Dragons

Dragons (draconis maximus), also known as the drakan in their own tongue, are the last remaining members of the draconis genus on Earth, and by far the most successful. As a species, dragons are sentient, intelligent, and remarkably long-lived, whose genetics are part natural selection and part artificial forced evolution. They are the oldest sentient species on planet Earth and their civilization predates humans' by hundreds of thousands of years. While many incorrectly assume dragons are descended from dinosaurs, this is only debatable for a select few subspecies - by and large, most of a dragon's genetic history can be traced back to other early birds and proto-reptiles that walked the Earth long before the dinosaurs ever did.
Dragons are exceptionally advanced creatures who have an inborn gift for magic, and they are the only species on Earth naturally capable of performing true magic, barring mages, who are all distantly descended from dragons or halflings to begin with. Magic and sorcery in all of its forms all stem back to the dragons in some form or another, with only a select few modern varieties being the creations of human mages. However, according to the dragons themselves, magic was not always a part of their nature. They evolved as any other species on Earth with no supernatural traits, until some inciting event in their evolutionary history bestowed upon them the ability to manipulate reality and the elements. The true nature of magic has been debated amongst the dragons for hundreds of thousands of years, and there are as many theories as to its origins as there are humans on Earth.
Dragons are natural-born shapeshifters, partially through natural evolution and partially through artificial evolution directed by their own hand. For as long as dragons have existed, the ability to freely shift between sexes has been an in-born trait of every member of the species, with a male being able to become a female and vice versa at will. Because of this, gender, sex, and sexuality is far different for the dragons than it is for us humans, and they are considered a very 'progressive' species when it comes to these matters. But for the dragons, there is nothing progressive about it - it is simply nature, how they are and have always been.
Starting in the year 1500 AD, however, their shapeshifting was expanded upon as a bit of human genetic information was inserted into the DNA of volunteering dragons, which combined with their magic gave them the new ability to shapeshift freely between dragon and human form. Most dragons alive today have human forms that are just as natural to them as their 'true' dragon forms are, and all dragons subject to this change - known to them as The Transformation - are able to freely interbreed with humans to spawn a third, distinct species known as halflings.
A dragon's human form is, much like their true form, a combination of genetics and personal preference. The source of the human DNA used in The Transformation has bestowed most of them with dark hair and skin, but there are naturally fair-skinned dragons who are known as well, even if they are in the minority. One line of almost universally fair-skinned dragons would be the Garen clan, of whom the halfling hero Amily Garen is a representative. But, all of this is voluntary, as a dragon can freely change the full appearance of their human or dragon form at will, including coloration and bone structure, through their shapeshifting. However, without the aide of a specific spell, this is not a permanent transformation, and will only last as long as the dragon can maintain it, requiring a good deal of concentration on their part to accomplish.
Dragons are one of only three known species on Earth who are capable of using and creating technology, the other two being humans and halflings. Though their scientific knowledge eclipses our own, dragon society is largely magic-based, as their mastery of magic predates their mastery of machines, and they claim to have gleamed a deeper understanding of the world through mysticism than they have through science. Nevertheless, many humans are surprised to learn just how scientifically well-versed the average dragon may be.
Dragons are renowned for their tight knit sense of family and community, far stronger than most humans, due in part to nature and in part due to their near extermination at the hands of the human race. If you are on good terms with them, to refer to another dragon as anything other than family is the gravest possible insult, as all dragons are one people and one family.

Magic

Magic is one of the defining traits of the modern dragon and unique to them or those with dragon blood alone. The energy required to perform magic is known as mana, and is a blend of spiritual and natural essence with a hint of the divine. The amount of mana any one dragon has to draw from is known as a mana pool, and varies widely from individual to individual and race to race. Tyrant King Balthalazar, the mutant dragon king of antiquity and founder of the Aldarian Empire, is believed to have had the largest mana pool in history, with stories claiming him capable of casting spells on a planetary scale and still have energy left to spare.
All dragons' magic is closely bound to their five core elements: Fire, Water, Earth, Air, and Lightning. No dragon is capable of performing magic that is not in some way colored by their elemental attribute save for the oldest, most powerful, most talented sorcerers. Initially, these five elements were all that were available to them, but over time, through interbreeding between elemental holders, new, combination elements and otherwise unique elements have been created, with some of the most common being Ice, Magma, Sand, Steam, and Steel. These elements are notably less common, however.
All dragons are also capable of basic magical feats known as breath magic, which is tied to their inborn attributed. Fire dragons can exhale fire and flames, Water dragons can spew water, Air dragons can unleash incredibly loud cries and create highly concentrated bursts of condensed air, Earth dragons can use their cries to trigger earthquakes of varying magnitudes, and Lightning dragons can spit sustained bolts of lightning and electricity. For those with a unique or combination element, how their breath magic manifests varies from dragon to dragon and race to race.

Races & Physiology

The dragons as a species are far more physiologically and genetically diverse than any hominid yet discovered in the fossil record. In fact, it is highly possible that not all dragons share the same common ancestor, and that some of their subspecies may in fact have been later additions to the greater species by way of interbreeding with other draconis offshoots in the ancient past, or even some species of proto-birds or dinosaurs. While the dragons refer to their many different subsets as 'races', much how humans refer to their varying skin colors as races, a more proper term for them would be 'subspecies'.
Unlike human races, there is a great deal of variance in genetics, genealogy, and physiology between dragon races, and they can vary in everything from diet to size to ancient ancestors. But, in the modern age, all dragons consider themselves to just be dragons, first and foremost, and believe that there is more that connects them than separates them. In all, dragons come in 10 distinct races.

