- the Eberron novels.
The dragonborn, or drakatha in their native language of Draconic, are a draconic race that come from Argonnessen, the continent of the dragons. While the beaches of Argonnessen are populated by the Seren tribes, within the jungles of the continent's interior lie the great city-states of the dragonborn. The dragonborn rarely leave Argonnessen, with the exception of a large colony of dragonborn that founded a settlement in the land now known as Q'barra.[3][1]
History[]
Origins[]
Little is known about the origins of the dragonborn, but that they were born on the continent of Argonnessen. Most dragonborn serve the drakamakki, or "dragon-kings", of Argonnessen in huge city-states that populate the interior jungles of the continent. The dragonborn worship the dragon-kings like gods, erecting huge temples to them and helping in their pursuit of the Draconic Prophecy.[1][3]
Exodus to Q'barra[]
About 14,000 years ago, dragonborn explorers left the shores of Argonnessen, and landed on the continent of Khorvaire, in the area now called Q'barra. Though the reasons for the exodus are not known to most, the dragonborn followed the great black dragon Rhashaak, whose goal was to guard Haka'torvhak, an ancient citadel to the rakshasa fiends during the Age of Demons.[5] The Q'barran dragonborn became known as the trothlorsvek, or "defenders of the prophecy."[2] The exodus from Argonnessen happened so long ago, that most dragonborn of Q'barra do not even remember their home continent.[3]
Over time, the colony grew as the dragonborn clans either conquered or annexed the various kobold and lizardfolk tribes in the area. They thrived in the jungles of Q'barra, which were so similar to of the jungles of Argonnessen. As they grew, the dragonborn were on the verge of becoming a major power on Khorvaire.[3] The dragonborn ventured across the Endworld Mountains, and encountered the Dhakaani Empire. They fought the goblin nation honorably, and carved out their nation in the Blade Desert and the Talenta Plains.[2]
However, as quickly as the dragonborn 'empire' grew, it faded just as quickly. The ancient fiend trapped beneath Haka'torvhak, Masvirik, awoke, and many of its dragon and dragonborn guardians were killed in recapturing it and sending it back into Khyber. After the great battle, the great dragon Rhashaak became corrupted, and the dragonborn nation fell. Survivors still remained, living in pockets of civilization in Q'barra, fending off the lizardfolk they'd once conquered.[3][2]
Over the years, the dragonborn colonies have stabilized. They now have active governments, the largest of which is Ka'rhashan, and will trade with outsiders. In fact, in the year 996 YK, High Elder Bhisma Na'kala Flamebrow of Ka'rhashan joined Q'barran King Sebastes ir'Kesslan in attendance at the Treaty of Thronehold. However, some dragonborn still roam the wilds of Q'barra, joining the lizardfolk and the kobolds, preying on Q'barran settlers or neighboring lands.[2][3] These rogue dragonborn have caught the eye of Khalar Velderan d'Tharashk, who has been rallying the human settlements to allow House Tharashk to "drive the scales into the ocean."[6]
Rav Magar[]
Meanwhile, back on Argonnessen, the city-states continued to thrive under their dragon-kings. Each city-state held a temple at its center, where the dragon-king ruled whilst studying the Draconic Prophecy. Society continued to develop in the city-states, as dragonborn continued their lives. The dragonborn cultivated the land of Argonnessen as primitives, under the watchful eyes of their dragon-kings.[1]
One such city-state was Rav Magar, ruled by an undead dragon. Called Malathar the Damned, this dragon-king encouraged a more martial city-state. Rav Magar frequently attacked one of its neighboring city-states, Rav Dolorr. Like other dragons, Malathar was obsessed with the Draconic Prophecy; however, this one allied itself with powers in Khorvaire. Malathar used his dragonborn pawns to help capture Gaven d'Lyrandar and usher in the prophesied Time Between. Malathar and his draconic allies brought a captured Galen to Aundair, where they stripped away his Siberys dragonmark. However, Galen and his allies turned the tables, and Malathar was undone by a word of creation.[1]
With Malathar destroyed, Rav Magar is presumed ruler-less.[1]
Bloodlines[]
The dragonborn are organized along clan lines, with each clan spread out amongst various cities or city-states. In Q'barra, each clan has a clanhold, which act as the home base of those clans.[5]
In Q'barra, a number of dragonborn clans are still strong, despite the destruction of their fledgling empire. The strongest of which is the Flamebrow clan, who rule the holy city of Ka'rhashan. Other clans still in power in Q'barra include the Stormhorn clan, the Sunscale clan, and the Duskwing clan.[5]
Clan elders are often clerics. Some clans, though, are led by ukristroth, bards dedicated to the mysteries of the Draconic Prophecy. While clerics guide the people in daily prayer, it is the ukristroth who carry the tradition of their people from generation to generation.[2]
Religion[]
A dragonborn of Eberron.
