Creature:Draconian

The draconians are a race of humanoid dragons. They are less aggressive and fight less frequently (amongst themselves or with other intelligent species) than many of their cousins, but are still fierce warriors when provoked or called upon to fight. Draconians often form pacts or alliances with other intelligent species, and will do their absolute best to uphold the alliance or die trying.

A male draconian can be anywhere from 5 ½ to 6 ½ feet tall and weigh between 130 and 200 pounds. They are lighter than similarly-sized humanoids due to their hollow bones and slender builds. Females are slightly smaller than males and tend to have smaller horns and wider hips.

Draconian Society
Draconians are noble savages. They live off the land in small, semi-permanent pastoral villages, and have advanced to an early iron age level of technology. They have a barter economy, with the closest thing to currency being the iron ingot. They find money-based economies jarring. Unlike their dragon relatives, they believe in equally sharing their most important resources (food and livestock) amongst their group, and their society can be regarded as communistic in this respect. They think of precious metals as a scourge, corrupting the hearts of those who fall victim to their allure. Some draconians who travel frequently have learned to value gold, and they tend to prove the assertion to be right, as they more often than not become as greedy as the dragons of legend. Such draconians are called durah, after the Draconic word for a bribe (implying their loyalties can be bought and sold).

Being a dragon-like species, draconians are egg-layers. A female draconian lays one egg at a time, which is then brooded by both parents until it hatches several months later. All members of an extended family take part in raising the child until its initiation into adulthood at about 14 years of age. Since draconians are not wholly dependent on their mother for their survival the way mammalian offspring are, this has led to females standing on more equal footing with males than in some societies of mammalian humanoids. Both genders share the same rights and (more importantly) the same responsibilities in their community.

In terms of social status, draconian society is relatively homogeneous; that is, no one individual is more powerful or holds more property than another. However, draconians do look up to others of greater age, experience, or accumulated honor. Draconians have a very strong sense of honor and will go to great lengths to uphold deals, promises, friendships, and alliances. To the one who treats them with respect, a draconian can be the best friend one could have.

Draconians rarely hold eye contact for long. This is because staring at another draconian's eyes for too long is considered to be a direct insult. They also have a taboo against speaking the names of the dead.

Draconian Writing Systems
Draconians use this alphabet to write Draconic, their native language.



Draconians use this system to write numbers.