The first Dragonborn appeared in Virthys about six thousand years before the apocalypse. They were clearly created by dragons, some as slaves, some as willing servants. Free dragonborn not serving a dragon were a rare sight, even if not completely unheard of. At some point during ancient history, most dragonborn were abandoned by their masters, left to live a life of their own. Still, some dragons still keep dragonborn servants (or slaves) to this very day.
Many of them fought in the war of the dragon gods, when Zathruax sent his draconic armies all over the world. Countless dragonborn died - on both sides. But among the survivors, many have lost their former masters either on the battlefield or in the apocalypse itself.
Still, after all that happened, this species is not exactly welcome in many areas of Ashandri. Their ties to the dragons, some of which were directly responsible for the end of the world, makes people wary, sometimes even outright hostile. Even heroes who fought against the forces of the apocalypse often have a hard time, especially in areas where they aren't well-known.
Subraces
Spellvessel Dragonborn
Dragonborn are, originally, an artificially created race. Nobody knows how it’s done, except for the dragons. And some of them developed a few extra tricks. Spellvessel Dragonborn are not only infused with draconic essence, but with pure arcane force, as well. The creation process must be painful and horrible: Spellvessel that were not born, but created, remember their first moments as excruciating, burning and hurting. They don’t remember anything else, but every single one of them shares these first memories.
This is also the reason why the creation of Spellvessels is frowned upon by good-aligned dragons. But even for those who were born, the result of two of these dragonborn mating, the infant seems to suffer an imprinted reflection of this pain. For every Spellvessel dragonborn, life begins with pain and suffering.
But it doesn’t end after birth. Not just because their masters were usually evil dragons, treating them as slaves and cannon fodder. The magic within them is alive. As it was bound to their soul, the arcane force fused with them, turning into a living and thinking partial entity of its own. Fortunately, not all of these living spells are evil or try to dominate their vessels. Still, it’s true for the majority. There are even rumours that the dragon masters sought and killed those with a more friendly spellvoice in their heads.
Imagine having a cruel voice in your mind from the very first days of your existence, constantly telling you that you’re worthless, that you should obey, that you’re never good or strong enough to be free. Most Spellvessel dragonborn grow up constantly hearing such messages, and it shapes their personality. Which comes in handy for the dragons that have an easy time dominating these poor souls.
When the apocalypse freed those Spellvessel dragonborn slaves that were lucky enough to survive, most of them had no idea what to do with their life. They never learned to act on their own, they have few social skills (unless they were specifically trained for it), and hearing a voice in your head doesn’t exactly make you less socially awkward. Many of them became mercenaries or even assassins. This put them into positions where they could continue following orders while earning what they needed for survival. And in these jobs, few people care to ask questions if you act weird.
There are exceptions, of course: Those who survived despite having a more friendly, possibly even helpful voice; those who managed to see through the lies the voice told them; and those who decided to fight for a life of their own, no matter how bad their starting position was.
Spellvessel Dragonborn Traits:
Spellvessel Dragonborn can resemble Dragonborn of any draconic ancestry. This ancestry does not influence their abilities. The only visual difference is that Spellvessel Dragonborn are so infused with magic that arcane energies shine through the cracks between their scales. The light is subtle, but visible, and often resembles a color matching the character's Spellblood Power or their ancestry.
A Spellvessel shares most traits with the typical Dragonborn. The following traits replace the Ability Score Increase and Damage Resistance Traits.
Ability Score Increase: Intelligence+2, Dexterity+1
Spellblood Power: Magic is infused in your blood. You are born capable of casting one first-level spell, with no components required. You choose this spell at character creation from the wizard spell list, and you can never change it. Any saving throws made by a target of your spell has to beat a DC equal to 8 + your Proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier. Once cast, you can’t use this ability again until you’ve had a long rest.
Sensing Magic: By touching and focusing on one item, you can sense whether it is enchanted or magical. The ability works similar to a Detect Magic spell, only limited to this particular object. You can sense magic a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier (Minimum 1) per long rest.
Arcane Breath Weapon: Instead of a regular breath weapon resembling your draconic ancestry, you can breathe out pure arcane force. Using an action, you release a whirlwind of confusing lights and patterns accompanied by a cacophony of sounds in a 15 ft. cone. The effects resemble those of a Confusion spell, and targets have to succeed on a Wisdom Saving Throw to resist the effect. The DC for the Wisdom Saving Throw is 8 + your Proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier. The duration is limited to 3 rounds, but you do not have to concentrate on it. After you use your breath weapon, you can’t use it again until you complete a Long Rest.
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