Story:DragonSoul/On Drakes

The Drakenaer are a race of drakenoid homonids marked by leathery skin, protective scales, wings and a tail, originally invented by Werefang for use in Twilight Crystal. There is a great deal of disagreement about what the Drakenaer are.

Physiology
As a species, they originally inhabited the highlands. Because of this, they are often slightly shorter than humans in order to maintain stability on uneven terrain. However, they are known for having a very dense skeleton and tightly placked muscle fibers. This contributes to their high strength. This strength contributes to speed as well, allowing them to sprint faster than a human though not enough to match the Canidine.

This highland origin is also the potential origin of the Drakenaer wings. While not all can fly, most are able to at least glide or boost themselve with a wing beat. The normal wing length is from the shoulders to the ankles. This is both a blessing, and a curse. While they do allow the drakenaer to cover a great deal of ground quickly, they a sometimes clumsy and affect a drakenaer's balance. To counteract this imbalance, most drakenaer have long tails that act as a third leg, giving them a tripedal stance.

Drakenaer are also known for their leathery skin and reptilian scales. While infants are not born with scales, this trait will eventually develop. These scales act as a natural armor against the elements, protecting them as they climb over rocks and such.

While much of these traits suggest a highly predatory lifestyle, drakenaer are actually omnivourous scavengers. Most of their traits allow them to reach procarious food sources, whether that be vegitation, carrion or small animals.

Culture
Drakenaer do not have a highly organized social structure in the same way as humans and Canidine. Once reaching adulthood, males will often go their own way to look for food as nomadic hermits. Females, to ensure the survival of their brood, often band together to form small communities of relatives. Females born to these bands will usually remain with the band for their entire lives while males leave, having children with females of other bands.

When it comes to religion, Drakenaer are rarely active practitioners. However, they do believe themselves to be descended from Dragons. For this reason, Dragons become their "Ancestral Gods," their immortal spirits acting as eternal protectors. Priest have been known to use some forms of magick to construct Golems in the guise of Dragons.

In spite of the fact that most Drakenaer have wings, children are sometimes born with malformed or no wings. These children, particularly the latter, are seen as being rejected by the Gods, who are said to have gifted Drakenaer with wings in the first place. Lack of wings are taken to signify that the Dragons have abandoned the bloodline, a divine condemnation worse than death. These wingless children are often simply cast out or discarded so as to avoid the stigma associated with it.

Over the ages, in spite of the stigma, some of the wingless were able to survive, forming their own communities, where they accept abandoned Drakenaer with no stigma among the group, taking the name "Outcaste." These bands are often more close knit in order to protect themsevles from spiteful "Clean Souls." Also, male Outcastes do not go on their own, possibly because the don't consider themselves worthy of this ritual.

Integration
Because of their lack of order, Drakenaer in lands invaded by Humans and Canidine are easily overwhelmed. While generally violent and strong, their lack of technology and strategy weakens them overall.

Because of their tendancies to revolt, Drakenaer often become enslaved to the invaders in order to keep them under control.

Outcaste, however, perhaps due to their tendancy to be docile in comparison to other Drakenaer, perhaps due to their resemblence of humans, often recieve higher standing among the Conquering species, only fueling the conflict between factions.

In some cases, after long periods of dominance, the line between species will blur and Drakenaer will take on the customs and traditions of Humans or Canidine.

Religion
The Drakenaer, as a whole, do not often or passionately practice religion as much as Humans do. This is not to say that a Drakenaer religion does not exist - it is simply obscure and not publicly known. It is not known how Drakenaer practice their faith, how often, or if there are other offshoots or variations on the central religion. It is known, however, that the Drakenaer practice a primarily polytheistic following, and that they believe their gods to be omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent.

It has been found that most Drakenaer, depending on their upbringing and their education, often assimilate some gods with others or associate one god's power with another, often creating new gods or simply ignoring others. This practice has been found to have started shortly after the third Human and Drake war, and the following list consists of the most commonly accepted gods and their powers/functions.