Drakes

Drakes are the smallest of the ten races and both one of the oldest, and one of the most numerous, with a quadrupedal body structure and no wings. Rarely growing taller than 5 or 6 feet in height and 8 or 9 feet long, what they lack in size or physical power, they make up for in speed. In fact, Drakes are considered to be among the fastest creatures on Earth, even without their magic bolstering them. At top speed, the average drake can run at over 200mph (322kph) unassisted.
Wingless and incapable of flight unassisted, Drakes are instead able to sprint and climb better than any other dragon, though it should be noted that they are not very good swimmers by nature due to their dense bone structure. They are capable of feats of endurance far greater than those of the other races, and of the races, they are considered to be the most sociable. This may be due to the fact that in the distant past, drakes are thought to have evolved from pack animals who relied heavily on cooperation with one another to take down larger prey rather than dominating their targets with brute force alone.
Like most dragons, drakes are primarily carnivores, but unlike some of the other races, they are not capable of digesting any plant material whatsoever unless they are halflings. The nests of drakes are typically made above ground in caves or buildings not too dissimilar from what humans make, though some have been known to burrow below ground as well.
The most common elements among the drakes are Fire and Lightning, whereas Air is the least common. Some notable drakes include the halfling hero Amily Garen and the ancient Greek god, Zeus. The average lifespan for a drake is 1800-2000 years.

Mountain Dragons

The tallest of the dragons and the sole bipedal race, mountain dragons are slow, lumbering creatures with mighty claws and sturdy scales - some of them even have shells or feathers. Built for the harsh, rugged conditions of mountaintops and volcanoes, mountain dragons have the highest - and lowest - temperature tolerances of any of the ten races, capable living comfortably high up on frozen peaks or deep in the bowels of an active volcano. The largest dragons tend to be mountain dragons, and their average height hovers between 30 to 70 feet.
Much like the drakes, mountain dragons are generally wingless and incapable of flight unassisted, though some mutants and crossbreeds are known to have them, such as the Tyrant King Balthalazar. They are physically the sturdiest and the second most durable members of the species, only beaten out by sea dragons. Their claws are exceptionally large and tough as diamonds, and their arms are fairly well-developed and built for excavating through mountainsides to create sprawling cities in caverns of their own design. They also have five fingers on each hand, just like humans do.
Of the dragons, mountain dragons are considered to be the least sociable and the most set in their ways. Many of the oldest dragons in recorded history have been mountain dragons, and due to their nests primarily being in caves or underground, they are unusually sensitive to light (though their eyes can adjust with time, after spending an extended period above ground). They are also primarily carnivorous, and like the drakes, cannot digest plant matter, though they can survive on remarkably little food given their body mass and are capable of fasting for weeks at a time.
The most common elements among mountain dragons are Earth and Fire, with Air being the least common. One notable mountain dragon was D’aagor Ilias T’silth, the Ice Dragon who declared war on humanity in 1984. The average lifespan for a Mountain Dragon is 2000-2200 years.

European Dragons

These are the dragons you and I would probably be the most familiar with, having four legs, wings, long necks and tails, and long flowing manes with protruding horns from their skulls. Typically around 20 to 30 feet tall and 50 to 60 feet long, European dragons are considered to be ‘jacks of all trades’, capable of living in a wide variety of environments. In fact, they are able to live in more different types of environments than any other dragon race, though they lack the extremophile nature of their cousins, the mountain dragons.
Of the dragons, European dragons are among the most capable when it comes to magic, and about half of the dragons with the largest mana pools end up being European in origin. It is believed human mages first discovered magic by watching the European dragons thousands of years ago. As their name would suggest, the modern European dragon is thought to have originated from Europe some 750,000 years ago, but due to their ability to thrive in a wide array of environments, they can be found all over the world - not just in Europe.
Unlike many of the races, European dragons are omnivores as opposed to carnivores, and more than capable of consuming plant matter. They aren’t really the best in any one category, but they are able to do so many things, they tend to get by just fine. Typically their nests can be found above ground or in caves, but they can vary quite a bit from dragon to dragon. European dragons were among the hardest hit of the races by the humans’ last great genocide during the middle ages, and their numbers still haven’t fully recovered to this day.
Unlike any of the other races, all 5 elements are equally common among European dragons, though some purport Fire is just the tiniest bit more common than the others. As far as notable European dragons go, the current King of Dragons, Sirus Albion, is a European Fire dragon. The average lifespan for a European Dragon is 1800-2000 years.

