Difference between revisions of "Draconid"

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'''''Draconid''''' is a broad category of organisms roughly equivalent to the term '''Scalykind''' or '''Scaled Ones'''.
'''''Draconid''''' is a term in Himraldan racial theory referring to sapient reptiles. Draconids—which consist of many different races, such as lizardfolk, yuan-ti, kobolds, tortles, etc.—occupy the highest tier in the Himraldan racial hierarchy. Within the category of draconids are the subcategories of greater draconids, middle draconids, and lesser draconids.
<!--
The term originates from the [[Himralda (people) | Himralda]].
 
, amphibians, and related creatures
-->
== Related terms ==
 
The term "draconid" is related to the terms "[[Scaled Ones]]" and "scalykind." Both of these terms, as far as I'm aware, originate from the book ''Serpent Kingdoms'' (2004). They are racial categories devised by the [[sarrukh]], that ancient culture of reptilian humanoids who were likely the first sapient beings to be born on Toril. "Scaled Ones" is an umbrella term referring broadly to reptilian humanoids. It encapsulates the following groups: ''scalykind'', ''lizards'', ''serpent constructs'', ''serpents'', and ''serpentfolk''. It is to be contrasted with "Scaleless Ones" (i.e., non-reptilian). Dragons are not considered Scaled Ones, presumably because they're not humanoids.
 
The definition of ''scalykind'' is as follows:
 
{{Quote|
SCALYKIND
 
The term scalylkind includes all creatures with the reptilian subtype, as well as the following creatures from the books published for the D&D game.
 
Asabi, braxat, dragonkin, firenewt, frost salamander, khaasta, kobold, lizard king/queen, lizardfolk, pterafolk, sa-rkrith, stingtail, tren, troglodyte.<ref>Source: ''Serpent Kingdoms'', p. 5.</ref>
}}
 
To summarize: All humanoids can be divided into Scaled Ones and Scaleless Ones. Scaled Ones include scalykind (e.g., kobolds, lizardfolk, xulgaths), "lizards" (e.g., crocodiles, dinosaurs, hydras, actual normal lizards), serpent constructs (e.g., bronze serpents), serpents (i.e., normal snakes and snake-like monsters), and serpentfolk (e.g., mariliths, naga, sarrukh, yuan-ti).
 
== Himraldan racial hierarchy ==
 
<center>
{| class="wikitable" align=center style="border: 1px solid black;"
! rowspan=3 | Draconids
! Greater draconids
| align=center | [[Himralda (people) | Himralda]]
|-
! Middle draconids
| align=center | [[Dragonborn]] {{dot}} [[Lizardfolk]] {{dot}} [[Spellscale | Spellscales]] {{dot}} [[Tortle | Tortles]] {{dot}} [[Yuan-ti]]
|-
! Lesser draconids
| align=center | [[Kobold | Kobolds]] {{dot}} [[Xulgath | Xulgaths]]
|-
! rowspan=2 | Ruma
! Greater ruma
| align=center | [[Aarakocra]] {{dot}} [[Chshaka | Chshakas]] {{dot}} [[Drow]] {{dot}} [[Gith]] {{dot}} [[Human | Humans]] {{dot}} [[Vedalken]] {{dot}} <br> Other dangerous humanoids
|-
! Lesser ruma
| align=center | Duergar {{dot}} Gnolls {{dot}} Gnomes {{dot}} Goblins {{dot}} <br> Pretty much everyone else
|}
</center>
 
This is the Himraldan racial hierarchy. It differs much from the "Scaled Ones" and "scalykind" categories, mainly in that it's a hierarchy and not simply a categorization.
 
There are two main groups: the draconids and the ''[[ruma]]'' (non-draconids). The draconids are up top, and at the top of the draconids are, of course, the Himralda, who believe they are perfection.
 
"Middle draconids" are inferior to Himralda but are useful and worthy of some respect. They're good for serving as clerks, bureaucrats, house servants, guards, tutors for small children, advisors, low-level priests, and low-level military officers. They're nice to keep around, so long as they understand their place. The exceptional among them can even rise up to become important members of society.
 
Lesser draconids barely make the cut as draconids. These are good to keep as slaves and cannon fodder. They're only barely treated better than ruma.
 
