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Draconites

Draconites are a Lineage of Draconids that are smaller than their Lizardfolk cousins, are not cold-blooded, and have a very integrated social structure.   The scourge of careless travelers, these small reptilian creatures mostly eke out an existence on the fringe of civilized areas, preying on those resources which are inadequately guarded. Ruthless opportunists, and lacking the organizational skills or technology to face armed masses, they rely on ambush tactics and thievery against those they recognize as vulnerable. They are also highly adapted to their environment, moreso than any other Lineage, even to the point of dividing into multiple subgroups, each of which is highly specialized to a particular biome.   They are also notable in having a strict caste system within their society which seems to be enforced more by their biology than their culture: Draconites vary greatly in intelligence, with a significant majority being at animalistic levels, able only to understand simple commands and unable to perform complex tasks. Those few with more standard levels of intellect command the rest by default, while vying with those of their own status for social prominence. The most cunning and resourceful generally rise to the top, commanding their tribe until they lose their edge and fall to a coup or assassination.   Though they resemble common lizards in a bipedal form, their descent from their ultimate ancestors have given them some faintly mammalian traits. Unlike their larger Reptilian cousins, they are not wholly cold-blooded, yet while they can endure cold temperatures, they are not so robust in environmental survival as true Dragons.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Draconites have legs and arms of equal length, allowing for easy quadrupedal motion, but their flexible spines and wide range of limb rotation range allow them to stand upright just as easily. All their appendages serve equally well as hands or feet, having a flat base, opposable thumbs, and short digits with clawed ends, suited either for locomotion, grasping, or attack, although less than ideal for the most dexterous of work. Their long tails add supremely to balance and are also prehensile.   Their heads are long and flat, with no distinctive expressive features, except for a ridge extending behind the neck and making the head appear longer than it is. This ridge is more bulbous among the more intelligent members of the Lineage.

Biological Traits

There are six recognized major subtypes, though in some places the distinction between one and the next can be unclear.  

Arctic Dwellers

Scale Colors: White, light grey or light blue
Living on ice floes or along the shores of tundra regions, they have a lot in common with Coastal Dwellers except for their preferred temperature. Though they can survive blistering cold, they still build shelters to guard against large predators, harsh weather and the very bleakest months of winter.

Coastal Dwellers

Scale Colors: Blue, cyan, or grey, flecked with darker color
Found wherever sea meets land in temperate or tropical regions, living primarily on seafood. Peerless swimmers, they can also hold their breath as long as their Reptilian cousins. Tend to build only the most basic of structures, as their need for shelter is little.

Desert Dwellers

Scale Colors: Tan, yellow or light brown, solid or with lighter extremities
Found in the midst of the hottest and driest places, they can endure temperatures that even Sahani would shun, and go for several days without water. They build simple villages or underground burrows to store water and fend off the most extreme of heat and cold.

Forest Dwellers

Scale Colors: Green or grey, striped with darker color
Highly skilled hunters, confident in climbing and jumping, these live in trees, where they might build basic structures.

Mountain Dwellers

Scale Colors: Solid dark grey or black
Living in cave mouths, undaunted by near-complete darkness, able to squeeze through tiny gaps, they are resistant to cold temperatures but still require shelter against harsh weather. Sometimes cut dwellings into the rocks.

Wetland Dwellers

Scale Colors: Brown or dark green mottled with grey
The most general of Dweller archetypes, they are proficient at swimming and climbing and equally comfortable on land and in shallow water. In swamps, they inhabit trees; in marshes, they collect dirt and mud to create artificial islands on which they build daub huts.

Genetics and Reproduction

Like all aspects of Draconite society, population is rigidly controlled by the ruling Elites. Females are assigned as "breeders" according to the number of young needed to maintain or increase the tribe. These are charged with producing and caring for eggs, and will be given other duties during infertile seasons. If the ratio of males to females in the tribe becomes seriously unbalanced, some members of one sex will change to the other, a process that takes several days. Sex changes are assigned by Elites on a usually random basis, but in the event that no Elites are available, Simples will eventually undergo the sex change spontaneously to redress the balance.   A healthy female lays a clutch of up to 6 eggs every other year, which can be fertilized up to six months in advance. The eggs are kept in guarded communal hatcheries, hatching after about 9 months.

Growth Rate & Stages

Hatchlings are able to walk and perform basic tasks, but require a few years of training and socialization before they are considered full members of their tribe. They are considered adults at around 3 years of age. At around 6 years, they reach physical maturity, and adopt either male or female physical traits depending on the needs of their society, maintaining an approximately even balance of males and females. At the same time, they are sorted into task forces depending on social needs and their observed aptitudes.

