Dragonkin

Dragonkin are a rare ancestry, found in small enclaves scattered across Chane. They are distinguished by scaled skin, most commonly in tones of bronze, coal-black, emerald, or deep crimson. Each Dragonkin bears visible draconic traits such as cresting horns, ridged brows, frilled spines, or hardened talons. These features vary widely between clutches, and no single configuration is considered typical.

Their origins are uncertain. As with many ancestries, early records are fragmentary or symbolic. Dragonkin oral tradition commonly holds that their blood traces back to ancient beings associated with fire and the early shaping of the world, though no surviving source confirms this belief. What is recorded with greater certainty is their persistent scarcity. Clutches are small, often producing only one or two eggs, and new physical variations emerge slowly over generations.

The largest known concentration of Dragonkin once formed part of an organised force referred to in later histories as the Dragon Phalanx. Contemporary accounts describe it as an order that operated prior to the formation of the Concordate, tasked with enforcement, defence, and strategic intervention across multiple regions. Members served in a range of roles, including reconnaissance, censure, and battlefield command. The order did not survive into the present age, and its structure and authority are known only through incomplete records.

Although the Phalanx no longer exists, its influence remains visible in Dragonkin social norms. Many are raised with an expectation of service, restraint, and responsibility in the use of force. Dragonkin communities tend to emphasise obligation to others and a readiness to intervene when authority fails or protection is absent. These values are not uniform, but they recur often enough to be recognised by outsiders as a cultural through-line rather than an individual trait. In every age, even without a phalanx to rally them, Dragonkin strive to live as the dragons of old might have wished: steadfast, fierce, and true.