Ruma are not persons, they are chattel—livestock. They are to be fed to gerasaurs and pecaros, used to fill potholes, and used as meat shields. The only difference between greater and lesser ruma is that greater ruma are more dangerous.
<!--
=== Other races ===
 
There are several races not included in the Himraldan racial hierarchy that warrant discussion, namely dragonborn and spellscales. They hold a strange position in Himraldan culture, because they're related to humans: dragonborn (in Marillia) are humans who've transformed themselves into draconic forms, and spellscales are humans with dragon-blood flowing through their veins.
 
These are strange edge cases for Himraldan racial theory. Luckily, the Himralda haven't had to think too hard about this, since there aren't many of any of these races in their empire. That being said, what's their stance?
 
Dragonborn are uniquely hated by Himralda. They're viewed as imposters. Imagine if some kind of racial supremacist met a person belonging to a "lesser race" who surgically altered their body to resemble the supremacist's race—that's how Himralda view dragonborn.
 
This might come as a surprise, but Himralda actually value spellscales. Spellscales are viewed in Himralda the way aasimar are viewed in [[Alicantian Empire | Alicante]]—someone chosen by the gods/God. They have the blood of the dragon flowing through their veins, and that's what's most important. Two thumbs up.
 
---
 
Yuan-ti are viewed ambivalently by the Himralda. On the one hand, the Himralda accept that the yuan-ti really do have the blood of the dragon flowing through their veins. On the other hand, the process by which they attained dragon-blood was clearly not natural.
-->
== Himraldan racial theory ==
 
So you saw the Himraldan racial hierarchy, but now you're wondering: How did the Himralda come up with this? What makes lizardfolk better than xulgaths? To understand this, we must understand Himraldan racial theory.
 
The Himralda view themselves as superior because they are (allegedly) the closest creatures there are to dragons. They believe dragons are perfect divine creatures—literally gods.
 
They believe there is a kind of "trickle-down effect" of dragon-blood among the reptilian races. They're at the top: they have the most dragon-blood, and are therefore the next best thing after dragons. Then come the middle draconids—lizardfolk and tortles—who have less dragon-blood. Finally, there are the "lesser draconids," such as kobolds and xulgaths, who have the least dragon-blood.
 
This is why the Himralda view dragonborn and spellscales with a surprising amount of respect, in spite of the fact that dragonborn were once humans and spellscales ''are'' humans who have some dragon-blood. What matters is blood and closeness to dragons.
<!--
== List ==
 
=== Bullywugs ===
 
=== Dragonborn ===
 
''Main article: [[Dragonborn]]''
 
The dragonborn of Marillia differ from their counterparts of other settings. Marillian dragonborn are humans who have subjected themselves to rituals in an effort to become dragons.
 
=== Himralda ===
 
''Main article: [[Himralda (people)]]''
 
Himralda are a race of large reptilian humanoids.
 
=== Kobolds ===
 
''Main article: [[Kobold]]''
 
Kobolds are like tiny dragons that live underground.
 
=== Lizardfolk ===
 
''Main article: [[Lizardfolk]]''
 
Lizardfolk are a common race of cold, unfeeling reptilian humanoids. The Marillian lizardfolk are smaller than their counterparts in other settings, standing between 5 and 6 feet.
 
=== Spellscales ===
 
''Main article: [[Spellscale]]''
 
Spellscales are humans with the blood of dragons flowing through their veins.
 
=== Tortles ===
 
''Main article: [[Tortle]]''
 
Tortles are humanoid turtles/tortoises.
 
=== Xulgaths ===
 
''Main article: [[Xulgath]]''
 
Xulgaths, known as troglodytes in D&D, are lizard people who live deep underground.
 
=== Yuan-ti ===
 
''Main article: [[Yuan-ti]]''
 
Yuan-ti are an ancient culture of humans who have undergone depraved rituals to merge themselves with snakes, seeking to become like their gods.
 
