Qinglong

These are revered and mythical dragons spread thinly throughout Yaxiya, residing within bodies of water. They are considered the ultimate beastial expression of Wylrith aside from Rain himself, thought to be their ancestor. There are a handful of variants among the qinglong, one for each of Wylrith's physical aspects, and each have their own respective names. Those blessed by Ithisda are Panlong, by Iska are Bailong, by Vapri are Feilong and by Siryl are Heilong. While there are more dragons within Huaren mythology, the rest have kaithur from other elements. However, those qinglong guarding Penglai Shan have their own moniker, often called Tianlong.

Members of Tianlan Wangchao, one of four dynasties making up the Si Xiang, are known to possess Kaithur granting them features of this mythic beast. In fact, qinglong are used as a symbol for this dynasty. Most qinglong are wild, rarely interacting with humans, and those rare interactions that do occur go on to become legend and myth. Yet there is one unique nest of qinglong with potent Vapri magic which live within the heated lake surrounding Penglai Shan, Longhu. The capital of Zhongguo, Yanjing, is built around this volcano and lake.

While they are long lived, known to live at least 5,000 years, these dragons are not immortal. They have a slow reproductive cycle and it takes at least a decade for their eggs to hatch, even under ideal conditions, and when they select a mate this is a lifelong bond even if they rarely interact. Their eggs must remain in water in order to incubate, drying out quickly and going sterile if not kept submerged. Water quality is also important, their mothers understandably fickle when choosing a nest. After all, each variant demands different conditions for their nest. Panlong need pure springwater with a constant flow and lukewarm temperature. Bailong need frigid environment where temperatures never exceed 0 degrees and must suspend the egg in ice. Feilong lay their egg atop fogbound and jagged peaks of Xizhulin Shan, Zhongxin Pingyuan or Suwarnadwipa, constant humidity essential. Finally, some Heilong lay their egg only in warm seawater, the deeper the better and preferably near volcanic vents, or they might prefer tumultuous seas with volatile currents to protect their young. For this reason, they prefer to nest along Donghuo Shan, Zhongxin Pingyuan, Joseon, To Rong Lua and Suwarnadwipa.

Whether because of their slow reproductive cycle or their intelligence, qinglong provide excellent parental care! Their mother guards and tends to her brood very carefully, fastidiously meeting their needs and defending their nest for a decade or longer. Even after incubating, her duty continues--her young aren't yet dragons! A slurry of fish hatch from her eggs yet only one is capable of maturing into a dragon. The rest will live only for the few short years it will take for one of them to mature into a juvenile qinglong. Some believe this is to provide her young a better chance of surviving, predators often gobbling up their siblings instead, while others believe they are meant to keep the young dragon company! The mother watches over this small school, keeping an eye out and monitoring her young to identify the dragon among them. She is especially vicious during these years as she defends her as of yet vulnerable young. This usually tranquil and reasonable species becoming as unforgiving as the harsh sea and as violent as a raging storm! However, once her single child has matured enough to leave their watery nest, it becomes the duty of the father to care for the young dragon, the mother's long task finally complete.

Their father will teach them all they need to know to survive and even educate them about local cultures, history and their role in the world, teaching them to speak and even read! And when they come of age, the child will battle either their mother or their father in order to claim their sacred orb. It isn't uncommon for them to fail and try many times again and again. While calamitous to humans, these battles rarely result in death and there have even been accounts of these dragons "battling" in alternate forms such as games, poetry or riddles, quests, challenges and the like. They are considered fully mature when they can claim this treasure honorably, stealing or using deception considered the ultimate taboo among their kind!

These dragons have a complex personality, unsurprising as beastial representations of water. Most of the time they are calm, contemplative, tranquil and mysterious. They value wisdom and patience over the course of their long life. They appreciate and recognize intelligence and cleverness, enjoying games or challenges which test the mind and their adaptability. However, they are also sill vain and arrogant, placing themselves clearly above humanity and expecting to be treated as such. They won't tolerate disrespect. Despite usually keeping this insulative distance between themselves and others, usually solitary by nature, they are easily swayed by gifts, complements and pampering. They cannot be tamed by any means but they can coexist with humans and tend to develop favorites easily. When treated with respect and so long as they are never betrayed, they may even become affectionate and protective of a given group of humans or even one individual. In these instances, they may even take a human as a familiar. However, if they perceive they have been used or betrayed, they will abruptly sever these bonds and take their revenge in an act of raw divine wrath! In some cases, they may even call on the aid of other qinglong to raze down any who dared to take advantage of a divine creature.

One particular variant of Qinglong take up residence below the royal palace of Zhongguo in Longhu which are called Tianlong. Longu is the ideal habitat to these azure dragons which are believed to have originally been Feilong, entering an aggreement with Ralgotar to become divine guardians of Longhu and Penglai Shan. They protect his Divine Descendants, the Si Xiang, and are pampered, revered and provided for in return. After centuries of guarding Penglai Shan, one particular clan had become their attendants and guardians, the Zhou clan. They were responsible for tending to their needs whether this was pampering them, taking care of their grounds or acting to protect them from lesser threats. Yet this relationship developped into something more when a rebellion threatened the Si Xiang, even attempting a coup. In this time of great need, one Tianlong chose a man among the Zhou who had remained loyal to the royalty above. This dragon forged a sacred bond with this man and took him as its familiar. Sharing their powers and fighting alongside each other, this pair was able to overcome the invaders and defend the palace. From that point forward, every Tianlong would choose a male member of the Zhou as it came of age and make this man their familiar. Zhou woman continued their duties as attendants while the Si Xiang officially recognized the Zhou men as guardians of the royal palace.