Myrghon

(Header image by Lesseras)

What are Myrghon?

Myrghon are bipedal "anthro" dragons who have no wings. They grow quite magnificent manes, and the keep their hair may distinguish them from each other; that said, they are prone to being rather weak and ill-exercised, creating a tendency towards overweight or scrawny builds. Their weight diverges from the average.

Myrghon have unusually shaped horns that tend to almost thrum with magic power. For this reason, enchanted adornments are often hanging from (or even levitating between) the horns of an individual Myrghon. This is an expensive decision which tends to have great individual significance to the wearer and for some individuals the particular adornment chosen does not ever change, though adventurous Myrghon are sometimes known for gathering collections of such objects of enchantment to change them out occasionally.

What is the magical gift of the Myrghon?

The magical gift of the Myrghon is rather explosively dramatic, for each of them is surrounded by a small number of levitating plumbob-cut gemstones. At ten years of age, they have two such gemstones. At a hundred years of age, four such gemstones. At a thousand, six such gemstones, and so on! In this way, the number of gemstones on a Myrghon's person gives an order of magnitude estimate of their age, though surplus gems can be concealed fairly readily in clothing should a Myrghon wish to conceal the true magnitude of their age. Myrghon are still considered "children" in their culture until they have four gemstones (at age 100), but they would be aghast at the idea of banning "child labor", as typically Myrghon are considered employable from age 10 when their first pair of plumbob gems forms under their control.

Myrghon gems substitute extensively for the lacking physical strength of the Myrghon. The plumbob gems are nearly indestructible and can move with dramatic force. Physically weak Myrghon can nevertheless coordinate powerful motions from their plumbob gems. The gems are immensely strong, despite which they occasionally shatter under the pressures that they inflict (most notably when burrowing Myrghon use them to shatter stone with repeated strikes at a wall), but they reform in about a day in such a case. The gems are ordinarily sharp, but can also be blunted by will to create an object suitable for hammering. Much of the artisanship of Myrghon society is based around control of their plumbob gems.

Indeed, much of the society of the Myrghon is also based around the development of the use of the gem. Myrghon tools are commonly built with a slot that allows them to be levitated by slotting in a gem, while Myrghon machinery may use slotted plumbob-gems near the machine's operator to provide motive power. The Myrghon also touch each other with their gems. A blunted Myrghon gem takes about thirty seconds of focused will to create as well as physical touch to the gem (and about five seconds to undo, without requiring that the gem be touched). The motions of the gems can be very gentle, so that stroking each other with blunted plumbob gems is part of the Myrghon idea of affection.

Myrghon can never send a plumbob-gem out farther from their body than the length of their tail. (Note that this is an approximation, as tailless Myrghon do not lose range on their gems.) A plumbob-gem that is forced beyond its maximum extension (such as by being grabbed unexpectedly by someone quite strong) will fade and reform at the side of the Myrghon in less than a second. Spontaneous fading and reforming can also occur periodically to gems that have been undergoing very heavy use, which is a hazard most prominent when the gems have been used to actuate machinery.

Where do Myrghon prefer to establish their settlements?

Myrghon live almost exclusively underground. The underworld in Theoma is fairly magic-drenched, and the Myrghon are mighty there despite their being the physically weakest of dragons. Myrghon settlements are most strongly drawn to mineable or quarryable resources, and their species has the greatest concentration of physically weak miners, metallurgists, and other metal-workers on Theoma. It is a commonplace among metalworking Myrghon that they do not physically lay hands upon the subjects of their work!

The majority of sapients on Theoma are dragons. Ageless, beautiful, and in this place at least, quite peaceful. Myrghon are the majority people of the underground theomes, which are places of great mystery to the dragons of the surface, who rarely interact with them. The majority of dragons on Theoma are Vrash or Vashael, and should members of the Vrash or Vashael majority make the rare decision to migrate to the underground, they are well-loved... especially Vashael, whose playful breezes are a pleasant, healthy, and exotic experience for the Myrskor when that rare wind touches them in the underground.

by Laanuei