---
 
 
=== Draconians ===
 
=== Dragonkin ===
 
=== Dray ===
 
=== Sarrukh ===
-->
== Endnotes ==

Latest revision as of 23:47, 14 February 2024

Draconid is a term in Himraldan racial theory referring to sapient reptiles. Draconids—which consist of many different races, such as lizardfolk, yuan-ti, kobolds, tortles, etc.—occupy the highest tier in the Himraldan racial hierarchy. Within the category of draconids are the subcategories of greater draconids, middle draconids, and lesser draconids.

Related terms

The term "draconid" is related to the terms "Scaled Ones" and "scalykind." Both of these terms, as far as I'm aware, originate from the book Serpent Kingdoms (2004). They are racial categories devised by the sarrukh, that ancient culture of reptilian humanoids who were likely the first sapient beings to be born on Toril. "Scaled Ones" is an umbrella term referring broadly to reptilian humanoids. It encapsulates the following groups: scalykind, lizards, serpent constructs, serpents, and serpentfolk. It is to be contrasted with "Scaleless Ones" (i.e., non-reptilian). Dragons are not considered Scaled Ones, presumably because they're not humanoids.

The definition of scalykind is as follows:

SCALYKIND

The term scalylkind includes all creatures with the reptilian subtype, as well as the following creatures from the books published for the D&D game.

Asabi, braxat, dragonkin, firenewt, frost salamander, khaasta, kobold, lizard king/queen, lizardfolk, pterafolk, sa-rkrith, stingtail, tren, troglodyte.[1]

To summarize: All humanoids can be divided into Scaled Ones and Scaleless Ones. Scaled Ones include scalykind (e.g., kobolds, lizardfolk, xulgaths), "lizards" (e.g., crocodiles, dinosaurs, hydras, actual normal lizards), serpent constructs (e.g., bronze serpents), serpents (i.e., normal snakes and snake-like monsters), and serpentfolk (e.g., mariliths, naga, sarrukh, yuan-ti).

Himraldan racial hierarchy

Draconids Greater draconids Himralda
Middle draconids Dragonborn · Lizardfolk · Spellscales · Tortles · Yuan-ti
Lesser draconids Kobolds · Xulgaths
Ruma Greater ruma Aarakocra · Chshakas · Drow · Gith · Humans · Vedalken ·
Other dangerous humanoids
Lesser ruma Duergar · Gnolls · Gnomes · Goblins ·
Pretty much everyone else

This is the Himraldan racial hierarchy. It differs much from the "Scaled Ones" and "scalykind" categories, mainly in that it's a hierarchy and not simply a categorization.

There are two main groups: the draconids and the ruma (non-draconids). The draconids are up top, and at the top of the draconids are, of course, the Himralda, who believe they are perfection.

"Middle draconids" are inferior to Himralda but are useful and worthy of some respect. They're good for serving as clerks, bureaucrats, house servants, guards, tutors for small children, advisors, low-level priests, and low-level military officers. They're nice to keep around, so long as they understand their place. The exceptional among them can even rise up to become important members of society.

Lesser draconids barely make the cut as draconids. These are good to keep as slaves and cannon fodder. They're only barely treated better than ruma.

Ruma are not persons, they are chattel—livestock. They are to be fed to gerasaurs and pecaros, used to fill potholes, and used as meat shields. The only difference between greater and lesser ruma is that greater ruma are more dangerous.

Himraldan racial theory

So you saw the Himraldan racial hierarchy, but now you're wondering: How did the Himralda come up with this? What makes lizardfolk better than xulgaths? To understand this, we must understand Himraldan racial theory.

The Himralda view themselves as superior because they are (allegedly) the closest creatures there are to dragons. They believe dragons are perfect divine creatures—literally gods.

They believe there is a kind of "trickle-down effect" of dragon-blood among the reptilian races. They're at the top: they have the most dragon-blood, and are therefore the next best thing after dragons. Then come the middle draconids—lizardfolk and tortles—who have less dragon-blood. Finally, there are the "lesser draconids," such as kobolds and xulgaths, who have the least dragon-blood.

This is why the Himralda view dragonborn and spellscales with a surprising amount of respect, in spite of the fact that dragonborn were once humans and spellscales are humans who have some dragon-blood. What matters is blood and closeness to dragons.

Endnotes

  1. ↑ Source: Serpent Kingdoms, p. 5.
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