A Brief Encyclopedia of the Chronicles of Sacrifice

Dragons

Dragons are one of the three primary races seen in today's world. Though in many ancient tales they were terrifying beasts, these were eventually proven to be stories concocted by those too fearful of teeth and scales to attempt to speak with one. According to historical hearsay, dragons first approached humans, then elves, thousands of years ago to be included in their societies. They supposedly desired this because they saw the advantages of communal living.

Today, dragons are generally the same size as the average man, though this can vary by type and individual. They occupy all the same positions, workplaces, and social statuses of the other two major races, though often seem to favor studious endeavors and regular labor. No interspecies romances have ever occurred between dragons and elves or humans, and if there were, few would dare admit it due to how unusual it would be. They also generally interact a little less with other races by comparison, as they are rarely seen on trains or ships thanks to their ability to fly.

All dragons can spit fire as a physiological feature of their bodies. At the base of their necks, toward the start of their chest cavities, they have firebladders, a natural, oil-producing gland and storage place for highly combustible dragon oil. This oil burns extremely hot, and is ignited when through the teeth of a dragon via the dragon flicking its tongue with natural magnesium deposits against its flint-like teeth, creating a spark and igniting the oil. As with any body system, dragons can train themselves to shoot fire farther, faster, harder, and more precisely, and can eat specific diets to make more or less dragon oil.

While dragons have rows of teeth clearly meant for hunting and killing, they are perfectly capable of eating plants as well. Certain kinds of plants are extremely healthy for them. Kale, for example, is important for a dragon to maintain the health of its scales, and milk can be consumed for calcium to keep their horns and internal bones healthy.

Like the other major races, there are three general categories of dragons, as listed below:

1. Vree-Eevik: "Shadow Dragon"; These dragons are the more serpentine dragons you will see around the world. With shorter legs and longer bodies, they are very distinct, as their heads will typically lay at about chest level. Should they stand on their hind legs, they are much taller, though their center of gravity is higher and their agile bodies struggle to remain stiff unless trained for it. Oftentimes, in labor jobs, these dragons are hired to snake through difficult to navigate areas or climb floors of construction sights to transport building materials. They have two sets of wings, one toward the front of their bodies and one toward the rear, giving them greater power for flight and more stability for long range travel. Often, though the sub-groups have mixed, shadow dragons have long, thin whiskers instead of horns, and wider snouts with larger nostrils.

2. Honlydorsz: "Fire dragon"; While this subgroup is called the "fire dragon", this was solely due to its increased fire bladder size when compared to the other dragon races. Often referred to as "full-chested" dragons, these dragons have longer legs and shorter bodies than shadow dragons, and stand taller on all four legs. These dragons were, for a long time, naturally stronger than shadow dragons, but mixing and exercise science have done a great deal to eliminate their natural advantages over other dragons. These dragons are often hired for jobs where the worker needs greater mass density or strength, like moving heavy objects or in defending cities. They are often taken into militaries as special forces soldiers or air support. These dragons have larger claws, stiff, calcified horns, and narrower snouts.

3. Piasa: "Thunder Dragon"; These dragons got their name from their ancient tendencies of moving toward thunderstorms or living in areas where they frequently occur. These dragons have scales underneath a layer of feathers, often getting them mistaken for gryphons from a distance. Their faces are flatter than the other dragons', sweeping back and up to give them an extremely angular appearance. These dragons are in between shadow and fire dragons in terms of length and size, and the only reason they aren't simply thought to be a combination of the other two is their unusual feathers. To this day, it is uncertain why they have them.

Dragons will often tend toward dragon communities because clothes, tools, and utilities must be made to accommodate them, resulting in a "Dragontown" in most cities. These places can be fascinating to visit as strong presence of ancient dragon culture, cuisine, textiles, and ways of life is well-preserved. They are almost always welcoming of outsiders, as they enjoy showing off their culture to tourists and making good money off doing very little.