datafile:>>Draekon

:>>Draekon (dray-KOON)

The Draekon are a dragon-like species. Their appearance can vary highly (as detailed below). They do wield some magic, usually having to do with mild genetic manipulation, earth, fire, alchemy and necromancy. Most are shape-shifters, capable of turning into a mildly anthropomorphized version of themselves. Basically a bipedal version, but still may prefer all fours, more dexterous hands, smaller, non-functional wings, more skin than scales, and a slight increase in their ability to work magic. Offspring are live-born in all stages.

+ Fully Draekonic ("Golden Age") - The Draekon were this way for the first several millennia as they evolved and grew into a successful race on their home planet (name unknown). Near the end or this period, the Draekon were only slightly larger than elephants, height-wise. They tended to be around 10 to 20 feet tall and over 40 feet long. All were covered with gray, brown, or other earth-toned scales, and had mobile, lizard-like faces. They were omnivorous, though their diet still leaned more toward the carnivorous side. Their sight was remarkably bad out of battle or hunting situations. When threatened, Draekon eyesight improved nearly a thousand-fold, developing into extremely sharp and clear "tunnel-vision".

+ Partially Draekonic ("Age of Dilution" or "Era of Darkness") - As the Draekon evolved and learned, they eventually made their first tenuous ventures into space. Having always been a highly inquisitive species, they took to space travel with great enthusiasm and - with the aid of a neighboring humanoid species which was their first contact with an alien race - were soon exploring great sections of their galaxy.
As time passed and the Draekon met and were integrated with more and more various species, they began to fall in love with those of a different race. Inevitably, mixed-breed children were born. Draekonic genes were remarkably recessive when it came to interspecies breeding. At first, the majority took on a dragon-taur form, that is the rear end of a dragon (some with wings, some without) and the upper half of a humanoid torso. Eventually some were diluted into a bipedal draconic form which retained most of their Draekon heritage (functional wings, scales, talons, tail, etc.) At first the new mixed-breeds were welcomed among the full-blooded Draekon. That is, until they found that the full-blooded Draekon were fast becoming a dwindling number in the face of all these half-bloods.

+ Quarter-to-Eighth Draekonic ("Black Age" or "Era of Death") - Several important things happened in this chunk of Draekon history:

- A war had sprung up between the Draekon and the humanoid race which had until then been aiding them in their explorations of space, resulting in the complete destruction of both planets and near extinction of both races. The Draekon left resorted to living in vast space stations and ships in a nearby uninhabited solar system.
- There were virtually no full-blooded Draekon left by this time. Most had been killed in the destruction of their planet and the handful left were far beyond their breeding years. In a matter of decades, the Draekon as they had existed millennia ago were dying out. All that was left were the bipedal and various other mixed-breed Draekon. The dragon-taur offshoot had become a rarity. Functional wings, scaled bodies and lizard-like faces had been virtually bred out.

Now is when the fanaticism to breed the purity "back in" to the Draekon started. In some places it was as simple as instating a set of sanctions on breeding between the Draekon and other species. In others, an all-out genocide started amongst the half-breeds. Thousands were mindlessly slaughtered until the Draekon governing council put a stop to the murdering. The most threatened half-breeds were moved to a planet in the uninhabited solar system, any space traffic was barred from ever entering said solar system again, and they were left to fend for themselves.

- This is the start of the Sari'Tonas civilization. Through the centuries, they forgot where they came from (much like the Pernese), and the xenophobia grew from generations of elders warning their children to make no contact outside the planet whatsoever. The Draekon eventually return to Sari'Tonas and attempt to re-establish contact, but find themselves so vehemently ignored that they continued to leave the Sari'Tonas to their own devices, but kept a close eye on the development of their culture.

+ Present ("Age of Rebirth") - The Draekon governing council has begun to collect vast lists of all beings with even the smallest trace of Draekon blood in their lineage. It called upon those who retain quarter to half Draekon genetics to separate themselves from the rest of Draekon society on large space stations. They are referred to as being "Selected". Each Selected is required to have four spouses. That is, each male will have four wives, and each female will have four husbands. Each couple is expected to have at least one offspring. The four spouses may be chosen of the Draekon's free will, but the governing council must approve of the match before any breeding is allowed to take place. Draekon are allowed to take on any number of same-sex lovers of any race since it is near impossible for the pair to breed, but it is generally frowned upon to take a lover of a different species (mostly due to cultural taboos and basic racism among the Draekon). Any children discovered to be born between a Selected and a being of another race are sent to live far from the Selected population. The Selected parent may choose to go with the child, but is then forbidden to re-join the Selected population. Every newborn's parentage is carefully cataloged and each match thoroughly inspected to protect against inbreeding between the Selected. New Selected are being sought out and discovered everyday in order to keep the gene pool as diverse as possible.

While it is fairly obvious that breeding back to a state of complete purity may well be impossible, there have been instances where a child with the dragon-taur body style has been born. These children are highly revered among the scientists working feverishly to try and help the Draekon reclaim their former glory. Each dragon-taur Draekon's genetics are mapped and kept on record, and they are kept even more sequestered than the rest of the Selected from birth.

+ Below 1/8 Draekonic - In the instance that a Draekon at the Sari'Tonas level of dilution (bipedal, no wings, no scales, humanoid features) breeds with another humanoid race, the resulting offspring are no longer considered to be a part of the Draekon race. They are usually fully humanoid in appearance, plantigrade (though some will have a tendency to walk on their tip-toes), and have a highly vestigial tail or no tail at all. Their nails may be thicker than usual, but will not grow into talons. Their eye-sight will be normal for the humanoid race of their parentage. Though one odd genetic throwback appears in quite a few of these "mutts". During times of great stress, anger or frustration they may suddenly sprout horns, grow talons and fangs, and develop the Draekon "tunnel-vision". This is an unexplained trait that the Draekon scientists find highly interesting.