FrivYeti/WyldspanDragonKings
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The Dragon Kings
Terrifying and mighty, the Dragon Kings are a legend among the Wyldways. Ferocious soldiers without peer, these ancient people are a rare sight outside of their own homelands. However, with the growth of the Solar Exalted and the spread of the New Realm, they are once again a burgeoning power within the endless reaches of the Wyldspan.
History
The Dragon Kings of the Second Age were all but wiped out even before the Threefold War began, and their contribution to it was minimal. In the early days of the war, agents of the Yozi attacked Rathess, hoping to take it from the Solar who claimed it before he could bring the Dragon Kings into the conflict. In doing so, they inadvertantly revealed that many Dragon Kings yet lived. In doing so, they also awakened the ancient Dragon Kings who had survived the end of the Contagion, and these venerable elders set about attempting to train their society back to its ancient roots.
It seemed for many years that their efforts would be doomed. Though they were able to help some of the stalkers, the simple fact was that the remnants of the Dragon Kings were feral, dangerous, and tribal by nature. The few survivors were not able to isolate them without significant effort, and they lacked to skills to quickly train them. Some of them began to despair of ever restoring their lost race. And then Markian Sunflame came to Rathess.
The Emperor was still in the early stages of expanding his Realm, exploring and charting the new Eastern worlds, and he heard rumours and legends of the Dragon Kings and chose to investigate. The elders greeted him joyfully, sensing a kindred spirit within him, and entreated his aid in restoring their nation. Markian saw the value of a Dragon King world that shared his vision of a Sun-ruled future, and he set about learning the magics that would let him train the stalkers back to sentience in a matter of months. Within a year, there were hundreds of intelligent Dragon Kings in Rathess again, enough to continue the work themselves. From that day forwards, Rathess was the most loyal of the nations of the New Realm, a shining jewel in the Emperor's crown.
The New Realm has since followed any rumours of feral Dragon Kings, hoping to find their worlds and bring them into the fold. In total, over twenty thousand Dragon Kings serve the Golden Throne, over three-quarters of them of the Raptok clan. In other nations, Dragon Kings are usually assumed to be citizens of the New Realm, to the point that they are rarely welcomed within the Scarlet Imperium. Despite this, a few thousand Dragon Kings do exist outside the New Realm's influence - exiles or a handful of small colonies that make their own way through the Wyld.
Society
Dragon King society is not unlike what it has always been. Dragon Kings of the New Realm favour Conviction, following the call of duty to the realm, and fitting almost seamlessly into the planned framework of the New Realm. It is not uncommon for lone Dragon Kings to serve aboard New Realm military vessels, lending their unique talents to a wide variety of combat strategems. Others use their unique understanding of vegetative technology to help create strange artifacts that give the New Realm an additional edge in their expansions.
But in the end, the reputation of the Dragon Kings far outstrips their effects. There are seventy-five thousand mortals for every Dragon King in the New Realm, and even the Dragon-Blooded outnumber them almost four-to-one. As a percentage of the Realm's Essence-users, they are negligeble, and their magics, though unique, are no stronger than those the Dragon-Blooded can bring to bear. Instead, they serve the Emperor best as a propaganda arm. By showing that the most ancient of the intelligent races supports his rule, Markian creates a sense of solidarity and history that helps to counteract the unbroken lines that the Scarlet Imperium uses to trace itself back through the Shogunate. By showing their respected place, it encourages the Breeds to think that the New Realm is not centered on pureblooded humans, for if those whose souls are different are equal, the differences in a Breed are minor indeed. And this is the true strength that they bring to his nation. The impression of power, in many cases, is stronger by far than actual power in the same situation.
Playing Dragon Kings
Full rules for playing the Dragon Kings will be listed upon the release of The Scroll Of Lesser Races.
In the meantime, assume the following character creation for New Realm Dragon Kings:
Attributes: 7/6/4, plus Breed bonuses.
Abilities: 32 points. Dragon Kings benefit from Markian's advanced training regimens.
Virtues: 5 points.
Backgrounds: 9 points. Dragon Kings use the normal Backgrounds of New Realm Dragon-Blooded.
Paths: 5 dots. Dragon Kings begin play limited by their Essence rating as normal.
Essence: Begins at 2.
Bonus Points: 15. Dragon Kings follow all bonus point guidelines from the Player's Guide.
Dragon Kings born outside the New Realm, or those who are exiles, will have only 27 Ability Points and 5 Background dots, and are limited to normal Backgrounds.
