Dragon

**Dragons** (竜 (ドラゴン), *Doragon*; ; ; ) are supernatural beings related to Hollows that evolved differently from their counterparts due to exposure to the Beast Realm and their time in the British Isles, where they evolved to their fullest extent.

Controlling and domesticating dragons is the primary duty of Wing Bind, the western branch of the Soul Society.

## Overview

### History

During the separation of the Old World into the three known today, a group of Hollows took a rather terrible tumble through the newly-created Beast Realm before arriving in the area of the World of the Living that would come to be called London. Drastically changed by their experience, they waged war against the souls that resided there, only to come up against stiff competition in the form of the giants, a tribe distantly related to the Quincy who protected the souls there from their onslaught. The giants would ultimately retreat, but not before leaving behind massive structures and hidden weapons that, among other things, successfully contained or outright sealed dragonkind.

These structures and the dragons within them would remain untouched until the Northern Soul Society invaded the West in around 5000+ BFS. Retreating from their attack, the souls of that era hid themselves in many of the ancient fortresses and tombs the giants had constructed, and in so doing discovered not only the dragons, but how to fight and control them. Wielding this knowledge, they rallied the dragons to their aid, learning how to domesticate them through trial and error, and waged return war against the Vikings. Legend has it one of the souls' kings even merged with a dragon (or several), becoming an immortal dark warrior who blotted out the sun against their enemies. Several Vikings took to adopting their practices, creating a race of barbarians who plague the Western Soul Society to this day.

Regardless, with the conclusion of the war between the Soul Societies, the remaining souls gathered to form Wing Bind, combining the information they had wrested from the past with skills taught to them by the Shinigami and their equivalents from the other Soul Societies.

In medieval times, they were responsible for 72% of the deaths in London, which led to the city's Coat of Arms bearing their image.

When London cleaned up its streets in the 1800s, the Disguiser population went down drastically due to having far fewer corpses to inhabit.

### Relationships with other Species

#### In Inner Worlds

Like Hollows, Dragons whose physiology closely resembles that of an Asauchi may invade a Shinigami (or their equivalent)'s Inner World and merge with their Zanpakutō or similar weapon. From here they can influence or interact with their 'host' as they see fit, some even going so far as to attempt to take over their bodies if need be.

Dragon-Possessed Ones (also known colloquially as **weredragons**) who have not embraced their true nature develop an **Inner Dragon** that represents this side of them; it functions similarly to another case of a Dragon in one's inner world.

## Notable Species

### Märchen

The **Märchen** (童話竜 (メルヒェンズ), *Meruhyenzu*; German for "Fairy Tale", Japanese for "Fairy Tale Dragon") are ancient dragons, roughly equivalent to primordial Hollows, that where the first to emerge from the Beast Realm.

### Elder Dreki

**Elder Dreki** ( , ), also referred to as **barbarian dragons** ( , ), are a group of powerful, primordial Dragons hailing from the Northern Soul Society. The line between them and the Märchen is poorly understood (they are classified by Wing Bind as a 'sub-group'); the elder dreki Sigurthur is classified as both an elder dreki and an "extra" member of the Märchen.

## Abilities

### Reimyaku

Distinct from their counterparts (not belonging to Hueco Mundo or even the Isles), dragons are capable of producing and manipulating their own reimyaku, referred to them as their **cave** (洞窟, *dōkutsu*; ; ; ). They typically bind this to a land that they find preferable, overwritting the preexisting reimyaku in favor of their own. Objects that they prize particularly highly or have an otherwise strong connection to are infested with this reiryoku and allow a Dragon to draw on its power even if they are away from their home - such items are known as their **hoarde** (儹; ; ; ). Dragons are thus naturally adept at magic, though it also deals them greater damage to make up for their resistance to kidō.