Dragons
Dragons, most commonly known as Firstborn, are exceptionally powerful creatures whose influence and power rivals that of the Gods. Their personalities, strategies and motivations vary widely, as does their level of interaction with the mortal races and their views towards them. Since the dawn of recorded history, Dragons have seen themselves in a perpetual war with the Divine. The Gods themselves claim not to know why, but often end up warring in return, in the interest of self-defense.
Dragons are unique in colour, style of rulership, and affinities, but they all share a few common traits. All Firstborn possess temperaments and passions that shape and define who they are. Dragons also offer their most prized followers a chance of life after death through rebirth and, eventually, ascension. Finally, all Dragons maintain a territory on the various planes, sometimes spanning multiple planes, from which they are not physically able to leave under any recorded circumstance. While Firstborn are limited to movement within their own territory, their servants, Draconians, and Dragon Knights are not and will often travel to help spread their influence in places their Dragon cannot physically go.
Firstborn come in all colours and sizes, ranging in size from that of a house cat to that of a small island. Do not equate their size with power, however, for they are all equipped with a unique and formidable Breath Weapon as well as an affinity towards a specific type of magic, which is unmatched. Dragons differ greatly in appearance from one another; for example, some may have wings, while others do not. Aquatic Dragons may have adapted fins, while desert-dwelling Firstborn may burrow. Though their differences are many, they share a common penchant for taking a preferred mortal form. Often a Dragon will find taking the form of a mortal beneficial in some way and, while they are still physically bound to their territory, some find it easier to rule – or manipulate – disguised as those they are ruling over.
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Temperaments & Powers
All Dragons posses both temperaments and passions which are used to identify their personalities and motivations. Their temperaments are a combination of their mental, physical, and emotional traits. This is their natural and ingrained predisposition to certain actions, and is often influential in the lifestyle they live and the power they wield. Dragons are by no means limited to these temperaments, and only a short lived fool believes that just because a Firstborn is naturally calm they are incapable of anger. All Firstborn are incredibly versatile, exceptionally intelligent, and capable of behaving any way they wish when motivated to do so; however, their recorded temperament is what is most commonly witnessed by the mortals of Arthos.
Every Dragon has a hoard and those that serve the Dragon are expected to feed that hoard. This hoard is the Dragon’s passion. What a Firstborn hoards is unique and the larger the hoard, the more power and influence they have within their territory. If a Dragon values gold, than gold must be given to earn their favour. If a Dragon hordes items of magic, than those too must be sacrificed to increase that Firstborn’s power. As with temperament, these are not the only things a Dragon may crave, but feeding their primary passions is never unwelcome.
Afterlife
While the Gods offer an afterlife and eternity for their most faithful – to exist in their celestial heavens – Dragons offer rebirth and, ultimately, ascension into the Dragon itself. This is commonly called the Hundred Step Passage.
Unlike Gods, who rely on mortals to decide to worship them, Dragons choose the spirits they deem potentially worthy. When a spirit is identified, the Firstborn infuses a tiny mote of their essence into that mortal and, unknown to them, sets them on the first of one hundred steps. The chosen spirit becomes bound to that Dragon and, regardless of how they act or carry themselves, they will always find themselves drawn to that Firstborn. That spirit has free will and can chose not to follow, but if they follow the pull, and live a dedicated life, when they die they are reborn one step further along the passage. Once a spirit has moved forward a step, they cannot be forced back. Should they die and be deemed unworthy by their Dragon, they are reborn on the same step to try again. Each new step the spirit achieves grants them a new life upon death; one unrestricted by race or gender, in which they are reborn anew into the mortal world and drawn once again to serve their Firstborn. After ninety nine lives of faithful service, the final life the spirit takes is as a Draconian. Should the Draconian live and die a life deemed worthy to the Firstborn, they are absorbed into the Dragon as an armoured scale and their power and life force is given to the Dragon to serve and protect them for eternity. The only exception to this, and one that will permanently remove them from the Passage regardless of their progress, is if the spirit dies after having pledged their life to the Divine. This unforgivable sin will sever the bond between the mortal spirit and the Dragon, denying them ascension and removing them forever from the Draconic afterlife. It is for this reason that a Champion or Divine Demagogue Draconian is often seen by those that follow the Firstborn as the most heinous of abominations.
Regardless of which step the spirit is on, they posses no memories of their previous lives, which step they are on, nor even if they are on the Passage at all. Ascension along the steps does not grant the spirit any special abilities or knowledge over a non-bonded spirit. It is not a requirement that those wishing to progress a step become favoured to their Dragon, although that frequently ends up being the case. Simply serving the Firstborn in a manner that feeds their passions and exemplifies their temperament is often enough to please their Dragon and move them forward.
Finally, although unproven, many Draconic scholars believe that time is not relevant to the process of ascension. At any given point there could be five, ten, or more of the same spirit, on different steps in the passage, alive at one time. Bonded spirits do not grant familiarity with their other selves, nor any attraction based on their shared lives.