Mainland Barg

Appearance: standing tall and broad with skin like hardened leather, the mainland barg strikes fear into the hearts of many. They boast horns like rams, limbs like tree trunks, and claws like daggers curving into the ground.

Size: 10 - 20 ft.

Personality/nature: they're a shy and nocturnal breed that aren't often seen, and will only attack when provoked. When a road is paved near the mountains, tales tell of bargs that set their homes nearby, killing nearby travelers and devouring what remains of them.

History & Origins:

Adapting in the great forests of Faulon, that which once covered the land now known as Lorlyn, lived as a key balance to the ecosystem, creating paths for other animals, and controlling the population of large herds. No one knows their origin, only that their influence was vast by the time of the first encounter with sentient beings - the Eyru.

The Eyru held deep respect for those creatures. Despite their beastly physique, their knowledge far exceeded that of most other creatures, able to communicate on a basic level, such as through hand signs. The bargs, being gardeners of the forest, built large woodland trails, and the Eyru gave tribute to use them. While some subspecies of bargs unfamiliar with the Eyru were known pests, such encounters were rare. The Eyru, holding a deep respect for nature, would cut down trees only to replace them right after, and to the land turned into farmland, provided abundant food for the wildlife.

The humans, however, did not hold such sentiment. They stepped onto the shores of Faulon with axes, spears, and bows. The great forests turned to plains and farmlands. The woodland faun became scores of red, from the deer, wolves, bears, and beyond all others: the woodland bargs. Betrayed, corrupted by the decency of Eyru, the bargs, with spite, demanded far greater tributes, but the humans refused.

Furious, the bargs banded together with clubs and slings, and were set to raid the human settlements. A mere dozen bargs had ransacked entire villages, with even the wooden husks of their homes rattled to the ground.

This instilled fear in the humans, but equally grew their resentment. They sought for revenge, believing they'd overwhelm them with superior weaponry and numbers, but the bargs were ready for them.

This would later culminate in the desperate act of human ingenuity: fire. Not just any fire, mind you, but the scorch of entire woodlands, with an abundance of traps awaiting them. By the end of it all, the humans had won, both at the cost of many lives, and the near extinction of the bargs in the region, or so they thought. The bargs were simply forced to migrate elsewhere, staying far away from the humans and Eyru, disappearing from the scrolls for centuries.

Later mentions of the creatures were in tribal mythologies, used as metaphors to display great splendor of beloved warriors.

However, over time, as the humans and drakes began their wars, the bargs had returned, seeking to join the fight towards human extermination. What they didn't anticipate was the human need for power. They created projectile weapons with the might of their throws, biting deeper than their stones ever could. One shot could bring down a barg, and there were hundreds already built in the fight against the dragons: drake bows. Their great forests had become desilate, consumed by the expanse of open plains. There was nothing they could do but take what little they could, stealing livestock and crushing crops, which only grew the fight against them.

Eventually, the humans formed an army built specifically in the fight against such beasts, of dragons, wyverns, and bargs. They were named in mockery of the mightiest among them; Drakon, and a fortress named Drakonstead. Ever since then, the bargs weren't only hunted when raiding villages, but simply for living near the human settlements. They were hunted for their prized skin and flammable flesh, forcing them to be isolated to the mountains of the east, hiding in caves and living in what was left of their forest dwelling. They had grown fearful the humans that once feared them, and now only a few still linger.

Greymerian Barg

Appearance: a smaller, more fragile species; Greymerian bargs boast small horns on their heads, or at least the males. The females, rather, have long scraggly hair. Unlike mainland bargs, they lack long protruding claws, but rather have hands and feet like that of a human brute, cloaked in white fur from head to toe.

Size: 5-10 ft.

Personality/lifestyle: they hold near the intelligence of humans, often working alongside them for a mutual benefit, with rumors spread that they're as smart as a ten year old child.



Eldur (Fire drake)

Appearance: the easiest way to separate the eldur from any other class of dragon is their color. They wear a cloak of red and black scales. Their wings carry an evil look, with spikes sticking out the back of each wing. Their horns are crooked, there isn't any pattern to it. They carry claws. Their jaw are elongated and with a face and eyes orange, seeming as though they glow. Their tails are long and have shredded design of a sustainable second wing set at the end of the tail. Without having to focus on details, to separate ice from fire would be the elongated neck they carry.

Size: 40 ft long, 100 ft wings.

Personality/lifestyle: being the most common dragon, the eldur are infamous for being the main cause of destruction from dragons, blamed as the culprit for house fires (which were started by humans). It's obvious to most that they despise humans beyond any other dragon simply by their wrathful nature and tendency for revenge. They are very aggressive, and not a single person has been known to escape a fight if encountering one eye to eye. They are carnivores, carrying teeth much larger for their size than any other dragon, and commonly eat humans out of spite of their hatred for them. They mainly eat large game, though they also fly into villages to hunt cattle. Their homes are within the many mountain ranges throughout Faulon, but to be more specific they hide themselves in caves or secluded areas in the stone coasts of the northern regions. The main reason the order of Drakon was started was to deal with the eldur.



