Dracon

The dracon race is widely known for various things, but the first thing that comes to the forefront of everyone's mind is that they are by far such an alien race to the rest of the humanoids, yet are clearly among them. The reason for this is due to the fact that their physical appearance is far closer to that of a reptile than a mammal, though biologically they are in fact mammals. Aside from this what the dracon are known most for is being the most faith and religious devoted race in the entirety of Erelest. In no way does this mean there aren't others who are just as devoted to their deities as the dracon, only that the dracon across their race are devoted in the same way. Yet this devotion to faith and religion is not always the same. Ever since the great dracon schism, their people have been divided on two sides of an everlasting war, commonly referred to (in full seriousness as well as comedic purposes) their war of light and dark, good and evil. This divide and war between them is only further highlighted by the fact that both side have a greater affinity, bond and connection to dragons than the other races do, with the dragons sometimes taking part in their war from time to time.
TLDR: For players referencing back or wanting to know the overall features of the race for character creation, this tldr contains a very quick summary of said features. Keep in mind these features are those found across all sub-races of dracon!

• All Dracon have a bonus of +1 to strength and wisdom attributes.
• All Dracon have a breath weapon of one form or another (details found in the physical characteristics category under organs & breath weapon section).
• All Dracon start with knowing their Alignment Language, Dracon Common, and a very strong chance for knowing the Common Tongue.
• All Dracon have a strong connection to a tribal culture, and a strong connection to their draconic religion.
• All Dracon have a very strong chance of being good or evil, but an extremely rare chance of being neutral in moral alignment.
• Common classes among all Dracon are: Cleric, Fighter, Ranger, Magic-User and Monk.
• Uncommon classes among all Dracon are: Knights.
• Rare classes among all Dracon are: Bards.

Arrahkthir (light)

• +1 Strength, +1 Wisdom, -1 Dexterity, -1 Charisma
• +1 to Magic Saving Throws (rods/staves/wands exclusively) per 3.5 constitution points
• Breath Weapon
• +1 Proficiency Point to one of the following: Animal Lore, Apothecary (healing), Architect (dracon), Armorer, Blacksmith, Carpentry, Cartography, Direction Sense, Endurance, Etiquette, Fishing, Foraging, Healing, History (dracon), Hunting, Mountaineering, Religion, Resilience, Storytelling, Survival (any) or Weather Sense.
• Due to their lifestyle they are most likely to possess wilderness detections
• Possess Ultravision
• Language Discounts: Alignment Language (free), Arrahkthir Language (only 1 cost), Dracon Languages (-1 point cost)

Khravakssith (dark)

• +1 Strength, +1 Constitution, -1 Dexterity, -1 Charisma
• +1 to Poison Saving Throws per 3.5 Constitution Points
• Breath Weapon
• +1 Proficiency Point to one of the following: Alertness, Animal Lore, Apothecary, Architect (dracon), Armorer, Blacksmith, Carpentry, Cartography, Direction Sense, Endurance, Fishing, Foraging, Hunting, Masonry, Miner, Mountaineering, Plant Lore (fungi), Religion, Resilience, Runeology, Sound Analysis, Storytelling, Survival Cold, Survival Desert, Survival Heat, Tracking
• Due to their location & lifestyle they are most likely to possess underdark detection, or wilderness detection depending on where they grew up
• Possess Infravision
• Language Discounts: Alignment Language (free), Khravakssith Language (only 1 cost), Dracon Languages (-1 point cost)

Physical Characteristics

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As stated before, despite their reptilian appearance they are in every true essence, a mammal. This includes being warm blooded and not reproducing through egg laying. However the fact remains that they still look like a reptilian race due to their tails, claws, snout, scales and horn structures. Their tails are very strong, essentially capable of as much of an impact as a punch from them and is typically used as a defense mechanism more often than anything else. Their skin and scales are a strong combination. The skin is thick and tough for one, able to endure a lot and resist their personal element more easily than others (see below), and their strong scales overlapped for flexibility, while their head, shoulders and torso have plated scales. Together they are harder to penetrate than most of the other humanoid's, but extracted the scales don't provide too much additional protection, becoming brittle pretty quickly (though it's been noted that the appealing visual of their scales always remains intact). Their bodies tend to have boney or horned ridges in certain areas such as the head, their spine, their shoulder blades, their hips, and other such places. Most of the time aside from the head these horns are very small, but rarely they can grow into full on horns along the ends of the shoulderblades.
To balance the weight of their tail, their body's skeletal structure and shape includes a slight forward lean at the hips, creating a center of gravity that keeps them stable while standing or moving. Their shoulders are wide and broad, reflecting any muscular development clearly, often making them look stronger than they might actually be. Their torso is slightly barrel shaped, accommodating a larger lung capacity for their breath abilities (see below). Their legs are digitigrade in structure, similar to that of a dragon's or lizard's, walking on the balls of their feet giving them a springy and agile gait. Their hands while retaining the general shape of most humanoids, is a bit more thicker due to their skin and scale biology. Their heads form into a snout-like shape of a reptile, typically leaning towards a shape simliar to that of a horse, or a camel (which is widely known to be in relation to the chromatic and metallic dragon's own biology), though occasionally they can take on a shape similar to that of a crocodile/alligator.

Organs & Breath Weapon

The dracon people have a very unique trait that ties them culturally to the dragons other than being reptilian in appearance. This is their unique glands within their bodies that allows for them to spew forth a breath weapon of one type or another. As much as the divided dracon wish they could deny this, any dracon can possess any breath weapon, even if it's not of their side's dragon (i.e. dark dracon with metallic-esque breath weapons, or light dracon with chromatic-esque breath weapons), and should one be born with an 'opposing side's breath weapon', they often become the subject of distrust on occasion.
Below are the following potential breath weapons a dracon individual can be born with:
Paralytic Gas: The dracon possesses a specialized gland which produces a neurotoxin which is similar to a spider's venom. They also have a secondary gland with a special gas, both glands connected by a tube. When released, the neurotoxin is aerosolized into/with the gas, and is expelled through a specialized duct going up and out of the mouth from the sides of the mouth. They use the direction of their heads, the level of 'openness' of their jaws, and their tongue to control the general direction this gas is released. The gas is easily held back by a soft gale, and can even be blown back with a strong one, but everyone who breathes in the gas becomes paralyzed for a time. Frost: The dracon possesses a gland which produces a cyrogenic chemical akin to liquid nitrogen. They also have a secondary gland with a special moisture based gas, both glands connected by a tube. When released, the gas is released and is quickly supercooled by the sprayed chemical, creating an intensely cold frosty gas. It is expelled through a specialized duct going up and out of the mouth from under the tongue. They use the direction of their heads to control the general direction this breath is released. When expelled it does so in an uncontrolled cone-like effect, blasting outwards just as much as it does forwards. Too controlled and heavy to be called a cloud, but not refined enough to be called a perfect cone.
Scalding Water: The dracon possesses a gland which stores a heavy amount of water, specially grown to keep all water it carries warm. They also have a secondary, smaller organ which generates organic 'heat cells' to superheat the water to hot and potentially scalding levels in a few seconds. Once these cells are added to the water and it reaches optimal temperatures, the water is pressurized and released into a duct that goes up and out of the mouth from under the tongue. They use the direction of their heads, the 'openness' of their jaws and their tongue to control the flow and direction of this jet of water. It can be a superfine shot, or mostly fine with a bit of spray. If dracon use their tongue to turn this into a straight spray, it loses it's harmful impact but releases the water as a cone spray instead of a jet.
Acid Spray: The dracon possesses a special gland which produces and stores a highly acidic compound similar to hydrochloric acid. This special acid sits undisturbed until it is released into a specialized duct that goes up and out of the mouth from under the tongue. They use the direction of their heads, the 'openness' of their jaws and their tongues to control the flow and direction of this spray of acid. It is rarely a concentrated jet, often a spray or congealed.
Vibrational Hum: The dracon possesses a very special organ that does not produce any special chemical, but does store excess air that is not used for breathing. Instead this air is stored for the use of a secondary vocal cords specially designed not for communication or breathing, but to produce a low-frequency vibration. This vibration is similar to that of a cat's, causing the muscles and tissue of those around them to loosen and relax, easing the stress on them. It also helps to energize the cells and blood in their bodies, boosting one's regenerative capabilities.
Electrical Bolt: The dracon possesses a special bioelectric organ similar to that of an electric eel, but stronger. Attached to this organ is a sort of biological ion pump where a positively charged ion (a bone high in calcium) is moved across membrains which transfers the charge into the previous organ which stores said charge. When the charge is released, it is discharged through a stream of highly conductive saliva from a duct which runs all the way to their mouth under their tongue. The charge leaps to the bottom of their tongue where it then leaps from it's tip outward from the mouth. Though the dracon can control the general directon of the bolt, especially if they spit during the discharge, they cannot control where it goes once it's released.
Sleeping Gas: The dracon possesses a specialized gland which produces a sedative compound similar to that of chloriform. They also have a secondary gland which produces a special gas, both glands connected by a tube. When released the sedative compound is aerosolized into/with the gas, and is expelled through a specialized duct going up and out of the mouth from the sides of the mouth. They use the direction of their heads, the level of 'openness' of their jaws, and their tongue to control the general direction this gas is released. The gas is easily held back by a soft gale, and can even be blown back with a strong one, but everyone who breathes in the gas falls asleep for a time.
Poison Gas: The dracon possesses a specialized gland which produces a toxic substance similar to cyanide. They also have a secondary gland which produces a special gas, both glands connected by a tube. When released the toxic substance is aerosolized into/with the gas, and is expelled through a specialized duct going up and out of the mouth from the sides of the mouth. They use the direction of their heads, the level of 'openness' of their jaws, and their tongue to control the general direction this gas is released. The gas is easily held back by a soft gale, and can even be blown back with a strong one, but everyone who breathes in the gas suffers immense pain and risks potential death.
Fire: The dracon possesses a specialized gland which produces a volatile chemical similar to methane gas. When this gas is released it is pressurized before being expelled into a specialized duct going up and out of the mouth from under the tongue. Near the tip of the bottom jaw resides a set of crystals embedded in a patch of tissues, with muscles around them compressing and scraping them to form a spark upwards, igniting the released gas and thus creating a controlled flame that's expelled in a semi-cone shape.
Each breath weapon can be used once per day. Once a dracon has reached middle age, they can use a breath weapon twice if they reduce the breath's effectiveness by half. Below is a table displaying the statistics of breath weapons:

