Dragonid Race Template

Species: Dragonids (singular: Dragonid).

Description: A male dragonid stands at around six and a half feet tall, including the horns, without which the creature is six inches shorter. Females are about about a foot below the males, with proportionally-smaller horns. All dragonids have a bipedal stance with four limbs, two wings, a dragon-like head with a snout full of fangs and a non-forked tongue, a tail, no outer ears, and claws on all four limbs. Being reptilian, they lay eggs and have no hair or fur. Females lack mammaries, but they are noticeably smaller and have a different body shape than the male, a sort of noticeable set of female curves. Males and females have greatly different scents as well, something a human would not notice.

Each hand has three finger and a thumb, each foot has three toes and a spur. Every dragonid has two horns on his or her head. They have scaly skin, reptilian eyes, and a keen sense of smell. Unlike dracons and dragons, dragonids cannot breathe fire, acid, or any other breath weapon. They are capable of gliding with their wings under the right circumstances, but they cannot fly. Common skin tones include red, green, and blue. Common eye colors are red, yellow, blue, and green, although different skin and eye colors also exist. Males and females alike have a lighter-skinned underside, usually colored white or yellow. This lighter color also appear on the palms of their hands, the soles of their feet, and under their tails.

Geography: Dragonids live in a series of valleys and peaks nestled between two great mountain ranges, although their recent expansion has led to them claiming some plains, forests and swamps. Their largest cities are located on mountains overlooking the valleys, while the valleys themselves are filled with farms and ranches. The mountains are filled with mineral riches, and they operate large mines to take advantage of this wealth.

Culture: The overriding influence on dragonid culture is their militarism and status as predator creatures. They consider other beings to be their prey if they cannot match them in war. While they stop short of cannibalizing other species (at least in this day and age!), they have no problems with conquering and enslaving other species. Besides slavery, the dragonids also reduce their conquered races to lesser-caste members of society even when they are formally free. So far, they have conquered tribes of lizardfolk, humanoid wolves, and whole tribes of sylvan elves, many of which have been relocated to inner-city slums in complete violation of their forest-loving culture.

To this end, dragonids place a high value on war and violence. Their sports tend to be martial in nature, public entertainment consists of gladiator fights and animal contests, and there is little penalty for non-lethal fighting at bars or even in the streets, as long as no one is permanently injured in such a way that they would be unable to fight again. In fact, it can be said that the government even encourages a level of violence among its citizens, due to the very low levels of arrests made when it comes to violent crimes of all sorts.

Dragonid music is very heavy on percussion instruments and loud brass instruments, with trumpets being a favorite. Art tends to reflect the violent state of society as a whole, and is frequently the subject to government regulations as well as patronage. Literature, music, and art that the government disapproves of is banned, with violators subject to torture and execution.

In spite of all this violence, most average dragonids try to get on with their daily lives as best they can. Much of the brutality can be attributed to the form of government they have as well as the belligerent nature of the current dynasty in command. Dragonids speak draconic and write in that alphabet. In truth, there is a more peaceful side of their existence, for after years of service in the army, a male dragonid is expected to run a farm, marry, and raise as many children as he can to supply future soldiers for the army.

Female dragonids are legally and culturally made subservient to the males, and are forbidden to own land or make their own business arrangements. That said, female dragonids are often in charge while their husbands are away at war. Most females accept their role as inferiors, but are not happy about it, and many of them take a certain kind of grim delight upon seeing a female get the better of a male in any way. Female dragonids are not allowed in the army, but they are respected as breeders. Highly fertile females (10 eggs which hatch a healthy child) receive medals as if they were soldiers, and those who lay 20 healthy eggs or more may very well get a chance to meet the emperor himself!

Upper-class dragonids almost invariably own large estates or hold high positions in the government. Virtually all rich dragonids own slaves who work on plantations, mines, or quarries. It must be noted that many rich dragonids do not actually own these mines or even plantations, but operate them for the government, supplying the management and labor force for them, even though a majority of dragonid nobles are owners as well as operators. Many rich dragonids also run businesses which supply the military with weapons and materials, particularly those goods which the dragonid state finds hard to produce on its own, such as heavy armor or saddles.  