Ecology and Habitats

Whereas some Lineages are highly adaptable, and others specialized for particular environments, Draconites had divulged into several subtypes known as "Dwellers" which, collectively, can thrive in any part of the world.   In general, Draconites seek out natural shelters such as caves or treetops with heavy canopies. Common lore holds that they dwell underground and can appear in any time or place by way of hidden passages, but in truth even the Mountain Dwellers who are adapted for cave life are never far from the surface, and their sudden appearance instead stems from their ability to hide their dwellings, the relative simplicity of such structures, and their ability to coordinate their movements with the use of scouts and a well-established chain of command. By these methods, they quickly descend on any resource, be it animal, vegetable, person, or otherwise, when it appears within their domain.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Obligate carnivores, most live on seafood, especially fish and mussels. Those inland hunt small game persistently, but are also capable of bringing down the largest of creatures with tactical hunting. Many tribes practice a rudimentary form of farming, consisting mainly of corralling animals into areas where their food supply is plentiful, sometimes with a shelter in case of extreme weather, and guards to ward off encroaching predators or raids from other tribes.

Biological Cycle

Though not entirely cold-blooded, they are still not fond of winter, and tend to hole up in whatever shelters they have available with stores of food to wait out the coldest months. They cannot quite enter hibernation, but do greatly decrease activity, sleeping longer and eating less. Spring, when food is more plentiful, is when females are most fertile, and lay eggs as soon their diet allows so that they hatch before winter and can help gather food. Most tribes don't practice extensive farming, and so the seasons are not strictly scheduled for them beyond recognizing which forms of game are most available.

Additional Information

Social Structure

All known Draconite societies follow a strict hierarchy that is enforced by their biology: about 90% have intelligence comparable to a domesticated animal, able to learn simple tasks, and to understand and reproduce limited speech, but unable to engage in meaningful conversation. Known as Simples, these individuals are organized into task forces of typically 5-20, where they are trained in any relevant skills and given orders which they follow to the best of their understanding, without any diversion, until given new instructions. Depending on the complexity of their job, they may be partly or completely autonomous.   Those calling the shots are called Elites, and have intelligence comparable to other Lineages, as well as a slightly enlarged cranium. These perform all complex practices such as medicine, the study of magic, reading the seasons, and especially, planning and overseeing the activities of the Simples. They vie with each other for leadership by various means depending on the tribe; common methods include trials and games, political maneuvering, and assassination. Ultimately, one individual rises to the top, giving absolute commands which are interpreted by the rest of the Elites for the utilization of the tribe as a whole.   Finally, there are the Geniuses. These hyper-intelligent individuals are so rare that most tribes contain none at all, and having more than one is almost unheard of. They are physically indistinct from Elites, recognizable only by the fact that they run mental circles around their peers and inevitably become the chief of their tribe, unless laid low by extreme dumb luck. They also have an increased psychic connection with the tribe, able to commune mentally with Elites and give orders to Simples from up to several hundred feet. Geniuses can develop their superior mental state within a few days of hatching, but most do so around adulthood, or even several years after.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Draconites can be found on any continent, but are rare in the Eastern, and most numerous on the Southern.

Average Intelligence

An average Simple has a mind comparable to that of a dog, pig, or very small child of most Lineages. They can learn between 20 and a hundred words, which they associate with specific activities or commands, but are not able to form sentences or express complex ideas. Elites are often held to be of lesser intelligence than other Lineages, but those exposed to conventional education and knowledge show themselves to be at least the equals of any other kind. Geniuses, as the name suggests, are far more capable than their peers, and also more individually variable in mental power. As a whole, they may be the most intelligent group of beings in the world.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Draconites have eyes oriented largely to the sides, giving them a very wide range of vision at the expense of depth perception. Their light sensitivity varies by subtype, with those adapted to caves having almost perfect darkvision, though easily blinded in daylight. Their sense of smell is extremely good, and the most reliable sense in hunting. Their hearing is moderately good, but without ears they are unable to easily locate sound sources.   In addition, the most intelligent and powerful Geniuses among them demonstrate an extrasensory communication with others of lesser status. This is primarily used to issue commands and coordinate movement and labor, but in some cases it has been used between members of the same level to exchange information and memories at a fast rate.

Civilization and Culture

Major Organizations

The only established Draconite land with a political structure anything akin to what most Lineages regard as civilization is the Neglessi Collective, a realm which also has some Reptilian inhabitants. The Collective still functions by the same hierarchical order as all Draconite societies, except that the chiefs of the various tribes across the land have formed a greater tribe in which they are basic members under a higher order of Elites and Geniuses, and an ultimate High Chief.