Breath Type	Range	AoE	Effect
Paralytic Gas	3'	Cloud 3'x4'x2'	Paralysis, 1-2 Rounds
Frost Breath	4'	Cone 1' to 5'	1-2 Dmg, Chill
Water Breath	6'	Line or Cone 1' or 5'	1-3 Dmg (or 1 if used as cone) Soak, Burn
Acid Breath	5'	Line 2'	1d4 Dmg+1 per Round 1-2 Rounds
Vibration	n/a	Radius 6'	Advantage & -1 to Endurance Recover double hp/psionic points from rest in half the time
Electricity	6'	Line 1/8'	1d6 Dmg, Stun
Sleeping Gas	3'	Cloud 3'x4'x2'	Unconsciousness, 1-2 Rounds
Poison Gas	5'	Cloud 2'x3'x2'	1d6 Dmg, Suffocation
Fire Breath	5'	1' to 6'	1d4+1 Dmg, Burn

Range: The range of a breath weapon is how far the breath weapon can reach regarding cone and line types. In regards to cloud types, this refers to how far away from the dracon the breath reaches before it formulates into a cloud. The range starts at the young adult age, and multiplies by how many age categories the dracon has from that point after (thus mature dracon would have x2 range, middle aged would have x3, etc.).
AoE: The AoE of a breath weapon defines the size and shape of the breath itself, and is defined differently based on what shape the breath weapon is.

• Clouds: These types are defined by width, length, and height (?'x?'x?'). The AoE will multiply by age category just as with range. Note: dracon can double the AoE of their cloud breath, but this halves the strength and effects of the breath weapon.
• Cones: These types are defined by a narrow end, and a widened end. The narrow end is always 1', with the wider end being the secondary number which is multiplied by age category. It should be noted that a cone breath attack does not end in a flat manner, but is rather domed at the end as the distance from all points at the end of the breath weapon is the same in correlation with the source, i.e. the dracon's maw.
• Lines: These types are defined as a straight 'beam', 'jet', or 'spray' in a single direction. However it should be noted that both water and acid will be affected by gravity, and electricity can change direction if there is a very strong electrical conduit, such as a suit of metal. The AoE of a line breath weapon will never change.
• Radius: This type is simply an effect that applies in all directions as far as the radius allows. The AoE will multiply by age category.

Effects: Each breath weapon has a unique method of damage, and a unique effect that could be applied which can be affected by a successful or failed saving throw from the victims.

• Paralytic Gas: Should the affected fail their saving throw, their muscles are immediately paralyzed for 1-2 rounds. If they succeed their saving throw, they receive a -4 penalty for half the duration instead. Clouds will remain in the air for half the effect's duration unless blown away, in which case halve again. The number of rounds multiplies for each age category (see below).
• Frost Breath: The frost breath will deal 1-2 damage to the target normally. They also drop the target's temperature by 50 degrees fahrenheit, making it far more likely they will experience the negative effects of cold temperatures. Duration of this depends on the environment and situation. Those who succeed their saving throws take half damage and half temperature reduction. Their damage multiplies with each age category, whereas the temperature drop increases by 25 per additional category.
• Water Breath: The high pressure hot water will deal 1-3 damage to the target normally, 1 point if struck as a cone. Furthermore the target will be soaked in normal conditions after being struck by such an attack. If they fail their saving throw they also must roll a constitution saving throw or be burned by the scalding water. If they succeed their saving throw, they receive half damage, but are still soaked. Their damage multiplies with each age category, and for every age category the target has a +1 penalty to their constitution check.
• Acid Breath: The initial impact of acid deals 1d4 damage to the target, as well as an additional 1 point of damage per round the acid lingers on them. The acid will linger for 1-2 rounds. If the target succeeds their saving throw they receive half damage from the initial damage and can roll a dexterity check to avoid the lingering acid. Their damage multiplies with each age category, as does the number of rounds the acid lingers (see below).
• Vibrational Hum: Those within it's area of effect will receive advantage to endurance and can roll a -1 on the check as well, as the vibrations loosen and relax the muscles in the body. Furthermore it boosts the body's natural regeneration, doubling the number of hit points gained after a full day of rest, doubling the number of psionic points one recovers from rest, and halves the time of rest as well. One needs to be within this vibrational radius for one full turn for the effects to kick in. The amount of time needed for the effects to be felt is halved with each age category.
• Electrical Bolt: The bolt of electricity deals 1d6 damage to the target, but will also stun their body for 1 round. If the target succeeds their saving throw they only receive half damage and are not stunned. Their damage doubles with each age category.
• Sleeping Gas: Should the affected fail their saving throw, they will quickly lose consciousness for 1-2 rounds. If they succeed their saving throw, they receive a -4 penalty for half the duration instead and are drowsy. Clouds will remain in the air for half the effect's duration unless blown away, in which case halve again. The number of rounds multiplies for each age category (see below).
• Poison Gas: Should the affected fail their saving throw, they will receive 1d6 damage and begin to suffocate due to constricted throat and lungs, receiving another 1d6 per round for 1-2 rounds. Should they succeed their saving throw they receive half the damage and receive a -2 penalty instead. Clouds will remain in the air for half the effect's duration unless blown away, in which case halve again. Their damage multiplies with each age category. The number of rounds multiplies for each age category (see below).
• Fire Breath: The flames will deal 1d4+1 dmg, and if they fail their saving throw they will also receive burns. If they succeed their saving throw they receive half damage. Their damage multiplies for each age category (see below).
• Cloud Duration Multiplication: 1-2 rounds: Any die (1-2, 3-4 on a d4, 1-3, 4-6 on a d6, etc.). 2-4: Two of any die. 4-8: Four of any die. 8-16: Eight of any die. 16-32: Sixteen of any die.