Deities

 * Tiamat-rako - A female-based god whose main powers and legends show her in a destructive and unforgiving manner. She is known as the "Blest that Curses" - that is, her very nature is one of blessings and curses. She curses those who displease her, and blesses those who follow her teachings with a pleasant life free of war and battle. Those who cause her curse suffer her mighty wrath, invoking a life of perpetual violence and death. A Tiamat-fearing Drakenaer is generally known to be modest and quick to apologize. In ancient drawings and descriptions passed down throughout tribes, Tiamat is generally depicted as a huge, six-headed dragon with humanoid arms and small wings. Her large tail is formidable and famed as having the power to an-blitraes . She is known to be Bahamut's wife and loyal servant.
 * Bahamut-an-evrae - also known as Bahamut-anrako, egnhayul, rae-an-dol - The strongest and most powerful god, Bahamut is usually depicted as being the father of all creation and the ancestor to all dragons and dragon-people. He is known by many names; The Father, the First Lord, the Death and the Life, the Fresh, young, and ready to battle to death. All of them date back from ancient legends and writings, and all of them originate from Bahamut's fabled ability to create life and death from simple breaths. He is known to be able to bring fire and death from his monstrous maw, and also bring water and life from his prodigious claws. He is usually depicted as a gigantic crystaline dragon with immense, black and red wings that can cause whirlwinds around the world.
 * Shinryu-kron - The first son of Bahamut, and the most powerful, albeit the most passive. He is known as the overseer of all things time related, including giving the chrono an eartreva the immense energy it needs to function throughout time, along with guarding the ragnorakurae . He has immeasurable power, and is generally seen to stay away from affairs in gods and mortals, focusing only on the upkeep of the universe. He is generally depicted as a giant crystaline serpent with silver and bronze scales and an endless purple mane. He has humanoid arms and long, silver and bronze wings.
 * Thana-raev-noutyavri - The first daughter of Bahamut, and by far the most violent. She is generally known for trying to usurp her father, leading to him banishing her to Raevellionkreius as a punishment. It is here she resides, eternally letting her wrath out on the doomed souls that also occupy the realm. It is said that one glimpse of Thana can send a mortal into eternal insanity. There are no accounts on what exactly she looks like, as it is understood that even thinking of her true form can bring madness and imminent doom.
 * Diabolos ain-raevos-eartvraeva - Bahamut's second son, Diabolos is generally agreed to having the responsibility of keeping the Earth running. He controls gravity, inertia, and all other physics and unbreakable laws that control the universe. He is also known as the Dark Messenger of the gods, and sends swift messages to and from the gods for communication. He is usually depicted as a black and red humanoid with sharp blue claws, a blue tail, and huge black and red wings.
 * Levia-thasaan - Bahamut's third son. Leviathan controls and rules over all living things in the sea, and controls everything relating to water and its forms. He is the most peaceful god, choosing not to reside in Unteirlkreius and its endless quarrels and wars, simply ruling over his aquatic kingdoms on the mortal realm - or so the legends say. He is usually depicted as an immensely long, deep sea blue serpent with short blue wings that help him with swimming more than they do with flying.
 * Quetzal-aneilcoatl-vranphoenivrax - Bahamut's youngest and last son, Quetzalcoatl is known for bringing the wind to the entire universe. He is Bahamut's weakest son and is looked down upon by all the gods because of this, so he frequently causes wind storms and tornadoes to occur when he is mad at himself. He supposedly wanders the universe in search of a way to make his father love him. He is usually depicted as a featureless yellow and green bird-like dragon. He has four pairs of wings - two long, skinny ones at his shoulders, and two small, seemingly useless ones on his backside.

Beliefs
In its most basic form, the Drakenaer religion explains how the world was created and how/why it continues to run day-to-day. The various deities are given fantastic powers and control over the planet and the universe, since the very earliest of teachings. It is generally understood amongst Drakenaers that daily life is a test given by every living thing by Bahamut-an-evrae. As they are all believed to be his children, all are taught to read his teachings and follow his rules.

Speaking of Bahamut's teaching, we shall go into further depth here. While many subcultures and fanatic groups of the Drakenaer religion often add or subtract their own rules, they are given here in their most basic form.


 * Life in its entirety is given only because of Bahamut's great will, and only as a test to determine one's fate after death. One's entire life is seen by Bahamut and judged by him when the being is dead, and only him. Every minor choice and every minor action isn't always considered; instead, it is the overall good or evil a person has done that decides where they will go.
 * There are 5 realms - Mortaalkreius, Unteirlkreius , Kronrheivkreius , Paradiugmkreius , and Raevellionkreius.

Language
It is yet unknown exactly what the Drakenaer language entails - symbols have been found on drawings and communication methods, but Hume Common-like letters have been found also. The following is simply a list of Drakenaer phrases and what they mean, and history or origin if possible.