Every dragonid book ever written has to be sent to Draconis for inspection before it is published. If it passes muster, it can be copied and sold. If not, one of several measures will take effect. First, if it is found to be in breach of what the censors consider to be proper in a very minor way, the offending passages will be removed but it can be otherwise published normally. If the book if found to be offensive (usually by criticizing the government), the writer can be arrested, tortured, mutilated, thrown into an arena, or summarily executed. As such, dragonid writers play it very safe with their material.

Government: The dragonids live in a centralized autocratic empire. Their state is divided into ten provinces plus the imperial domain in the center, subject to direct administration by the emperor. There are also two Marches, which are recently-conquered borderlands which have yet to be fully consolidated into a province and are governed by military leaders instead of the governors. These marches are mostly inhabited by lizardfolk and wolf-people, but there is currently an aggressive resettlement and breeding campaign on the part of the dragonid government to change that, with whole minority villages being uprooted and replaced to remove the native inhabitants so that new dragonid settlements can be built in their place.

Each of the ten provinces is ruled by a governor appointed by the emperor himself. His own domain is larger than the next two largest provinces combined and his located at the geographic center of the country, which is simply called the dragonid empire. The capital, Draconis, is a showpiece city of over a million people complete with a vast arena, a gigantic palace, large temples, and a vast system of walls and fortifications. The provincial capitals are fairly large, each one designed to be like a miniature version of Draconis, with a governor's palace, arena, temples, and fortifications. The provincial capitals have between 100,000 and 250,000 inhabitants each. Other cities tend to be much smaller, with most barely averaging 50,000. Most dragonids live in the countryside as farmers, hunters, and herders.

Laws are passed by decree of the emperor and enforced by the army. Local guards are raised by each of the governors, but all guards and soldiers are ultimately answerable to the emperor. Every province has a garrison stationed in at least two places, with a force in the provincial capital as well as in at least one fort in every province. Governors have the ability to raise guards for local defense, but cannot command troops beyond the limits of his province. Furthermore, governors cannot make new laws, but can only implement them. Finally, while local taxes can be raised to maintain guard units, they can only be excises on local goods in the form of a sales tax. The ultimate taxing and spending authority rests with the emperor and his bureaucrats, who make all decisions regarding taxation and infrastructure apart from the aforementioned minor local taxes.

Military: As the emperor rules by the force of arms, the military takes top priority in dragonid society. All males are expected to serve in some capacity for at least a few years, usually in their late teens or twenties. As dragonids live for about as long as humans do, this is considered normal for them. The dragonid army numbers about 450,000 - 500,000 at any given time, out of a population of about 10 million dragonids and 3 million subject peoples. To fill the army with officers, every province has a military school, with a more advanced academy in Draconis for training elite soldiers and higher-ranking officers.

The dragonid army is divided into legions of about 10,000 soldiers each, with a number given to each unit, such as the 10th legion or the 7th. Every legion has a general who in turn answers to an officer known as a high general. Every high general is appointed by the emperor directly and is given a command proportionate to the needs of a certain province or a campaign. For example, the emperor might grant a command of five legions to a general if he needs to stop an invading army, or might grant command of ten or more legions if he orders an invasion of another kingdom.

Each legion comes equipped with a variety of soldiers, including heavy infantry, cavalry, archers, siege engineers, and mages. Dragonid magic is very heavy on the offensive, particularly fire magic, and is known for its powerful summoning spells. All mages are obliged to spend at least some time in the army, usually for far longer than a normal soldier would.

In addition to the army, there are city guards, town watches, and local rural patrols which number about 200,000 or so altogether. Although few of them are as well trained or armed as soldiers, they are useful for maintaining law and order, as well as suppressing local insurrections. Dragonids also sometimes tolerate militias if they are needed to suppress a revolt or defend a border zone from raids, but most groups of armed civilians are not tolerated.

Finally, the emperor commands his own soldiers, simply known as the imperial guard. This force numbers about 100,000 strong, has its separate chain of command, and its numbers do not count as part of the roughly half a million soldiers of the normal army. These troops get the highest pay, the best training, the finest weapons, and are under direct command of the emperor himself. The imperial guard also has a section to it called the palatine guard, the elite of the elite. These troops are the best 1,000 of the imperial guard and are chosen to be the personal palace guards and bodyguard of the emperor himself. The other 99,000 or so are charged with protecting the city of Draconis, crushing rebellions among the normal army, and handling missions too difficult for any other force in the dragonid military. Note that the defenses of Draconis require about 50,000 soldiers to fully staff, so the imperial guard very rarely deploys more than half of its number away from Draconis at any time. If most of the guard needed to deploy away from the capital, another 50,000 would be moved into the guard from the regular army and/or be recruited to make up the difference.

