Dragon

Dragons are the last vestiges of the gods on Aorna, beings of raw elemental power that trace their origins directly back to their progenitor: Seshand, The First Dragon. They were created to protect the material plane, after the gods proved too petty to do so, and though many have tried to sustain that mission, their nature makes them easily susceptible to the temptations of the world.
The longest-lived of the mortal races, Dragons can survive as long as 12,000 years. This gives them a unique perspective that makes them valued advisors, historians and teachers - when they have the patience to enter such fields. In reality, most dragons grow weary of those with shorter lives and choose to isolate themselves, hyper-focusing on their studies and obsessions. Still others treat "lesser mortals" as pawns in a game, spending their time developing grand schemes to control those around them - sometimes out of a genuine belief that they are superior, but just as often to entertain themselves. Regardless, even altruistic dragons tend to view other creatures from a warped lens.
Biologically, dragons are extremely diverse, coming in every size, shape and color imaginable. Their arcane abilities are determined by their lineage and the environment in which they are raised. As a dragon ages, it becomes increasingly more powerful; for example, an adolescent blue dragon may be able to conjure lightning from its maw, but when it reaches seniority, it can travel with an entire storm at its back. However, with age also comes an increased risk of "ferality", when a dragon loses its conscious mind and becomes a vector for pure chaos. A single feral dragon can level a city or even a kingdom, so they are tracked and hunted in the wild before they can do damage to communities. While only ten percent of dragons ever become feral, that is more than enough to warrant extreme caution.
Male dragons are only fertile for eight years out of their entire lifespan (typically around the half-way point) and the gestation period for newborns takes more than three years. Though they become powerful living weapons, infancy can last for decades, and in their small, fragile form, young dragons are often eaten by larger predators. As such, they are extremely rare and the population rarely grows. It is estimated that there are fewer than two thousand adult dragons currently residing on the surface of Aorna.
On occasion, a dragon grows close with a mortal and can choose to bestow upon them a draconic heritage that will increase their familial connection to the Wellspring. These arrangements can be given as a gift for a great deed, offered in a contract of service, or purchased with absolute loyalty. The dragon will offer a drop of their blood to their ward, to be consumed, which will enhance their connection and provide limited arcane abilities.
There are two distinct types of dragons: the Starkept and the Moonbound.
The Starkept (or "Feathered") Dragons are the descendants of Sevast, The Just Hand and the keepers of justice on the material plane. Known for their beautiful, shimmering feathers, the Starkept tend to be smaller and sleeker than their brethren - though this does not diminish their power. They take their name from the legend that their kind was forged when the gods pulled the stars from the sky to stop the growing madness of Nezer Damos, The Chasm.
Wise, fair and knowledgeable, the Starkept are sought after by the great nations and leaders of the world, as they often hold valuable secrets and information from eons past. However, they are not quick to provide this information and are limited by their view of "Draconic Justice". Draconic justice ignores earthly law and focuses on immutable cosmic truths. The Starkept are aware of their immense power, that if misused, could lead to the domination of the other mortal races. As such, they keep themselves at arms length, providing only information that pertains to world shattering events - such as a planar incursion, an errant god or attacks on reality or time. They think in centuries and millennia, and a single life means little to them. This can make some dragons seem cold and aloof, though they do care about the world in their own way. Still, they rarely step in to stop something that they would view as trivial, such as a war, a rebellion or a tyrannical government. They believe it is the job of other mortals to govern themselves.
That said, they are a diverse bunch, and individual Starkept often have vastly different interests, morals and even interpretations of Draconic Justice. Many prefer to live far away from civilization, watching, focusing on their studies. But others choose to live among their charges, shapeshifting to appear as a common human, elf or tiefling, enjoying the fruits of organized society. Regardless, every dragon has a single, often hyper-specific, obsession that drives their curiosity. For example, Mazira is an expert in Aracian diplomacy and history, while Ursodar spent much of his time investigating the arcane effect on the space-time continuum.
In the Merchant Sea region, elder Starkept Dragons belong to an organization called the Gilded Enclave, which monitors the relations between the nation-states of the area. They are more active in regional politics than other Starkept tend to be, because they believe that such a large concentration of inter-mingling, magically-inclined societies is conducive to the kind of crises that they were born to prevent. Each sovereign state of the Merchant Sea is assigned a Draconic advisor, which they can elect to accept or decline. These advisors have little real power, and cannot make decisions effecting the populace, but instead exist to offer advice and counsel where necessary. They are forbidden from interfering with the internal politics of a nation and their services transfer with new leadership, whether that be through elections, hereditary lineage or even armed revolution.
The dragons of the Enclave also help to hunt down any Moonbound who range too far outside of Xashare, as well as members of their own ranks who succumb to ferality.
The Moonbound (or "Scaled") Dragons are dark reflections of their brethren, gluttonous, greedy creatures that prey on the weak and subjugate those around them. They shed their feathers in the distant past and instead are covered in thick, bristly chromatic scales. Significantly larger and more intimidating then the Starkept, they are the terror of the other mortal races. When a Moonbound dragon appears in the sky, entire villages are abandoned overnight. They take their name from the legend that their forbearer, Xashand, The Thirsting Horde, was once imprisoned within the moon now called Dihonus.
Due to their inherent selfishness, the Moonbound tend not to cooperate well with each other, instead choosing to remain isolated in small fiefdoms that they can rule over and terrorize. At best, they view the other ancestries of Aorna as weak-willed playthings, at worst, a blight. Unlike the Starkept, their obsessions are almost entirely material, caring more for their hordes of jewels and artifacts than they do for sentient life, including that of other Moonbound. As such, they are jealous, egotistical creatures who place all their worth in that which they possess and control. There is a common saying, "A dragon with one gold rose thinks he's a king, a dragon with one hundred - thinks he's a god."
This is mostly true, and in fact, most Moonbound resent the gods, believing that the dragons should have been asked to rule - not to serve. Even Xashand is not spared their wrath - as they are all jealous of the power she wields. 
Roughly 25,000 years ago, a charismatic and powerful Moonbound Dragon - believed to have been named Thyzoris - was able to assuage the petty squabbles of his brethren and convince them to work together to conquer the whole of Aorna, eliminating the Starkept and subjugating the lesser peoples'. This war between the Starkept and the Moonbound lasted for centuries, but once Thyzoris was killed, ended due to intense - and inevitable - in-fighting. The Starkept sealed away his allies on the continent Xashare - far to the east, across the Auslairic Ocean.
As such, Moonbound Dragons are extremely rare to find in the Merchant Sea region - and those who operate there, do so in secret. They thrive near remote outposts and within the borders' of nations that reward corruption and greed.

Lifespan

5.000 - 10,000 Years