Dracose

Dracose physiology is characterized by a bipedal, reptilian bauplan, featuring a prominent snout, pronounced fangs, and formidable claws. Their bodies are covered in scales that serve as a form of natural armor. Scale coloration and patterning exhibit significant variation across the species, with no correlation to subspecies or biological capabilities. Three distinct subspecies are recognized: the Dezzar, Bastorrin, and Serean.

A universal trait among all Dracose is the capacity for biological energy projection, commonly referred to as a "breath weapon." This is facilitated by a pair of specialized glandular sacs located in the inner jaw, which absorb ambient Myst and condense it into a volatile, semi-gaseous state for expulsion. The elemental affinity of this emission is typically aligned with one of the four Core Elements (Earth, Fire, Air, Water) or a compound hybrid thereof (e.g., Voltreonic Current, Trapp Tar). On rare occasions, an individual may manifest an affinity for Death, Ruin, Stasis, or Morphic Myst. This ability is resource-intensive, with most individuals capable of a maximum of three uses per standard day. Approximately 10% of the population, designated "Elemental Talons," exhibit a more potent, dragon-like breath attack, capable of significantly altering the local environment.
 

//>_ Hacker_Override_Initiated... Karckess on what it's like to be on the wrong end of the spray. //>_ 'Glandular sacs' sounds so clean. It's weaponized elemental spit, and it's nasty dreck. And if you see one of the 'Elemental Talons' light up, you don't stand there analyzing its elemental properties for a report. You stride. Fast. Unless you want your final AdRec to be a close-up of your own boots melting.

The Dracose reproductive cycle is unique, initiating with mammalian-style intercourse and internal gestation. During fetal development, a protective, sclerotic shell forms around the fetus. The mother eventually births this calcified egg. The viability of the neonate is determined by its ability to break free of the shell within a single day post-parturition. Should an infant fail to hatch, the clan performs the "Culling of Mourning." This ritual involves the ceremonial cooking and consumption of the unhatched egg's contents by the family, as a way to honor the potential life and return its strength to the clan.
 

//>_ Hacker_Override_Initiated... Karckess on the fine print of family rituals. //>_ Yeah, they eat it. Sounds grim, but for them, it's about respect. Nothing gets wasted, not even a life that never got started. It's a hard way to look at the world, but Anogwin's a hard world. Better than letting some Corp-Rat in a lab just incinerate it.

Dracose reach biological adolescence at approximately fourteen years of age, often preceded by clan-specific trials of adulthood around age thirteen. Full maturity is achieved at twenty years. After the age of sixty, individuals typically experience physiological and cognitive decline. Those who maintain mental acuity past the age of seventy are granted the honorific "Scaled Sage." Lifespan varies by subspecies:

• Dezzar: Average 46 years
• Bastorrin: Average 70 years
• Serean: Average 90 years

The species displays a preference for humid, temperate climates, with a majority of tribal populations concentrated along coastlines that provide ready access to piscine and avian food sources. However, they are highly adaptable and can inhabit most environments, excluding polar extremes, with appropriate technological support. A minority of Dracose clans have adapted to inland territories, often in proximity to high-threat ecological zones. These groups subsist on megafauna and are frequently viewed as outliers by coastal tribes due to their high-risk lifestyle.
 

//>_ Hacker_Override_Initiated... Karckess on real estate. //>_ Most of 'em stick to the coasts, yeah. Easy munch. The ones living next to Threat Zones? They're either hard as nails or just plain schiz. Eating what crawls out of those places changes you. The other tribes don't trust 'em, and for good reason.

The Dracose metabolic rate requires a diet high in protein. The primary components of their diet consist of fish and poultry. While capable of digesting other meats such as pork and beef, these are consumed less frequently and often considered luxury items.

Standard sensory inputs include sight, hearing, and touch comparable to other Sophic Species. Notably, the Dracose lack a developed olfactory sense, which results in a diminished sense of taste. The facial apertures that resemble nostrils are, in fact, highly specialized thermo-mystic sensory pits. These organs can detect thermal signatures and ambient Myst patterns within a short radius, effective up to a maximum of ten feet.

//>_ Hacker_Override_Initiated... Karckess on seeing what's really there. //>_ Can't smell a thing, which is probably a blessing in most of Anogwin's gutters. But those pits in their face? A Dracose can 'see' the heat from a hidden power pack or the shimmer of a caster focusing Myst from across a room. Saved my hide more than once having a Dracose on the team who could spot the I.C.E. that wasn't showing on my therra.