If there is a single weakness to the dragonid military it is that their empire is landlocked and thus, there is no navy. So far, they have not found a way to expand to the ocean, but they are seeking one. Apart from that, the strain of maintaining roughly 800,000 troops (~500,000 in the regular army, 100,000 in the imperial guard, and another 200,000 local guards added together) weighs heavily on the economy.

Economy: The best way to describe the dragonid economy is top-heavy and government-directed. While there is private property and trade with the outside world, the government maintains a strong presence everywhere. Apart from owning most of the mines, the dragonid state is the largest single landowner in the empire by far. Many industries are government monopolies, such as iron and most weapons production. The purpose of such monopolies is to support the army, which is fed and clothed using state-owned farms, tailors, armorers, and other institutions. More and more farmers are finding that the government is forcing farmers to sell their land at sacrifice prices, only to have to work for the government as tenant farmers, having to pay rent on the land they once owned, growing what the government wants in exchange for a wage or else a small fraction of their crops.

Slavery plays a major role in the dragonid economy as well, with most of the mines, many farms, and some industries being staffed primarily or fully by slaves. While there are dragonid slaves, this is discouraged by the government, as slaves cannot serve in the military. Instead, minority races are used as slave labor, which has been useful in filling the vacuum during wartime, when many dragonids are away fighting. Commonly, lizardfolk slaves often work in mining, elven slaves are often kept in the house, and wolf slaves are made to do menial tasks like scrub floors or wait tables.

The dragonids issue gold, silver, and bronze currency, with 10 of each unit being worth one of the more valuable metal. All coins are stamped with the face of the emperor on one side, and an image of the city of Draconis on the other. Taxes are quite high, and the government places levies on international trade, income, sales, and property. Commerce with the outside world is subject to complex licenses and conditions, which often have a stifling effect on such trade. Internally, the empire has eliminated guilds and institutions that might threaten government control of the economy, with small producers of goods such as carpenters or weavers being subject to a great many imperial rules and regulations.

Government regulations on prices and wages are strict, and are often far out of line with actual market conditions. This mixed-up system interferes with price signals, and produces don't know what goods are in demand and where. It also makes it hard for merchants to know what good to sell to what markets, so it is hard for many of them to turn a profit. As such, many of the outlying regions of the empire suffer shortages of consumer goods, even as the large cities tend to be well-stocked with them. Plunder from war and tribute from foreign powers has eased some of the problems, but these remain inadequate solutions at best.

Perhaps the biggest economic problem the dragonids face isn't one of an interfering government or even their increasing dependency on slave labor and foreign plunder. Merchants are generally looked down on in dragonid society, and there isn't much of an entrepreneurial spirit. The emphasis is on service to the army in one's youth so one can survive to retire to a farm or government job in one's later years. The emphasis is on gaining wealth through conquest or exploitation, not by creating it through business, industry, or providing services other than to the state. That said, weapon makers and allied industries (such as metal smelting and forging) are held in high regard, so there is some respect for industry when it serves the demands of the military.

Religion: As with much of their culture, dragonid religion glorifies war. Religion is also subject to control of the state, which maintains laws on which gods can and cannot be worshiped. Dragonid ceremony is lavish, long, and loud, with ceremonies designed to overawe the worshipers and the public at large. All of their temples glorify the empire and its rulers. The emperor himself is viewed as the chosen son of heaven, although the actual myths behind such claims are shaky at best.

The dragonid pantheon is unusual in that the main god changes with the decrees of the emperor. These changes are made in response to the needs of the state at any given time, such as a fertility god in a time of famine or a war god in a time of military upheaval. The one consistency between these pantheons is that they are always headed by a male.

One very important note is that the gods that the dragonids worship are revered for their power, not their morality or their virtue. Good or evil is irrelevant to them in matters of religion. Faith is of secondary importance to them, at best. Instead, religion is viewed as a means to gain power, much like a contract. This means that they are willing to worship demons, conduct sacrifices of captured enemy soldiers and their own prisoners, and even destroy enemy cities if their gods demanded it.

History: No one is quite sure how the dragonids came to be. Their own historical record is scant a few centuries before the founding of their empire, which is itself about 500 years old. A series of conflicts between warring states resulted in the victory of the state of Edori, which has given its name to the current ruling family, the Edorean dynasty.

