Afke Dragons

Afke, or dragons, are a class of creatures which are physical entities who are fundamentally opposed to The Shadow in all its forms. They are Thinking Species, and they consider themselves to be the greatest of all sentient creatures. As such, they recognize that they have an incredible responsibility to care for everything that is less powerful. So they have designated twelve of their greatest to rule over all, three for each of the four worlds. These are the Great Ones, or the Ninyod Afke, and they have ruled for as long as the histories record.

Basic Information

Biological Traits

The primary identifying trait of this category of creatures is that they all are sentient, Thinking creatures, and most are able to speak the common tongue. If the creature in question is not able to give some indication of higher order thought, via word or gesture, then it is not an Afke. In truth, even hatchlings of True Dragon eggs are not considered Afke until after they've spoken their first word. Until then, they are treated like any other lizard or crab.

The second required physical trait is that they all have a bony or scaly exterior, creating a hard outer shell that protects them. Some have internal bones and a hard scaled hide, some have a true armored exoskeleton and no internal bones, some have both. But if it has any soft skin, it is not an Afke.

The final requirement is that an Afke must have some sort of limbs, be it legs, wings, or arms. Anything less is an abomination to the Light and that wyrm is of the Shadow.

Size & Morphology

Within these required markers, there is a wide variety of Afke species and sub-species. They can be further organized by size.

Nynyod Afke

The greatest are the Ninyod Afke, or the Great Dragons. There are only three Great Ones in each of the four worlds, for a total of twelve. Ninyods are considered the pinnacle of all physical things and champions of the Light and all good things. They are among the largest creatures ever to have lived, second in size only to the Hassynzo fae.

They are considered a separate species from the True Dragons because they are quadrupedal and have great leathery wings.

True Afke

True Dragons are larger than houses, but do not reach the gargantuan size of the Ninyod. They are found in all lands, but are still relatively rare. True Dragons can include any combination of limbs, wings and tails. It is their size that sets them apart from Lesser Dragons, and their ability to attack with various projectiles. Their anatomy and temperament varies widely according to their subtype and environment:

T'ashke of the Yenent lands

• Aggressive and independent.
• Can spit lava.
• They have a lean and muscular body, long neck, two legs, and wings instead of arms. They can walk on the "knuckles" of their wings.

Vafke the Tvus waters

• Both helpful and manipulative.
• Can exhale a cloud of poisonous gas.
• They have a thick serpentine body, two arms, no legs, and a finned spine and tail.

Flafke of the Flefleyt caverns

• Stubborn and controlling.
• Can spray necrotic acid.
• They have a hulking body, four legs, and no arms or wings.

Hefke of the Broken Chains

• Aloof and unpredictable.
• Can supercharge an area with lightning.
• They have a thin serpentine body, wings, and no arms or legs

If you want to sound like an idiot, say Vafke Afke or Hefke Afke. No one calls them that. They are either Vafke or Vafke Dragons. Use the word Afke or the specific type of True Dragon. But not both. Unless you want to sound like a fool. Don't let me stop you.

— Altanki

Lesser Dragons

Lesser Dragons range in size between a horse and a house. When a Shulte claims to have "killed a dragon" this is what sort of dragon it typically is. There are multiple varieties of Lesser Dragon sub-species, including adolescents of the True Dragons. Any combination of arms, legs, and wings is possible. Lesser dragons never have more than four legs.

Wyrmlings

Wyrmlings are any draconic creature smaller than a horse. They are the most numerous, and include the young of many subspecies of dragon. Many wyrmlings will claim that they are True Dragons, even when they know they will never grow larger than a common dog. Any combination of arms, legs, and wings is possible. Rarely, Wyrmlings have more than four legs, though these subspecies usually are fiercely hunted due to associations with the multi-limbed fae. The term Wyrmling is an insult and highly offensive because of its association with the Shadow.

OOC Note

Yes, a taxonomy based on size does not make sense and breaks down under scrutiny. Especially when a young dragon changes groups as it grows. Shadowright is a world that didn't experience the Enlightenment, so they have different ways of thinking. These dragons don't know or care what the Scientific Method is!

The Aspects

Many believe that all Afke have the ability to transform into an Aspect, which is a small insect that is unique to it's subspecies. But only the Great Ones and True Dragons have this ability, and True Dragons can only do this after reaching adulthood. However, most do not realize that and fear that they are being spied on by bugs at all time.