Fridur (Ice Drake)

Appearance: commonly favored by artists, the fridur are not likely to make a person run simply based by their appearance. Like the perfect stallion, their body is thin and elegant with an shorter, less serpentine neck. Their horns are thin, having the row of horns leading to the middle like it were a sharply tipped mountain. Their face is clean, with a jaw rather small for a dragon, but comfortably placed. Their eyes shimmer like a mixture of pearls, jewels, and the ocean. The last and most notable trait is their scales. Rather than simply having a rough set of hide to protect against the many elements, they wear a cloak of what looks like fur, or extensions to the scales to the point it provides an extra layer of comfort in cold environments. The "fur" coloration can vary from white as snow to as clear and clean as ice. What sets them apart is that they lack arms, relying on clawed wings and feet to grasp things.

Size: 20ft long, 60ft wings.

Personality/lifestyle: the one thing fire and ice have in common is the resentment it has on human tolerance. However, unlike the eldur who admittedly crave death on all humans, the fridur prefer to be secluded and store their prey in frozen coffins made by their ice breath for future use. They don't have a second set of wings on their tail, thus making them rely mostly on gliding than flying long distances, which is why they only live in Greymeria. Despite being one of few dragon species to be incapable of speaking, they are less wild than the eldur. Rather than to bring terror to all humankind, fridur seek peace. Even though they have curiosity towards humans, if their territory or themselves are threatened, they would go into an animalistic rage and freeze everything surrounding it. It isn't known whether they can be tamed, but it is more likely possible than an eldur.



Myrkur (Dark fire)

Appearance: like the titans in legends or sea serpents that roam the furthest open waters, mykur surpass all creatures in size. Their heads are shortened but still larger than any other. Their scales are a mixture of black and faded dark blue, making them excellent at stealth in the deep sea despite their enormous size. Their bodies are equal to that of leviathans, like snakes slithering through the sea, thus providing them the longest tail and neck compared to any other dragon. Only a fool would dare think of riding one, for their backs contain a forest of sharp hardened blades like giant fins to help them glide in the sea.

Size: 120ft long, 60ft wings.

Personality/lifestyle: the legend behind why they were nicknamed darkfire was due to an encounter between one and a person on land. They witnessed blue flames spew out like a molten ocean was racing out of its mouth. With a jaw length able to reach the height of a fully grown mainland barg, it isn't uncommon they consume entire schools of fish in a single gulp. Observers still have a hard time comprehending that they're capable of surviving with such scarce amounts of food for their size. Some say their secret remains with their talent of waiting decades without food, while others say they only bare a few children over their three hundred years or so lifespan, but their lifespan is still debated, as they are rather rare an encounter. Others even go as far to proclaim they consume stones to create their molten blue flame as a source for food, but none can be proven.



Breyta (Shapeshifter)

Appearance: Unlike the eldur or fridur, breyta have small scales. To compensate, they hold thick, element resistant skin coated in a unique liquid, that which humans have long used to fight the eldur and fridur by coating it on their armor. Their wings seem almost bare, like that of bats more so than dragons. Because they lack scales, they are not as hindered by flight, and are known to reach speeds greater than any others. However, they lack the ability to spew the breath of dragons. They have small slender horns, used mostly for to attract mates, the more elegant they are. Given their name "breyta" meaning "change", they can shapeshift into humanoids, so nearly human, yet so slightly off. In human form, they stand taller, stronger, and heavier than humans, able to ward off heavy blows without any armor, making them formidable warriors. In that form they have tiny horns, wings, tail, and claws. They have claws like bears, making them deadly even when unarmed, and can run at great speeds without exhaustion. The drawback, however, is that most run rather than fight.

Size: 15ft long, 30ft wings. 5-7ft human form.

Personality/lifestyle: the rarest and most intelligent of dragons. Some say they are even capable of human speech, and understand complex thought. Breyta have been nearly hunted to extinction. Because of this, many have stayed hidden in their human forms, blending into society when possible. In human form, they've been known to cook their own food, though primitive, such as meat on skewers or They were kind from the beginning, helping humans thrive in new lands, but resentment grew when they began to be treated as pawns. Some were tortured into becoming weapons of war, being that they resist the breath of dragons, others raped in human form to create half dragon half human offspring, all for the same purpose: to fight off the eldur and fridur. Some bonded with humans to create half-bred offspring themselves, beginning to despise their dragon forms, for humanity grew to resent such beasts due to the many conflicts with the eldur and fridur, who often hunted their livestock and villagers. They felt it was their only future, but many offspring were purged during King Eronahn II's rule around 300 years ago. Most humans believe they're monstrosities, or even demons. There has been no known half-breeds since. Being the weakest of the four known dragons, rather than aiming to slaughter humanity like the eldur, they simply hide from them in fear, even if one alone could take on a dozen.



