Rexxit refugee here, so I guess I’ll try to do my part in case things don’t improve on Reddit. So what are dragons or similar beings like in your world?
In my world, dragons are called The Watchers, in charge of safeguarding the worlds from premature destruction. They were created by the gods to live alongside “lesser” mortals, but they blur the line between the mundane and divinity. For this reason, they consider themselves to be the apex species - and they aren’t wrong. They’re stronger, they’re smarter, they’re extremely long-lived. They have to be able to contend with any and all threats. But they also look down upon regular mortals and demand tributes. Even the most benevolent ones display some amount of haughtiness. Their borderline tyrannical nature caused humans in particular to rise up against them and drive them to near extinction, which was incited by the ascension of the Man-God. With many of their brethren slain, stereotypical stories of cruel wurms being celebrated, and the worship of the Man-God, many dragons have taken an antagonistic stance against humanity. They no longer express any interest in communicating with humans, which they did in the past via telekinesis since they can’t speak. It has also led to many killing and eating as they please with no regard to how it effects man.
Dragons in my world(s) are creatures of Creativity and Imagination, more primordial than anything else in creation.
The scriptures from the Followers of the Blind Idiot God rarely mention Dragons, and when they do it is about their presence. Outside scholars say this is because the Followers of the Blind Idiot God doesn’t understand Dragons. How much truth it is in that is debated, often with ale and fisticuffs. Yet the nature of Dragons elude the Followers.
If one would encounter the nowadays elusive Dragonewts and ask them about the origins of Dragons they would gladly tell of the Draconic Creation myth (stolen this straight off from Glorantha because it is cool). They would say that before anything else there was Chaos, and in this empty void lay the Power of Disorder. Disorder stirred and within its stirrings an egg was formed. From it the Great Ancestor Dragon hatched. It then sat and meditated on the silent world, planning its growth. The Myth then continues on telling of how the Dragon drove off Chaos and thus creating the Darkness Rune from its feet. Rest of Creation were then created from the Dragon itself, it for example cut open its loins and Water was created. From its brain, existing both inside and outside Creation, came the Ancestral Dragons. They were the teachers of Deities teaching them about the Runes and Forms. After passing on their wisdom the Ancestral Dragons met up, mated and then disappeared. Their children were the Mythic Dragons with powers rivalling Deities. If they still exist they don’t exist in Creation but it is said they live in God World. From the Mythic Dragons came the True Dragons who live in Creation. They are of a statue so immense it is almost unfathomable, their size makes them more like pieces of geography than creatures. Luckily they sleep. From their dreams come the Dream Dragons and are the kind of Dragon encountered, even if seldom. These are the kind of Dragons referred to when talking about Dragons.
It is impossible to say anything in general about the appearance or behaviour of True Dragons as they wake so seldom and doesn’t communicate in any recorded way. Dream Dragons on the other hand tend to be serpentine or reptilian in appearance. With anything from zero to four pairs of legs and most have wings. It has been recorded that unwinged dragons do possess the ability to fly, but no accounts come from credible sources. Their behaviour vary wildly as it depends on the Dream they were created from. While they hunt and feed it doesn’t appear to be necessary for their survival. Most current (reputable) scholars instead hold the theory they are nourished by the Dream from which they came from.
Oh that’s pretty interesting. I like the origin of the Ancestor Dragon - would you say that the Ancestral Dragons and Mythic Dragons are “the old gods” of your world?