Dragontouched

History

When the dragonborn finally broke free from the yoke that dragons had held them under for centuries, dragons found themselves unable to deny their own failure. They had to confront the fact that those they had subjugated for so long had bested them and managed to fight their way out of their grasp.

Faced with their defeat, dragons could have accepted their loss and decided to rely on themselves instead of subjugating others to be their servants. The dragons that bound dragonborn were proud and narcissistic, though, and believed they were simply too good to live without servants to tend to their every whim. Instead of looking for a way to advance as a society without relying on servitude, dragons conspired to make it so that the next people that they would force to serve them would never leave. In their extreme narcissism, dragons decided that the reason that the dragonborn were able to escape their torture was simply because dragonborn were too similar to dragons. They had made a servant that was so close to the master, they were simply too powerful, so dragons decided to make sure they didn’t make that same mistake on their second try.

Dragons took people from other races, humans, elves, dwarves, and others, to be their servants, but they saw them as far too weak to serve the powerful dragons. Instead of making them fully draconic like the dragonborn were, they decided to give them bits and pieces of their magic so that they could carry out the tasks they needed them to, and so the dragontouched were born. The dragontouched were infused with draconic magic that changed their physical and magical characteristics. The draconic touch manifested in different ways depending on what the dragon intended to do with that person. Some dragontouched had one arm grow to the size and shape of a dragon’s, giving them draconic strength in combat. Some had the skin on their torso or forearms turn to scales, gaining the defensive capabilities of dragon hide. Some had their legs resemble those of a dragon along with a draconic tail, becoming much more nimble and quick. And some saw their heads sprout horns and their pupils turn slitted, gaining some draconic magic.

Just like the dragonborn, the dragontouched were put in shackles by the dragons; just like the dragonborn, the dragontouched fought tooth and nail to break free from their servitude. And just like the dragonborn, after long years of fighting, they managed to free themselves from the dragon’s influence.

Nowadays, centuries past their imprisonment, dragontouched live among other races. Their draconic touch does not fade with time, and the powers that it grants remain strong, but rather than being forced to use these powers to serve, they use them as they see fit to pursue their own goals. Freedom is incredibly highly valued by the dragontouched, and they are fierce defendants of their right and the rights of everyone else to do as they wish. Contrary to most dragonborn, dragontouched culture is not particularly collectivist, and see individuality and the needs and rights of the individual as paramount. As such, dragontouched can be found in nearly every way of life, although that doesn’t mean there are no commonalities. Many dragontouched become dragon hunters, as in dragontouched culture killing a dragon proves once again that the dragons were wrong in considering the dragontouched lesser than them. Many display the spoils of battles against dragons on their person, becoming master craftsmen when it comes to working with dragon bone and other draconic materials. Their cultural appreciation for individual freedom and the defense of a person’s rights means that there are quite a few dragontouched who go to serve in government, or turn to politics to enact the change they feel is needed to uphold the values they believe in. However, there are quite a few dragontouched who have joined the clans of dragonborn, who have welcomed them with open arms. These dragontouched call themselves dragonborn, and see no difference between the two.

There are, however, many dragontouched who choose to follow the path of the adventurer, craving the freedom of the open road, taking on more dangerous jobs for fame and for fortune, and helping those that need help along the way.