There's plenty of local mythology that those born under certain moon cycles are born with certain attributes (cleverness for Umadados, lustiness for Kiriados, etc.). However, these all vary wildly between regions, and there's little evidence to actually support this superstition.
(3/3)

The most interesting fact about Jopenados is that it glows a different colour based on which of its satellites are facing the world. If it's both, it shines pale gold. If its Umadados, its a mystic blue. If its Kiriados, its rose pink. And on the rare occasions that its neither, its blood red.
(2/3)

#AprilWorldbuilders 22
I originally conceptualised Karatera as having three moons, and I guess in a way it still does. Karatera's main moon is a large, slow-orbiting sphere known as Jopenados, with two smaller satellites orbiting that, known as Kiriados and Umadados.
(1/3)

tomoto

...nor the High Father, nor anyone else in the clan are obliged to have only one lover. Most dragonkin favour one of their lovers over the others, but vary rarely do they *only* have the one. Indeed, it's actually expected for dragonkin to have at least two lovers at any one time.
(7/7)

Dragonkin families are usually patriarchal, especially clans, which are controlled by a male figurehead known as the High Father. They are not, however, monogamous. The High Father will have the Clanmother, from whom the clan's bloodline passes down, but neither the Clanmother...
(6/7)

In terms of education, *every* dragonkin has to be taught how to fight. It's non-negotiable, even if it's just rudimentary training. A dragonkin who doesn't know how to fight is subject to mockery from peers and superiors alike.
(5/7)

...outperform the smaller clans. And if you're clanless, you're basically fucked, because all the clansmen have better weapons, better training, and better resources than you do. It should come at no surprise that the dragonkin who subscribe to this philosophy the strongest are the clansmen.
(4/7)

...but the other can, then neither can wear armour.

Of course, this doesn't address inherent imbalances, such as size differences or better training. Even if we're not talking about physical strength, the larger clans are just better resourced than others, and can easily overpower or...
(3/7)

There's a bit of nuance within this outlook. You have to meet the other person on equal footing to prove your strength - you can't just take them unawares or when the odds are stacked absurdly in your favour. If one dragonkin can't afford a suit of armour in a duel, for instance...
(2/7)

#AprilWorldbuilders 21
Most dragonkin subscribe to a simple moral philosophy - "might makes right". If you want something, and if you're strong enough to take it, then you well within your rights to take it. Within this mindset, dragonkin can justify anything from murder to slavery.
(1/7)

Dragonkin also use desert reptiles in their motifs, since to their minds reptiles are merely imperfect dragons. Lizards are symbolise healing and medicine, snakes represent patience and learning, and crocodiles represent craftiness and ambition.
(3/3)

Dragon egg motifs are used to denote places of childrearing and childbirth, and dragon eyes represent perception and alertness. You may often see dragon eyes chiselled or painted on the walls in places where only a select few are allowed to go.
(2/3)

#AprilWorldbuilders 20
Oh wow the dragonkin use a lot of dragon motifs who could have guessed.

So dragons symbolise divinity and strength in dragonkin culture. Scale motifs are also common, representing endurance and resilience, and dragon wings represent freedom and self-reliance.
(1/3)

Dragonkin warriors are also highly prized, and well-regarded for their strength alone. Most such warriors serve only their clan, but commission that clan to kill something, and you can be all but certain that it will die.
(2/2)

#AprilWorldbuilders 19
I think I talked about this in my Vehr-Hor answers, but dragonkin regularly find themselves working as dedicated craftsmen, and dragonkin works have a reputation for meticulous design and reliability.
(1/2)

There's a fine line between superstition and reality in Karatera.

This one is just superstition.

...destroying it outright. The body is then interred within a clan crypt, typically a cave underneath the clan's house.
After the body is interred, there's a feast to commemorate the clansman's deeds in life.

Clanless dragonkin are generally buried in graveyards, with little ceremony.
(5/5)

DEATH RITUALS
Dragonkin death rituals vary a bit depending on your clan, but the fundamentals remain consistent. Generally, the body is bathed in the clan's signature dragonbreath - which, since dragonkin resist the element of their dragonbreath, usually preserves the body rather than...
(4/5)

Hatchlings that don't choose any toys are thought to be born "simple". Hatchlings that cry when they hatch are seen as destined cowards, cursed to forever have soft scales. Hatchlings that hatch at the same time are believed to be something akin to soul-mates, known as brood-siblings.
(3/5)

...where the hatchery attendants give them a set of toys, usually a toy weapon, a puzzle, and a set of tools. Depending on what the hatchling chooses to play with, the attendants declare the hatchling will grow to be a warrior, a sage, a craftsman, or what have you.
(2/5)

#AprilWorldbuilders 18
BIRTH RITUALS
Dragonkin hatch from eggs, usually in a large nest with a dozen others from parents within the same clan (or the same hatching-house, in the case of clanless dragonkin). Once the egg hatches, the hatchling goes through a brief "instinct test"...
(1/5)

...on their own terms, yet they appear closer to humans than anything else. They don't fall into the dragon-centric worldview that dragonkin are born into, and so most dragonkin treat khenedrin with superstitious distrust.

Khenedrin, meanwhile, think next to nothing of them.
(5/5)

Dragonkin have an odd relationship with the khenedrin nomads. Since most dragonkin settlements border the desert, they have regular contact with the khenedrin, but at the same time, they have no idea what to make of them. Khenedrin are innately magical, and can match dragonkin...
(4/5)

Their view on kurtuks (who I mentioned on Day 15 I think) varies between "servant" and "pest", seeing them as little more than animald. Kurtuks, meanwhile, are raised to treat dragonkin as demigods, and most believe that serving them is an honour.
(3/5)

Dragonkin treat other humans with either dismissive arrogance or aggressive arrogance, believing them to be inherently lesser creatures. Humans, in return, treat dragonkin like dangerous animals, keeping a wide berth as they go about their business.
(2/5)

#AprilWorldbuilders 17
The dragonkin are currently at war with the humans of the Red Sands, who have been kidnapping dragonkin from the Black River and the deserts for decades and forcing them into slavery. This has earned these humans a very *personal* animosity from the dragonkin.
(1/5)

... using the relic to cure a supernatural plague that was afflicting the river. Her newfound fame from doing this allowed her to accelerate up the ranks, despite her clanless status, until she became the sworn shield of one of the dragon princes, Gherexxinon.
(3/3)

Allira is a white-scaled dragonkin with frost breath - a rare type of dragonkin in Karatera. She's somewhat of a folk hero, having led a mission to retrieve a magical relic in the tomb of a Black River king. The mission cost her an eye, but ended with her and her compatriots...
(2/3)

#AprilWorldbuilders 15
At the moment, one of the more well-renowned dragonkin is the warrioress Allira Veranus. She's one of the player characters from the original D&D campaign I ran in Karatera, so she's not *my* character. She actually belongs to @capydara999.bsky.social
(1/3)