Dragonkin

Dragonkin are a race of reptilian humanoids created in the image of the dragons for which they originally toiled. They usually live secluded from other civilizations on the tall mountaintops of the Ribs, access to which is just about only achieved through the use of flight.

Physical Description
Dragonkin are warm-blooded reptiles. They often claim kinship to basilisks, lizards and other similar creatures, though they are truthfully not related to any of them. Their skin is covered with scales, whose colouring differs between the individual dragonkin, though one might be able to tell their family through the colouring. Their hands have four fingers, including a thumb, each adorned with a talon, each foot has four toes, though one of them protrudes from the heel, allowing them to grasp prey while in flight with their feet, or to land comfortably on branches. Perhaps their most distinguishing feature is the wings they have got on their backs. With these wings dragonkin can fly comfortably, though injuries can ground them quickly enough. Dragonkin are strong, especially in upper body strength, their bodies often tapering down to a slim waist beneath a bulky upper body. It is often hard for those who are not dragonkin to see if a dragonkin is female or not as there are no obvious visual signs of gender. Dragonkin lay eggs and do not breast feed their young.

Psyche and Demeanour
While it is, of course, wrong to make general statements regarding an entire race as there will always be exceptions, certain things can be said to be true of the Dragonkin. In general they are quick to comply to authority, they generally work well together and teach the subservience of the individual to the community. While they are deeply religious, they keep their religion mainly to themselves. Dragonkin do not share their religion or culture with others, to do so is generally considered a crime and punishable by having one’s wings clipped. This lack of sharing insider information also extends to other areas. Dragonkin are known for their ability to keep secrets and is the origin of the phrase “Dragonkin Gossip”, which refers to something which does not exist.

History
The Dragonkin were created to be servants to the Dragons. There is no shame in this for them, they consider the Dragons to be their ancestors and worship them almost as gods. They spent their first years as a race learning to work in the service the Dragons and were expected to be obedient and good servants to them, those that failed to meet these expectations were destroyed or cast out for the greater good. During the Dragonwars they were often used as soldiers and scouts. Though they proved to be fit to the task of soldiering, they were secondary to the vast magical clashes of the Dragons and they were slaughtered in these wars. As their usefulness became less, they were once more relegated to the roles of servants while other, more horrific creations took up the role of soldiers. When the Dragons left the Dragonkin started what they called the Time of Mourning. It was during this time that they started building their nation, if it can be called such. The Dragonkin live in separate cities, all on top of mountains, which took generations to build. Although they all communicate and trade with each other, they are independent city states, sharing a common religion and race. In all the history of the Dragonkin since the Time of Mourning, they have not waged war on each other. Lacking a Dragon to direct them, their mountaintop cities maintain their isolation.

Territory
Dragonkin have series of cities at the top of mountains, creating their temple cities there. There is rarely any way up to these temples except flying. For the most part, dragonkin inhabit the Ribs north of Adylheim, with some also living also to the east.