Editing Age of Dragons: Chimerical Dragons

[[Age Of Dragons: Main Page]] -> [[Age_Of_Dragons:_The_Twelve_Breeds|The Twelve Breeds]] -> [[Age of Dragons: Chimerical Dragons|Chimerical Dragons]]
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==The Dreaming Madness==

The ''Chimericals'' have greater things on their mind than the mere physical world. The Mother Goddess gave them mental sight into ''Dreaming Madness'', and this gift and curse guides every aspect of their life and society.

The ''Dreaming Madness'' is a world that doesn't exist - an insane mirror that only the broken-minded perceive and which has no consequence to true reality. It is the place where minds go when they sleep, but can be perceived by the waking mind only as a barrage of dissonant images and clashing concepts.

Because the ''Dreaming Madness'' is in their blood the Chimericals don't really exist either, or so they believe. They'll tell you that they're dreaming the world, or that the world is dreaming them. They'll tell you that nothing matters except for dream, and that's because dreams don't matter at all.

''Ephemeral, ethereal, blessed of great insight, brilliant...'' these are all euphemisms that the other breeds use because they don't like to state the simple truth. 

''The Chimericals are insane.''
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==Character Creation: Game Rules==

===Sphere Ratings===

*'''Soma 4'''
*'''Sophia 6'''
*'''Pneuma 5'''

''Chimerical Dragons'' have fractured, insane minds but this madness hides a level of genius that few other breeds can equal. Physically, they are usually somewhat fragile compared to most dragons, though occasionally they can have surprising bursts of physical prowess.
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===Birthrights===

'''New face for a new day''' - ''Chimerical Dragons'' can, after a full nights sleep, replace one Edge they have with another Edge from the same lifepath. This change is "permanent", lasting unless the Chimerical uses this Birthright again to change that Edge again.

'''Dreamweaving''' - ''Chimerical Dragons'' sometimes turn up with unusual resources in their possession, such as new spells, unusual equipment, mortal followers, island lairs, etc. They can't account for how they came to possess these things - they just turn up, as if in a dream. The GM sets how and when these bonus resources turn up. Of course, any resources gained in this way can also disappear just as easily.
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===Flaws===

'''The Fractured Mind''' - ''Chimericals'' are at the mercy of madness, and at any one time will have at least one compulsion, hallucination or delusion which they cannot resist or deny. This is usually set in collaboration between the player and the GM, but should resonate with the current circumstances in some way. If more than one ''Chimerical'' is in the same vicinity, they generally share the same madness. Madnesses can change at any time, lasting anything from a few minutes to a few years, but a ''Chimerical'' is never without insanity of one sort or another.

'''Fated''' - If you are using the default metaplot, the ''Chimerical'' breed as a whole has a major world-changing event ahead of it that will happen inevitably on a certain date, and beyond player control. Players who select this breed should be aware that the metaplot has this surprise in store and that they won't be able to do anything about it.
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==Physical Appearance==

'''Chimerical Dragons''' are rainbow-scaled, with each scale shifting in colour according to how the light falls on it, giving them a shifting irridescent appearance when viewed as a whole. Their entire appearance tends towards the ethereal, with fey thin limbs, enigmatic multi-coloured eyes and gossamer-like wing membranes. Other breeds often joke and comment that the appearance of the ''Chimericals'' is such that one expects them to blow away at the next strong breeze, or fade away when the sun next rises. They are oft-named as the Dragons of Dream, as they seem so ephemeral. 
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==Society and Culture==

The ''Chimericals'' lair themselves at the ''Dream Archipelago'' and the ''Dream Isles'' that lie just beyond the ''Solar Coast'', and just short of the territory of the ''Storm Dragons''. This territory is one that exists and does not exist at the same time - sometimes it is easy to find, and at others it seems to vanish from the coastline altogether. They have no society as such, as they believe that they are themselves nothing but fragments of a dream.

''Chimericals'' can sometimes be found beyond their island homes, but this is a rarity, and there are not always clear reasons why they travel. They are infuriatingly enigmatic, and seemingly disinterested in the affairs of the world.

Despite this, those who have made it to the islands often describe that the ''Chimericals'' appear to have an advanced society and culture. They describe vast stepped pyramids amidst jungle covered islands, cities made of gold and glass, and huge temple structures that seem like they ought to be impossible to construct. There are mortal races their too, though they are also limited to the isles and seem as enigmatic as the dragons there. Some visitors have reported nothing but savage tribes of humans, others have described lizardman emperors, birdman sorcerors and other strangenesses.

To the ''Chimericals'', the strangeness of their home is perfectly normal. The world is just a dream, they say, why should it make sense?
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==Lifepaths and the Chimerical Dragons==

It often surprises other breeds to discover that the ''Chimericals'' are fiercely intellectual, and that to be a [[Age of Dragons: Scholar-Sage|Scholar-Sage]] is a common goal. The ''Chimericals'' seek to make sense out of the madness that surrounds them, even as they accept it, and many recognise that knowledge and lore provide the answers. The ''Children of the Feathered Serpent'' collect lore and information of all sorts, from arcane spells to seemingly useless tidbits of information. The ''Cartographers of the Unmappable Realm'' are prophets and historians, and students of the "tides of lucidity" that represent their breeds communal madnesses.

Other Lifepaths are sometimes followed by ''Chimericals'', but it often seems as if they are simply studying the way of life rather than properly engaging in it, and their emphasis is always on the collection of knowledge. For example, a ''Chimerical'' who takes to a life of trading will trade goods for lore, and lore for goods. 

The ''Chimericals'' don't believe that they have to (or are able to) understand the dream world that is reality, but they understand that they have to seek to do so to even exist.
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==Outlook==

''Images-in-the-Ripples'' is dreaming he is talking to you:

* '''Pure Dragons''' - ''"Like a mirage, they are what the desert dreams of. Their citadels, their faith and their stories are all just so much ephemera."''
* '''Argent Dragons''' - ''"I saw a host of dragons, clad in iron, dreaming of law, of blood and of war. They choose this harsh illusion themselves, so I cannot pity them."''
* '''Solar Dragons''' - ''"They don't understand that if they succeed in their goal of unity, their purpose ends and so does their existence. What a paradox, eh?"''
* '''Hunter Dragons''' - ''"An old dream - savage and simple. It is a good dream, but unrefined."''
* '''Forest Dragons''' - ''"Broken reflections of themselves, they echo through the green. What do they seek?"''
* '''Storm Dragons''' - ''"Deep places create deep dreams. I pity them for the nightmare they live, and I would seek to help them end that nightmare. Here, Brother Storm, bring me a secret from your dark dream, and I will trade you a magic to aid you in fighting it."''
* '''Ashen Dragons''' - ''"I see change on the horizon, that will blow away the Ashen like the dust that they are, and leave... something else."''
* '''Velvet Dragons''' - ''"Iron is more real than most things, and it harms the Velvet. What does that tell you about the Velvet?"''
* '''Ghost Dragons''' - ''"They fear the unknown of the Void. They will learn."''
* '''Blood Dragons''' - ''"No sleeping being is more sure that he is awake than the Blood Dragon. When morning comes, they may not be able to cope."''
* '''Sable Dragons''' - ''"If you dream only of darkness and silence, are you dreaming at all?"''
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[[Category:Age_of_Dragons|Chimerical]]