Tanaron
I hesitate to even include these beings, having only met two of them in my long and storied life. Yet what they claimed to be, where they claimed to have come from, and given one of them was a dear companion and an esteemed colleague no less....I simply had to include them within this. Those with understanding of the great magicks of the universe would know that travel between realms, between worlds or even dimensions is not impossible, merely extremely dangerous. Those versed in mythology might be able to tell you why this is true, of the Void and Aetherwylle, the struggle of Creation versus the all consuming emptiness of the Void. However very few would know much of the Tanaron. They are exceedingly rare, for very few ever end up on our world or any world. Children of Star, Born of Tanes, the blood of Dragons. Descended or plummeted from on high for protection, for a chance at life, or by great tragedy, as the unperceivable war in the Dream and Night wages on invisibly amongst the darkness between stars. Occasionally though, the battles in the Dreamweave wage so ferociously that it briefly will light up the darkness of the Void beyond our own Dreamweave. Illuminating the sky, a streak of light and energy. Even more rarely this streak of light and energy, this brief wound of the Dreamweave, the blood it spills will send something tangible, something solid, plummeting into a nearby world.
Arriving as newborns or youth, a Tanaron feels the dreams of the sentient folk upon the world it arrives upon, its mind still equal parts dreaming and manifesting, and will take roughly a shape that seems appropriate, but as an infant. However their skin and eyes will betray them, to hear my own friend Montague tell it, if one knows what to look for. Irises of the purest elemental color, as if of raw manna, with skin bearing markings, tattoo esque, upon their chest and back like scale. Gem toned scales. Tane colored scales.
Tanaron. Aliens from beyond, aspects from the soul and essence of a Tane. They live for centuries, honestly uncertain of their own limits in regards to 'mortality', they exhibit a wide variety of traits that one can best describe as magick or draconic, as well as some wholly alien.
Rafiq Khal'naziri
Naming Traditions
Family names
It seems though one must assume they have names given to them upon birth or creation or whatever the appropriate term would be, Tanaron, at least as far as my only source would tell me, simply take the name that the being(s) that adopt them give them. As such one should presume their names could vary quite widely.
Culture
Major language groups and dialects
Though they know not how, Tanaron apparently arrive here able to speak our language, our shared language, as well as their own. That is they speak Arcanis, true Tane, the tongue of Dragons and Magick. Fluently, more fluently than any Magister to hear Montague tell it. Draconic, that is the language we call Draconic is at best;
"A bastardized descendent that has lost its vigor, vim and passion. Not worthy of the association with heritage of dragons!"
Another marvellous quote from a late night talk and bit of banter with Montague
Ideals
Beauty Ideals
From what little experience I can attest, it would seem their passions and sharing them tie directly into what they percieve as beautiful. Take my own friend Montague, a master biologist and scholar of the natural sciences to most, my dear friend Mochi also happens to to find the natural world of Valerick truly stunning, and in that sees great beauty. I pressed for a more poignant answer in regards to people, to matters of attraction or admiration in regards to people, but they would not grant me a better answer than that. I suspect there to it than that, but alas the best I could garner was simply;
"So long as they shine with the brilliance of Aether, and never hide themselves, they are beautiful lights in the darkness."
Montague Williamson Esq, aka Mochi, when pressed by my questions in this vein
Tanaron as Characters
Traits: Humanoid, Dragon, Rare
Physically they will take a humanoid shape, most commonly that of one of the Children of the Ascended, though claims of Greenskin, Joten and even Bestial Tanaron do exist in mythology and local legends in different parts of the world. However what will set them apart are their eye color and scale markings, which always match, and will be one of the eight pure manna tones. These markings directly indicate a variety of their base traits and elemental ties and thus will be noted below.
| Color | Element |
|---|---|
| Ruby | Fire |
| Amethyst | Entropy |
| Opal | Air |
| Onyx | Shadow |
| Sapphire | Water |
| Emerald | Nature |
| Topaz | Earth |
| Diamond | Spirit |
Hit Points
10
Size
Varies, can be Small, Medium or Large based on which ancestry they model after
Attributes
Languages
Tanaron start play fluent in Arcanis as well as Valarian (Common) and one other language based upon their heritage (which their heritage is selecting which ancestry they sort of appear as)
Aethersight
All Tanaron see as magisters and those Touched with Arcanis, perhaps unsurprising given what they are. They can see the shifting Dreamweave as most see light when they so choose, able to read and witness the billowing currents of Magick.
