Dragonborn

The term dragonborn refers to any person who has one or more parents with draconic ancestry. Due to the ability of dragons to take on the form of any of the Realm's sentient races, this creates a huge array of possible types of dragonborn based on which race the draconic ancestor was transformed into during their procreation. Although a dragon can transform into any sentient creature it so desires, any child born to such a union will inevitably be the 50% the race of the non-draconic parent and 50% draconic*, thus meaning the race of the dragon at the time of conception is completely irrelevant except for racial compatibility. Dragonborn can also only produced while the dragon is in a mortal avatar. The bevy of different types of dragonborn is compounded by the ability of two dragonborn to produce a child which is also a dragonborn, as long as their non-draconic heritage is of two compatible races. Over time, the blending of dragonborn of various races can create a community whose main identity is that of the dragonborn, rather than the culture of their surroundings.

Due to the inability of female dragons to transform between draconic and mortal avatars without the loss of the fetus or egg depending on their current morphology, there are far more dragonborn whose mortal parent is a woman. However, there are also many cases where a female dragon will remain with her chosen mate during the pregnancy and only leave after. Of course, there are also rare cases where a dragon of either gender will stay with their partner and raise the child in a regular household, only leaving upon the death of their spouse. This is typically done by more eccentric dragons, as typically dragons grow tired of mortals rather swiftly. Often, such connections are between a dragonkin and a dragon, as their bonds can be much deeper than that of a typical mortal. Dragonborn are typically born to dragons which are at least moderately good, as evil dragons rarely see mortals as anything more than food.

Dragonborn are inherently magical, as their draconic parentage descends from the scales and hairs of the celestial dragons**. This inherent magic gives dragonborn several key advantages as opposed to other races. Their lifespan is notably increased, as it is typically that of 250L^(1/4) years, where L is the typical lifespan of their race. This means that elven dragonborn can reach up to almost 1500 years of age, while those of a race such as humans might make it past 800 years. This greatly evens the lifespan of shorter-lived races with their longer-lived counterparts, allowing dragonborn communities to be much more cohesive in lifespan, in addition to simply living longer in general and thus becoming living wells of knowledge as they age, no matter what their mortal half may be. They are also much more inclined to magic than regular races, with most dragonborn displaying an especially close connection to the element of their draconic parent. They are also imbued with magical toughness, making them resistant to disease and injury.

Dragonborn are physically powerful in addition to their magical abilities, and they are also covered with scales, further increasing their toughness. They also have retractable claws, giving them a powerful natural weapon that allows them to defeat foes even when unarmed. However, the raw power of the dragonborn is not without its drawbacks, as they are notably quick to tire. Although they can sustain low levels of physical activity for a long period of time, they struggle with multiple series of extensive exertion, such as performing several sprints or swift attacks in succession.

Dragonborn, despite their power, are rare. Because dragons are typically solitary and usually prefer the company only of those mortals who provide mental stimulation, it is extremely rare for multiple dragonborn to be born in the same area in a short period of time. Dragonborn communities are usually only found in areas where dragons have long term supportive relationships with nearby peoples, especially in cases where the dragons are worshipped or expected to be political leaders. In the latter case, especially, dragons will often take on a human form in order to interact with their courts or to experience mortal delicacies, and may be provided with large harems allowing them to produce comparatively many dragonborn. The notable exception to the rule of dragonborn being rare are the Khaid'bon, among whom there are many dragonborn, up to 10% in some of their subcultures.

*a pairing of dragonborn and dragon is the one exception, with the child always being the same racial makeup of their dragonborn parent

**Although technically the celestial dragons themselves could also produce a dragonborn, in practice this is also magical descent as any such children would be on the level of demigods and would not even be mortal