Dracon

Racial Groups: Dwarf | Elf | Fey | Giant-Kin | Goblinoid | Human | Lycanthrope | Reptilian

Races: Human | Elf | Dracon | Dwarf | Gnome | Halfling | Half-elf | Half-orc | Lupin | Mau'ktarl | Minotaur

Custom Races: Adomkuro | Avariel | Centaur | Changeling | Drangonari | Ghost Elf | Gnoll | Goblin | Half-Dryad | Half-Nymph | Half-Ogre | Kobold | Orc | Shaahesk | Stone Dwarf | Tiefling | Wemic

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Overview

The original version of these creatures is described in the 2nd Edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Complete Spacefarer's Handbook. They are a centaroid race, meaning they walk on four legs like a horse or elephant, and they have an upright humanoid torso with two arms and a head from the waist up. The dracon are a curious race when viewed by their fellow Avlissians. To the untrained eye, they look largely the same. They may come in different colors, but the differences in their features are hard to discern. Oddly enough, they have the same trouble when looking at non-dracon. They have a tough time distinguishing between gnomes and halflings, and elves and humans. To their eyes, the world is a plane of Order, punctuated by staccatoes of Chaos that are to be dealt with harshly. Details that they deem important are scrutinized very closely, but information that is deemed irrelevant is glossed over with barely a glance.

On Avlis, the dracon are the guardians of law and order, and the embodiment of loyalty, duty, and justice. Their strict ways and almost hivelike society are very peculiar to outsiders who often find themselves annoyed or offended by these peculiar draconic creatures, yet the dracon are unflagging in their convictions whether they are friend or foe. Unlike their spacefaring brethren among the stars, the dracon are very at home on Avlis, and they have integrated themselves into the dance of history as one of the nine major races there.

Personality

Draconic personalities are very hard for humanoids to gauge. To most races, the dracon seem stoic, calm, and devoid of passion. However, this is completely due to the fact that draconic facial expression and mannerisms are not easily decipherable by those of different species. Among themselves, the dracon have a very complex system of gestures and expressions to convey meaning and emotion. These movements can be so subtle at times that they go unnoticed by others.

The fact of draconic personality and psychology is that it is rich with variation and diversity. Younger members of the society have a healthy respect and may even idolize older members for their accomplishments and wisdom, making them inclined to dote over their elders at times. Having climbed the layers of succession within the community, the older members graciously receive this adoration and greatly value the teaching of the younger generations in turn. The goal of most dracon is to fit within the framework of their society and serve its order. Their personal passions dictate where and how they give this service. In fact, dracon are very passionate about their jobs, to the point of being obsessive. Soldiers wish to be the best they can be: obedient, strong, and effective. Those that work on the homefront as crafters or builders approach their jobs with equal gusto, wishing to be the best at their trades.

Physical Description

Dracon are centauroid creatures with an elephant-like body with short stocky legs ending in stubby feet and toenails below the waist, and a reptilian, almost dragon-like head, arms, and torso above the waist. The skin of their elephantine body is extremely rough, ranging in colors from different shades of grey to dark brown. The scales on their reptilian half are usually dark brown or green, and large compared to other reptilian races like the shaahesk. Their heads are like those of miniature dragons, with slit pupils and yellow or red eyes. Male dracon have horns that are unique to the individual, almost like a fingerprint, although to non-dracon they all look the same.

Dracon have an impressive height due to their body form, reaching as much as 8 feet. This gives them an ominous look to the passerby, which can draw much attention from folks that are not used to them. Dracon will decorate their bodies with various trinkets, sashes, and badges of rank that depend on their profession. All dracon professions have ranks. They will also wear armor if involved in a combat-oriented task, however, dracon are not known to wear clothes for purposes of modesty.

Relations

The dracon psyche is grounded deeply within the community. Little thought of individual gain and power takes place among them, and their society reflects these principles. A typical dracon family consists of as many as one hundred individuals all living within a large dwelling and working towards a common task within the system of order that has grown up within their society. The older members of the household are of higher rank, and they direct the actions of the group, while the younger members perform much of the work and learn from their elders.

This structure hierarchically expands to encompass all draconic cities, regions, and nations. Those races and nations that are orderly and do not interfere in the dracon's affairs are seen as neutral bystanders, while those that are chaotic and interfere with the goals of the community are enemies to be neutralized. For the humans of northwestern Negaria, this is seen as a prime alliance, and the dracon are happy to oblige. Seeing everything from the standpoint of order and chaos, the dracon do not hold morals or ethics to be important if they do not get the job done, so they are often found allying with humans of many differing motives and goals.

Non-human races in the western region of Negaria often fear the dracon for their precision and orderliness. Those of the eastern lands tend to leave them be, and some, like the shaahesk, are greatful that they do not come near.

Alignment

Dracon are the epitomy of lawfulness and the order associated with it, as well as neutrality, for they refuse to distinguish between good and evil.

Dracon Lands

Two major areas are home to substantial populations of dracon. They are the Kurathene Empire and the draconic nation of Toran Shaarda. While the dracon are the sole governers of Toran Shaarda, they share the rule of the Kurathene Empire with the humans by playing a supporting role and acting as organizers and trainers of the militaries there, as well as shock troops in many cases. It is uncommon to spot dracon outside of these areas, though organized contingents are known to travel all over Negaria for purposes of trade and communication.

Religion

Dracon are staunch followers of the lawful neutral god Toran. Those that do not follow Toran's ways to the letter are often followers of Toran's son, Senath, the god of strategy. Rarely will dracon branch out their worship to other gods, and in many cases in the lands of Toran Shaarda, they barely know that other gods exist.

Language

The dracon speak a very guttural language of their own, which is very difficult for non-native (or non-reptillian) speakers. In addition to guttural sounds, it contains chirps and clicks that signify various grammatical constructions that do not exist in most humanoid languages. It is often said that elementary draconic grammar is harder than some of the worst magical texts. Luckily, most dracon learn common as a second language for various purposes.

Names

Dracon usually have three names. Their first name is their given name, and their last name is that of their family unit. First names are not distinguished by sex, and either males or females can have any given first name. They almost always contain apostrophes, which signal a guttural pause. Middle names signify the dracon's rank within their family unit and are known to change throughout life. They often have meanings like "son", "daughter", "parent", "grandparent", or "venerable". These meanings are usually more generational than literal. For example a dracon with "parent" as a middle name will often be roughly in the middle of the age range in the family unit.

Last names signify unit, and are immediately recognizeable by all dracon as to how high in the racial hierarchy the name is.

Male and Female Names

Chin'gua, Dae'lek, El'tu'rek, Jul'yi, Kal'ur'ek, Kar'li, Lem'bal'na, Nu'lin, Sel'ri'on, Zith'lo

Middle Names

Val'ik (son), Val'ak (daughter), Mak'Val'pa (parent), Sal'Mak'bak (grandparent), Kurl'sal'bak (venerable)

Unit Names

Brun'du'sak, Dayr'du'lan, Kal'du'lan, Neer'du'rek, Zif'du'no

Adventurers

Dracon loathe being away from their own kind, and will often only undertake such folly when ordered to do so by a higher-ranking official or unit member. In the rare cases when this happens, there is often a mission involved of great importance to the family unit that the dracon belongs to. The task may consist of delivering a message, or finding another lost member who may bear some important information.

Note that due to Neverwinter Nights game engine limitations, Dracons are not a playable race yet.

See Also

The Nine Major Races: Dracon