 * <abbr title="Pronounced h-YOU-m-ahn-roori">Hyum-an-ruri - This is a particularly derogatory term used by the Drakenaer for us Humes. Its meaning might be 'Folk-that-crawl', as opposed to the Dragon-kin, the Winged Folk.
 * <abbr title="Pronounced con-ree-YEL-ahn-Shiv-uh-tiv">conryel an Shiva-tuvre - Literally "driven into the iceness". Quite an appropriate idiom within the Drakenaer language. What is worse for a roaring fire than the chilling winds of winter?
 * <abbr title="Pronounced ROW-key">Roki - Heavily armed soldiers.
 * <abbr title="Pronounced EAR-gar-row-key">Irgaroki - Lightly armoured troops. Literally 'no-scales-warriors'.
 * <abbr title="Pronounced NAIR-yah-key">Nairyaki - Archers. A term of interesting origin which sheds light on the meaning of the word 'Naer'. 'Nairyaki' literally means 'warrior of bolts with wings'. if we put the word 'Dreik' ('Folk') together with the word 'Nair', we get 'dreik-nair', Drakenaer, 'the Winged People'.
 * <abbr title="Pronounced RUE-key-koh-ki">Rurikoki - The dreaded Hunters. Literally 'warrior that hunts the crawling' (that is, the non-winged).
 * <abbr title="Pronounced huh-RAY-tho">Hraetho! - Interjection of obscure meaning. It probably translates freely as 'Forward!' or 'Onward!' as an encouragement.
 * <abbr title="Pronounced druh-RAY-back">Dreabak - Interjection of intense feeling. Literally 'wow fantastic'.
 * <abbr title="Pronounced nah-TYP-ray">Nachtiubre - Interjection showing anger or frustration at a situation. Roughly translates to 'shit' or 'dammit'.
 * <abbr title="Pronounced RAW-kahn">Rohkan - Noun, meaning almost literally 'asshole', as in the anus, not as an insult.
 * <abbr title="Pronounced con-ree-el-on-free-TOO-vrey">Conryel an frietuvre - Derogatory term of intense feeling. Translates roughly to 'eater of shit'.
 * <abbr title="rye-krah-VAHN">Reikravn - Derogatory term of which there are little that are harsher. Very hard to fully translate, but roughly connotates to 'kinslayer' or 'infidel'.

Tribes
The Drakenaer used to number in the many, and their tribes were diverse and unique. However, as a result of time, mutations, wars, and various plagues and disasters, their number is smaller than any in recorded history.


 * Noir - also known traditionally as <abbr title="The night-folk">pirknavraet : Characterized by blackish scales, noir drakenears are one of the more prevalent tribes within the species. They are highly balanced, with few truly memorable traits.


 * Crimson - also known traditionally as <abbr title="The red-folk">skardraeik : Marked by bright red scales, these drakenear comprise one of the more signature tribes. They tend to be volatile as a culture, originally living in a war driven meritocracy.


 * Ornamented - also known traditionally as <abbr title="The moonlit-folk">lounirldraeik : This group is easily identified by their bright and ornate scale colors on their bodies. The males of this tribe can often be seen with their torso's exposed, showing off their colorful forms. Very recently, their capital was overrun by the Humans, and their people were scattered across the land, weakened and vulnerable. Most were assimilated by other tribes.


 * Crested - also known traditionally as <abbr title="The [unintelligible]-folk">papyrikudraeik : The crested tribe is marked by a collection of loose skin flaps. These can be flared out to cause them to look larger, an ability used to ward off predators or scare other scavengers away from carrion.


 * Pigmy - also known traditionally as <abbr title="The Little Folk">mirdraeik : A diminutive tribe that resides in subterranean tunnels carved into the landscape. They usually sustain themselves on vegetables although have been known to scavenge meat. The often have excess hair to protect their skin, particularly hands and feet from rocks. Previously thought to be extinct in a long-ago war, they have recently been found to have taken shelter underground in immense caves and tunnels. They do not enjoy outside contact and keep to themselves whenever possible.


 * Starlit - also known traditionally as <abbr title="The Star-folk">kosmornerdraeik : By comparison to other tribes, these drakenear have highly polished, multicolored scales that have the unique ability to reflect light. While the reason for this is not known, they are often described as resembling the night sky, and are indeed quite florescent in the right light. It is possible that they are descendant of Winglords.


 * Winglords - also known traditonally as <abbr title="The great ones">surneriokraen : Another of those signature tribes, they are often said to be the former aristocracy. They are marked by glossy black scales and incredibly oversized wings. At one time, they lived in highlands and steep crags. They are one of the few races that can truly fly: they even have a forked tail with a leathery sheet between the tips for steering in the air.


 * Camouflaged - also known traditionally as <abbr title="The stealth-winged">karmyakir : One of the more predatory tribes, camouflaged drakenear have the ability to change the color patterns of their scales when they shed. These color patterns are mostly rigid and based on seasons of their environment. It is interesting to note that they seem to have some conscious control over this color change as some have been know not keep a particular pattern, even in seasons not normally associated with it.


 * Nocturne - also known traditionally as <abbr title="The sun-chasers">naktdraeik : Another more predatory tribe, nocturne drakenear prefer to hunt at night. They tend to have pale skin and dark scales, have exceptional sight and hearing and physical traits that bolster their ability to reach prey undetected. Currently, they are met with fear and scorn by those not of the tribe. It is not known how far back this trend goes.


 * Outcaste - also known traditionally as <abbr title="The doomed-folk">raevelldraeik : Very rarely, a Drakenaer will be born without the ability to grow wings. This is seen as a disgrace, and the Drakenaer in particular is outcasted by their tribe and accepted into this one. Outcast Drakenaer resemble Humans the most out of all the tribes, as they don't have their wings and their tails - if they have them - are easier to hide. This makes them particularly useful. . ..

Trivia

 * The race was invented as a gift to NeoBahamutZEROX, the user to begin the Twilight Crystal project.
 * Cluna's project, Dragon Soul, is intended to revolve around the Drakenaer within a Human dominated society.