Council of Scale

Dragons are nearly as old as the Elda, though their history and origins remain shrouded in mystery. Some say they that dragons were creatures that Shaddai created, but Asmodeus twisted into his own warped ideas. Others believe that, in spite of Asmodeus attempt to do this, they were the sole creation able to resist his attempt, and that as a result of that struggle, Shaddai blessed them with unnaturally long lives. Whatever the case, it was this event that gave birth to the Council of Scale, and later to the Drekkar. Their ways are alien even to the Elder Races, and for the most part, the Dragons and Drekkar keep to themselves, preferring to isolate themselves from the rest of the world. As a result, those who venture into their lands, and to their mountains, rarely leave it.

Council of Scale

The Council of Scale is the governing body for dragons and drekkar. It consists of nine members, one for each "scale," or hue of dragon: black, blue, brass, copper, gold, green, red, silver, and white. How the governing body works remains a bit of a mystery but based on past diplomatic contact between the Elda and the council, it appears that the council provides mandates and directives, and each scale then chooses how to carry them out. Likewise, mandates and directives given to the Drekkar are also carried out, usually with no small amount of fervor.
While the Council of Scale rules the Drekkar absolutely, their grip on each scale varies, due in large part to general behavior patterns typically associated with that scale. While some scales approach each mandate and directive as law, and in a planned and orderly fashion to be carried out to the best of their abilities, other scales are more inclined to disseminate these mandates and directives to their scale with the admonishment to carry them out to the best of their abilities. Not surprisingly, the methods of some scales appear far more random and chaotic than others, which produce a variety of results with varying levels of success.

The Drekkar

One of the reasons for their isolationist ways are the Drekkar. The Drekkar remains a controversial and sore subject between the Council of Scale and the Elder Races, particularly the Elda. Though they are a race that has features reminiscent of dragons, they retain heavy influences of what they once were; predatory lizards with a keen hunter's insight. It was the Dragons' intervention that gave them sentience.

Primal Hunters

In their primal state, Drekkar were able to track their prey not only by sight, sound, and smell but also track them if they left any trace of their passage. They were capable of reasoning out a prey's patterns, allowing them to work together in small hunting packs, using tactics to drive their prey into traps or into situations that would make it easier for them to be taken down. Out of all known creatures, the Elder Races, particularly the Elda, believed them to be apex predators. Though there were larger, more brutal predators out there, none could match their level of intellect.

Sentience

The Dragons and Drekkar call this the Day of Awakening. Despite the Elda's strong discouragement, Dragons who were strongest in their ability to wield Nathr gathered together to perform a ritual which was the product of nearly a century of careful calculation, study, and experimentation. Using giant crystals cut from the stone of their mountains, shaped by the intense heat of dragon fire, and arcanely powered through years of work applying powerful enchantments, the dragons created a circle of monolithic structures, in the center of which they placed a circle drawn with arcane runes that none had ever seen before or since. The drawing of which caused the earth to tremble. The ritual took several days to complete, at the end of which three of their number fell, having given not only what arcane power they had to the task, but also their very life essence. It was this ritual that gave the Drekkar sudden sentience and created an irrevocable bond between the Dragons and Drekkar. In their eyes, the Dragons were gods, and the Drekkar were forever their people. The elder races broke off diplomatic contact, and it is said that some Elda doesn't think twice about killing any Drekkar straying too far from their swamps.

Scales

Scales are delineations of Dragons that are determined by the color of their scales that represent lineage and bloodline. Within each scale, a Primus is chosen to both lead the scale and represent them in the Council of Scale. The methods of choosing a Primus vary from Scale to Scale.

Black Scale

To a member of the Black Scale, there is nothing more glorious than to fly by moonlight. They love the night. They find a certain satisfaction in seeing the carpet of the world in shadowy relief. The silence of the settlements and the calls of nocturnal creatures are music to their ears. It is also the night that gives them access to their full power, with some able to coalesce darkness into form and shape. They are the masters of corrosion, corruption, and erosion, with abilities to match. It is said that a black-scaled Drekkar's limited ability to breathe underwater is inherited from the Black Scale.
There are few creatures in Beren'Dor that can match a black dragon's resolve. They are able to withstand a breathtaking amount of punishment, taking wounds that would kill most others only to continue on.

