Drakons

Drakons are one of the most ancient sapient species known to exist today, with their lineage dating back to times before the written language. They are believed to be created by Ancient Dragons in their last days, for reasons unknown. If the plan was to somehow stave off the extinction of the ancient dragons, then they failed - but survived that failure and continue to thrive to this day.
The drakons are divided between seventeen subspecies. Each of the seventeen subspecies is influenced by some particular external force. The result of exposure is the slow empowerment of their natural abilities, but also changes to the way the drakons look and (to a smaller degree) to their minds. This process causes changes so widespread that it's probably best to imagine the drakons as a form of particularly daemonic halfdaemons, with their bodies operating on pure magic as much as they do on the biology.
The drakons are thus an entire species of warriors and magic users, acting as a dedicated war caste of the Kingdom of Drakha. Those that for some reason develop a taste for non-combatant roles tend to emigrate to the Grand Empire of Karadia, but it is rare to see majority of their descendants not become warriors or mages.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Drakons can be shortly described by humanized dragons. Two hands, two legs and head... but also with some extensive dragon features, which occurence is heavily based on their level of Blood Awakening (also known as dragonification). They are slightly more carnivorous (with vegetables, fruits and herbs still being required, but with no vegetarian drakon alive). For that reason majority of their teeth is sharply ended.
Those of drakons that undergo Blood Awakening have much more extensive dragon traits, including horns, scales, horns, fangs, and even wings.

Biological Traits

Subspecies

White Drakons

Air Drakons are a drakon subspecies aligned with air and enjoying living in windy and open spaces. After undergoing sufficient level of dragonification they change into humanoid dragon-like creatures, with claws, horns and the skeleton of their wings made from a white and slightly transparent (while matte) crystals. Their scales and wing membrane are yellow. They also tend to be lighter than they should be considering their size.
Crystal Drakons are a drakon subspecies aligned with crystals and jewels (which makes them a rather unique subspecies that was almost hunted to extinction in the far past). After undergoing sufficient level of dragonification they change into humanoid dragon-like creatures, with claws, horns and the skeleton of their wings made from a metal that looks a bit like stainless steel, that are almost impossibly flexible. Their scales and wing membrane are as well made from a number of mana crystals and jewels. Horns, rather than those of normal 'animals', have geometrical shapes.
Earth Drakons are a drakon subspecies aligned with earth and stone. After undergoing sufficient level of dragonification they change into humanoid dragon-like creatures, with claws, horns and the skeleton of their wings made from a stone resembling a polished marble with some colourful veins. Their scale and wing membranes are gray, Their scales are incredibly resistant to damages (although quite heavy), even for the drakons' average.
Fire Drakons are a drakon subspecies aligned with fire, After undergoing sufficient level of dragonification they change into humanoid dragon-like creatures, with claws, horns and the skeleton of their wings made from a wood-like material that seems burnt and almost changed into charcoal. Their scales and wing membrane are orange with some blue accents. Their tails often end with a needle-like ending.
Ice Drakons are a drakon subspecies aligned with ice. After undergoing sufficient level of dragonification they change into humanoid dragon-like creatures, with claws, horns and the skeleton of their wings made from an ice-like material. Their scales and wing membrane are white with some blue accents. They lower the temperature with their presence, and prefer to live in colder biomes.
Magma Drakons are a drakon subspecies aligned with magma. After undergoing sufficient level of dragonification they change into humanoid dragon-like creatures, with claws and horns made from obsidian-like material, while their wings are a mix between rocky-like material and orange leather similar to Fire Drakons. They are rare but powerful, a bit like an upgraded version of the fire drakons with some abilities of the earth drakon mixed in.
Metal Drakons are a drakon subspecies aligned with metal. After undergoing sufficient level of dragonification they change into humanoid dragon-like creatures, with claws, horns and the skeleton of their wings made from a metal that looks a bit like stainless steel, that are almost impossibly flexible. Their scales and wing membrane are as well made from majority of metals (mundane ones, though). Horns, rather than those of normal 'animals', have geometrical shapes.
Thunder Drakons are a drakon subspecies aligned with thunder. After undergoing sufficient level of dragonification they change into humanoid dragon-like creatures, with claws, horns and the skeleton of their wings made from a slightly silver grey like metal that is almost impossibly flexiblee. Their scales and wing membrane are bright blue. Their metalic parts are capable of storing a lot of electricity (even static one). When they are fully dragonified, even to the point of being usable in combat.
Water Drakons are a drakon subspecies aligned with water. After undergoing sufficient level of dragonification they change into humanoid dragon-like creatures, with claws, horns and the skeleton of their wings made from a porous material that seems like stone parts of the coral reef. Their scales and wing membranes are blue. The porous parts have a trait of being able to store a lot of water that can be used as help to cast water magic.