Most of the dragonborn of Q'barra follow the Sovereign Host, though they venerate their draconic incarnations. Those that follow an evil bent, however, do not worship the Dark Six, but rather the Dragon Below directly.[3]
All dragonborn deeply revere the progenitor dragons, and see Siberys, Eberron, and Khyber as the beginning of everything. They believe the Draconic Prophecy is the progenitors still communicating with their dragon offspring.[3]
Notable Dragonborn[]
- Bhisma Na'kala Flamebrow, the High Elder of Ka'rhashan. He joined King Sebastes at the Treaty of Thronehold, and continues to promote peace between the dragonborn and the human settlers of Q'barra.[7]
- Mishva Garodya Stormhorn of the Stormhorn clan. Known better as Mishva the Conqueror, this warrior dragonborn seeks to renew the ancient dragonborn empire, and calls for war with the humans of Q'barra. She is held in check, though, by the elders of the Stormhorn clan, though she has a lot of dragonborn and lizardfolk followers.[8]
- Lissann Orak is the first captain of the scouts of Rav Magar in Argonnessen. Lissann, called "Lissa," captured Galen for her dragon-king Malathar; however, she had a change of heart and helped Galen's wife, Rienne d'Lyrandar escape.[1]
Description[]
Dragonborn resemble humanoid dragons. They stand upright, and are covered in scales similar to a dragon, but they do not possess a dragon's tail. A typical dragonborn's scales can be a wide variety of colors. Unlike the dragons' color schemes, a dragonborn's colors rarely betray the dragonborn's abilities, including its breath weapon. Most dragonborn have very fine scales over most of their body and take on almost a leathery look, with much larger scales on their forearms, lower legs and feet, shoulders, and thighs.[4]
Dragonborn stand tall and are built strongly. Their hands and feet are actually talon-like claws with three fingers and a thumb on each hand. Their heads are elongated, with a blunt snout and distinctive frills on each side of their head. Behind their head, thick, ropy scales that resemble hair come down to their backs.[4]
Unlike other humanoid races, dragonborn are hatched from the eggs of their mothers. Young dragonborn also grow faster than most humanoid children do. They walk hours after hatching, reach the size and development of a 10-year-old human child by the age of 3 and reach adulthood by 15. They live about as long as humans do.[4]
Abilities[]
In general, dragonborn are stronger than most humanoids. Their scales provide protection from some harm, though not as much as a traditional dragon's scales.[4]
Most dragonborn have inherited from their ancestors the ability to exhale a fierce blast from their mouths. Like the great dragons, this breath attack can be of varying types: acid, cold, fire, lightning, or poison. This attack is usually a blast that is emitted from the dragonborn's mouth,[4]
Weapons & Equipment[]
The dragonborn of Argonnessen fight with many of the same weapons and wear many of the same armors that humans do. However, most weapons are crafted from an obsidian-like material, and many of the weapons carry the motif of flames.[1]
A traditional dragonborn weapons in the tratnyr, also known as a wingspear.[9][10]
Appendix[]
External Links[]
- Dragonborn article at the Forgotten Realms Wiki, a wiki for the Forgotten Realms campaign setting.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 James Wyatt (2009). Dragon Forge. (Wizards of the Coast). ISBN 0-7869-5105-2.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Keith Baker (December 2010). “Poison Dusk, Black Sun: Explore Q'barra, Part 2” (PDF). Dungeon #185 (Wizards of the Coast) (185)..
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 David Noonan, Ari Marmell, and Robert J. Schwalb (2009). Eberron Player's Guide. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 34. ISBN 0-7869-5100-1.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 4.9 Rob Heinsoo, Andy Collins, and James Wyatt (2008). Player's Handbook. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 34–35. ISBN 0-7869-4867-1.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 James Wyatt and Keith Baker (2009). Eberron Campaign Guide. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 149–150. ISBN 0-7869-5099-4.
- ↑ Keith Baker (September 2010). “Blood and Dragonshards: Backdrop Q'barra, Part 1” (PDF). Dungeon #182 (Wizards of the Coast) (182)..
- ↑ James Wyatt and Keith Baker (2009). Eberron Campaign Guide. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 149. ISBN 0-7869-5099-4.
- ↑ James Wyatt and Keith Baker (2009). Eberron Campaign Guide. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 152–153. ISBN 0-7869-5099-4.
- ↑ Logan Bonner, Eytan Bernstein, & Chris Sims (September 2008). Adventurer's Vault: Arms and Equipment for All Character Classes. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 9, 10, 63. ISBN 978-07869-4978-6.
- ↑ James Wyatt and Keith Baker (2009). Eberron Campaign Guide. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 153. ISBN 0-7869-5099-4.
Connections[]
| Races |
|---|
| Player's Handbook Races: Dragonborn | Drow | Dwarf | Elf | Gnome | Half-Elf | Half-Orc | Halfling | Human | Tiefling |
| Eberron Races: Bugbear | Changeling | Goblin | Hobgoblin | Kalashtar | Orc | Shifter | Warforged |
| Other Races: Armand | Asherati | Bhuka | Doppelganger | Dragon | Gnoll | Goliath | Kobold | Lizardfolk | Medusa | Sahuagin | Shulassakar | Thri-kreen | Yuan-Ti |
| Outsiders: Aasimar | Angel | Archon | Daelkyr | Demon | Devil | Elemental | Genie | Githyanki | Githzerai | Inevitable | Mephit | Quori | Slaad |