Bonuses & Penalties: Some creatures may be resilient or vulnerable to a dracon's breath weapon type. This here lists each of those creatures and if they get bonuses or penalties to their saving throws. However it should be known ahead of time that all dragons have a +6 to saving throws against any of these breath weapons.

• Paralytic Gas: All gas breathing dracon have a +1 to saving throws.
• Frost Breath: Any creature that is uninsulated, as well as water breath dracon, will receive a -1 to their saving throws. Water creatures receive a -2 to saving throws, and plants have a -4. Frost and Fire breath dracon have a +1 to their saving throws. Ice based creatures have a +2 to their saving throws, with fire based creatures having a +4.
• Water Breath: Anyone who is unprotected (i.e. no armor) will have a -1 to their saving throw. Creatures with exoskeletons will have -2, and creatures already chilled will have -4. Water breath dracon have a +1 to their saving throw, while water creatures have a +4.
• Acid Breath: Anyone who is unprotected has a -2 to their saving throws, and plants have -4. Acid breath dracon have a +1 to their saving throws, oozes have +2, and stone creatures have +6.
• Electrical Bolt: Water breath dracon have -1 to their saving throws, with water based creatures having -3, and creatures wearing metal armor having -6. Electrical breathing dracon have +1 to their saving throws, while electricity based creatures have +3.
• Sleeping Gas: Anyone who is fatigued has a -1 to their saving throw, and those who are exhausted have a -3. All gas breathing dracon have a +1 to their saving throws.
• Poison Gas: Plants will have a -2 to their saving throws. All gas breathing dracon have a +1 to their saving throws.
• Fire Breath: Frost breathing dracon will have a -1 to their saving throw, as well as anyone who is uninsulated and/or unprotected. Ice based creatures have a -2 to their saving throw, and plants have -6. Fire breathing dracon have a +1 to their saving throw, with water based creatures having +2. Fire creatures and stone creatures both have a +6 to their saving throw.

Facial Characteristics

The eyes of the dracon are a bit larger than that of the average human's, making their vision one step better on the chart than the average humanoid, and grants them infravision or ultravision depending on their sub-race. Despite their facial structure, are forward facing like humans. Their eye color can vary, but it is exceedingly rare for one's eye color to not match the color of their scales, and even when it is, the color is often complimentary to their scale color. They have large flared nostrils positioned slightly higher on their snouts, often dominated by cartilage to allow them enhanced olfactory senses. Their mouth is filled with sharp predatory teeth designed for gripping and tearing, and the roof of their mouth shows a row of bony ridges, allowing them to grind food against it. The ears of a dracon vary, but they are typically smaller than that of a human's, and often can rotate a small degree along the sides of their heads, which allows them to more easily identify the source of a sound, but reduces the range they clearly hear by 25%.
Regarding ridgelines, bone structure and horns on a dracon's head, there are a vast array of possibilities a dracon might have. From a smooth head with no ridges, to multiple ridges from the base of the snout to the spine. From no horns at all to several horns that gives off a 'crown' feature. Furthermore, horns can be short or long. They can be straight or curled. They can be pointed backwards or forwards. They can be typical bone, or be similar to that of an antler. Regardless of what type of horns they possess, their body's natural bone structure, posture and the like will grow to accomodate the additional/lack of weight, and which direction the horns are pointed. Furthermore dracon hair is extremely alien to most as each strand ranges from half a centimeter to a centimeter in thickness, and very rarely ever grows on the front of the forehead, typically growing down the back and/or sides of their heads. The color of their hair tends to be similar to their scale color, i.e. an auburn or dark orange for red, orange, yellow or gold scales, dark green for green or seagreen scales, or like with eyes, be a complimentary color to them such as dark orange or copper hair for blue scales, etc. Furthermore, while it is rare it is possible for dracon to grow facial hair on their chin, along their jawline, on their eyebrows, and even from the crown of their neck down their spine. Please note! In regards to horns and hair, the chances of either and what kind appearing on a dracon greatly depends on their sub-race.

Height, Weight & Speed

The dracon race are known as one of the 'giant' or 'tall' races in Erelest. Unless they are deformed, dracon will never ever be seen smaller than five feet tall, and while on average they're between six feet to seven feet ten inches, it's not uncommon to see dracon standing at eight feet tall. Due to their unique biology their weight typically ranges between two hundred and fifty pounds at six feet tall to four hundred pounds at seven foot ten inches. Because of this even with having digitigrade leg structures, their base running speed is always 4.8 miles per hour, 430 feet per round, or 43 feet per segment.

Coloration

The dracon people are often remembered by their colored scales, though only the ignorant believe that their scales define which 'side' they're on. The reason for this is that regardless of which sub-race they are, each race can possess the colors red, orange, yellow, gold (orange/yellow), green, blue, seagreen, brown, copper (brown/red), black/white and silver (gray). The primary way to determine the difference between one sub-race and the other, is that one's scales are slightly lighter, while the other one's are slightly darker. Furthermore while not common, the dracon might have patterns along it's scales if it is not uniform in color. The types of patterns possible are speckled, mottled, shifting (difference in shade of color based on lighting & angle), and horizontal lines. When it comes to patterns, the coloration of their scales generally stays within the same overall color, just in different shades. It should be noted that while many believe it to be rumor or myth, once every generation a dracon is born with purple scales (often referred to as the amethyst for light dracon, and obsidian for dark dracon) in either sub-races.

Lifestyle & Aging

Infant to Children: The dracon race has a maximum lifespan of two hundred years for the normal dracon. However the amethyst/obsidian dracon have a lifespan of up to a maximum of three hundred years. For most dracon their first three years they are infants, incapable of doing much and depending on their parents during this time. They are actually born with only a stub for a tail and only nubs for horns (if any), which grow throughout the first two years, and their scales are tiny and flexible, gradually growing and hardening throughout the three years until they're as strong as normal humanoid skin. From ages four to ninteen they are children, slowly developing and growing, and in that time are experimenting with and learning about the world, their culture, their philosophies and the like. During this stage their scale patterns, texture, tail, horns, and other such features become more and more defined as they grow, and their scales continue to grow and harden until they become proper protection for their bodies Their glands begin to develop during this stage as well, very slowly but surely showing signs around the age of eight via streams of smoke, steam, static, etc. when they try to release it, or are emotionally distressed.
Young Adult to Mature: Once they reach the age of twenty, they are considered a young adult untilt he age of thirty two. At this point they have fully developed their glands, and are capable of releasing a breath attack, though it leaves their throats weary after a full release, and can discharge a puff of smoke/steam/etc. as well. They receive growth spurts where they grow much taller more quickly, and gain more muscle and scale density in that time, and their horns, tails, and other such features are now fully defined. They also begin to grow their hair (if any) at the beginning of these spurts. It's believed the Gods designed them this way so they'd have time to learn how to hunt, before their growth spurts which demand more food. It's only at the age of thirty three when a dracon is considered fully mature, where they are at their physical peak. Nearing the end of maturity a dracon will begin to experience minor stiffness. For low class dracon in undeveloped lands, it's in their later mature years that they pass on.
Middle Aged to Old: From the age of sixty six to the age of one hundred and fifteen, the dracon is considered to be of middle age in their lifespan. At this point they will begin a gradual decline in physical strength and stamina, though they remain imposing in appearance compared to most other races. Their scales bay begin to dull slightly in color, but retain their toughness overall, and their glands only continue to strengthen. For Low classed dracon in moderate to highly developed lands, middle class dracon, and high classed dracon in low developed lands, they can pass away anywhere from their early middle aged years, central, or late middle aged years. At the ages one hundred and sixteen to one hundred and sixty five a dracon is considered to be of old age. It is at this point where the dracon receives a noticeable decrease in strength, agility, and endurance. Their scales may start to dull a bit more and become semi-brittle in some places, horns may fade and wear down a bit, while their glands only grow stronger. There are many dracon who do use what ointments and herbs and oils they can to keep their scales healthy and shiny. High class dracon of moderately developed lands tend to pass away somewhere within this age.
Venerable: Finally at the ages of one hundred and sixty six to two hundred, the dracon is considered venerable. They will receive significant frailty, their scales now thin, and far slower movement, hunching far more than younger dracon due to their body's weight and inability to properly carry it like others. And yet their breath weapon will be far more superior than any other dracon at younger ages.
Interesting note, many dracon believe that it's only the most devoted to the gods who retain the shininess of their scales as they grow older, and thus they are often more revered than those with duller scales.

