THE DRAGONS OF TORIS

Basic Information

Lifespan

Unknown

Average Height

Hatchling: 15 ft Youngling: 25 ft Adolescent: 35 ft Adult: 45 ft Ancient: 75 ft

Average Weight

Hatchling: 18,000lbs Youngling: 30,500lbs Adolescent: 33,500lbs Adult: 50,650lbs Ancient: 110,200lbs

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Genetics And Reproduction

Although dragons understand the concept of gender, they themselves don't adhere to gender culturally or genetically. Dragons are asexual, allowing them to reproduce without needing a partner. The typical gestation for a dragon egg is five years, give or take a month.

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Dietary Needs And Habits

Dragons are primarily carnivores, but when food is scarce they act more like omnivores. In desperate times they can enter a hibernation-like state and absorb sustenance from the surrounding Ether.

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Naming Traditions

Draconian names tend to be one word, leaving the last name to be like a title for the dragon itself. Here are some examples of dragon names: Dornbush, Peppiatt, Ukuth, Freimulth, Vudupheoth, Vyryles, Frondin, Poalloalth, Mierliet, Chiendryt. Some notable Draconian names are Pavnurys Wrath Of The Green, Urmu The Clever, Cieldraness The Gifted One, Xethe The Savage, Cynder The Great Ember, Anaxious The Unfaithful.

 

History

On Sycundus 35th, 507 B.D. Aratonia was changed forever when Cynder, the Great Ember invaded this world and brought with her many legions of drakes. Long ago the gods saw an evil presence sweeping through each of the seven worlds, devouring all life in its path as it hurdled toward The House Eternal. Before this dark and vile blight had spread to Toris, The Garden of The Divine, the gods created a magnificent creature of unimaginable power to bring an end to the growing evil. The divine knew this creature as Nethrak, The Guardian of Toris. Soon the day came for Nethrak to fulfill his destiny and halt the spread of the evil, then known as the Soul Plague. After Nethrak emerged victorious, he returned to the divines and dwelled with them as their hero for eons in the garden. In time Nethrak grew in power and knowledge, so much so that he banished the gods from the holy garden, Toris. With Toris now under the control of Nethrak, he was able to absorb divinity from The House Eternal. With this new-found power, Nethrak was able to create the "children of the garden". He made them in his image, gave them wings, and colored them to reflect their unique talents. Some were green, some purple, and others were blue or white. A small few were given special colors such as red or black. These children would someday become known to mortals as dragons. Green dragons are the weakest of their kind in terms of physical power. What they lack in strength they make up for in deviousness. These emerald serpents develop telepathy once they reach adolescence and the older they get, the stronger it becomes. Purple dragons are on the smaller side when compared to their kin, but are still great and imposing like the rest of them. Purple dragons are the fastest to come from the garden. Blue dragons do not breathe fire like most others do, but instead have a breath of lightning. Older blue dragons have been seen calling forth storms of raging lightning and thunder during wars. White dragons are known for their icy breath. During the War of Retribution, white dragons would call forth blizzards in order to turn battles in their favor. Red dragons are unlike any other from the garden. They are angry, hateful creatures that strive to assert dominance over all forms of life. They act as leaders in the legions of Nethrak's army and will stop at nothing to see their draconian rule cover the god's creation. Black dragons are conniving, clever and sadistic. These dragons attach their focus to souls and the process of passing into the afterlife. They conduct horrible and inhumane experiments for the sake of understanding mortality. They believe death is more like a person, rather than just an outcome. After Nethrak made his children, he became aware of other lands that saved themselves from the soul plague. To his dismay, Nethrak could not leave his home for he was bound. After centuries of forging and molding, Nethrak created a champion of his own. From the fires of the universe, he pulled forth his first princess and he named her Cynder. It is said that when Cynder took her first breath she inhaled some of the flames that were used to forge her. Nethrak trained and guided his new champion for several lifetimes before she was ready for her true purpose. When the day came that she was ready, she was sent to Aratonia so that it could be taken as yet another world under Nethrak's claws. When the dragons invaded Aratonia there were few who had any hope of defeating them. These creatures tore down entire cities, they hunted those who worshiped the divines and soon, they had their new world. Some dragons saw the truth of what their oppression had done to the peoples of Aratonia and decided to side against their own kind in a rebellion. Humans, dwarves, elves, dragons, and even angels rallied together in order to finally overthrow Cynder and her knights. With her dying breath, Cynder closed her eyes and recited a poem. This would become the Word of Embers. 

"Forgive me, Father, I have failed. Punish me so I may yet prevail, throw me to the fire where I am well-taken, save me now so I may yet awaken." Upon death, Cynder's body was engulfed in fire and burned to a pile of ash. It is widely accepted that Cynder and her knights are a thing of the past. However, there are those who believe Aratonia will never truly be rid of dragons.