Eyru (elves)

Appearance: as common for humans, being constantly overwhelmed with the fear of aging and balding, the same can't be said about the eyru. Their skin remains the same from birth until death. Their hair does grey, but it never recedes, and is much more often braided than that of their close relative. Humans envy the eyru for that reason, often being encouraged during the first encounters between both sides to reproduce, hopefully in turn to carry children with an equal lack of aging, and for the eyru, greater strength. Despite being much smaller than humans and far weaker, they make up for it by sheer intellect. They hold the most advanced armor and weapons of all races, have more thriving citizens, the finest foods, art, and architecture. Their eyes vary the same as humans, though blue is the most common; eyes far more elegant. In general, eyru have nearly perfect faces and rarely get overweight, but on the other hand, rarely physically strong.

Size: 3-5ft.

Personality/lifestyle: you'd know you're hallucinating if you saw an eyru speaking to a crowd. They're very secluded, preferring small company and care little about fame or wealth (although they despise it, it's unlikely to ever meet a homeless eyru). They're exceptionally hardworking, never get drunk, avoid banquets, but are very strict about traditions and celebrate them without hesitation. They grow distasteful at the thought of tolerating anything or anyone beyond their own kind, for aside from themselves, nothing has given them any benefit. If you wish to impress them, they admire power. That is the one thing that makes eyru envy humans; their innate strength over them, and skill in combat, which is also why they somewhat fear them. They see the world in black in white, too stubborn to worry about the problems of others aside from themselves, which would more or less explain why basically the entire world despise them. In their eyes the world is their throne, and everyone beyond them are their stewards. The intellect blinds them from views on morality or social acceptance, so if one falls for someone of the same sex, they'd likely shun them or go as far as to completely end their life. Lastly, the eyru do speak the common tongue of man, however it is brutally distorted with intellectual dialogue and constant metaphors that majority of humans can't understand, so in a sense they could be excellent writers but have no readers. Music, however, is something the humans and eyru can agree with. Songs focused on stories revolving around people, or a beautiful array of instruments. Human leaders often hosted feasts with the finest food and music hoping to establish conversation with their long disliked relative, but most could never meet their standards.



Greymer

Appearance: if to encounter one on opposite side of a battlefield, consider your side a lost cause. Greymer stand like mountains, born stronger and, by adulthood, carry a thick coat of hair to protect them in the cold of the north. Although strange, the infants also have body hair. Their body hair can vary from white, grey, brown, or blond. Despite carrying their own natural protection from the cold, they are ashamed of it, and thus cover it with cloaks of leather, a helm that mostly covers the face, chainmail, scale armor, or bear fur to hide it from everyone unlike them. The positive side is that they shed it during the late spring. To try and make up for their ridiculous amount of hair, they braid their beards and mustaches, and are considered the best at it. Greymer women, surprisingly, don't wear a thick coat of hair, aside from what remains on their head, which truly is a weapon of its own.

Size: 6-10ft

Personality/lifestyle: as the setting fits, they aren't all that friendly, but not in a sense they'll avoid you. To befriend them, you must earn their respect in some manner they can accept, from slaying a dragon to leading a band of sea raiders to victory against a ship of war....or in a lady's case, be pretty and supportive.... Living in an isle of over one thousand islands and with both a harsh climate, dragons, mountains, bargs, large bears and dire wolves, you can just guess what they spend most of their time doing: hunting, fishing, exploring and pillaging to gain their needs in daily life. They live hard, fight hard, and die hard; only accepting those who achieve, shunning those who either don't meet their expectations of achievements or to focus on matters they don't understand. Therefore, to be a man tolerated by the population, you can't focus on being an author, priest, cook, or farmer; as unless there's physical involvement that could impress even a Greymer, you'd be socially separated. The Greymer enjoy music, art, and tales (especially revolving around lust or bravery), as it is what they enjoy most in life aside from getting drunk or sailing the open sea. For that, it's easy to acknowledge nearly none of the Greymer can read, though a few do write. To support themselves and their families, Greymer not only raid, but also trade with many (which eventually became law to follow due to their ultimate surrender during the war with the humans in recent history).



Humans:

Appearance: humans have many flaws revolving around them, one being that they live shorter lives than any of their cousins (which can be argued over many things). They're more frail than the Greymer, but not as smart or innovative as the Eyru. They hold both qualities, but to a lesser degree, and have populated most of the world. Hair styles and colors vary where ancestors adapted to, so skin tone and overall appearance differs greatly throughout the world.

Size: 5-7ft.

Personality/lifestyle: we follow morals, but can easily be blinded by wickedness and are blamed for the greatest threats ever to exist, so I suppose pride shouldn't be the thing we take most interest in...yet that's exactly what we do! I guess that's why none of the races get along, we're too focused on ourselves.... Humans are known for having the largest cities, most famous architecture/art/music (albeit because we take up majority of the population so there isn't really any competition). The overall military is the most diverse since we not only use horses as the major form of transportation, but also created the largest variety of weaponry and armor, being the inspiration for other races in their own designs and strategies. Lastly, although dragons despise all three members of the race, humans were the only ones to establish a way to counteract them (even though our ancestors are the main reason the eldur in particular want to remove every one of us from existence).