Dietary Needs

Given their biology, they require a far heavier intake of protein than other races, and as such they are primarily carnivores. However that isn't to say they cannot eat non-meats, as they often add other foods to accentuate, flavor, or otherwise add to their meal. As such they primarily have animal farms, fishing farms, and go hunting for their primary food source, with foraging, crop farming and the like being a secondary focus for them. In additon to protein and iron found in meat, dracon also require calcium and fiber. The dracon typically get calcium from two sources, those being animal milk, and bone (typically in the form of broth). They typically obtain fiber from leafy greens, root vegetables and cruciferous vegetables.

Cultural Traits

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The dracon people are split in their culture due to the great schism, but overall they are generally perceived as a tribalistic or nomadic culture, even when they live within cities of other races or their own. A chosen lifestyle for both sub-races for different reasons; Devotion for the Arrahkthir, and necessity for the Khravakssith (or as they're called in the common tongue: light and dark dracon). The most common trope in their lifestyle is living somewhere quiet and isolated, especially someplace where there is plenty of livestock, fish and game for their dietary needs. If in a city or otherwise crowded location, they simply locate a suitable substitute and retain all traditions they can to reinforce their faith, and possibly convert others. Their race's culture, their history, and the great schism which has long since scarred their race as a whole, has had such an impact on them collectively that to deny one's culture is comparable to death of the self in their culture. It's because of this that they are so steadfast in their faith, traditions and cultural heritage. Anyone who hears rumors of a dracon who has abandoned their faith, has abandoned their culture, or who has switched sides of the schism simply laugh at the unbelievable concept.
As mentioned above the dracon people typically prefer living in locations of quiet and solitude. This is less of them being anti-social as their community is often very social, and moreso of the Arrahkthir seeking to avoid the 'business' of civilization and be more connected with nature, or the Khravakssith seeking more secretive locations to better go undetected and survive. Locations where the dracon may establish a village for themselves include mountain valleys, coastal fjords, dense forest clearings, remote islands, desert oases, swamps, hidden canyons, and so forth, with underground grottos being common for the Khravakssith. As time pressed on and wars continued to wage, dracon settlements became more scarce as more and more land was claimed. As such the dracon people began to take up nomadic lifestyles as they traversed Erelest on foot or on the sea, while others slowly gravitated towards building one or two larger settlements and building a more permanent, safe homeland for their people whose tribes and clans were disturbed by wars.

Society

The society of the dracon race is first broken into clans and tribes. Clans consist of two to five tribes, with each tribe consisting of various lineages, or family lines. To every Dracon, the clan is their extended family, the tribe their immediate family. As such to be exiled from their tribe and clan is the worst thing to ever occur to a dracon, be they Arrahkthir or Kravakssith. The closest tribes can ever be in relation to one another is typically about ten to twenty miles apart, however this can be made far greater depending on natural barriers. Tribes making up a clan tend to range between ten to thirty miles apart, but never farther than that or else they belong to a different clan. The exception to this rule is in regards to their very rare towns which typically house twenty to fifty tribes, or cities which house almost five hundred tribes.
Tribe Sizes: The smallest form of tribes are that of nomadic tribes, which typically range between twenty five to fifty dracon, though this number could potentally be increased to some degree before it became difficult to traverse the land. Most tribes will consist of one hundred to three hundred dracon, creating a small yet formidable, and sustainable people. The larger tribes consist of three hundred to five hundred dracon, and are typically either a very long-lived tribe with much history or else are simply placed in an ideal location with plentiful food and space. As mentioned before a clan tends to consist of anywhere between two to five tribes depending on how many are closer together. While rare due to location, resources and nearby colonization, there could potentially be between three to seven tribes in a clan.
Upper Class: Each tribe's social hierarchy uniquely involves upper class and middle class groups, with exiles (and slaves in regards to the Kravakssith) being lower class. The upper class consists of two forms: The religious priest or priestess, and the logistical chiefs. Regardless of what kind of dracon tribe they are, the priest/priestess will hold the most power over the tribe as a whole, though they typically do not attend the meeting of the chiefs unless there is an important message they must give them, or their counsel is required. In regards to the chiefs there is never just one, though sometimes the tribe may have a tribal chief who gets the final vote unless veto'd by the priest/priestess as every tribe is different. However it's been noted that whichever tradition one tribe in a clan follows, nine out of ten times the other tribes within the clan tend to follow the same tradition.
Chiefs: There are various types of chiefs depending on what their specialty is. The varying type of chiefs there can be (for not every chief may be found in every tribe) the hunting chief, warrior chief, medicine chief, daily chief, decision chief, spirit chief, beastmaster chief, and relations chief. Each of these chiefs is selected or voted in, never born into, for regardless of which side they're on all dracon revere wisdom for positions of leadership. When a tribal decision must be made the many chiefs gather to discuss, consult and vote. Tribes without an overall tribal chief always have an odd number of chiefs to ensure an outcome.
Hunting Chief: They are in charge of anything related to hunting. They plan out each hunting expedition, utilizing their knowledge of game migration patterns, local wildlife & safe hunting zones to set up schedules and planned routes to take for the hunts. Occasionally the hunting chief may join a hunting expedition if their prey is greater than average, if they're low on food, or if the wilderness has been getting more dangerous lately. All of this can be said for fishing just as much as game. They also monitor the tribe's food reserves, rationing food out when supplies dwindle before hunting along with the others. Hunting chiefs and those under them tend to be fighters or rangers. Warrior Chief: They are in charge of defending the tribe from external threats as well as dangerous predators. This can include overseeing construction and maintenance of defensive structures or specially made safe zones, scheduling patrols both around the edges of the tribe and within the borders of their land, and even leading expeditions to take out growing threats in the wilderness. They can also act as an enforcer within the tribe, maintaining order and intervene in violent disputes. Warrior chiefs and those under them tend to be fighters or rangers, rarely paladins. Medicine Chief: They are in charge of medicine, treating the injured, and enforcing practices that promote health and hygiene in the tribe. Using their knowledge of herbal remedies, anatomy, diseases and practices they treat wounds, apply remedies for sicknesses, and overall keep the tribe in perfect health to the best of their abilities. Medicine chiefs and those below them have a tendency to be clerics.