Asian Dragons

Thought to have originated in Asia over a million years ago, Asian dragons are long, serpentine dragons who, even though they lack wings, are all capable of unassisted flight. They tend to have very small arms or claws and elaborate faces, and are typically very brightly colored and patterned. Among the dragons, Asian dragons are considered to be among the most beautiful because of these traits. They are also considered to be the second fastest fliers of the species. Capable of flying for days on end without rest, some dragons believe their Asian cousins to have endless stamina and infinite mana. While this isn’t actually true, they do have the largest mana pools on average of all the different dragon races. Asian dragons are also the only dragon race known to have low level psychic abilities, with their power to fly without wings considered to be a psychic phenomenon.
Like the European dragons, Asian dragons were hit especially hard during the humans’ last great genocide. While the European dragons have started to bounce back over time, though, Asian dragons have become a rather rare sight in today’s age. Though they used to be quite populace, they are have notoriously low fertility rates, meaning it’s been more difficult for them to bounce back after so many of them were wiped out in wars with mankind. Because of this, Asian dragons are among the most wary of humans and are the most likely to avoid human cities. They are greatly respected by their fellow dragons, but since Sirus Albion’s rise to the throne, they have become rather distant even from them, preferring to stick primarily to themselves.
Among the Asian dragons, Water and Lightning are the most common elements, while Earth is the least common. As far as notable Asian dragons go, the Chinese Emperor Gaozu of Han was a halfling with the ability to transform fully into an Asian fire dragon. The average lifespan for an Asian Dragon is 2000-2400 years.

Lyndwyrms

Also known as simply just wyrms, lyndwyrms are limbless land serpents who make their nests in burrows dug into forest floors or near marshland. Typically growing up to 100 feet long, these massive serpentine dragons are thought to be one of the oldest races of dragons, and they are the genetic ancestors of all Asian Dragons. Interestingly though, their most distant genetic ancestor appears to be completely distinct from all other dragon races outside of sea serpents, indicating they may actually be a separate species entirely who have somehow managed to integrate genetically into the larger dragon whole.
Having no limbs with which to manipulate the world around them, lyndwyrms are the most magically adept of the dragons as a matter of necessity. Capable of casting magic through incantations, they get around by using magic to interact with their environments and other dragons. They are also the most adept at non-elemental and utility magic for this reason, a rare trait for a dragon to have, and they are stereotyped as always muttering, reciting incantations beneath their breath to assist their limbless lives.
While many of them do prefer to live below ground, lyndwyrms don’t have the light sensitivity of mountain dragons. They do, however, have a potent venom that is unique to them alone. No other dragon is known to produce venom, not even the sea serpents. They are also unique in that they can regrow their bodies if they are somehow cut in half, so long as no vital organs were bisected in the process. In terms of regeneration, they are the best of the species, barring mutants.
Water and Earth are the most common elements for a lyndwyrm to have and Air is the least common. As for notable lyndwyrms, Tuk the Unbounded was a rare lyndwyrm of air who nearly overthrew the Aldarian Empire some 700 years after the death of Balthalazar. The average lifespan for a Lyndwyrm is 2000-2300 years.

Wyverns

Legless dragons with massive wings and claws at their tips, wyverns are the undisputed masters of the sky among the dragons, outpacing even Asian dragons in flight speed. With hollow bones and thin, lightweight scales, they are the most fragile of all the dragon races, but make up for this with their speed in the air, which can surpass 300mph (483kph). They typically come in at around 20 to 30 feet tall with a wingspan nearly as wide.
Wyverns tend to make their nests on icy mountaintops, and as such, they are actually warmblooded and adapted to colder climates - a rarity among the dragons. Many are even adorned with warm feathers to further insulate themselves. They are also well-known for their frighteningly powerful Air magic, with all wyverns capable of performing air spells even if their primary element happens to be something else.
Like their European cousins, wyverns are omnivores as opposed to carnivores and are capable of digesting plant matter, another rarity for the species. In fact, when it comes to rare traits, wyverns appear to have the most, barring perhaps the lyndwyrms. Like the lyndwyrms, they are also accustomed to using magic to manipulate their surroundings, but unlike lyndwyrms, they do have limbs and control over their wings and claws as though they were arms. They don’t have any legs, however, so when on the ground, they will typically drag themselves along with their wings or opt to levitate.
Air and Lightning are the most common elements for wyverns while Fire is the least common. As for notable wyverns, Yan Wei, the architect of Aldaron’s grounded royal palace, was a wyvern. The average lifespan for a wyvern is 1700-1900 years.

Sea Dragons

Sea dragons are exactly what it says on the tin - dragons who live in the sea. Amphibious creatures with hyper dense bones, webbed claws, and gills and lungs both, these dragons most closely resemble European dragons in build, but are a little bit smaller. Still, they couldn’t be any more different physiologically, due to their amphibious nature. The typical size of a sea dragon is around 15 to 20 feet tall and 30 to 40 feet long.
While their name would imply they mostly live in saltwater, sea dragons are fully capable of living in fresh water as well. They can be found in many large lakes as well as in all four oceans, having an adaptability to the different seas not too dissimilar from the overall adaptability of their European cousins. One popular theory among the dragons is that they are actually an offshoot of the European dragon that simply adapted themselves to life by the sea, but it’s more likely that European dragons are the offshoot race.
Sea dragons have the densest body structures of all the dragons so they can survive the pressures of deep sea living, making them unusually physically strong and durable on land, even by dragon standards. No other dragon has denser scales or bone structure, not even the Mountain Dragons. Back in medieval times, when the last great human-dragon war was going on, it was said that there wasn’t a single weapon in the human arsenal at the time - magical or otherwise - that could pierce a sea dragon’s scales. Like their European cousins, sea dragons are omnivorous.
Elementally, Water and Fire are the most common elements for a sea dragon to have, while Earth is the least common. And for notable sea dragons, the greek gods Triton and Poseidon were sea dragons. The average lifespan for a Sea Dragon is 1700-1900 years.