"A bug is just a bug until you try to squash a dragon." - Chuzany proverb
"The aspect's thousand eyes are always watching." - Tzedzehkt proverb
"Only a fool taunts fate where crickets sing" - Rinshi proverb

Genetics and Reproduction

All afke lay clutches of eggs, some large some small. Each subspecies of afke will behave differently to their eggs. Some will hide them and then abandon the clutch, others will starve themselves to death while fiercely guarding their eggs. The incubation needs and lengths are different for each subspecies.
Little is known of courtship rituals, egg fertilization, etc., for dragons are generally solitary creatures.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Afke are purely carnivorous and their primary pray is Hassynzo Fae. They are also opportunists, and will eat whatever is at hand if they get hungry enough. They view their feeding on the Hassynzo as a sacred task of purification, and believe that by ingesting the fae, their digestive tracts will obliterate all elements of the Shadow which the Fae embraced.
Each subspecies of Afke has a different hunting strategy, depending on their biology and intelligence.

Behaviour

Upon hatching, most infant afke immediately venture out into the world on their own and most will die within the first few days. Those that survive quickly learn the skills they need and, if they are in areas where other Thinking species reside, they listen and soon learn to speak. If they do not hear enough language before they reach adulthood, they will be intellectually stunted remain a feeling species. When this happens, other Afke will generally hunt them down and kill them.

Afke are rather concrete in how they view the world and have little patience for nuance. In general, they do not tolerate morally gray situations and will swing between extremes of all-good or all-bad in how they see the world. They struggle to understand the complex social dynamics of the Shulte people, and find most of it silly or pointless. To them, the world is simple: right is right, and wrong is wrong. There is no need to over-complicate things. The Ninyod Afke are able to comprehend more abstract concepts, but they are the exception and not the rule.

Social Stucture

With the all afke, social structure is a simple matter based on size and strength. Whoever is biggest or strongest is in charge.

Naming Traditions

Draconic names

Dragons create their own names soon after learning to speak. Most often it is just a collection of sounds that they like, though occasionally there is meaning behind the name.

Gender neutral	Female	Male
Nue /ˈnue/ Zhaka /ˈʒaka/ Desʼo /ˈdesʼo/ Kʼavo /ˈkʼavo/ Aveku /aˈveku/ Vali /ˈvali/ Ananya /aˈnaɲa/	Likak' /ˈlikak'/ Sʼate /ˈsʼate/ Vishik /ˈviʃik/ Luzhe /ˈluʒe/ Tʼutak /ˈtʼutak/ Lotak /loˈtak/ Dzali /ˈd͡zali/	Oe /ˈoe/ Agat' /ˈagat'/ Salgo /ˈsalgo/ Etgu /ˈetgu/ Idu /ˈidu/ Ukʼu /ˈukʼu/ Glit͡su /ˈglit͡su/

Dragons do not have surnames. There are so few of them that they are usually only known by a single name. Draconic names will never include the these sounds: P, B, M and W, because it is difficult for dragons to pronounce, especially when they are young.

However, over time dragons will earn additional names for themselves and often these will be added to their given name as formal titles or informal ways of remembering which dragon is which.

• Duzho Fleok'zits- Duzho the Exploder
• Yenn Lozut'e - Wise Lozut'e
• Nyilizu Nyodfu - Nyilizu Mountain
• Si Tyensh Thod - Most Powerful Thod

Honorifics

• Ninyo - Archdragon
• Knasefs - Honorable
• Vesnu - Beloved Child (a term of endearment for the Shulte)

To their faces, Afke are referred to with the utmost respect, but often the Shulte call them Sʼif Sav or the Tricky Snake when none are present.

Language

The draconic language Yet'athi is believed to be the original language that was spoken before the Shattering of Perfection at the beginning of times. While some critics doubt this, all afke agree that this must be true.

Yet'athi Draconic

Draconic Magix

The magix of the afkes are known as Tetadz Thols or Brimstone Magix. Unlike the physically focused Lydfa Thols of the Shulte peoples, Afke magix are centered in the mind and will, and are able to influence the thoughts of others. Most Shulte find this terrifying, but they can do nothing about it.

However, since it is well known that the overuse of magix caused the Fell Calamity and nearly destroyed all things, the Great Twelve Afke have strictly forbidden the use of Tetadz Thols among all dragon kind. The punishment is immediate death and this severe rule is harshly kept and strictly obeyed. A tiny wyrmling might accidentally use the magic and go unnoticed, but anything larger than a Lesser Dragon would be quickly caught and destroyed.

Related Organizations

• Afkethit