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Nethrak The Initium

Dragonkind revers Nethrak as their creator. He was the original dragon and from him, the first eggs were laid. These eggs would hatch and from them would crawl out the firstborn of Nethrak, or rather the "Carorum" as they are known in the language of Drakes Tongue. Some consider Nethrak to be evil while some consider him to be the result of the gods' propensity to discard things they see as lesser. Not lesser in power or stature, but rather lesser in importance. The gods view themselves as cornerstones of the cosmos, they believe that without them, reality will crumble into chaos. Even for all of Nethrak's power and might, he is seen as little more than an attack dog. There was once a time when Nethrak quelled a foe too great for even the gods of that age; despite saving the Fynybus, the gods still did not respect him. The dragons, however, worship him. Dragons see Nethrak as the savior of the Fynybus, the one who stokes The Fires of The Universe. He was created as a last-ditch effort to defeat the growing Soul Plague. The gods of that age, both arcane and divine, banded together to weave their might and majesty in devastating unity during a ritual. The ritual started with a basilisk upon an altar constructed at the precipice of The Fires of the Universe and by the end, the basilisk had proved too weak and was pronounced dead by Araton. The gods spent three days and three nights awaiting their certain demise and in their final hour of hopelessness, salvation arrived. Nethrak descended from the heavens with a mighty crash, the ritual was a success! He had the appearance of an impossibly large creature with legs like towering mountains and a head that filled the sky. His scales were black from a distance but upon closer inspection little dots of sparkling starlight could be seen on each scale. His eyes were beautiful like galaxies and the breath he exhaled was like that of flowing nebulas. His voice was music to his kin yet to others, it was a warning. After warring with the blight for nearly seven days Nethrak halted the Soul Plague. When the gods saw he was driving it back they rallied behind him and gave him a third of each of their might so that he may cull the evil blight once and for all. Though significant damage to the fynybus had already been done, Nethrak's power was great enough to save that which the gods called home. Nethrak was not without injury, however. Though his scales seemed unblemished his heart was not as fair. His battle with the blight left him changed for now he saw the entire Fynybus as unsafe and unruly. Now imbued with power beyond even those who made him and a heart that was jagged from the war he seeks control of the fynybus. Nathrak believes that the only way for him to carry out his purpose, which is protecting the fynybus, is to fill it with his army. 

 

The Carorum

It's difficult to understand exactly what Carorum means in drakes-tongue but it's believed it means something similar to "loved ones" or "cherished offspring". Whichever translation you use it's easy to see that for Nethrak to give them this title means they're very special to him. So what do the Carorum do? Nethrak sees his offspring as more than just children, but also as an army to assert his dominance over the Fynybus. They are very much pieces to be used on the board that is the battlefield. They act as his most trusted generals in leading his armies to different planets. 

The Carorum consists of the following: Nethrak's first-born and first black dragon to draw breath, Incurusus The Lightless. His presence is so dark that all that is light and good flee from him. Nethrak's second-born and first of the red dragons, Cynder The Elden Flame. Her flames are hot enough to burn holes in the Wall of Eternity. Nethrak's third-born and first of the white dragons, Ferus The Savage. His teeth and claws are strong enough to shred even the greatest armor crafted by Agnir himself. Nethrak's fourth-born and first of the blue dragons, Inanis The Cruel. Inanis' very words are pure power. Once struck by the lightning that comes from his maw your pain will never end, not even in death. Nethrak's fifth-born and first of the purple dragons, Velox The Untouched. Velox moves so quickly that there are only a select few beings in all of the Fynybus whose eyes can follow him. Nethrak's sixth-born and final hatchling, the first of the green dragons, Dominari The Ruler. Dominari can peer into the minds of all but the strongest entities in existence without even leaving his lair. 

 