Extra-Planar
Though they go through the same Dying/Wounded type cycles as mortals, Tanaron have a unique secret. Should they die their body does not remain and they do not die. They are in fact simply forced out, banished, back into the Planar Sea, adrift as their ancestors, amongst the stars and Great Tapestry that is, well, the Dreamweave. However unlike many other extraplanar beings, this banishment is permanent with no expiry and no work around, for their physical form for the mortal coil is destroyed.
Birthright Cantrip
Tanaron are inherently magickal beings. They must choose Occult, Primal or Arcane and then they gain a cantrip from the appropriate list. The cantrip must have one of the traits tied to their elemental ancestry, that is the color of their scales and eyes. See table below. They can cast this cantrip 1/day to begin and one further time per day for every 5 levels they are. It scales as if they are a full caster.
Unlike many other ancestries due to their unique nature and varied body shape, size and structure, Tanaron do not really have any notable preferences or leanings when it comes to profession. As to things like height and weight those vary so greatly that there isn't a good basis for this section to work off of. Similarly this is also true of age. Eye color, as noted above, must be one of the eight tied to elemental affinities.
10
Size
Varies, can be Small, Medium or Large based on which ancestry they model after
Attributes
- Boost to Intelligence
- Boost to Constitution
- Free Boost
- Flaw to Wisdom
Languages
Tanaron start play fluent in Arcanis as well as Valarian (Common) and one other language based upon their heritage (which their heritage is selecting which ancestry they sort of appear as)
Aethersight
All Tanaron see as magisters and those Touched with Arcanis, perhaps unsurprising given what they are. They can see the shifting Dreamweave as most see light when they so choose, able to read and witness the billowing currents of Magick.
Extra-Planar
Though they go through the same Dying/Wounded type cycles as mortals, Tanaron have a unique secret. Should they die their body does not remain and they do not die. They are in fact simply forced out, banished, back into the Planar Sea, adrift as their ancestors, amongst the stars and Great Tapestry that is, well, the Dreamweave. However unlike many other extraplanar beings, this banishment is permanent with no expiry and no work around, for their physical form for the mortal coil is destroyed.
Birthright Cantrip
Tanaron are inherently magickal beings. They must choose Occult, Primal or Arcane and then they gain a cantrip from the appropriate list. The cantrip must have one of the traits tied to their elemental ancestry, that is the color of their scales and eyes. See table below. They can cast this cantrip 1/day to begin and one further time per day for every 5 levels they are. It scales as if they are a full caster.
| Color | Traits |
|---|---|
| Ruby | Fire, Emotion |
| Amethyst | Necros, Death |
| Opal | Electric, Air |
| Onyx | Mental, Illusion |
| Sapphire | Cold, Water |
| Emerald | Poison, Plant |
| Topaz | Earth, Metal |
| Diamond | Spirit, Healing |
TTRPG Inspiration Block
Unlike many other ancestries due to their unique nature and varied body shape, size and structure, Tanaron do not really have any notable preferences or leanings when it comes to profession. As to things like height and weight those vary so greatly that there isn't a good basis for this section to work off of. Similarly this is also true of age. Eye color, as noted above, must be one of the eight tied to elemental affinities.
I really like how you framed this, and the note at the bottom connecting them to Dragonborn was a great touch. I’m very interested to see how this piece will be fleshed out. The opening imagery of how rare they are, along with the reverent tone and the way you conveyed their speech and presence, really drew me in. I’m looking forward to reading more!
Thank you very much :) I'm looking forward to when I get to expanding this piece