• Daily Chief: They are in charge of supervising routine activities such as gathering, childcare, crafting, cooking, communal projects, and fair distribution of resources such as food, water and tools. They keep daily activities moving smoothly to maintain efficiency. They will often handle any small disputes relating to chores or responsibilities.
• Decision Chief: They are in charge of mediating any and all conflicts that arise within the tribe, ensuring both fairness and adherence to tradition and law. For more heated conflicts they have the authority to sanction, organize and oversee formal challenges and duels between the groups, ensuring the rules are followed and respected. They also facilitate meetings between the chiefs of a tribe, and are one of the chiefs who goes to clan meetings.
• Spirit Chief: They are in charge of conducting prayers, rituals and rites for blessings, protection, prosperity and fertility. They interpret omens, the celestial signs, and dreams to guide the tribe, acting as intermediary between the tribe and their gods, spirits and ancestors. They also teach the holy/unholy scriptures and tenets of their gods, and preserve the myths, songs and traditions which maintain the tribe's identity, culture and heritage. Spirit Chiefs and those beneath them tend to be clerics, with monks rarely, or clerics with warlocks occasionally (Arrahkthir vs. Khravakssith).
• Beastmaster Chief: They are in charge of birthing, raising, taming, training and maintaining animals used for hunting, defense, livestock, transport or companionship. Trained animals under them tend to be used for combat in dire times, or alert the clan to oncoming threats ahead of time. They also are used to aid in search and rescue missions, aiding them in either finding victims, reaching victims or both. They also work alongside hunting chiefs to ensure the wildlife isn't over-hunted.
• Relations Chief: They are in charge of maintaining peaceful relationships with neighboring tribes, clans, or other external entities including the 'civilized society' outside their borders. They are able to arrange and oversee trade agreements, checking with the other chiefs before offering something of necessity or sensitivity, and ensuring their exchanges. As the relations chief they represent the tribe's interest when speaking in clan gatherings and meetings, while also mediating disputes or negotiating terms in times of war or tension.

Middle Class: Below the chiefs were the average members of the tribe. This included warriors, hunters, healers, foragers, scouts, farmers, artisans and so forth. For the most part everyone has a role to play, however in most tribes these rolls tended to overlap depending on the situation, their numbers, and if someone had extra time on their hands. The warriors focused on protecting their tribe. Hunters sought food for their people. Healers aided the medicine chief. Foragers gathered food from the wilderness. Scouts looked for animal tracks, monster tracks or anyone wandering the area. Farmers would grow crops for food. Artisans would craft the various tools, supplies and the like for their people. Miners would work hard, yet carefully to exctract minerals from mineshafts without harming the environment or themselves. Even the children worked, handling most of the common chores the adults were too busy to do.
Lower Class: Not considered a part of any tribe, those dracon who do the unthinkable and break the laws of their tribe or clan, or worse deal harm to another member of the tribe or clan, are exiled not just from their clan, but every clan. Typically there are ways for an exiled dracon to redeem themselves unless their betrayal was truly unforgivable in the eyes of the dracon people, but the brand they receive as an exile is only modified from there. Thus the brand shifts from the shame of being an exile, to partial shame and a harsh reminder of what happens when they break their tenets, and a warning not to do so again. The Khravakssith also own slaves when they get the chance to use as laborers for defenses, tunnels, mining and the like.

Laws & Consequences

The laws of the dracon people as a whole have a tendency to focus mostly on a delicate balance that ensures both the survival of the tribe, and in a way that promotes harmony among the tribe and clan. While the Khravakssith lean more towards survival than harmony as each individual wishes to rise up higher and promote their own personal needs, ultimately they still tend towards communal advantage as when the leaders rise up, they all do.
Environmental Stewardship Laws
Overhunting:

1. Seasonal Hunting: Certain animals are only to be hunted during their appropriate hunting season within specific times over the year to allow for it's species to repopulate properly. The type of animals determined for each season, and when the seasons occur and last depends on the kind of animals, monsters, predators, etc. within the tribe and/or clan's territory.
2. Hunting Quotas: Even during hunting seasons, no hunting or warrior family can ever go over the seasonal quota. This is to further protect the overall population from reaching dangerously low levels, or to such levels where they risk either extinction or migrating permanently to another location.
3. Hunting Rotations: In certain circumstances, each hunting season may be limited to a very specific region within the tribe or clan's territory, rotating regions over time to even further control the population loss. This also helps to prevent permanent migration of the animals from too dangerous a location.
4. Dragon Regions: Any region where dragons actively hunt is always marked as overhunted regions, and must therefore be hunted sparingly in. Ways of handling this may involve hunting in the region, but bringing food offerings to the dragon's lair directly.
5. Sacred Animals: Never under any circumstances are the dracon people to hunt any animal or monster that they deem to be sacred. This can vary between sides, but the overall rule is the same.

Land Use:

1. Tribal Boundaries: It is forbidden to gather, hunt, fight, or tresspass in another tribe's area without explicit permission. Tresspassing refers to going into or through areas that are not public roads, or entering a tribe's settlement without permission from the guards and their escort.
2. Rotating Access: Certain regions of the land that are excellent locations for farming, fishing, mining, forestry, etc. can be reserved for a single tribe, or in locations where it is ideal for all tribes in a clan, is considered communal land. This land would have rotating access, each taking turns using it depending on seasons, years, etc.
3. Shared Crops: Dracon who go out to fish, farm, mine, etc. must donate a small portion/percentage to the tribe's communal stockpiles. This is to ensure they have enough saved over for winter time, to survive droughts and/or famines, and if they're thriving stock up for trade with other tribes, clans and people.

Spiritual & Cultural Laws
Dragon Rituals

1. Prohibited Actions: It is forbidden under every law for a dracon to slay their own side's dragons (i.e. metallic dragons for the Arrahkthir, and chromatic dragons for the Khravakssith). It is forbidden to speak ill of dragons or treat them with indifference or worse. It is forbidden to touch a dragon without permission, let alone to attempt to steal from them. It is also highly forbidden to speak their names without respect and/or reverence.
2. Offerings: It is required by law for the dracon people to prepare and leave/deliver offerings to the dragons. This is to either satiate them and stave off ill will from them, and/or to promote in them a desire to provide prosperity to their people.
3. Blood Curse: Those who have slain an allied dragon, or have slain a dragon without cause which results in further bloodshed are exiled and cursed. It's also believed that these dracon become targets of dragons who will make them suffer for their crimes.

Taboos

1. Sacred Sites: Entering a sacred site without permission, stealing from a sacred site, disturbing a sacred site, and desecrating a sacred site is forbidden with extreme punishments for those who break this law. Sacred sites include holy/unholy grounds, structures and shrines dedicated to the gods, the lairs of dragons, and any place for leaving offerings.
2. Sacred Animals: Scaring off, harming, killing, and/or the consumption of animals and creatures believed to be sacred by the dracon people is extremely forbiddon. Creatures may be considered sacred due to symbolism, or possibly because they're the local dragon's favorite delicacy.
3. Offerings: Always leave offerings for dragons, never risk incurring the wrath of dragons upon the tribe and clan. Failing to provide offerings can result in harsh punishments by the tribe.
4. It's believed that breaking holy and spiritual taboos will result in either the rule breaker or possibly the tribe to be cursed by some form of omen.

Social Structure & Relations

1. Tribal Marriages: Intertribe marriages are forbidden to prevent interfamily marriages. To help combat this there are kinship records of familial ties to prevent close relationship marriages. Unions between other tribes and clans are highly encouraged to strengthen bonds with one another. Any marriage must be done with the approval and authority of the priest/priestess or spiritual chief.
2. Family Roles: Adults would take turns hunting, fishing, farming, patrolling and overseeing the children. Children were raised collectively as a communal requirement, with adults taking on roles to teach, protect and feed them. Elder siblings were responsible for making sure their younger siblings didn't get in trouble and helped them to understand the lessons they both were receiving. In addition to training under adults children were often in charge of most chores.
3. Elders & Chiefs: Elders were revered for their wisdom, experience and knowledge. As such it was their responsibility to the younger generations, both adults and children. If any elder should speak to someone, that individual was to give the elder their undivided attention. Elders were revered and respected by everyone.
4. Tribal Interaction: Every clan has a neutral zone for tribes to interact with each other in, typically used for trading and negotiations. Tribes often offer symbolic gifts to show goodwill, or gifts in resources as a form of thank you or apology. All dracon should avoid unnecessary violence, only fighting when absolutely necessary, and even then death is to be avoided.

