A quick post, because I
realize there’s something I’ve been doing with The Empire of Dragons that I’m
not sure I’ve ever explained. See, there’s dragons, and then there’s Dragons.
In the Empire, the word
for “Dragon” is the same as the word for “citizen” and “person.” With very few
exceptions, if you’re a dragon then you’re a citizen of the Empire and
considered a full person in the eyes of its laws and society. You’re a
capital-D Dragon.
However, you don’t have to be a dragon to be a Dragon.
Originally, this was because of dragons’ well-documented propensity to mate
with humanoids. There were people who didn’t at all look like dragons claiming direct descent from an actual Dragon—so where
do you draw the line? Dragons often wanted their children—even ones they had
with humanoids—to be citizens. But what about their children? And their children
(and so on)? Quickly, the rule was established: whether or not you were a
dragon, you were a Dragon if any Dragon said you were.
On the other hand,
certain crimes can get you stripped of your citizenship, and while it’s
forbidden to kill a Dragon, killing a non-Dragon is okay, even if they’re a dragon. Lowercase-d dragons, who lost their
citizenship for whatever reason, generally go into exile and live solitary existences
with their meager hoards, thus giving player characters plenty of classic
boss-monster dragons they can slay with impunity if that’s the sort of campaign
you want.
Incidentally, this
practice is the more likely explanation for the origin of the name of the
Mountains of Exile—disgraced former Dragons risked death by staying in the
Empire, so they braved long flight over the mountains to the north to find a
secluded cave in the more peaceful Orclands beyond.
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