Dragoon

Dragoons usually live deep in the mountains of Polus. They are also the chosen children of the goddess Eleytheria, who earlier created man. The physical differences between humans and dragoons are few. The most notable difference is a pair of horns. The inner differences are more fundamental. Dragoons gain the spirit of a dragon at birth, which they carry their entire life. This makes them hardier and more resilient than humans. Dragoon culture stresses honor, but dragoons have been spotted in the armies of both good and evil. To them the way in which an act is carried out is more important than what philosophy the action was done for.

• Taller and more heavily built than humans.
• Horns- conical horns 3-7” long pointing back starting above the ear. Usually ivory or bone-colored with spiral grooves. Females’ horns tend to angle closer to the head, while males’ tend to jut out more.
• Commonly have long, straight, black hair.
• Reproduce sexually with an average gestation period of 8 months.
• Reproduction very ritualistic, many only complete the ritual 2 or 3 times in a lifetime.
• Average Lifespan: 70-80 years

Meaning “Dragon Stone” or “Dragon Spirit”, the Drak-On normally refers to a gemstone-like organ in the head of a dragoon tribe's patron dragon that is thought to house the eternal soul of the being. Legends speak that a dragon never truly dies, they only retreat to the safety of their gemstone until such time as they see fit to be reborn. At that time a newborn dragon hatches from the stone as if it were an egg.

During the “Drakuncion” or spirit binding ritual, it is thought that the dragon plants the seed of a new dragon stone into the infant dragoon. Dragoons teach that with sufficient spiritual awakening a dragoon may also develop and grow a full-fledged Drak-On, thus cheating death to be reborn as a dragon themselves. Whether this is actually possible is a matter of faith, but many of those who frequent the battlefield or medical lecture rooms know that older or more powerful dragoons can commonly have a pea-to-walnut sized gemstone found inside the front of their brains.

• Tribalistic society, many clans with no central government
• Clans consist of small, tight-knit communities
• Honor-based society with large warrior class
• Horns status symbol- very important
• Major religious and social events center around dragons and the dragon spirits

• Imbued at a young age with a fragment of a spirit of a dragon. This protects and guides them through life.
• Usually have total Free Will, though the dragon spirit may at times over-ride their will for its bidding, as this is one of the conditions set in their covenants with the Ancient Spirits.
• No spiritual restrictions of any kind except those laid down by their host spirit.

The binding of a fragment of the spirit of a clan's patron dragon to a Dragoon child is called “Drakuncion.” This ritual is performed as soon as possible, usually within a few hours of the child's birth. Rituals vary from clan to clan, but many tribes share some ritual characteristics. The following is an example of a Drakuncion ritual taken from a remote tribe in the mountains of Drakontas.

After the child has been inspected by the clan elders for good health, the ritual can be carried out. It is customary for the clan's sage to perform the ritual before the entire clan. It begins with the sage bathing the child in perfumed water while reciting a traditional blessing in honor of the clan's patron dragon. The child is then wrapped in a special swaddling cloth called a “bombayc” and laid upon the ground among a formation of stones that have each been washed and ritualistically placed in a circle in preparation for the ceremony. The sage will begin to burn incense in two small metal boxes, called “alpynglohs,” decorated with intricate dragon designs and placed on either side of the circle of stones. She then recites a prayer to the patron dragon, calling to it to lend it's spirit to the child. The smoke from the incense, to indicate the dragon's compliance, will swirl in a beautiful dragon-like pattern above the child and the color of the smoke will change from gray to a glowing reddish-purple. The smoke dragon will then swoop down into the child's chest and disappear. The sage will usually say a few words indicating the success of the ritual, then hold up the child for the clan to see. The ritual is usually followed by a small but lively feast to celebrate to induction of the clan's newest member.