Justice & Dispute Resolution Laws
Justice Trials

1. Testimonies: The first step to determine if one is innocent or guilty after an accusation has been made is for the decision chief to call forth any witnesses who can disprove the accusation. If none step forward they move on to the next step. If one does come forth and protest the accusation or share a different story, they call forth more witnesses. If it's clear the accusation was false, the accusor receives light to moderate punishment depending on the accusation. Otherwise they move on to the second step.
2. Divination: The second step is to question the accused with the aid of a healer, spiritual chief or priest/priestess with the help of divine divination (i.e. detect lies). If they answer truthfully and the results promote their innocence, they cycle back to the first step, but this time using divination on the witnesses. If satisfied the accusor is punished. If the offender fails this step they are punished. However if there is no healer, chief or priest/priestess with the spell available, or the offender wishes to skip this step, they can proceed to the third step.
3. Spiritual Trials: The third step includes the offended taking a trial which can be dangerous unless they're protected by their God(s). These trials can include walking through intense flames, or standing among it. Diving into a very deep lake to retrieve an item and return without running out of breath. Hold up a very massive and heavy boulder for a period of time. Remain unharmed while tied to a post outside the tribe overnight. And so forth. Steps and measures are taken to prevent the use of magic, magic items, and interference during these trials.

Formalized Duels

1. Neutral Grounds: Duels are always held on neutral ground. In terms of duels between tribes this means the neutral territory between the tribes, but it also means in general grounds that provides neither side an advantage (i.e. flat grounds, no water or rocks, no large quantity of dirt/sand, etc.). If the clan lives somewhere there is no naturally neutral grounds, they often landscape to create one.
2. Witnesses: Duels are never sanctioned unless there are witnesses. The most obvious witness is the Decision Chief who must authorize and sanction duels in general. However even then there should always be other witnesses, such as one or more elders, a member of either tribe/family, and so forth, to ensure fairness and ensure the result is recognized. The more witnesses the better.
3. Prohibitions: The use of poisons, ambushes, magical items, interference from others, blessings, etc. is strictly forbidden. In regards to spell casting it depends on if it is a martial duel or spellcasting duel. If it is the latter only evocation and abjuration spells are allowed, no enhancement, illusion, charming, enchanting, animating, alteration, etc.

Judgments & Punishments

1. Public Apologies: The most light of punishments, the offender is required to perform a public act of contrition. This sometimes comes in the form of a speech explaining their wrong, their reasoning and it's source, admitting their fault, and how they intend to improve in the future. Other times it may require offering or giving up something (such as a resource or something symbolic) as a gesture of goodwill.
2. Restitution: In some instances the offender may be required to restitute those they have offended. Often times this is resources in one form or another, though sometimes this can come in the form of revised trade negotiations, transferrence of territory or owned property, access to locations or passes, and so forth.
3. Labor: For worse crimes committed, the offender may be required to work off their debt/sins by acts of labor. This can involve the more difficult tasks in farming, handling the bulk of all chores, preparation of and delivery of offerings, and so forth. In rare instances they may have to go hunting/fishing either by themselves or with little aid at all. Often this punishment is partnered with enforced fasting each night.
4. Exile: For the worst crimes the offender may be exiled from the tribe/clan. While many have assumed this just means they cannot return, and while in most cases this tends to be the case for the dracon people, for outsiders and for dracon who've committed a truly unforgivable sin, the offender is often exiled into a location where they are nearly certain to perish due to the harsh environment, or a deadly creature dwelling there.

Warrior’s Code of Honor

1. Oath of Honor: A dracon's oath states that they will never cheat, defraud, deceive, disrespect or unfair. Every rule and law they follow, they follow with body mind and soul. Every achievement they seek and make they do so honestly and honorably. Those who retain their honor and dignity they show respect to. They treat everyone fairly regardless of their background.
2. Respect the Clan: The dracon vows to always show respect to their clan, bound not by one tribe but the whole; They treat another tribe's chief as if they were their own, and the same for elders, children, etc. It matters not if they are not of a different race. If they are a member of a dracon clan they show respect.
3. Respect Warriors: The dracon vows to always show respect to honorable warriors, within and outside the dracon clans. Whether that warrior may be a member of their clans, an outsider, or even a mortal enemy of the dracon, they are to show them respect unless they have acted in a disonhorable manner.
4. Respect Fallen: The dracon vows to always show respect to those who have fallen in combat. To honor their valor, their courage, their determination. This goes for all the fallen, not just dracon but anyone who has fought with these traits. Whenever the opportunity arises, the dracon is to burn or bury the fallen.
5. Respect Duels: The dracon vows to always show respect to sanctioned duels, and will honor every rule of the engagement. This goes not just for the dracon duels, but outsider's duels should they find themselves in such an engagement. No matter who their enemy is, they will always respect the results of the duel and whatever comes of it based on prior agreements.

Major Organizations/Factions

While the dracon people are primarily a nomadic and tribalistic race, there are a few of them who had broken off to form their own radical, or necessary organizations and factions. While most of these are still strongly tied to their people, a few of them have long since divulged from their original culture and have become their own thing.
The Vanguard: An organization which has adapted some of the culture of other races for the sake of protecting their kind. The Vanguard helped encourage certain regions to construct proper settlements like the humans have in strategic locations, including around the borders of the Nephlim Empire after the war of sin. This allows the vanguard to better protect their own race, and others, from threats they are very clearly aware of.
The Vanguard are not a dracon exclusive organization, allowing others sharing their goals to enter it while maintaining their general culture. They have learned a great deal of military tactics and strategies from other races, and use it to anticipate and prevent any incoming attacks from concentrated forces of the Khravakssith people, and later on the nephilim people. They aided in various wars where the enemy was clear, such as the war of sin and the orc holocaust. They've had occasional leaders who began to turn to the extreme, or began to diverge from what their original purpose was, but those leaders were either assassinated, slain or deposed, overall maintaining it's mission to protect the world from the threat of their underdark bretheren.
The Nightscales: An organization which has created various sects of other races from the underdark for the sake of attaining assets, resources, remove targets, and overall prepare potential raids and invasions. The Nightscales have spearheaded expansions of the Khravakssith territories not just in the underdark, but on the surface, allowing for the first dark dracon city to be established. And with the aid of other races they hope to expand their territory further and gain an advantage in their war with their Arrahkthir bretheren.
The organization mostly deals with other underdark creatures such as the duergar, drow, deep gnomes, half-orcs and nephilim, though some people have spread rumors that they deal with far more twisted evils too. However since their influence has spread to the surface they have also begun slowly infiltrating various underground organizations, and becoming part of joint guilds, offering their services for more resources, and working along others to achieve mutually desired 'changes'. Ultimately their desire is to eliminate the Vanguard who are the most aware of their presence, fade back into the shadows, and systematically remove all other potential threats to them one by one as they help their kind slowly expand.
Judgment of Bahamut: Having originated from the Arrahkthir dracon, some members were so devoted to protecting their people from the Khravakssith that they began to go on the offensive. Against the warnings of their bretheren, the warnings of the metallic dragons, and even the high priest/priestesses, they began to fight to save/free those kept captive by the Khravakssith. While they started with good intentions, they began to become more and more extreme in their attempts to protect their people, until their mission to protect became a mission of genocide.
Twisting into a malformed version of what their kind represented, the now proclamed 'judgment of bahamut' began to try out any method they could to find and eliminate the Khravakssith, all in the name of 'protecting their kind', and 'delivering bahamut's judgment' upon them. They constantly sought new members, but the leaders of this organization knew that others wouldn't understand his methods, so they had to ease them into their ways. As a result this dracon group became more and more like that of a cult, slowly brainwashing anyone they assimilated into believing that if they could just remove all of the Khravakssith, they would remove Tiamat's humanoid influence. They could then hunt down every chromatic dragon, and with that they'd remove Tiamat's influence completely. They began to use the Khravakssith's very own methods against them. And with this fall they became enemies of the true Arrahkthir, and often received punishment and omens from Bahamut for their crimes.
Dawnbearers: Opposite of the judgment of bahamut, the Dawnbearers were devoted to spreading the holy scriptures and teachings of Bahamut to the rest of the world. Whether people were willing to accept it or not they would preach his word where they could. They made it their mission to ensure that his love, his protection, and overall hope would be spread by him, through them, to the world.
The Dawnbearers are not combatants at all, most of them going down the route of being pacifists. As such they often needed to enlist the aid of mercenaries or devout followers who weren't pacifists to defend them against monsters and threats. Even if they were assailed by raiders or murderers, if they fought in self defense they were resolute in never taking their life. Instead they would either fight them off, or if it came to it disable them, bring them to a temple, heal them and minister to them. There have been many miraculous changes to people thanks to the Dawnbearers, and while not everyone has converted to the dracon faith many people have turned their lives around thanks to them. The maimed and diseased, many prisoners and death row inmates, nobles and kings, etc. To the disbelief of many the Dawnbearers have claimed that they managed to convert a handful of Khravakssith to their side.
The Salvationists: To this day it is not referred to as a group or faction. Anymore that is. The Salvationists were a failed attempt at something revolutionary. A small group of the Arrahkthir and Khravakssith came together to try and live in peace with one another. To put aside their differences and end this foolish war between both sides. However this small village who called themselves the Salvationists did not last long. Within a single generation the village was beginning to self destruct and crumble, and before long the majority of them had killed one another. Those who survived continued their own lines, but these people were known as exiles. Thus began the unsavory title of "Salvationist" amongst the dracon people. It was a horrid title to bear, and none wished to carry it.