Sea Serpents

A sea-dwelling cousin of the lyndwyrm, these dragons are exactly as their name describes - serpents of the sea who either have no limbs or very small ones with flippers or webbed claws. The watery equivalent to a lyndwyrm, they have the same average size of 100 feet long, but lack the venom of their land-based cousins. They are also strictly carnivorous creatures.
Sea serpents live deeper down in the ocean than ordinary sea dragons and make their homes in oceanic caves and trenches. Unlike other sea dragons though, there is no freshwater variant for the sea serpents - they are only able to live in saltwater. Like their cousins on land, they mostly interact with the world through their magic. Unlike their cousins on land, sea serpents actually have very few bones - they are mostly muscle and cartilage, like a shark.
Sea serpents are a very rare breed and always have been, and are considered to be the progenitors of all Water magic. They are also said to be very old, with some legends proclaiming that the very first dragon was actually a sea serpent who crawled on land to became a lyndwyrm.
Elementally, Water and Lightning are the most common elements for a sea serpent to have. Air is the least common. The mythological Greek titan, Oceanus, was said to be a sea serpent, and, if rumors hold true true, based on older drakan legends of the very first dragon. The average lifespan for a Sea Serpent is 2000-2200 years.

Hydras

Unusually large and with anywhere from 2 to 12 additional heads or limbs, Hydras are the rarest of all the dragon races and are believed to primarily be mutants as opposed to a distinct race. As a result of this, any dragon can be a hydra provided it has multiple heads or sets of limbs, and hydras have been seen all across the various races at different points in time.
Hydras have a bad reputation for being slow and easily enraged, but modern Drakan scholars believe this to be untrue, and simply a stigma for them being mutants. In fact, recent studies seem to indicate that hydras by and large have higher IQs than most other dragons, and there is evidence that their multiple heads - and sometimes, personalities - helps them with problem solving and planning.
Since any of the other races can end up being hydras, there are no real common traits among them. They can be carnivorous or omnivorous and large or small, but they are always a little bit larger than the average for whatever race they happen to represent. This also means they have no particularly common or uncommon elements. However, some hydras are said to wield multiple elements, though none have ever claimed to hold more than two.
One notable hydra was Adonis the Undying, also known as the Lernaean Hydra. This terrifyingly powerful mutant had the ability to regrow limbs and heads in a matter of seconds and was thought to be completely unkillable. He reigned terror all across ancient Greece and sought to overthrow the Aldarian empire. Before he could achieve this though, he was finally killed by the halfling hero of ancient Greece, Heracles. The average lifespan of a Hydra is often 2000+ years.

Shifters

Like the hydras, shifters are less of a distinct race of dragon and more of a certain subtype of dragons. Not exactly mutants, but also not pureblooded dragons, shifters are subjects or descendants of The Transformation and have a large chunk of human DNA in their genome, leaving them capable of freely shapeshifting into a human form and of reproducing with humans to create halflings.
Shifters were created artifically sometime in the late middle ages to help escape human persecution and ensure the continued survival of the dragons during the last great human-dragon war. This makes them the youngest race among the ten, and if there are any unique traits to them aside from their abilities to shapeshift and spawn halflings, they’ve yet to be discovered.
A notable shifter would be current King of Dragons, Sirus Albion, but as shifters now comprise over 70% of the drakan population, he is far from being alone.

