Editing Age of Dragons: Blood Dragons

While the Ghost Dragons are obsessed with the death-realm of the Void Beyond, and the Sable Dragons are loremasters of death and ending in the world, Blood Dragons approach their study of death in a much more literal fashion: they learn to kill.

To a Blood Dragon, slaughter and murder are fields of expertise to be mastered. They take pride in being the best killers in the realm - warriors without peer, war-generals of strength and prowess, magi dedicated to the most destructive arts and ruthless assassins who have mastered their art. Whether using steel, flame, sorcery or sheer physical might they are truly the Lords of Slaughter.

* '''Soma 5'''

* '''Sophis  3'''

* '''Pneuma 4'''

 

'''Eyes of Murder''' - If something can be killed, the Blood Dragon knows how. Just by looking at a target, the Blood Dragon will instantly be aware of at least one way that the target can be killed, as well as being aware of the conventional ways the target can not be killed. For example, a Blood Dragon looking at a human would recognise that the human can be killed by physical damage, can be drowned, burnt, suffocated, starved, poisoned, etc. In contrats a Blood Dragon assessing a potent demon may instantly realise that the entity is immune to physical damage of most sorts, but can be killed by weapons made of silver.

'''Drinking of the Defeated''' - If a Blood Dragon drinks deep of the blood of someone he has personally killed in the last few minutes, it gives him a surge of strength. His Soma counts as +1 till the effect fades. The blood of a mortal gives benefit only for an hour. The blood of dragons and similarly powerful creatures gives the benefit for a full day. This bonus is not cumulative.

===Breed Weakness===

'''Appetite for Destruction''' - Blood Dragons find creative pursuits very difficult, and struggle with any Soma or Sophis-based task that involves creating rather than destroying. This would include artistic endeavour, architecture, magics that create, smithworking, etc. With any such task, Blood Dragons are at +1 TN. Note that this Weakness does not affect tasks that involve Pneuma (such as reproduction, or magic).  

'''Blood Dragons''' are red-scaled, with dark crimson on their back plates and bright scarlet on chest and ventral surfaces. They are physically heavy built, have curved horns with underside serrations, and often have chitinous blades protruding in lines from their back armour plates. The entire appearance of the Blood Dragon lends to a sense that they were built for war and slaughter, from their squat bulldog-faces, to their powerfully muscled upper limbs. Blood Dragons regard other breeds as weakling cousins, and their blustering and brutish behaviour mirrors their physical appearance. Blood Dragon eyes are solid black, save for a pin prick of yellow in the centre.  

Its been over one and a half millennia since the Ghost Dragons fled the North, and just over 1200 years since the Breed settled in their current location. Every Ghost Dragon now alive was born in the South, but almost every one can remember stories from parents or grandparents of the long flight. The new generation may be Southern-born, but they still regard themselves as refugees.

 

Their place of settlement is ''Ghosthome'', which that lies on the outskirts of Arrantis, only a short distance from the Ashen Kingdom. Once Ghosthome was just empty and misty marshland, but its new inhabitants have changed it to their liking, building their lairs from the twisted wood of the long-petrified mangroves and establishing a defensive perimeter of wards and protective sorceries. Within ''Ghosthome'' the Dragons converse only in Voidtongue and are wary of all strangers - even their Alliance protectors. This little patch of dirt may not be much, but they consider that it is their own sovereign territory now. While the Alliance may have been planning to just foist off a piece of unwanted and unpleasant domain on the refugees, the Ghosts have found that the place is very much to their liking, the cloying mists and grey swampland suiting their temperaments and preferences well.

 

Within the breed there is a general obsession with their refugee status, but even more so with the ''Prophecy Clock'' - a prediction/threat by ''Endless Night'' made a quarter of a century ago that the Ghost Dragons would be extinct within 444 years. With only 419 years left (far less than a lifetime, for dragons) the Ghost Dragons have found their society is fracturing into different factions.

