Information about Dragons in Fireborn.
Aug. 31st, 2020 04:29 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
brave_kreyuFireborn Dragons are a bit different from the standard Knight Chomping Variety, so I've provided information here.
1. They're Shape-changers:
Every dragon has at least one form other than its draconic one that it can assume. (The setting tends to presume that at least one of these is human). Some dragons, such as those with the Shape-shifter legacy, can assume nearly any animal or humanoid form they please.
2. Immortal, Sort Of:
Dragons in Fireborn can be slain, but they don't stay dead. It may take a century or so for them to be reborn, but they will be back. Moreover, once they've spent time with their hoard, they will regain all the memories of their previous lives. Therefore, they don't fear death the way that humans do. It hurts, it means separation from friends and allies, and it can mean the failure of their plans in the world, but there is no uncertainty about what will become of them.
3. They Don't Reproduce, At All:
Dragons aren't born in the conventional sense of the word. They have no parents, they produce no offspring. They just...come into being. "Souls kindled by Karma and bodies formed from the elements" to quote canon.
4. The Brood:
A brood is a group of dragons bound together by metaphysical ties. "Soul-mates" that are tied together life after life, millennium after millennium. They can communicate telepathically with one another, and the ties of the Brood can circumvent even madness caused by Taint (see below), in time. As dragons do not reproduce, it would seem logical that the Brood takes the place of these ties.
5. Karma:
Karma is life itself, passion and feeling. Dragons need karma, their very survival depends on it. Objects that have been the subject of strong emotions or around important dramatic events are especially likely to have Karma clinging to them. The desire for Karma is the main reasons that dragons hoard.
6. The Hoard, or Why Dragons Get Really Cranky When You Steal Their Stuff:
The Hoard's most important function is as a source of Karma. Karma is used to help a dragon fight off its enemies, to heal, and to ward of Taint (see below). Hoard items also hold fragments of the Dragon's memories, which helps them come back to themselves when they are reborn. Because of all of this, the hoard is very important to a dragon, and stealing from it is a very, very bad idea.
7. Taint:
Taint is the perversion of Karma, and profoundly unnatural. Exposure to taint "eventually leads to pain starvation and death". A dragon exposed to taint for too long becomes Taint Trapped and utterly insane. His or her brood-mates can detox said Dragon, but it's not easy. Humans....well, they're doomed if they're that far gone. Sorry.
8. They're Big, Really Big:
Bigger than a Blue Whale. How much bigger, canon isn't clear on. (I've gone with 45 meters or about 148 feet long and a weight of 173 tons for Kreyu. BOTH of her broodmates are quite a bit bigger than her!)
9. Kreyu and Gender: Whoo, boy. So, canon uses female pronouns for Kreyu and male pronouns for her broodmates. However, the Fireborn setting presumes the players are playing both their mythical era dragon selves AND their modern dragon soul born and raised in a human body selves. I'm playing Kreyu from strictly Mythic age, and she has the Shapeshifter legacy, which means her physical form is essentially alterable at will. She has one 'true' shape that would, in modern terms, be cis-female and one that would be cis-male. She has lived multiple human life times as multiple human genders in the thousands of years she's been alive. She tends to think of gender, with regard to herself, as more of a social role than an absolute thing. She just alters her body to fit whatever cultural standards there are for who she is trying to be! Frankly, I'm not sure dragons in the Mythic age even HAVE gender in a way like humans do or if they just adopted the idea because of their time around humans. *gestures with hands* It's complicated.
1. They're Shape-changers:
Every dragon has at least one form other than its draconic one that it can assume. (The setting tends to presume that at least one of these is human). Some dragons, such as those with the Shape-shifter legacy, can assume nearly any animal or humanoid form they please.
2. Immortal, Sort Of:
Dragons in Fireborn can be slain, but they don't stay dead. It may take a century or so for them to be reborn, but they will be back. Moreover, once they've spent time with their hoard, they will regain all the memories of their previous lives. Therefore, they don't fear death the way that humans do. It hurts, it means separation from friends and allies, and it can mean the failure of their plans in the world, but there is no uncertainty about what will become of them.
3. They Don't Reproduce, At All:
Dragons aren't born in the conventional sense of the word. They have no parents, they produce no offspring. They just...come into being. "Souls kindled by Karma and bodies formed from the elements" to quote canon.
4. The Brood:
A brood is a group of dragons bound together by metaphysical ties. "Soul-mates" that are tied together life after life, millennium after millennium. They can communicate telepathically with one another, and the ties of the Brood can circumvent even madness caused by Taint (see below), in time. As dragons do not reproduce, it would seem logical that the Brood takes the place of these ties.
5. Karma:
Karma is life itself, passion and feeling. Dragons need karma, their very survival depends on it. Objects that have been the subject of strong emotions or around important dramatic events are especially likely to have Karma clinging to them. The desire for Karma is the main reasons that dragons hoard.
6. The Hoard, or Why Dragons Get Really Cranky When You Steal Their Stuff:
The Hoard's most important function is as a source of Karma. Karma is used to help a dragon fight off its enemies, to heal, and to ward of Taint (see below). Hoard items also hold fragments of the Dragon's memories, which helps them come back to themselves when they are reborn. Because of all of this, the hoard is very important to a dragon, and stealing from it is a very, very bad idea.
7. Taint:
Taint is the perversion of Karma, and profoundly unnatural. Exposure to taint "eventually leads to pain starvation and death". A dragon exposed to taint for too long becomes Taint Trapped and utterly insane. His or her brood-mates can detox said Dragon, but it's not easy. Humans....well, they're doomed if they're that far gone. Sorry.
8. They're Big, Really Big:
Bigger than a Blue Whale. How much bigger, canon isn't clear on. (I've gone with 45 meters or about 148 feet long and a weight of 173 tons for Kreyu. BOTH of her broodmates are quite a bit bigger than her!)
9. Kreyu and Gender: Whoo, boy. So, canon uses female pronouns for Kreyu and male pronouns for her broodmates. However, the Fireborn setting presumes the players are playing both their mythical era dragon selves AND their modern dragon soul born and raised in a human body selves. I'm playing Kreyu from strictly Mythic age, and she has the Shapeshifter legacy, which means her physical form is essentially alterable at will. She has one 'true' shape that would, in modern terms, be cis-female and one that would be cis-male. She has lived multiple human life times as multiple human genders in the thousands of years she's been alive. She tends to think of gender, with regard to herself, as more of a social role than an absolute thing. She just alters her body to fit whatever cultural standards there are for who she is trying to be! Frankly, I'm not sure dragons in the Mythic age even HAVE gender in a way like humans do or if they just adopted the idea because of their time around humans. *gestures with hands* It's complicated.