Life As A Dragon Of Torris

Torris is truly a massive planet with about ninety percent of its surface being dense jungles and tall mountains. The sky is always filled with clouds and it seems as though the rain never completely stops. Deep rivers flow out from the northern pole of the planet where the Great Lake Ariel can be found. On average, the days on Torris are swelteringly hot and the nights are unbearably cold. There are hundreds of thousands of miles of tunnels going throughout the planet. This is indeed a dragon's paradise. The dragons that can be found on Torris are allowed to live their lives as they please with few rules to follow. Nethrak commands that once every rotation all of his kin must pay respects to him by attending "Mane Festum" which roughly translates to "Morning Feast". For dragons, this is a celebration of life and an opportunity to show gratitude to Nethrak. All of Nethrak's kin gather underneath his belly and unleash all their fire and lightning at him at once. This is their way of expressing their love toward him. If he is pleased with their display he will stand above them to protect them while they feast. After celebrations have concluded, Nethrak usually retreats to his lair atop Mount Potentia. Afterward, the dragons will carry on with whatever it is they wish to do. Some enjoy chasing down prey to test their hunting ability while others just wish to sit and watch the animals of Torris and observe their existence. Some dragons wrestle and fight each other, some like to find hidden places to enjoy quiet meditation. Occasionally Nethrak will descend from his mountain and collect certain dragons he sees as potential warriors, or in drakes-tongue, "Bellator". This is considered a great honor by most dragons. The Bellator are sent to the Carorum to be used on the front lines of Nethrak's cosmic conquest. If all you've ever seen are the Bellator then you'd be forgiven for thinking dragons are just beasts. Most dragons are inquisitive; they enjoy observing the Fynybus and all its little mysteries. They are capable of learning languages, and even magical spells. Often they are not considerate of smaller lifeforms; this is largely due to ignorance which is a result of Nethrak sheltering them from the rest of the cosmos. On Torris, dragons can live an average lifespan of three thousand years whereas on other planets their expected lifespan is approximately nine hundred years. This is because of a unique substance only found on Torris called "Vytrus" roughly translating to "life dust". This substance falls off of Nethrak during the Mane Festum and faintly hums with a beautiful melody. Dragons eat this to extend their life and rejuvenate their vitality. Once a dragon leaves Torris it is knowingly giving up this substance and thus, dooming itself. Dragons who experience withdrawals from vytrus grow increasingly more violent and aggressive; eventually, the dragon will begin hallucinating until driven completely insane. This insanity will sever the link shared between that dragon and Nethrak resulting in its immediate death. This process is referred to as "Discessum" and is considered to be the beginning of the next phase of life for the afflicted dragon. 

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Discessum

The Discessum is a spiritual process for dragons wherein their body begins transitioning into the afterlife. It is a time for them to accept their own finite life ending and embrace what comes after. Dragons believe that so they were made from The Fires of the Universe, so shall they return; this is the same fire that Nethrak tends to night and day. In death, dragons become ever closer to their god and his eternal flames. This process is painful and can sometimes take many years depending on how stubborn the dragon is. 

 

Draconis Bestia

These dragons stand on four very muscular legs, and, their massive wings stretch out from their back above their front shoulders. Their skin is covered in thick overlapping scales that come in a wide range of colors. Some of these beasts can grow to be nearly ninety feet tall and over three hundred feet long. They have spikes going from the horns on their head down their spine to the tip of their tail which ends in a boney point. Some of them can exhale fire, some ice, and just a few can exhale lightning. Draconis Bestia is the most common of Nethrak's soldiers because of how versatile they can be with their assaults. One of the most notable Draconis Bestia was Cynder, The Elden Flame. Cynder conquered Aratonia in the second age before being defeated by Hendric The Brave, though she would later rise again in the third age only to be permanently slain by the legendary crew of The Fates Whisper.

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Draconis Deus

Draconis Deus have extremely long serpent-like bodies covered in tiny, smooth, scales. Some shine like gold whereas others may shine like silver. Their squared head is surrounded by a thick mane that follows their spine going all the way down their back to the tip of their tail where there are bright and beautiful feathers. They have three pairs of legs spaced out along their body. You will know a Draconis Deus has reached its full length when its final pair of legs come in. One of the largest known Draconis Deus grew to be one thousand feet long before he was slain by St. Vincent of the Nyllheim. 

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Draconis Medusozoa

Imagine an oval-shaped body with eight sets of gills on its torso, now add two large fins on each side. The bottom of these fins is covered in thin, barbed, fiber-like hair; if touched they will administer an electric shock capable of knocking out a fully grown kraken. The neck of this beast stretches far out from the body and at its tip is a plume-like head without eyes. Extending from the plume-like head are thousands of tendrils that deliver a certainly lethal shock. Attached to the backend of this beast is a disproportionately long tail with a bioluminescent bulb at the end to attract prey. These dragons do not have scales like the rest of their kin; their entire body is nearly completely translucent. The average Draconis Medusozoa can reach lengths of around three thousand feet. 

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Draconis Crystallo

Draconis Crystallo is often referred to as the Crystal Wyrm. Its body can grow to be thirty feet in diameter and upwards of five hundred feet long. Their bodies are covered in scales that resemble quartz and can be different shades of greens, pinks, and reds. Few people ever get to see a Draconis Crystallo because its scales allow them to bend light in their area so that they remain invisible, even when in the presence of magical light. If you do get to see one you'll notice their mouths are circular and inside their mouths are dozens and dozens of rows of razor-sharp, barbed teeth that angle inward. Once caught in its maw it is nearly impossible to escape.

 

Dragons of any kind can be expected to have unwavering loyalty to Nethrak. Most do not concern themselves with what is right or wrong but rather what Nethrak has ordered them to do. While this does not excuse their savagery, I do believe it gives us hope for these creatures. Perhaps they just need to be shown a better way of life, a more civilized way. Or maybe I'm a fool for thinking they can do anything else aside from destroying. What do you think?