taking down a Dragon was a large ballista. The main target for ballistae was not the body of a Dragon, but rather the wings. Dragon scales are extraordinarily tough and have a tendency to deflect incoming blows, whereas the wings are comparatively fragile and can be torn apart by a ballista relatively easily.

The standard means of taking down a Dragon was to cripple their wings with ballistae to force them to land, and then swarm them with soldiers. The soldiers attacking the Dragon were made up of two groups which went by different names, but they are most popularly known by what they were referred to in Roulonne; the Holders and the Killers.

The Holders were armed with long pikes and formed a ring around the Dragon with the aim of preventing them from moving. The Holders were capable of inflicting lethal damage, but they were taught to refrain from attacking unless they saw a good opportunity to avoid breaking their pikes; their main role was to hold the Dragon in place and ward off any attempt to flee, and to provide cover for the second group, the Killers.

The Killers were armed with swords, axes, crowbills and other weapons designed for either thrusting between the scales or puncturing through them. Their role was to overwhelm the Dragon and strike at them from many angles, clambering onto their body onto the places where neither limbs or fire could strike them, hacking away at vulnerable areas to further cripple and eventually kill the Dragon.

Both the Holders and Killers put themselves in extreme danger. While the Killers faced a much more immediate danger trying to get onto the Dragon, they were arguably safer than the Holders if they were able to climb onto a place where the Dragon was near-incapable of hurting them - for example, on the back or the neck. The Holders, meanwhile, had to contend not just with the Dragon's claws and tail the whole time, but were at constant risk of having their flesh stripped from their bones by Dragonfire. Both Holders and Killers received an extraordinary increase in pay for facing near-certain death; according to contemporary sources, even having half of the entire group slaughtered was considered an abnormally good survival rate.

As the Holders and Killers were usually well-trained soldiers, even a successful Dragon-killing operation was extremely costly for the army they belonged to - but it was even more costly for the Dragons, whose numbers have always been meagre and who have always been difficult to replace. The tactic was therefore, on balance, an effective one in strategic terms; despite causing painful losses even if successful, the enemy's losses were always proportionally far greater. The tactic was not necessarily conducive to winning battles, but it was effective for winning wars.

### Pre-Gunpowder; Late Era

Though the method of Holders and Killers attacking a crippled Dragon was ultimately successful, there was always a pressing concern to reduce the risk as much as possible, especially for commanders who had no access to mages to provide shields for the soldiers - in such cases, the death rate was often astronomically high, estimated to commonly reach 80% even in a successful takedown.

The main leap forward in counter-Dragon weaponry came about under the rule of King Royard III in Roulonne during his Glorious Rebellion, when he sought out the known world's greatest engineers to try and come up with some method of killing Dragons that did not involve losing countless veterans. This search consumed great swathes of Royard's treasury - according to some sources, he spent as much money finding the perfect anti-Dragon weapon as he did actually paying the entirety of his armies, and it was only Nesarian financial backing that saved him from crippling debt - but it was eventually successful, when a team of Onshian and Saverian engineers unveiled the so-called Cruelty Engine.

On the surface, the Cruelty Engine was no different to the ballistae that preceded it, but the key advancement was that this weapon was capable of killing a Dragon mid-air rather than merely crippling their flight. Few ordinary ballistae were capable of piercing a Dragon's scales, whereas the Cruelty Engine loosed a giant barbed bolt with so much force that at close range, it could punch straight through a Dragon's body and come out the other side. The Cruelty Engine was innovative not just for its power, but also its speed; while it was not self-loading like a Polybolos, it could be rapidly reloaded from a magazine to shoot off numerous bolts in quick succession - according to one source, it could shoot six times in one minute. When multiple Cruelty Engines were grouped together and timed to stagger their reloads - so that one would always be shooting while the others were reloading - this could result in a continuous rain of heavy bolts hurtling towards a target.

Unfortunately for historians, Cruelty Engines are only known through written descriptions; no artistic depictions exist, nor do any actual examples survive. Experimental archaeologists have attempted to reconstruct the Cruelty Engine, but often with little success, usually creating machines that tend to destroy themselves or are far below the power described in the sources, or both. Nothing is known of its construction beyond the fact that it was, effectively, a giant semi-repeating ballista with some kind of specialised bolt that had a smooth piercing head to break through the scales and then spikes or barbs along the shaft to inflict greater damage on the soft flesh inside. It is possible that the ballista somehow (though it is entirely unclear how) caused the bolt to spin, increasing its long-range accuracy and the damage potential of the barbs.

The Cruelty Engine, of course, was not perfect; many of the Dragons hit by it, approximately half, were not killed on the wing, but were merely crippled and had to be surrounded and swarmed in the usual manner, causing many Roulonnais casualties. However, one should overlook the fact that *half* of all the Dragons killed in the war were killed either mid-air or when crashing to the ground, and the casualty rate for the Dragons was astronomically higher than in any conflict they had seen besides the War for the World.