Black Drakons

Blood Drakons are a drakon subspecies aligned with blood. After undergoing sufficient level of dragonification they change into humanoid dragon-like creatures, with claws, horns and the skeleton of their wings made from something that look like a living tissue. Their scales and wing membrane are crimson.
They can store blood in their body and eject it (from holes in their body or their 'solid' dragonified matter) to support various types of hemomancy. Their primary alignments are either the Umbral Bond or the Nine Hordes.
Bone Drakons are a drakon subspecies aligned with bones. After undergoing sufficient level of dragonification they change into humanoid dragon-like creatures, with claws, horns and the skeleton of their wings made from a bone-like material that is however stronger than average bones.
Their scales and wing membrane are black and white. Their bone regenerates overtime, making it possible for elder and more Awakened bone drakons to make crafts out of their own bone. Their primary alignment is the Breathless Tide.
Death Drakons are a drakon subspecies aligned with death. After undergoing sufficient level of dragonification they change into humanoid dragon-like creatures, with claws, horns and the skeleton of their wings made from a bone-like material that is however stronger than average bones.
Their scales and wing membrane are black. Given enough time they can regenerate pretty much every damage to their body (and dragonified traits) by consumption of fresh corpses. Their primary alignment is the Immutable Hierarchy, although many of them simply end up as serial killers.
Chaos Drakons are a drakon subspecies aligned with chaos and insanity. Even they looks are chaotic. Violet and black eyes. Pupils horizontal, like feline. Horns that are somehow disturbingly contorted, dark violet in colour and (in case of great power and total dragonification) slightly burning with fire of unnatural colour.
Their tougher parts are matte black, from a material that burns and causes pain in touch. They are encountered among every single 'hostile' religious faction.
Eldritch Drakons are a drakon subspecies aligned with eldritch powers of the aberrants and enigmatics. Very little is known about them, since they seem to have a psychological need to cover and hide their bodies - in most cases with simple rags (for some reason most of the cloth they use to it sooner or later degrades to them). Actually seeing what is beneath tends to cause amnesia and sanity damage. Sometimes a bifurcated horn or teeth can be seen from beneath it.
After their death, their bodies almost instantly starts changing into a horrible mass of liquid and solid matter, emitting truly horrible stench. They are encountered among the forces of the Pentagram and the Umbral Bond.
Filth Drakons are a drakon subspecies aligned with plagues and parasites. Once they are dragonified enough, they deveop claws, horns and skeleton of wings made from something looking like a living tissue... but with green tint that signifies a rot. They are surrounded by a stench of decay, hordes of flies and other insects, and have an unpleasant tendency to spread diseases... while being completely immune to it.
Naturally, they tend to serve the Rampant Bloom.
Shadow Drakons are a drakon subspecies aligned with shadows. After undergoing sufficient level of dragonification they change into humanoid dragon-like creatures, with claws, horns and the skeleton of their wings made from a dark gray metal. Their scales and wings are all of similar, dark colours.
What's more it can get even darker in night, essentially turning their non-human elements (so at this point almost entire body) into a cameleon-like surfaces during the night. They mostly serve the Shadowlight Covenant.
Void Drakons are a drakon subspecies aligned with void and destruction. Less mortals and more living natural disasters. They have empty eye sockets (doesn't stop them from seeing though), supernatural proficiency in Void Magic, and more or less steel grey hard body parts in their dragonified form, made from material that is somewhere between metal and crystal in nature.
All of them serve the Pentagram.

Genetics and Reproduction

Ten months long pregnancy. Procreation possible only in pairs of two drakons of the same subspecies. Which makes it even easier for them to self-segregate by sticking to their own, even when in countries where drakons are a dominant species. This literally creates a sort of biologically enforced caste system.
They also seem significantly less fertile that humans, but not in a way that would be a problem to their demography.

Growth Rate & Stages

Process of Blood Awakening is something unique to drakons, that is attempted mostly by warriors, adventurers and magicians of their species (so to a varid degree, almost all of them). All of drakons can do that, but simply speaking it isn't an easy thing (especially when one wants to do in a reasonable timeframe).
There are four main ways of awakening your blood.
First is killing and devouring daemons of beasts. Of course, not any, it has to be properly aligned with the type of magic that the subspecie of their vanquisher is also aligned with. Second is using (especially in combat) similarly themed magic. Third is simply being in an area aligned with such element (for example fire and magma drakons near volcanoes). Fourth is a more... emotional closeness, with the non-fallen drakons awakening their blood slightly faster if they are attuned to positive feelings (in stable relationships, without doing evil things etc.).
Blood Awakening is a slow process that make take a majority of life to be completed. It changes a simple human-like creature into (almost) a humanoid dragon with quite terrifying powers.

Subspecies

Non-Fallen Drakons

Air Drakons
Crystal Drakons
Earth Drakons
Fire Drakons
Ice Drakons
Magma Drakons
Metal Drakons
Thunder Drakons
Water Drakons

Fallen Drakons

Blood Drakons
Bone Drakons
Death Drakons
Chaos Drakons
Eldritch Drakons
Filth Drakons
Shadow Drakons
Void Drakons