 

The ''Fatalists'' believe that ''Endless Night'' has never been wrong in his arcane predictions, and that the Prophecy Clock cannot be denied. They are preparing to face extinction, and deciding how best to deal with this. The key Fatalist belief is that the only thing to do now is to put personal affairs in order. Fatalists are understandably keen that no new births should occur, but otherwise believe that individual Ghosts should be allowed to fade any way they choose.

The ''Vengeful'' also believe that the Prophecy Clock is true - or at least is probably true. They argue that Ghosthome should be abandoned, and that the Ghosts should head North again, to meet their end bravely and in battle. Ghosts being Ghosts, they wonder if there is some puissant arcane sorcery they can invoke to wreak revenge, perhaps fuelled by their own lifeforce.

The ''Deniers'' are probably the largest faction, though their numbers shrink year by year. They believe that the Prophecy Clock is just an Ascendancy propaganda tool, intended to divide prior to conquering. They don't believe extinction is inevitable, and will do all they can to convince others of this. They also believe in being proactive in fighting, but they seek to fight their prophesied destiny rather than going out in a blaze of glory like the Vengeful.

The ''Concilators'' are the smallest faction. They believe that the Clock is a threat, and that only Endless Night has the power to revoke it. They want to go back to the Ascendancy, arguing that maybe they can earn mercy. Their beliefs are understandably extremely unpopular, and expressing Concilator sympathies is a surefire way to earn hostility from most Ghosts.

==Lifepaths and the Ghost Dragons==

Prior to their migration, Ghost Dragons were traditionally [[Age of Dragons: Scholar-Sage|Scholar-Sages]], naming themselves ''Necrosavants'' and studying the mysteries of the ''Void Beyond''. Many of their number retain this interest and inclination, though changing circumstances have changed the nature of their study from something academic to the possible way to finding the key to survival.

Some have redirected their studies, for example as [[Age of Dragons: Animist Adept|Animist Adepts]] (or ''Spiritworkers'') or even as [[Age of Dragons: Demonbinder|Demonbinders]] (called ''Voidwatchers''). They keep their studies secret from Alliance and enemy alike - their hosts would probably not look kindly on them studying such heretical secrets.

Changing circumstances have necessitated some Ghost Dragons taking up different lifepaths. It is hard to survive without [[Age of Dragons: Warmaster|Warmasters]], so a few have felt obliged to ake up arms to defend their people. Likewise living on the move Breed caused a handful of Ghost Dragons to "devolve" into the path of the [[Age of Dragons: Beast Unbound|Beast Unbound]], and the pracise of this path has occasionally been passed onto descendants.  

''Sorrowful Burden'' has been called a Fatalist... he's actually just a realist:

* '''Pure Dragons''' - ''"The Goddess existed, yes, but praying to her will not keep the Void Beyond at bay. But then, nothing will, so keep praying if it makes you feel better."''

* '''Argent Dragons''' - ''"You can't fight shadows with steel. Sharpen your minds rather than your blades, and you'll survive against the coming darkness a little longer than you would otherwise."''

* '''Solar Dragons''' - ''"Scared of the dark? I don't blame you..."''

* '''Hunter Dragons''' - ''"My father's uncle was killed by a Hunter pack as he crossed their territory. Ah well... he'd still be dead now anyway."''

* '''Forest Dragons''' - ''"Each of you carries your own Prophecy Clock, and it is so short. How do you not go mad? Perhaps you already have."''

* '''Storm Dragons''' - ''"They know. They know about the Void Beyond and though they call it something different... they know."''

* '''Ashen Dragons''' - ''"You turned away my ancestors because you feared Endless Night. I cannot fault this logic, but I still hate you for it."''

* '''Velvet Dragons''' - ''"Blind to the darkness around you because you are looking at your own reflection all the time. You'll die just the same."''

* '''Chimerical Dragons''' - ''"Dreams are merely our mind's guard against the waiting emptiness in the world sleep. The dream will end soon, then they will be defenceless."''

* '''Blood Dragons''' - ''"They hunted my ancestors, and killed many of them. If we are doomed now it is because they destroyed us so long ago."''

* '''Sable Dragons''' - ''"They seek to master darkness, but they are its slaves. They are gone, and demons are in their place."''

[[Category:Age_of_Dragons]]