Religion & Beliefs

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The religion of the dracon differs from the other races as theirs focuses heavily on the aspect of good against evil, and heavily ties dragons to their deities (similar to how the dwarves link titans and giants with their gods, elves linking the fae with their gods, etc.). While some argue that dragons could not possibly be a god or goddess, any who have argued with the dracon about this have either given up or converted. Especially since the two greater dragon deities seem to be more active than other gods via their dragon kin.
This dual religion of good vs. evil has little room in between. The dracon among the short-term or dubbed salvationists attempted at one point to establish one or two neutral deities to worship, but no one else accepted this belief. Not only was it deemed blasphemy, it was considered a curse upon those who attempted it, as shortly after their clan perished to themselves. There are two neutral dragon deities who did exist, though their positions are very distant from the others, and don't take part in most stories save for Drahkziith.

Worship

All dracon irregardless of their side are expected to be devout to the deities. To show exaltation, worship and reverence to and for the gods in everything they do. Towards the metallic deities they do so out of gratitude, joy, love and acceptance of them. Towards the chromatic deities they often worship through fear of the god's unpredictable wrath. Their vengeful retaliation for not showing them proper reverence, constantly seeking offerings to appease them and people singing their praises (even if they are songs of fear). Furthermore the metallic and chromatic dragons do not expect the same level of worship and devotion to dragons, but they do expect their followers to show dragons the utmost respect and honor as they are the god's children. Depending on the deity, they may or may not take great offense to a dragon being slain depending if they still showed honor and respect, why they did it, and the overal scenario/circumstances surrounding their death. Sometimes a deity would even demand their follower to slay a certain dragon for a divine reason.
Forms of worship to the gods in the life of a dracon include daily meditation, scripture reading, prayer, weekly offerings and sacrifices, monthly annointing, participation of holidays, days of rememberance, times of fasting and themselves via sharing their faith via word, action or testimony. Their meditation typically lasts about an hour, is almost always done with incense, done before or after every meal, and always before they are about to partake in something large such as a known battle up ahead, a large hunt, etc. Some say the dracon can live off of nothing but a several hour meditation in place of meals. Both sides are just as devoted to learning, understanding and memorizing their holy lore and scriptures. The primary way they do this is by engaging in conversation with the tribe's priest/priestess, who will have access to the Vaelihthar/Kahlihthar (or the holy/unholy chronicles in the dracon language), which has records of every known major divine interaction from their deities, the written tenets and laws of the gods, every rite, ritual and practice their gods gave them, poems of worship, folklore, and more. Note that each side will focus on their deity's story, not both sides.
All the dracon pray to their gods for various reasons. Praying for forgiveness, praying to commune, praying for guidance, praying for protection, praying for said gods to stave off their wrath, praying for blessings, etc. The dracon pray consistently, as though their gods were right there with them. Weekly offerings and sacrifices often depended on the deity. Metallic dragons preferred the offering of food during feasts, written works either offered or read aloud honoring them, and in more important ceremonies, rituals and traditions objects like tools, jewelry, clothing and the like personally crafted by the dracon. Chromatic dragons on the other hand preferred wealth such as coin, jewels, magic items, items of value and the like, a blood sacrifice ranging from some of your own blood for common sacrifices to someone's life for more important ones, and the hearts of metallic dragons or the Arrahkthir. Every month the dracon would always go through a ritual where all members of a tribe are annointed by the priest/priestess and healers. Arrahkthir use olive oil, almond oil, frankincense, myrrh and cedarwood for the most part, while Khravakssith use blood, black oil, coal dust, ash or extract from exceedingly spicy foods.
Both sides have holidays for their deities as well that the dracon must attend. Every week the dracon celebrate Triune Day which is dedicated to all three greater deities, their creation of the cosmos and respect for their power. And yearly they celebrate the New Year Vigil in which they celebrate the past year and provide additional offerings and rituals in hopes of a good fortune that year, and to stave off Drahkziith. They all also practice days or weeks of rememberance, tied to very strong moments in their history. The greatest one that both sides recognize in their own ways is the Night of Tears, or rage for the Khravakssith. There are many others but beyond the first schism they are more focused on one side's history as opposed to the whole. Both sides partake in fasting, ironically for the same primary reason. They believe when you fast you strengthen your spiritual strength, learning to rely on the gods than yourselves. Most do partial fastings, or do total fastings until the evening. Those who do total fasts can do so for about twenty days if they are clerics.
Finally every dracon is expected to act as example to others. They do so by sharing their faith to others, dracon or not. Sharing their deity's teachings, life lessons, experiences, tenets, etc. They're also expected to always act on their deity's commandments, spreading their faith and teaching through their own actions. Another form of this is by sharing their own testimony of how their dieties had forged or changed their life through these teachings they follow.

Values & Beliefs

The dracon as a whole value a numerous amount of things, but in regards to both sides there are a few things they agree with in values. Everyone values the ability to endure physical, emotional and spiritual strain. The ability to perservere despite the pressure. The ability stand resilient against any and all trials and tribulations that come their way and remain steadfast in their beliefs, and in battle. This value is seen often throughout their culture, especially with their natural strong builds as a race. There are various rites and ceremonies which may test one's endurance and resilience, or even trials in which only the protection of the gods can help one endure and resist the pains of the trial.
Strength is valued both in the physical and spiritual manner. To be physically powerful and capable of not only standing firm against the attacks of their enemies physically but also pushing the hordes back is revered. Just in the same manner as the physical, one with the strong willpower to resist the creatures beyond the material as well as resist temptations, and grow overall in the spirit which allows for the gods to channel their power through them is likewise revered. It is often described to the dracon, and the dracon to the world that one who is strong in both the physical and spiritual is the shining example of the gods chosen champion.
Personal growth is valued by all dracon despite misconceptions in both the physical, mental and spiritual. Regarding the physical the dracon endeavor to grow physically stronger and fit with each passing year, always working towards improvement in their early years, and retaining that strength in their later years. For their mind they actively seek to sharpen their wit and amass as much information in their field as they can. They aren't expected to learn everything, just as much as they can in whatever role they've been called to do. For the spiritual they are expected to always seek their deities, hear them, and actively work to strengthen their faith in their deities. To call upon them in all times, good and bad, and grow in their relationship with their gods.
The dracon people don't only believe in their dragon deities, but also in reincarnation which is viewed as trial, reward or punishment depending on the situation and deity. While not every dracon believes this, most state that any dracon who has not properly aligned to either side (i.e. neither good nor evil alignment but neutral) are not taken into the afterlife, but instead are reincarnated to try again. This form of reincarnation is supposedly with minimal memories from their past at all. If a dracon has gained the ire of a deity they can be forcibly reincarnated (sometimes on their death, sometimes on the spot) into something else. These types of reincarnations are typically those which transform the dracon into an animal, creature, demi-human or monster, and will remain trapped in a cycle of reincarnation as that transformation until they have achieved redemption. A flip side of this punishment, though it is very rare, when a clan leader draws the ire of the gods, punishing them and their clan with curses as the leader is reincarnated into an inanimate object. The curse is broken if the clan achieves the conditions of redemption and the leader is transformed to their true self again. Due to this dracon believe that in addition to sentient objects possessing a trapped astral or ethereal being, they sometimes contain a reincarnated humanoid punished for their crimes.