Culture

Once every bit as rich and varied as the thousands of human cultures across the planet, the culture of the dragons has largely been homogenized into a single monoculture over the past ten thousand years for a variety of reasons, stemming from the establishment of a single world governing body with the Aldarian Empire, the extended period of intermingling and subsuming cultures of the 10,000 Year Peace, and The Decimation and Great Hiding doing away with a vast majority of the drakan population further reducing the living memory of past cultures distinct to the dragons.
While some dragons consider this to be a terrible loss, many younger dragons, who were born into this singular monoculture, are happy with what their past and predecessors have prepared for them, feeling as though it truly unites them as a species in a way the humans seem incapable of. The unity of the drakan race is a major point of pride amongst the dragons of today, young and old alike, and a lot of them look down on or don't entirely understand the conflicts of man versus man when it comes to cultural clashes and genocide.
In modern drakan culture, particularly since the time of The Decimation, all members of the species consider each other to be family and speak to and treat one another as such. Theirs is a society which champions unity, respect, and community above all else, even between those who've only just met. Indeed, in drakan society, everybody is family, and as a sign of respect, all dragons are to be addressed as though they were blood.
The reasons for this are numerous. While all historical indications are that the dragons have always been a particularly tight knit species centered around community, after they went into hiding and teetered on the edge of extinction during The Decimation, it no longer became about this clan or that clan, or this person or that person, but about everybody. Their continued existence as a species was dependent upon everybody coming together, so the idea of a universal familial connection was adopted to help bridge the gaps between them. The dragon next to you was no stranger, they were your brother, your sister, your mother, your father - they were to you as important as family, dependent upon you as much as you were them.
As a result of this, dragons today almost always refer to one another by some sort of familial title to denote their seniority in one direction or the other and to either establish or strengthen the bond between them. In essence, it's not too different from the honorifics of certain human languages, such as Japanese, but with a blood and family focus.
As an example, in casual conversation, when on good terms, most dragons will end up referring to each other as “brother” (dra; i.e. “dra D'aagor”, “Brother D'aagor”) or “sister” (lie; i.e. “lie Amily”, “Sister Amily”). For those older than you, this would become what is most commonly the parental equivalent, titles which would typically mean either father (draeg; i.e. “draeg Daemon”, “Father Daemon”) or mother (lieth; i.e. “lieth Li’alie”, “Mother Li’alie”), but at their roots essentially just mean ‘older male/female’, usually by a generational margin. Elders, meanwhile, would be referred to as though they were grandparents, be it by individuals or entire communities, (e.g. thal'draeg or thal'lieth), and treated with even greater respect than most, valued by the community and those around them for their strength and their wisdom, as both only continue to grow as a dragon gets older.
As a result of all this, to refer to another dragon without first referring to them with one of these familial honorifics would be to disrespect them and to antagonize them, and to loudly proclaim to them and those around you that you are at odds with this dragon and refuse recognize them as family. It is an action which is liable to start a fight, and can quickly turn an entire community against you, depending on the disrespected dragon’s standing within it. In fact, one of the reasons halflings are often looked down upon by proper dragons is because, by and large, they grew up in human society, and they often forget or forego these honorifics depending on their ethnic backgrounds. This is seen as exceptionally crass or rude, and feeds into the stereotype of halflings being uncivilized, rebellious creatures.
On the flip side, due to this concept of universal kinship amongst dragons, there is usually little distinction between friend, family and significant other in their language, with all of the individual terms having their roots in the Drakan word for ‘blood’ as it would pertain to familial blood bonds, one which would not be unfamiliar to humans: “kin”. Since many of our languages branched off from or evolved from theirs, however, this shouldn’t come as much of a surprise.
The most common words for family, friends and significant others in the drakan tongue are as follows:

• Brother: kin'dra
• Sister: kin'lie
• Sibling: kin'ro
• Father: kin'draeg
• Mother: kin'lieth
• Parent: kin'rot (pronounced 'rote')
• Cousin: kin'twif
• Uncle: kin'twa
• Aunt: kin'twie
• Auncle: kin'trot (pronounced 'trote')
• Grandfather: thalkin'draeg
• Grandmother: thalkin'lieth
• Grandparent: thalkin'rot
• Friend: ra'kin (lit.“chosen blood”)
• Significant other: era'kin (lit. “my blood”, as in blood the speaker themselves has bled, the blood coursing through their veins)

Variations on these do exist, particularly with the familial terms, which for the sake of clarity will typically drop the ‘kin’ when referring to dragons to whom they are not directly related, but for those to whom they are particularly close, the ‘kin’ may be reinserted as a show of love and respect and to denote that you value them greatly enough that you no longer see any distinction between the family of the species and the family of your blood. They are more than a friend or a best friend, but are one of your own.

Language

As with many things about the dragons and their culture, it is difficult to tell where the drakan or human influence begins or ends, and nowhere is this clearer than the drakan tongue. Known simply as 'drakan', much like the species itself, it has either been the root inspiration for myriad human languages of antiquity such as Latin, Ancient Greek, spoken Egyptian, ancient Chinese, and others, or it has been heavily influenced itself by these languages. Many dragon names seem to have similarities to human names across cultures, while some are completely alien and unique, making it unclear even to the dragons themselves how much is actually theirs alone.
However, one thing unique to the drakan tongue is the pronunciation of certain consonants, particularly those that for humans would require lips. As lips are a fairly recent addition to drakan physiology thanks to their human forms, a lot of these letters were inserted by humans at a later date to substitute the chirps, clicks, whines, and snarls unique to the dragons that humans are incapable of replicating. So for example, a true, drakan B sounds very, very different from a human's B, meaning the way humans would pronounce a name such as Balthalazar is completely different from how a dragon would pronounce it.
However, now that these human consonant sounds are available to them for the first time, the dragons find the whole experience to be fairly novel and have started using the human pronunciations of their own names and the names of their friends both for the sake of making things easier on their human friends and also because it's just plain fun. It's a new experience for them, and the charm hasn't entirely worn off just yet.

Clans

Clans and their role in society has shifted tremendously over the millennia. Once, one's clan was the single most important thing in a dragon's life, and their primary community to be upheld above all others. To be cast out from your clan was the ultimate disgrace, and to cross a member of your clan, the ultimate sin. In ancient times, before the Aldarian Empire was founded, politics revolved entirely around clans who allied and warred with one another constantly over territory, national borders, and resources.
In modern times, clans continue to hold sway over drakan politics, but in a far more democratic way. All clans vie for the opportunity to become the ruling monarchical family in each election cycle, and any clan regardless of size or stature can assume the throne if they can win the necessary votes in the long, drawn out election process. For more information on this process and the role of clans in modern drakan society, read the Elections section of The Aldarian Empire.

