An Excerpt from a Dissertation on Drakkogenexiz

An Excerpt from a Dissertation on the Culture of Drakkogenexiz

Written By: Togar of Clan Sacrilixij

Adapted From Draconic to Common By: Xishime of Clan Klilkikmeal

Prologue: A Brief Author’s Note

Welcome, my fellow esteemed scholar! I have been commissioned by the Board of Education and Self Enrichment to inform you of the vibrant culture of our dear home continent, Drakkogenexiz. I take this opportunity to say this: all subjective elements in the material below represent the thoughts and opinions of the author (Togar of Clan Sacrilxij), and do not represent the thoughts and opinions of the B.E.S.E. (Board of Education and Self Enrichment), or anyone serving a term(s) on the B.E.S.E. at any time, whether past, present, or future (with the notable exception of the individual Togar of Clan Sacrilxij, if he ever happens to serve a term on the B.E.S.E.). I (the aforementioned Togar of Clan Sacrilxij) hereby take on any and all unforeseen legal repercussions that may occur as a part of the publishing of this educational material. Yes, this is an official legal document.

-

P.163

There is only one type of completely civilized and cultured peoples on Drakkogenexiz, and that would be us Dragonborn. We have the ability to speak with dragons, but they can be unpredictable and dangerous, especially Chromatic Drakes. Everything else can’t really be trusted or communicated with effectively. So, we will be focusing exclusively on us, and our familiar culture, in this brief dissertation.

The largest (AND ONLY) unit of civilization on Drakkogenexiz is a “Clan”. A Clan is comprised of anywhere between 10 to about 450 (both extremes are statistical outliers. A more accurate range would be about 100-300) individual Dragonborn that are tied together by tradition, familiarity, honor, and pride. This usually comes in the form of scale color, but any number of unlisted other factors may bring a Clan together. Generally, larger and more stable Clans are composed of Metallic Drakes, and smaller and less stable Clans will consist of Chromats. The first rule of any Dragonborn is that THE CLAN COMES FIRST. This law is universal and absolute. A religious Clan’s god is less important that the well-being of the Clan itself.

Clans on good terms compete with each other in various ways in order to keep each other sharp. It is a relationship full of mutual respect and friendly rivalry, as well as unquestionable loyalty in times of great need. Clans on bad terms either ignore each other entirely, or have blood feuds that don’t calm down until neither Clan can remember why they started the feud in the first place (resulting in them ignoring each other), or one

(Page Break, to P.164)

Clan goes completely extinct. A traveling Dragonborn will use their Clan’s name in lieu of their personal name to represent their Clan and help identify where they belong in the grand scheme of things. It is also a great disrespect and affront to refer to a Dragonborn by their personal name in any setting outside of them being in the presence of their fellow Clan members if you don’t belong to their Clan. Doing this will likely result in an honor duel to the death that starts immediately after the infraction.

The structure within the Clan represents the pragmatic nature of our people. In Clans of Metallic Drakes, the family structure is generally as follows. A male and female Dragonborn will first arrange a marriage. This is usually done for reasons that don’t have much to do with romance: romantic bonds of all stripes are kept on a private, need-to-know basis, usually only between said lovers. A marriage is solely for the production of healthy offspring. A couple will marry, produce a child, and then seperate. The partner that shares their sex with the offspring will usually provide food and board until the hatchling reaches maturity at age fifteen, but adoptions aren’t unheard of. During this time, the child will be collectively reared by all older members of the Clan, who will act as mentors and guides to the individual for as long as one of the two remain alive. Meanwhile, most Chromat Clans have absolutely no standardized structure or organization to speak of.

I hope this brief guide on our customs will be of some assistance: I took special care to include most of the situations that could result in certain death.

-

(Copyright: Pages 163-164 of a Scholarly Dissertation written by Togar of Clan Sacrilixij, originally published in Draconic, on the continent of Drakkogenexiz, on the island of Shestecmor, by the combined efforts of Clan Klilkikmeal, Clan Krerjakir, Clan Cluchendrerdel, Clan Tarthenshtemis, and Clan Sacrilxij.