I’d like to try and capture the “feel” of the Empire of Dragons for
ordinary people and low-level PCs. What is it actually like to live in a world
ruled by Dragons? Here’s what I’ve got so far.
Dragons don’t care
about the common humanoids, or even low-level PCs. They want to rule, to
dominate,
but even the maddest tyrant doesn’t want to be king of the ants. So
while Dragons officially govern with absolute power, individual humanoids in
the Empire have a pretty good amount of freedom. Dragons may vie with each
other for control of fiefdoms, provinces, even the whole empire, but the
individual humanoid settlements are beneath their notice, most of the time. What
this means is that the experiences of the everyday people vary wildly among
different parts of the empire. One person’s local government might be
democratically elected, another’s might be under the control of a local despot.
There is an acknowledged hierarchy of Dragons running the show, but the average
person never really interacts with it. You might see the local Dragon lord
flying overhead, surveying his lands every so often. Catching a glimpse of the
actual Emperor would be a once-in-a-lifetime event. You hear about the wheelings
and dealings going on in the upper echelons of society, but they don’t affect
you. You wake up one morning and the red dragon statue in the plaza has been
replaced with a white dragon, and someone tells you that the Emperor was
deposed, and life goes on.
Low-level adventurers
have a rough go of it. Every ancient barrow and forgotten temple has probably
already been picked clean by some dragon looking to expand their hoard.
Treasure hunting isn’t as viable a career in the Empire of Dragons as it is in
other universes. You might find yourself working as a glorified gopher for the
mayor of some insignificant town. But, hey, he’s got connections with the local
lord. If you prove yourself with this guy, well, who knows…
Rebellion in the Empire
of Dragons is unheard of, for two reasons. The first is obvious. The ruling
class is made up of terrifying sky-monsters that breathe terrifying death on
anyone who dares stand against them. Even if a large humanoid city rallied
against its Dragon lord in sufficient force to defeat him or her, the dragon
would just call in the neighbor dragons. Because while the Dragons fight
amongst themselves, an attack on one Dragon is an attack on all Dragons. They do not suffer their
rule to be questioned, and their vengeance is as terrible as it is swift.
The second reason is
less obvious, and less horrific: advancement. Dragons won’t overlook something
or someone that might be useful to them. While it happens quite rarely, a
humanoid who proves themselves to a Dragon can very quickly find their social
status elevated. Great warriors and powerful casters especially strive to
become worthy of the elevation that can
come from gaining the attention of a powerful Dragon.
Of course, it’s also a
rather insidious way of keeping people in line. They get sold on the
one-in-a-million shot that their talent and hard work will elevate them to
power and prestige, and so they keep their heads down and keep working, and the
Dragons remain in power…
Next Time: Dragon Politics
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