Dance

Dance is an important part of drakan culture, particularly when it comes to the act of courtship. In their evolutionary past, males would dance to impress females for the right to mate, much like many birds or insects. This is a trait that has stuck with them over the millennia, and dance is now an important part of their modern day monoculture.
Traditionally, every clan has its own unique dance, and these dances are passed down to each new dragon hatched to that clan or integrated into it. These are typically performed either as an expression of who that clan is at formal events, or as an expression of love and ancestry to a potential mate. A dance is an integral part of dragon wedding ceremonies, where each partner will perform their clan's traditional dance, then if they're creating a new clan with their marriage, they will blend their dances together into something new. Meanwhile, if they're going to marry into a preexisting clan, then all parties will perform that clan's dance.
These dances are only performed in special circumstances, such as formal inter-clan events or to impress a partner, and each dragon is encouraged to add something of their own to their clan's dance, which becomes a permanent part of said dance, meaning the dance evolves over the generations with each subsequent dragon, each of them adding one more move to the end.

Elders

As an exceptionally long-lived species with lifespans topping out at around 2100-2200 years, dragons have an immense respect and deference for their elders. The eldest dragons are by far the wisest, and hold a special place in their communities and the empire at large. Any dragon in their 1650s or older qualifies as being an elder, and they can come from all walks of life. Scholars, philosophers, sorcerers, members of some previous monarch's court, governors, That One Guy Everybody Really Likes, so on and so forth.
The elders who comprise the Outer Court are capped at 12 and the selection process is largely internal, with successors chosen via unanimous votes by the existing members of the court. Such votes are typically more frequent than a monarchical election as elders tend to die off quicker than young to middle-aged monarchs do. The chief elder, known as the Speaker, is elected every century, unless the current speaker dies, in which case a special election is held to choose their temporary replacement from the remaining elders, who will then complete their term before a new elder is added to the court.
Their primary function in the empire is to maintain the traditions and pride of the dragons, and to advise the monarch in that capacity. Their secondary function is to act as representatives of the empire, but that's a role already chiefly taken up by the governors of each settlement, who would act as voices of their respective communities sent to air grievances and requests to the King's Court.
The elders are less related to the empire or the monarchy and more to their culture, their history, and their traditions. They can sometimes be stuck in their ways, and many elders in the Outer Court today are displeased with the current monarchs, who have opened up to human-dragon relations and changed the world quite a bit as a result. The current Speaker, Master Elheim, has won reelection by unanimous vote three times, and was a former captain of the Royal Guard and later advisor to a king.
The elders of local communities and the Outer Court both also have a say in who gets elected to become a governor. A monarch can nominate governors, but it's the elders, as the representatives and pillars of their local communities, who decide whether or not they make the cut, and then the elders of the Outer Court who make the final selection.

