Age of Dragons: Ashen Dragons
Age Of Dragons: Main Page -> The Twelve Breeds -> Ashen Dragons
Contents
Evolve or Die
It is paradoxical that the Ashen Dragons, who are the firstborn of chaos, are amongst the greatest empire builders in the realm. But then, one has only to look at the structure of the Ashen Kingdom to understand that their strength comes from adaptabilty, change and the mutable qualities of chaos.
The Ashen have always believed that stagnation results from stasis, and that to grow in power one must adapt and embrace the new. Of all breeds, they are the most experimental with their sorceries, most inventive with their technologies, and most willing to try new ways of doing things. Those who speak of the "old ways being the best ways" are met with contempt by the Ashen, who believe that adaptability is everything.
Character Creation: Game Rules
Sphere Ratings
- Soma 5
- Sophis 4
- Pneuma 3
Birthrights
Adaptability - An Ashen Dragon can change Lifepaths more easily than most - they take 5 years transition time to change to a new Lifepath (instead of 10), and only 3 years transition time to revert to a previously travelled Lifepath.
Mutable Form - Any magics or effects that magically alter a dragon's form (whether beneficial or not) work twice as fast on Ashen Dragons as they do on other breeds.
Breed Weakness
Corruption of the Mutable - The Ashen Breed's willingness to try anything has led to sorcerous experiments on the mystical and somatic fabric of hatchlings and eggs through the generations. One in three Ashen Dragons will be born as a hideously warped and essentially mindless chaos-spawn, and one in three Ashen Dragons will devolve into insanity as the grow old, losing 1 Sophis every twenty years after .
In game terms, player character Ashen Dragons are presumed not to be mindless spawn. As to senile insanity, make a random check for the player when he hits 800 years of age. If you determine that he is going to go insane, he will start to do so after 6D10 years, and will lose 1 Sophis at that time, then lose 1 Sophis every 3D10 years afterwards.
Physical Appearance
Ashen Dragons are dark grey in colour, with blackish mottling, but always in non-metallic shades. Their horns are the colour of dried bone, and are like a bull's in shape and position. Most breeds grudgingly admit that Ashen Dragons have a cleaner line to their facial features and physical build than most breeds - they seem nobler, more evolved and more blessed in aesthetic beauty than most, just as a classical sculpture or posed portrait might seem. Ashen Dragons vary in minor ways from family to family - pronounced lower canines might be found in one bloodline, while solid white eyes might be found in another. Ashen Dragons themselves place great stock in these small bloodline differences, basing their society and castes around seemingly minor differences in physical traits.
With chaos-spawn, of course appearance is very different. Most are dragon-sized and wingless, often with extra limbs and heads, tentacles, multiple maws and many eyes. Some take on features of other creatures (such as mammalian hair, or a fishlike face).
Society and Culture
The Ashen paint themselves as a noble and unified kingdom, but in truth the Ashen Kingdom is rife with internal intrigue, both between the Bloodline Houses and between individual dragons making powerplays at each others' expense. Alliances will form and be broken, enmities will form or be cast aside, and the Ashen will take this all in their stride.
The onyl sense of unity they have comes from their pride in being Ashen, and in their opposition to outsiders who seek to encroach on their domain. The Ashen as a whole hold the Hunter Dragons in contempt as "relics of an outdated past", and see even the Ascendancy and the Alliance as "inflexible, and inferior in nature despite their greater strength."
The Ashen have a multitude of cabals, organisations and power groups. However, these rarely have any true permanence or meaning and will come and go as the centuries pass. It is entirely usual for a single Ashen to swear "lifelong and undivided loyalty" to at least six different (and often opposed) power groups during his life, and not even unheard of for an Ashen Dragon to change his Bloodline House (usually through the intrigues of marriage and rededications). Each group of dragons is often more like a conspiracy with a joint agenda, where none trust the others but all are willing to use each other for greater gain.
Naturally the draconic attitude echoes through to the mortal inhabitants of their lands. The Ashen Kingdom is one where the King may change anything from five times to two dozen times per century, with different mortal houses sponsored by different dragons seizing power and losing it as their fortunes wax and wane. Despite this, there is some illusory sense of continuity, with each new ruler claiming some sort of legitimacy to "inheriting the ancient title". Sometimes the dragons rule outright, sometimes they just advise, sometimes they merely share the land with the mortal king or kings. Regardless, this is always the Ashen Kingdom, or the Ashen Kingdoms.
Lifepaths and the Ashen Dragons
As suits their changing and experimental nature, it is almost unheard of for an Ashen Dragon to pursue just one lifepath. Most find that the necessity of defending their interests requires some time and training as a Warmaster, and most find that experimentation with magic is easiest on the Lifepath of a Scholar-Sage. Of course, the intrigues of the Bloodline Houses require some skill as an Ambassador-Courtier, there is enlightenment to be found in the mutable physicality of the Physical Adept, and even imitating the Hunter Breed as a Beast Unbound has its value. Almost any lifepath can be assumed by an Ashen Dragon, and they are not so stupid as to fail to copy the Lifepaths of other cultures as well, leading to some pursuing short stints as Demonbinders, Sarcomancers, Animist Adepts or Sky Dancers.
Often the Ashen will mark the change into a new lifepath by joining a group of likeminded dragons. For example, one Ashen might join the Cabal of Broken Reflections to learn about polymorphing, then later swear "unending" loyalty to the Society of Ashen Knights to learn warcraft, then attend the Courts of the Grey Circle to apply his skills to the political arena. As already noted, these societies are always coming in and out of existence, and any that does persist often does so by changing its name and agenda every half century or so.
Outlook
City-Swimmer, a Horizon-Breaker and Eye of the Storm, shares his observations:
- Pure Dragons - "Their devotion to the Mother is admirable, though truly they should learn to act on their faith rather than just talk about it."
- Argent Dragons - "Brave soldiers - a shame they cannot join us in the Kraken wars."
- Solar Dragons - "They don't understand that we have greater concerns than a mere Dragonwar on the Mother's Gift. We have a deeper duty that cannot be abandoned."
- Hunter Dragons - "Their ways are so directionless, and so easy. I envy their freedom, but understand that I can never join them in their life of simplicity."
- Forest Dragons - "The young are so joyful in their innocence. Little do they know how precarious their lifestyle and their world is."
- Ashen Dragons - "Claim dominion over your little domain if you will, Ashen Dragon, but you should never believe that is of any true consequence."
- Velvet Dragons - "I met one of their spies in Kalarn once, and we shared information. They can be dealt with, carefully."
- Chimerical Dragons - "Our friends on the dream isles, and our greatest trading partners. More than any others, they understand us."
- Ghost Dragons - "They fear extinction and have reason to be frightened. What they do not recognise is who they should be fearing."
- Blood Dragons - "Their ferocity would serve well in the Kraken war, but ultimately dragonflame counts for nothing in the deep ocean. They are insignificant."
- Sable Dragons - "We Storm Dragons fight to defend against demons from the deep, yet the Sables invite one to rule over them. It is a shame that we do not have the resources or time to fight this threat - Endless Night is but one demon amongst many."
