Recently I've been bored (very, very bored). I've also started writing more often for Soul of Dragons. Being the inquisitive individual I am, I wanted more from the main Drakenaer characters - not just more gaidens and roleplays, but more history and more information on them as a whole. They are supposed to represent an entire culture, nay - an entire species. Such a large topic needs more than just a simple "humans + wings" description, I should hope. So I decided to dedicate this page to them and everything I can make up find on them.

(btw this is sorta like a copypasta of User:Werefang/Creative/Drakenaer but with some of my stuff, because I want to be able to comfortably continue working on this. Sorry WF!)

Timeline

Simple version - BC (Before Calamity) -> DC (During Calamity) -> GD (Great Darkness) -> CA (Current Age) -> SC ((After) Second Calamity)

Current time - 15,005 CA or 4905 SC

The Drakenaer timeline begins at the time of the world's creation. Theoretically, the beginning of the world as they know it hasn't been tracked down to a specific year yet, but is generally accepted to be sometime past 5,000,000 BC. The BC in the time stands for "Before Calamity", and as it states, is any time before the Calamity. Civilization flourished in this time, but yet no records exist detailing what lived during this time and how its life was. Most, if not all records were destroyed in the Calamity and the following times.

The Calamity was a great erupting of the entire planet into fire and raised waters. Volcanoes erupted, water levels rose, and eventually the polar ice caps were destroyed, flooding the world with icy water and drowning the continents under almost atmosphere-high levels of ice. This period wiped out any and all civilization, and is generally known as happening because of Bahamut's rage towards the selfish, unfaithful dragonkin who lived on the planet at the time. The period in which the Calamity occured takes place for about 6000 years, and are known as DC, or "During Calamity".

At around 5600 DC, the water level started to fall and evaporated into gigantic clouds that enveloped the entire sky and blocked out the heavens, removing a difference between day and night and creating a perpetual darkness over the world. During this time period, known as the "Great Darkness", large wingless dragon-like serpents roamed the world. They were blind and could neither fly or swim, due to the skies being dark and unnavigable, and almost all of the oceans disappearing. They attacked each other without mercy and ravaged the land. The Great Darkness lasted for about 2500 years.

Begininng at 2350 GD, the sky began to let loose giant drops of water. The land was flooded once again and the great serpents drowned in the torrential rain. The water fell for about 150 years before stopping and evaporating yet again. By this time, enough water had been lost over the years that the oceans were nowhere near as colossal and encompassing as before, but still outnumbered the continent space 3 to 1. Civilization started anew in this new time, named the "Current Age". From this point on, no more radical changes happen for a very long time, and Bahamut plants two new seeds this time, across the two large continents - Drakenaer, the Winged Folk, and Humes, the Ones who Crawl. Human civilization grew much faster than their winged counterparts, and soon began to reject Bahamut's teachings in search of their own. Bahamut was enraged, and decided to blight humanity and teach them their wrongs.

Starting at 8058 CA, the human continent began going through radical changes, and by 10003 CA, it went through a full-blown second Calamity. The human residents became riddled with plagues and the human continent was doomed to stop growing food. The humans, realizing their plight, fled their land en masse, and landed upon the Drakenaer land. The humans and the Drakenaer disliked each other from the start, and fought in countless wars and skirmisches against each other. Humans recall the moment they landed on Drakenaer soil as 0 SC, or "After Second Calamity", but to the Drakenaer this same date is read as 10,100 CA, and continues onward from there.

History

Quoted directly from History of the Dragon-People, Volume 1: From The Ages.

Long ago, there existed a mountainous island called Deist. Deist is where the ancient dragon-kind dwelled. As a proud race, they were very protective of their land as well as their own kind. But not only were they known for their ferocity as well as their strength. They were also known for their wisdom, having witnessed many changes of the world.

This section reveals quite a bit about the ancient Drakenaer and their homeland. The continent of

How the Dragon People, or rather the Drakenaer, came to be is quite a mystery. But it is often said that they have descended from the ancient dragon-kind. Though they ironically share many traits with the Humes, they maintain the traits of the dragons as well. Perhaps this might explain why they came to call the dragons their Ancestral Gods. Some even take up the use of Magick to construct Golems in guise of dragons.

Habits

Information found directly from the above source.

They hail from the highlands and are able to maintain their balance on uneven terrains. They also have dense bones covered tightly by placked muscle fibers, reptilian scales and leathery skin. Thus, the Drakenaer are physically stronger than the Humes and are easily distinguishable by the wings on their backs, thought not all have the ability to fly or even glide. 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.

Like the original dragons, the Drakenaer are primarily predators though they are not above delving into vegetation if it need be. They mainly hunt for the living to provide for their families, namely the females and their young.

However, the Drakenaer culture of all kinds tend to be chaotic in nature with no technology or even strategy, and soon a large band of Hume soldiers marched into the highlands and overcame the Drakenaer very easily because of their lack of order, becoming enslaved to the invaders to be kept under control by the Humes.

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.

Practices

Origins

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.

• 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.
• 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?
• Roki - Heavily armed soldiers.
• Irgaroki - Lightly armoured troops. Literally 'no-scales-warriors'.
• 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'.
• Rurikoki - The dreaded Hunters. Literally 'warrior that hunts the crawling' (that is, the non-winged).
• Hraetho! - Interjection of obscure meaning. It probably translates freely as 'Forward!' or 'Onward!' as an encouragement.
• Dreabak - Interjection of intense feeling. Literally 'wow fantastic'.
• Nachtiubre - Interjection showing anger or frustration at a situation. Roughly translates to 'shit' or 'dammit'.
• Rohkan - Noun, meaning almost literally 'asshole', as in the anus, not as an insult.
• Conryel an frietuvre - Derogatory term of intense feeling. Translates roughly to 'eater of shit'.
• 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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. . . .

Table o' Tribes

Tribe	Capital	Leader	Physical Traits	Customs	Politics
Noir	Root Treetops		Black scales; weak bodies. Very fast, very strong night vision.
Crimson	Hornburg		Scales ranged from red to yellowish-orange. Is physically the strongest only second to the Winglords.
Ornamented			Colorful scales; some have a resistance to cold.
Crested
Pigmy	Bagshot Row		Short, very hairy.
Starlit			Scales reflect light.
Winglords			Extremely large wings, black scales.
Camouflaged	Hidden Village		Scales change color.
Nocturne		Ruriko Zawati	Pale skin, dark scales. Very active at night, otherwise sedentary.