Marriage

Weddings and marriages between dragons are rare and incredibly serious events which are sealed by blood magic. Most dragons never marry, even if they've been with the same partner(s) for centuries, because it is not a commitment that is made lightly. A dragon marriage is a union of all that they have, all that they are, of their very souls. Divorce is an alien concept to dragons - once they have been wed, there is no way out, it is permanent - and a marriage can be between multiple partners or a single pair, but there are notable differences between these two ceremonies. The more individuals that are involved in a marriage, the more complicated the ceremony becomes, as well as the magic attached to it.
There are two primary spells at play in a dragon marriage.
The first is an Unbreakable Vow. Once the terms of an Unbreakable Vow have been set, they cannot be modified, so a lot of thought goes into what they are before crafting one. When all parties agree to an Unbreakable Vow, they are held to their word under threat of a fate described as worse than death. They've become so infrequent and so revered and adhered to, however, that the specifics of what happens should you break one have been lost to time, There are as many versions of this 'broken fate' as there are dragons, and some believe that the consequences are different for every individual, but understandably, nobody is keen on breaking one to find out what exactly it entails, so the truth remains elusive.
The second spell is known as a Soul Bonding, and it is a prolonged process that takes weeks of preparation and makes up the bulk of a dragon wedding ceremony. Its name is very literal - the souls and life essences of the dragons involved are unified and bound together, a process that is threefold: physical, spiritual, and magical. Before a soul can be bonded however, it must be cleansed, and this is what leads to the weeks of preparation, with the goal being to purge one's soul of unnecessary attachments, vices, and impurities.
The first stage of this purification is physical. If the dragon has partaken of any drugs or alcohol, the ceremony cannot begin until they have completely left their system, and they must abstain throughout the process. The dragon then enters into a period of fasting, where they do not eat for two weeks and they drink only water that has been purified and blessed by sages. This water is dosed with a powerful hallucinogen to aide in the process of confronting oneself. They also are prohibited from entertaining any physical urges, particularly sexual ones, and are expected to prepare their minds and bodies for the second and third stages.
Shortly after the fast has begun, the second stage is entered, which is spiritual in nature. Throughout their fast, dragons cannot interact with others outside of necessity, or partake in any sort of recreational activity outside of meditation. They cannot create or consume anything, they cannot entertain themselves, their focus should be entirely on meditation and working through their inner turmoil.
To be pure of soul is to be pure of heart, and to be pure of heart one must be pure of mind, and have a distilled sense of self that is as free of conflict or incongruity as mortally possible. One must make peace with their demons, confront their insecurities, reexamine their beliefs, pick apart their ideals, let go of prior relationships, and more. It is a taxing process that many fail upon the first attempt, and often takes multiple tries to fully work through, but at the end of it lies the revelation of their 'true selves'. A dragon's 'true self' is their fully realized self, the perfect form of who and what they are at the time of the purification. This revelation is often an overwhelming and emotional experience, and once they have seen what they can be, and soon will be, a dragon is no longer the same as when they began the purification process.
The third stage of purification takes place after a dragon's fully realized self has been revealed to them, and is both spiritual and magical in nature. Now that they have freed themselves of the burdens of their mind and character, they must free their soul of all other worldly attachments but the ones pertaining to them and their partner(s). This is something they are expected to prepare for during meditation, as once the ritual has begun, there is no stopping it or turning back. It is described as a fire where the old is burned away to make way for the new, and the lingering touch of former loves are purged from one's being, severing one's connection to these individuals forever.
While new connections can be made in the future, all that was there before must be burned away, save for the bonds to one's friends and family - anything else is unnecessary. This includes one's fears or ideals, and worldly attachments which may cloud their mind or get in the way of their devotion to themselves or their partner(s). All this is prepared for mentally during meditation, and is part of revealing your true self, but the final act is in the ritual, as the magic cleanses your soul of these impurities for good. In a way, they are hollowed out of all but what is core to them, and dragons often feel a sense of emptiness or weightlessness after the ritual is complete, though not in a negative sense. Rather, they feel more free and devoted to the ones they love than they have ever been before.
Marriage results in not only two souls being bonded, but two clans. While this bond is not as unshakable as the bond between spouses, the bond between two clans is held in high regard, and individuals of both bloodlines are careful to observe and maintain this bond. This includes giving deference to a bonded bloodline in situations regarding land ownership, inheritance, economic ventures, and legal contracts, before engaging with any other dragons. What is owned by one clan is now shared with the bonded clan, and this goes both ways. More than just a union of two or more individuals, it is a union of clans.
Back when marriage was more commonplace, many marriages were arranged and political in nature, meant to ease tensions between clans by uniting them. In the modern day, with such relatively few dragons and clans remaining, this has become less important, outside of the marriage of the monarchy. A drakan monarch must eventually be wed, and one who does not is considered to have failed as a monarch. If they go long enough without a partner, it is considered grounds for ousting that monarch and removing their clan from the throne. Marriages between a monarch and their partner are almost always political affairs, and are often between the winning clan and its most immediate rival in vying for the throne in that election cycle.
The marriage of Sirus and Nilah Albion is a rare exception to this tradition, and was motivated entirely by love - not unheard of, but somewhat unorthodox for a monarch. As a result, theirs is a rather popular romance in modern drakan society, even if the elders do not particularly approve of it.
The actual marriage ceremony begins sometime shortly after the purification has been completed - oftentimes a day, sometimes a week - in an attempt to prevent any 'muddying' of the souls before bonding. It can either be a small affair where only the bloodlines being bonded are involved, or a public event where one's entire community is involved. In either instance, a massive feast is always held before the marriage ceremony. No longer in a period of fasting, this is typically the first meal the dragons about to be wed have had in weeks, and it is an important part of the greater ceremony.
Traditionally, dragons are expected to continue fasting until this feast is held, though this is not necessarily required. The betrothed dragons are kept apart during this feast, and remain with their respective clans on opposite sides of the table or venue in which the feast is being held. During the feast, the clans eat, drink, and bond over the two or more dragons who are uniting them together. Any disagreements or conflicts between clans that have yet to be resolved are expected to be smoothed over non-violently during this feast, and a feast is not complete until all major issues are addressed. This means, while rare, it is not unheard of for marriage feasts to last an entire day or more.
After the feast is complete, the betrothed are finally allowed to see each other again for the first time since the purification began, and a sage escorts them to where the wedding will take place. Incense is lit to purify the air and appease the gods and the betrothed are dressed in the finest silks or armors their clans can provide them with. Whoever has been invited to observe the wedding will then gather around the betrothed in a circle, with the betrothed and the sage in the center. Blood is then drawn from each of the betrothed - typically from a hand or limb, but not always - and the fresh wounds are joined together so that the dragons' blood may mix. The betrothed then join hands, or for the more serpentine dragons lacking limbs, coil around one another, but either way it is important physical contact is made and held and that their blood is actively mixing. The sage then begins the process of bonding their two souls with magic, their mana and their lifeforces mixing into one using their blood as a conduit in a show of light and color. When the bonding is completed, the dragons traditionally touch foreheads - the drakan form of a kiss - and they are from then on bonded for life.
Marriage primarily served a political, peacekeeping purpose in ancient times. Unlike humans, it wasn't exactly necessary for partners to wed to be viewed as legitimate - indeed, most dragons chose not to wed at all, given how taxing and complicated a process as it was. It was only ever done to bond two clans, to create new clans from the union of the betrothed, or as the ultimate expression of love. But a soul bond is not a commitment to take lightly, or even something many dragons actually have it in them to complete, hence why unwed partnerships are considered equally as valid if the love and dedication are there.
Nevertheless, there was an inherent romance to the idea - of forever bonding your soul with another - and for that reason, there have always been marriages which have been purely romantic acts. Marriage is perhaps the single most sacred thing in drakan culture, and to attempt one is the ultimate gesture of love and dedication to one's partner(s), even should the purification process be a failure. To even attempt it speaks multitudes.
Marriage is the only way to establish new clans in drakan society. When partners wed, they have the option of maintaining one of the clan names they came from, or creating a new clan all their own. Now that there are remarkably fewer dragons, and fewer clans, the Elders have begun a push to make marriage a more common practice to encourage the diversification of clans. This has not yet met with much success, but the inherent romance of what is to dragons the ultimate act keeps it a major part of their cultural conversation all the same.

