Dragonborn

**"They're the size of a bear, and about as pleasant at a dinner party." -Borros d'Urbano, Spymaster of Ravenna.**

The Dragonborn are towering draconic humanoids typically weighing over 300 pounds. Their intimidating appearance is only outmatched by their unnerving tendency towards silence. Laconic, violent, and deeply traditional: the Dragonborn are consummate warriors. If not for a centuries long illness that has left most Dragonborn sterile they would no-doubt rule the Free Coast. As a result the Dragonborn are a rare sight on the Free Coast, often earning stares from passersby. Despite their lack of numbers the Dragonborn are still a formidable force in politics across Adurra, being the most sought after mercenaries by far. As an unusually long-lived species the greatest Dragonborn warriors will have weathered hundreds of battles in their time, and have a body covered in ritual scars: each representing a life they have taken.

The Dragonborn have earned a reputation as especially laconic, gruff, and overall ornery creatures. This reputation largely misses the cultural reasons for this behavior, and this misunderstanding has lead to much bloodshed between former employers and their Dragonborn mercenaries. To the Dragonborn a mercenary is a member of the household. An honored guest, and extended member of the tribe. The expectation is for a degree of autonomy and respect not often granted to mercenaries of other races, and those lords who have never employed the Dragonborn often find themselves running afoul of cultural taboo. On more than one occasion Dragonborn mercenaries have turned on former employers, murdering them as a matter of honor. And despite this troublesome history the Dragonborn are still courted above all others as personal guards, soldiers, and enforcers: so fearsome is their reputation.

## Coming of Age

For the Dragonborn there is a rigorous series of trials each individual must undertake before they are accepted into their clan, and in turn granted the right to further their lineage.

For males the trial is in three parts. First begins when they are children. They are released alone into the wilderness and tasked to live a month alone. Should the child be found alive and healthy they are accepted as a "True Child of Axelidros," and accepted into their family. The second trial comes when they seek out glory on the battlefield, and are told to mark their bodies with "the numbers of the fallen." When they return home after their wanderings the singular male with most scars is granted the right to undergo the final trial. The final trial is of courage. They are told to return home with the "tears of our dragon lords." The concept being that they either by cunning, or some other artifice, acquire the tears of a dragon from a still living dragon. To face down a true dragon and survive is considered the ultimate feat. Should the male return with the tears of a dragon, this is considered the only dower for their soon-to-be mate.

For females the trial is in two parts, though no less difficult than that of the males. Within Dragonborn society females are expected to carry on the history, culture, and knowledge of society, and appropriately the trials of female Dragonborn revolve around academic feats. The first trial is to memorized all 166,662 lines of the epic poem "Unk'll do Axelidrakk" the founding myth of the Dragonborn people. Making this feat even more difficult is the fact that the poem has never been written down, but rather passed down in oral history since the dawn of Dragonborn society so as to not "sully the words of Axelidros with the banality of script." Once the female can flawlessly recite the founding myth she is deemed a "True Child of Axelidros" and gifted the privilege of practicing magics. Only females who have proven themselves through this first trial are allowed to study magic. Males are permanently prohibited from practicing magic unless special dispensation is provided. The second trial is relatively vague, though tremendously difficult. It states that the female should "seek out those truths that would make our clan stronger." This task can be interpreted in a number of different ways. Some seek to further their study of magic becoming talented mages who can aid their clan in times of trouble. Others set out on a quest to uncover some lost knowledge or object from the history of the Dragonborn. Regardless the female must bring her "truth" to the elder council, and only then learn if her years of study have earned her the right to mate. Many appear before the council dozens of times only to be rejected. Those females that pass through the trial may choose their mate from the small pool of males that passed theirs.

The concept behind these complex, and incredibly rigorous trials is to weed out the week, infirm, and sterile members of the clan. The belief being that should only the strongest and most capable mate, the horrible sterility that curses their race could be eliminated. Unfortunately, even with the trials only one in ten pairs ever produce viable offspring. Many females wish to alter the dangerous nature of the male trial. As too many Dragonborn are lost in battle to make up for those born every year. Despite this sobering fact most males are resistant to change, and the concept of altering the trial means altering what it means to be a male Dragonborn.