The victory by Edori gave that state and its institutions rule over the other regions, which in time expanded to form the ten provinces. This expansion was gradual at first, as the dragonids had to fight other empires in the region, often coming close to losing. It was during this time that the current militaristic dragonid society emerged. Eventually, the empire's borders extended to the edge of the mountains, a limit regarded as the natural limit of the empire. It was only in the last century that the current expansion into flatter land has taken place.

Apart from wars and dynasties, the dragonids keep details of their history frustratingly scarce, often due to censorship from the emperor. Unlike the dracons, who manage to write a number of secret histories and publish them outside of the regions these histories deal with, virtually all dissent has been crushed in the dragonid empire.  

Magic: In addition to the military applications of their magic, dragonids view spells as  tools to be used for their own gain. It is not seen as an art under most circumstances, nor is it a science to them. Rather, they treat it as a mason would treat a hammer, or a butcher his knives.

It is mandatory for all dragonids with natural magic (known as sorcerers) or those seeking to learn magic (known as wizards) to do study at one of the magic schools that are run by the state. There is one magic school per province plus a larger university in the city of draconis, where more advanced studies take place. Unregulated magic is forbidden, and mages practicing their craft outside of the law are hunted down and put to death, often by a 5000-strong mage-hunting unit of the imperial guard.

Female dragonids are never taught magic, but the few who are born with it are married off to a willing male mage in an arranged marriage. In this union, she is expected to breed as many male sorcerers as possible, and if any of her daughters show natural magical aptitude, their mother's fate will await them as well. Dragonid sorceresses who resist this vocation are put to death, but those female who go along with it and bear magical offspring are highly respected for contributing to the dragonid military, as they know that every mage in the army can make the difference between winning and losing a war.

Education: Apart from magical schools and military academies, education is a private affair that only the rich can afford. Many dragonids go into the military or study magic in order to get an education. Most of these schools do not teach females, although there is technically no law against them doing so. On the other hand, it is generally illegal to teach slaves how to read or write in any language, and the penalty for doing so can range from simply having the slaves confiscated to being made into a slave oneself!

Apart from magical and military training, private academies for the wealthy are found in a few cities, mostly in the imperial capital of draconis or in the provincial capitals. There are also schools attached to temples for the training of new clergy. Although military training is held above all else, there is also quite a large demand for trained scribes and bureaucrats. Given how top-heavy dragonid society is, the state requires a gigantic apparatus to administer so many functions of the empire's society. As such, scribal training is widely available for those who can afford the cost.

Recreation: Although idle pleasures are often looked down on by the dragonids, they are well known for their skills in sports such as wrestling, horse riding, archery, and various martial arts. Spectator sports invariably revolve around violent and often lethal contests of martial prowess, the likes of which are often paid for by the government, at least for free admission. Most of the money in such sports comes from proceeds from betting on the gladiators or other combatants in any event.

Dragonids are known for alcohol producing, usually valley-grown wine of good if not great quality. Public drunkenness is common in many of the poorer parts of their major cities, but few dragonids are alcoholics.

The matter of what is deemed "venereal slavery" is another matter altogether. On one hand, it is illegal for such activities to take place, in part due to fears of confusing paternity and encouraging a class of unmarried females. On the other hand, if the female isn't actually getting any money, but she is a slave and her owner is getting a fee for another service rendered, and this service just happens to include a visit to a female of this sort, there is a loophole in the law which would technically allow for it. On this sick matter, even the dragonid government doesn't approve, and efforts to crack down on this disease-spreading, highly unproductive trafficking are ongoing. Many dragonids go so far to say it is immoral to force females into that kind of servitude, although it is for all the wrong reasons by most civilized standards. Instead of being concerned for the welfare of the female, many who oppose such sick behaviors insist that those females should be working in productive labor, not lying on a bed.    

Other Notes: Dragonids do not use footwear, but they use shirts, pants and other clothing common to humans, albeit with modifications to handle their wings. Males and females dress differently, with females using dresses and skirts and males using long pants and long-sleeved shirts. It is not uncommon for dragonids to go shirtless or use shorter clothing in the summer or in the warmer parts of their empire. As females do not have breasts, there are no tops designed for that part specifically, although dresses cover their chests all the same.

A few dragonids protests against the racism and violence so common in their society, but most who disagree keep quiet for fear of the all too real consequences.