literature

Realms of the Sky - Dragons

Deviation Actions

Kerian-halcyon's avatar
Published:
713 Views

Literature Text

Dragons of Aerundar



The Sundered Race


Aerundar has changed greatly from the time known as the Old World.  Thanks to the Sundering, the planet is now in pieces; floating endlessly above the Cloud Sea which itself is said to hang over a vast abyss as black as pitch, though no one knows if it is as empty.  Most, if not all, cultures of that last age have died out and new ones have only just managed to pick up their own pieces thousands of years after the fact.  The Gods who survived have grown distant and forlorn, the gods that died are only just returning, and the unfortunate ones who remained behind are scattered and shadows of their former selves.  It seems little wonder, then, that dragons too have been affected by the Sundering.

Legends tell of a time when god-like beasts once lived in the world alongside mortals; beings so vast and ancient that they outlived even the Elves, and with such powers that they commanded nearly as much respect as the divine beings of Elysium or the monstrous abyssal creatures of the Nine Hells.  They were intelligent, they were magnificent, and they were worshiped as gods.  What became of those six-limbed reptilians is almost unknown; another lost tale of the Old World.  But what we do know is that their children survived, and are by far the lesser off for it.

Dragons are no longer the intelligent creatures we think of when speaking of the legends of the Old World.  They are intelligent, yes, but that intelligence is likened to that of a trained falcon or a magical beast, not the ancient sentience that put them on pedestals alongside deities and other powers.  But that does not make them something to underestimate; dragons are still massive animals, and their own strength is more than enough to make them beings worthy of respect, even if they are still animals.

Gone are the ancient days when dragons walked upon four legs and flew with two wings.  Their own forms have been sundered; split upon two different groups; Wyverns and Lindworms.  These bear just four limbs instead of six, with two still used for flight though significantly reducing their locomotion when they land upon the ground.  Not that it matters; of all the creatures of Aerundar it seems that these dragons managed to thrive even with their reduced cognitive abilities and powers.  This makes them an incredible pest to the Skyship traders along many of the islands connected to the Skystreams, as dragons are among the few animals that can pass into the Skystreams for any length of time and fly away unscathed.  As intelligent creatures, dragons have learned that if you pester the races long enough they will offer tribute to you for safe passage, and so regularly do so; though some simply attack and destroy Skyships just because they are bad tempered and are looking for an excuse to vent some steam.

The division between Wyverns and Lindworms is an interesting one.  It largely has everything to do with the way they walk and move, at least from a distance, though behaviorally the changes and differences between the two is much deeper.  Wyverns have their forelimbs as wings while their hind limbs are walking legs, though most prefer to walk on all fours like a bat if given the opportunity.  Lindworms are the opposite, and tend to be far more serpentine in appearance; appearing like flying snakes when in the air.  Both groups tend to be composed of the traditional 'Metallic' versus 'Chromatic' colorations and abilities that divides them, but unlike in other worlds this too seems to have changed.  Wyverns, rather than Metallics, tend to be the more 'Orderly' of the two and can be reasoned with (and sometimes even befriended), while Lindworms are chaotic and wild like Chromatics, and are just as likely to attack a passing caravan even after a tribute as it is to leave it alone.  Regardless of scale differences this seems to be the passing norm, though their morality temperament such as whether they are 'good' or 'evil' creatures tends to be the same regardless, with Metallics being more likely to be 'good' while Chromatics are more likely to be 'Evil.'  

There are other dragon-like creatures that exist throughout the world, and while they share appearances and traits with dragons they are by all means animals...though one should not underestimate an animal with draconic traits.  Drakes are flightless dragons found exclusively on the three continents of Aerundar, and while uncommon they can be vicious and terrifying.  Proto-dragons appear to be a misshapen, in-between state between Wyverns and Lindworms that can be found within some planes, and are far more animalistic and monstrous.  Wyrms are the, thankfully, rare serpentine cousins of Dragons that once existed in Aldrahar; the largest continent and homeland of the Dwarves; though these appear to have moved to the Plane of Earth.

The Dragonborn race appears to be related, somehow, to the dragons.  Their own creation story marks them as being the children of that ancient race, though no one knows for certain.  Regardless, most Dragonborn appear to retain draconic traits and are most certainly related to them, though how so is still uncertain...
Dragons are among the many creatures 'sundered' in Aerundar, and are significantly different than the dragons in the Forgotten Realms and even in Eberron.  They are not the god-like, near-omniscient monsters that once ruled Toril and either would bring ruin in the name of Tiamat or bring justice in the name of Bahamut, but are instead wild creatures similar to animals; intelligent enough to know speech, but unable to communicate it in kind and severely limited compared to their trueborn cousins of other nations.

Dragons in Aerundar take a lot of their inspiration from The Elder Scrolls, specifically Skyrim.  Wyverns, in fact, behave much like the Dov of Nirn, and can even 'cast spells' of a sort similarly to the way Dov use their Thuum in Skyrim.  But forget the dragons that can polymorph at will into humans, or can converse with adventurers over riddles while debating how tasty you would be either raw or cooked to a crisp.  These creatures, be they Wyverns or Lindworms, are still animals and will hunt you the same way any predator would in the real world.  The romanticized beings of the Old World died out during the Sundering, and these creatures are but an echo of once was; now far more primordial and terrible than the original sum of their parts.

And, yes, I will be drawing these dragons in the near future.

-Kerian
© 2016 - 2024 Kerian-halcyon
Comments13
Join the community to add your comment. Already a deviant? Log In
BandanaBlue's avatar
Aaaaaand this was the last one for now. I remember you telling me about this when we did that test play. I thought it was a really interesting take on dragons for a D&D setting.
Keep up the good work! This was interesting to read!