Sex & Reproduction

Sex and reproduction for dragons is less taboo and more complex than it is for humans, and biologically not too dissimilar from many other reptiles. However, there are a few things of note worth mentioning. For example, dragons operate off of mating seasons, and are completely infertile during the majority of the year. This mating season is universal, even for mutants, and the only months during which dragons are capable of reproducing are during the Spring, starting at the Spring Equinox.
During any other time of the year, it is physically impossible for a dragon to reproduce, which has had a profound impact on how sex is used and viewed in drakan society as opposed to human society. Where for humans it is a taboo subject, it is decidedly not so for the dragons, and there is considerably less risk for frequent or unprotected sex. Because of this, sex has become something of another social tool for the dragons, and they are much more open about these matters than the typical Western human would be.
While a dragon rarely has sex outside of its social circle, outside of mating season it is fair game to be used as a tool for smoothing over politics between individuals and clans and as payment for services. Most governors therefore have frequent sex with political colleagues and even occasionally rivals to settle disputes and seal deals regarding pending legislation, as there is no actual risk of imposing on an existing relationship with an unintended hatchling.
Dragons are far more free with sex and sexual favors than humans are by and large, but understand that humans have a lot of hangups about such things for a variety of biological, cultural, and sociological reasons. As such, if a dragon ever enters into a relationship with a human, they are far more likely to be strictly sexually monogamous unless they have consent from their partner for what humans would term as an open relationship. They are also less vocal about the topic around humans as speaking of sex in human circles is typically a taboo across their society.

Gender & Sexuality

Dragons are, and always have been, a species of shapeshifters. Long before they had human forms, all dragons had the innate ability to change their sex on a whim, oscillating back and forth between male or female at their leisure. As they evolved into a more intelligent species, and they developed such things as gender and sexuality, it was from its inception something that was very fluid and entirely up to the whims of the dragon.
After all, how could it not be? This is simply how it was, how it had always been. What importance is there to be placed in masculinity or femininity when you can be either, both, or even neither? It wasn't some immutable biological aspect, it was only ever a state of mind, a feeling. For dragons, gender and sexuality have from the ground up been built around this feeling and one's sense of self and self-perception.
It was not uncommon for a dragon to be born one sex, then transition permanently to another at some later point in its life. One of the earliest spells in the drakan record is a spell that can make one's change in sex a permanent feature, changeable only by altering said spell. Male, female, intersex, other - to dragons, it is all the same, and one's sex or gender identity has little bearing on their standing in drakan society.
Meanwhile, when it comes to sexuality, almost all dragons are pansexual beings by default, with those being attracted to only one gender or sexual presentation being in the minority. It is perfectly normal, and in fact expected, for a dragon to go through partners of varying gender and sexual identities throughout their lifetimes. However, heterosexual and homosexual dragons do exist, but face no persecution in drakan society. While they are considered odd, they are no more odd than somebody who has a favorite genre of music, or fiction, and rarely, if ever, tiptoes outside of it.
As a species with no fixed sexual characteristics, the human concept of being transgender is an alien one to the dragons. To them, a dragon is whatever they say they are, whatever they present themselves to be, and this is expected to be fluid and changeable.
However, in getting to know the humans better, the dragons have come to have a great deal of sympathy for humans who feel as though they are not the proper sex and can't do anything to change it. It is currently an area of study among some human and drakan mages to try and create a spell that will allow a human to change their sex as freely as a dragon can, or to permanently set it to something else. Until now, spells used to change a human's sex have only ever been temporary, but soon, it may be possible to make the transition permanent.
Because of their more open and understanding view of sex, gender, and sexuality, dragons are universally champions of the human LGBT community and queer individuals of all flavors. They know firsthand the richness of self-expression and believe wholeheartedly in the truth of self-perception and actualization, and have difficulty understanding why it's such a contentious topic among their sibling species. Because of our alliance with them, the state of queer rights has improved dramatically over the last 40 years, but these improvements are hardly universal and still have room to grow. Nevertheless, we are in a better place than we would've been without them.

Religion

Much like their monoculture, dragons used to have a rich variety of religious beliefs in the distant past, but they have continually narrowed over the millennia with advancements in science, magic, and the homogenization of their culture. Today, dragon religion can generally be described as a blend of what we would recognize as paganism, with an emphasis on magic, nature, and the nature of magic, with a polytheistic tinge. What separates human religion from dragon religion, however, is that they know for a fact that their gods are real, as they once shared the world with them and have countless historical records about them.
However, their relationship to their gods is very different from mankind's. To a dragon, a god is not something to be worshiped, but an ideal to aspire to, an example of the best possible version of oneself. The gods of the dragons are beings who were, to them, the ultimate ideal, and the best possible version of themselves. However, they were neither human, dragon, nor halfling, but something else entirely, something they do describe rather vaguely as simply 'divine'. But what 'divine' actually means to a dragon varies from individual to individual.
What they do worship and respect, however, is nature. Where we would worship a god, the dragons worship nature itself, the laws of the universe, the consciousness of the cosmos and the spirits that embody natural processes and attributes. In summation, to the dragons, the gods may be the ideal, but the spirits are the revered.