Holidays, Festivals, Ceremonies & Rituals

Holidays:

• Night of Tears/Rage: An annual day and night of rememberence reflecting on the beginning of what is known as the first great schism. Both sides call it something different, with the Arrahkthir calling it the night of tears in remorse of all the horrors of the schism and all the lives that were lost. The Khravakssith call it the night of rage in rememberance of who and why they were banished to the underdark, forever harboring hatred towards their brighter scaled kin. Both kinds reflect this day differently, but it always involves a quiet parade, a somber dance and the consumption of symbolic food.
• Night of Dragon's Breath: An annual holiday
• New Year Vigil: The final day of the year meant to celebrate year now passing and to ward evil from the new year while bringing good blessings. It is celebrated in stages, with the morning spent reflecting on the past year and all the good and bad things that came of it. The afternoon is spent enjoying festivities, dancing, music, and the like. The evening is spent sharing stories together, setting up wards against evil, dances to ward off evil, and so forth. The night is spent rejoicing, praising their gods and dancing with the spirits, as well as feasting together while providing offerings to their deities. Before midnight they spend time in meditation, prayer and worship with further offerings with the hopes of bringing onto them good fortune the next year, as well as to prevent Drahkziith from waking and ending the world.
• Day of Rest: Once a month the dracon take a day to cease any labors and work. Instead they take that time normally used to work and spend it resting, meditating, and learning scripture. This is partly to recover from labor and give themselves time to rest, but also to fast and grow their faith and relationship with their deity. Sometimes the dracon people may take a secondary day of rest if they're about to engage in an extreme activity such as a huge hunt, battle/war, trials, a long pilgrimage, etc.
• Day of Spirits: Once a month the dracon people show respect and reverence to their ancestors, the fallen, and the spirits who've reincarnated. There are moments of celebrating those who've ascended to the afterlife, moments of respect and gratitude for those who have chosen to stay and guide the living, moments of silence and honor for those who have fallen and passed on, and at the end a dance of the spirits where they guide the deceased into the arms of their gods.
• Triune Day: Both a weekly and monthly day at the end of the week/month where the dracon people take time to worship the three greater gods Bahrakmuut, Thyramath and Drahkziith. Even if one or two of the three gods wasn't favored or desirable by the side worshipping, they still showed reverence and respect for them and what they represented. Even if it was out of fear of their wrath. The weekly holiday was mostly simplistic with small traditions, the dragon's dance, and a nightly preaching, offering and worshipping of the tribe. The monthly event came along with a festival by the dracon people with feasts, dances, music, storytelling, preaching, worshipping, offering and more.

Ceremonies:

• Births: Days in which a dracon is being born is an extremely important event for them as to the Arrahkthir all life is sacred. To bring new life into the world is a joyous event. And to the Khravakssith not only does their clan grow, but with that size increase comes greater strength in numbers. While it differs from clans and sides, overall birth celebrations include songs, dances, feasts, as well as a ritual involving blessings, prayers, rites and annointing over the infant for protection, well being and fortune to both the dracon and the clan.
• Marriages: With marriages typically being used to create, strengthen or reinforce ties with each tribe, possibly clans, marriages are a very large event. Always including immediate family and the two tribes in union, anyone who was family was invited as well. These ceremonies were overseen by both priests/priestessess of either tribe where one would prepare the couple and the rites, and the other would perform the rites over the two. Both would make their prayers and blessings over the union and celebration consisted of feasting, dances, even sometimes the exchanging of gifts in honor of the union, finalized by prayers for fertility and prosperity.
• Victory Celebrations: Whether it is a successful large hunt, defeating or staving off an enemy attack/force, or a spiritual battle where one has conquered their inner demons, or someone has been 'saved' and converted, etc. the dracon as a whole will always have a victory celebration. While the specifics depend on what is being celebrated, overall most celebrations include feasts, song and dances to honor the reason for celebration around a bonfire, with extra portions to those who are the part of the victorious.
• Funerals: An important part of all dracon culture, especially in regards to the deaths of warriors that all dracon work hard to do. Even if it is an enemy who had fallen, all dracon respect the practice of funeral rites either to honor and respect the fallen, or at the very least to prevent their souls from being bound to the material plane as an undead spirit. These rites often include the gathering of family, friends and tribe/clan, preparation of the body, and then prayers and rites made over the body. They then lower the body into the grave and while burying them perform a dance of guidance, calling for the spirits of their ancestors and the dragons to lead their soul safely to the afterlife.

Festivals:

Summer/Winter Solstice:

Spring/Autumn Equinox:

Harvest Festival:

Rituals:

• Dances: rain dance, dragon's dance, haunt dance (ward off evil)
• Pilgrimage:
• Ritual of Scales:
• Rite of the Warrior:

Symbology & Identity

Religion & Spirituality Values & Beliefs Identity & Symbols

General Culture

Economy Technology & Tools Beauty/Gender Ideals Architecture Language, Dialect & Slang Taboos

Practices & Traditions

Education & Knowledge Systems Common Etiquette Naming Traditions Storytelling & Legacy Heritage & Inheritence

History & Mythology

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Fae - spirits choosing to bind to nature. creatures who came forth from nature. druids who pass on instead of reincarnated, bound to nature instead of the afterlife. Elementals - literal manifestations of the primordial's scales. water from bahrakmuut, fire from thyramath, earth from drahkziith and air from all three.

Sub-Races & Relations

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The dracon are one of the nine playable humanoid races in Erelest. Known as the most extremist race, nearly every dracon stands as either a good dracon, or an evil dracon, each side vigilantly seeking to defeat the other once and for all. Regardless of whether side they are on they each hold their own laws, traditions, culture and deities which they strive to uphold and protect. Many of them are incredibly religious, resulting in many dracon becoming renowned clerics in the world. While it is incredibly rare for a dracon to be neutral on the matter, or try to embrace both halves of their race, those who exist are considered clanless and are banished from their homelands. Unlike the other races the dracon possess unique organs and glands which allow them to project a breath attack which grows stronger as time goes on (see below). In addition they also possess the powers of infravision, and all dracon have a +1 to strength and wisdom, and a -1 to dexterity and charisma.
While they keep themselves isolated from the world most of the time, they work together with passion, resulting in a strong bond with one another and allies wherever they go.
Default starting alignments: Lawful Good, Neutral Good, or Lawful Evil, Neutral Evil, Chaotic Evil. Rare starting alignments: Chaotic Good, (Any) Neutral.

Race TLDR:
Light Dracon

• +1 STR, +1 WIS, -1 DEX, -1 CHA
• +1 to Saving Throws vs. Rods, Staves & Wands for every 3 1/2 points in CON
• Breath Attack, grows stronger with age
• +1 to ?
• Detections:
• Ultravision 6" Range
• Base Languages: Dracon, Local Language, Common, Alignment Language

Dark Dracon

• +1 STR, +1 WIS, -2 CHA
• +1 to Saving Throws vs. Rods, Staves & Wands for every 3 1/2 points in CON
• Breath Attack, Grows stronger with age
• +1 to ?
• Detections:
• Infravision, 6" Range
• Base Languages: Dracon, Underdark Common, Common, Alignment Language

Related Organizations

• Anrikiil Empire