Gender Ideals

Draconites have no inherent concept of gender, not just because they have no sexual dimorphism, but because individuals can change sex if their local population becomes unbalanced, and the job of laying eggs and raising young can potentially be given to anyone. Most Simples cannot even grasp the concept of sexual differentiation, whereas those of higher intelligence may learn of such, either by interacting with other Lineages or by practicing animal husbandry, but will regard it as an alien concept.

Average Technological Level

Most tribes are hunter-gatherers, using crude tools usually made from wood and bone. Those living on the edges of highly civilized areas may use more advanced items, but they are more likely to salvage these than to produce their own. In general, they find it easier to take resources from around them than to devote effort to construction or manufacturing.   Neglessi, by contrast, is similar in development to its neighbors, and has sections of society devoted to research, manufacturing, and advancement of technologies and magical aptitudes.

Major Language Groups and Dialects

The disparate and indepentent tribes across the world have many language groups, seldom closely related to each other, but in addition to these, those tribes living near other civilized areas will learn the dominant languages of the region. Because of where populations are concentrated, the most commonly spoken are Senyan, Drauth, and Neglessese.

Common Dress Code

Because they live in environments to which they are perfectly adapted, they have no physical need for clothing. Moreover, they recognize social rank by such simple indicators as posture and body language, and regard sex as a job of minor consequence, and so have no need of accoutrements to mark rank or gender. Thus, among their own kind they never wear clothing as others would consider it, the closest equivalent being belts for the carrying of weapons, and backpacks or baskets that strap to the body.

History

The earliest records of encounters with creatures matching the Draconite description come from Humans and Dwarves in the Northern Continent about 8000 years ago, but the tales were unsubstantiated and unconfirmed. The creatures described seemed not to use weapons or tools and were taken for crude beasts. They also seemed adapted entirely for temperate and forested regions, and there is no estimate for the time frame in which they divulged into the specializations now observed. Because they tend to avoid larger populations, and try to kill every member of any group they attack, comprehensive records of their presence in any environment have often been difficult to glean.   The earliest comprehensive records come from the Drathi Empire in the 5400s BC, who encountered Desert Dwellers and made repeated, fruitless attempts to wipe them out. As Reptilian society advanced, most civilizations, especially those with robust trade, had to make policies to deal with the threat of Draconite attacks, and Humans began to do the same once the two Lineages made persistent contact. Henceforth, they have been generally acknowledged, but efforts to census their presence, study their behavior, or remove them from the area, have always been considerably difficult.   During the Conflagration, ambassadors were sent into heavily Draconite-filled lands in an effort to negotiate and work together, hoping that the coordination and ferocity of these small people could be collected into a formidable fighting force. Though these efforts caused strife more often than not, several tribes were convinced of the threat and joined together into a "Tribe of Tribes" with a single ruling structure, whose prowess was instrumental in holding back the demonic force on several fronts. The Draconites had a particular advantage because they could not be corrupted en masse, and were able to quickly cull any infected members of the ranks without significantly losing strength as a unit. Because of this, they were preferred within the alliance for front-line fighting, and used their ability to quickly adopt new tactics to respond to various types of demonic attacks. When the situation was finally settled, the organized Draconite forces gathered on Neglessi with the technological and magical prowess they had learned from the other Lineages and formed a new nation.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

Draconites are more often considered pests than people by other Lineages. By the same token, they are inclined to look at others, even those vastly superior to them in civilized advancement, as resources to be exploited by whatever means possible. Because they have a particular long history with Lizardfolk, groups of these two often forge treaties and truces, but these are born of expedience and not any mutual respect. Humans more often than not try to kill them on sight, whereas the more rarely-encountered Dwarves and Elves see them as amusing curiosities. Fairies tend to ignore them, but at least hold them in no particular disdain, for which they return the favor, seeing the fey peoples as enigmas from which nothing of use can be gleaned.
Nicknames (Least to most pejorative): Lizzines, Drakkids, Reppits
Distinct Trait: Small semi-bipedal reptile
Eye Colors: Gold or copper
Scale Colors: Variable (See below)
Genetic Ancestor(s)
Lifespan
22-140 (avg-max)
Conservation Status
Common
Average Height
0.8-1.2m (2'6"-4')
Average Weight
17-39 kg (38-86 lbs)
Average Physique
Draconites have a wiry build that is stronger than it appears, comparable in strength to a fully-grown Human.

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