Blue Scale

No other dragon enjoys flying like blue dragons. For them, flying is an exhilarating experience and nothing feels quite like it. Dragons of the Blue Scale are capable of flying at higher altitudes than any other dragon. They have surprising agility, able to move on land and in the air with speed and ease few can match. Their primary powers and abilities are associated with that of the sky.

Brass Scale

"If a Brass dragon wishes to protect you, then you know you are safe…even from yourself, it seems. A mixed blessing, that."

A human thief, after having been turned in by his 'protector', a brass dragon, for planning a heist.

Brass dragons are the protectors of their land, and of those they believe needs it. They believe in being charitable and generous with what they have given so strongly that is is nearly a religious precept for them.

Copper Scale

"They have noble ideas, but rarely a realistic view of the world."

An Unknown Elda council member

Noble ideals and intentions often go hand in hand with the Copper Scale. They are the dreamers, those that pursue the impossible. They tend to dream big, and reach for the stars, though their efforts often fall short. Their ideas of the outside world are at times strange and seem born out of naivete, but their exuberance in chasing after their ideals is often infectious. Among all dragons, the Copper tends to be far more charismatic than the others, and their power is rooted in the ability to affect the minds of others and illusion, whether it is to urge them on to heroic deeds or to instill fear. When faced with the power of a Copper scale, a good rule of thing is to distrust everything you see.

Gold Scale

Few can match gold dragons in wisdom and charisma. As natural leaders of the Council of Scale, they tend to hold themselves apart, and keep their own counsel. They are not quick to judge or to speak, and tend to deliberate when considering their next course of action. Gold dragons tend to look at the bigger picture, and plan for the future. In the Council of Scale, their words are given more weight, and their counsel more deference than most.

A gold dragon's power resides first in the strength of their presence. At times their mere presence has been known to charm would-be enemies, and their wise words have been known to turn away wrath on more than one occasion, usually without those having been effected even realizing it had been done. Though a word of caution to those who would place themselves in opposition to a gold dragon. Never mistake their reluctance to resort to violence for weakness. When the need arises, a gold brings not only the fire of his breath, but the more powerful of them have been known to be able to manipulate time itself.

Green Scale

"Have you never heard the saying, 'Never make a deal with a dragon?' Well, they were talking about greens."

A Sh'ezzari merchant

Green dragons prefer to lay in the forests often found in valleys in their mountains, and their moss green scales often blend in with their surroundings nicely, except during winter. They have been known to move with uncanny stealth through the forests, Less respected that most of their counterparts, green dragons are known for their crafty ways. They have been known to be ambiguous when it comes to the truth, and choose to manipulate things behind the scene rather than out in the open. Their gifts lie in the direction of the toxic and poisonous.

Red Scale

"You never know what you face with a Red Dragon. One day, your best friend, and the next your worst enemy by virtue of some imagined slight."

Unknown Elda

Not surprisingly, red dragons are known for their rages. At times they unpredictable and chaotic, given to fits of pique. They can also be passionate, quick friends, or quick enemies, whichever the wind may blow. They lair in caves under their mountains, often preferring to bed down in pools of lava.

Silver Scale

Dragons with silver scales are among the most intelligent of the dragons, and a species more prone than other dragons to mingle with other races and civilizations using their shapeshifting ability to appear as the race they are mingling with. Silver dragons enjoy exploring and learning about different cultures and often come to have a certain empathy towards those they mingle with. Because of this, they have been known to take up worthwhile causes, presenting themselves as knights, paladins, or leaders. Though they are at times idealistic, they are not nearly as idealistic as Copper scales.

White Scale

The White dragons are most at home in cold temperatures. While red dragons may be prone to rages, white dragons tend towards logic and ambivalence. Cold and calculating are their ways, preferring to employ tactics and strategy to achieve their goals rather than emotional appeal or force. Their mastery of the cold enables them to use blizzards as obscuring shrouds with freezing winds that shriek like a thousand banshees over the mountaintops they call home. Those who brave the blizzard rarely survive, some quickly freezing to death. They concern themselves with the military concerns of the Council of Scale. They see to the training of the Drekkar. When combat is necessary, it is most likely a member of the White Scale that leads them into battle.