Dragon Rider, also ocationally called Dragon Tamer, is a Draco or Half-Draco who has bonded and mounts a Dragon.
Overview[]
Dragons are intelligent creatures, akin to a horse or a dog. They can be trained to understand verbal commands.
To bond and ride a dragon, one must be either a Draco or Half-Draco, as no other race can do it. There are historical records of members of the other races attempting to tame one, and none have been successful, and those who have attempted typically end up burned, maimed, killed, or even eaten alive.
A person may become a Dragon Rider at any age, though the process of becoming a rider varies. Young Dracos are placed close to young hatchlings or young dragons so that the bond blooms easily. Once the creature at least one year old, it's powerful enough to fly with someone upon its back.
In other cases, an experienced Draco warrior could tame a wild Dragon, though this is extremely dangerous, even if the Dragon has not fully matured into adulthood. This requires the potential rider to beat the wild beast into submission, and then taking the beast for a short flight, a process akin to the "breaking" of a horse.
Once the Dragon and the rider have bonded, it will not allow anyone else to mount it alone while its rider lives, no matter how familiar said person might be to it. However, they may be willing to accept another person upon their backs as long their own rider has also mounted.
Tamed Dragons are generally equipped with a special saddle with one or strap that are attached to the riders belt, as otherwise riding a dragon considered to be rather dangerous.
Since the lifespan of a Dragon is significantly longer than the lifespan of its rider, when the rider dies, it can bond with a new rider. Beasts who have been ridden before, and thus are more accustomed to the presence of men, might be more willing to accept a new rider than wild dragons who had grown to adulthood without having ever been ridden.
Dragon Riders are Beast Tamers.
History & Lore[]
Since the Era of Heros and Legends, Dragons and, to a lesser extent Dragonids, were considered extremely dangerous animals. Their ability to fly, combined with their fire breath and great appetite made life for commoners dangerous, as well as putting their cattle and crops in a very vulnerable position. This also jeopardized the ability of the noble families to collect taxes. Similarly, Sea Dragons with their powerful tails, massive boddies, and Water-breath possed a massive threat to ships and therefore, traveling and trade. This made dragon hunting a dangerous but lucrative business engaged by Aera Arts Masters.
The danger posed by Dragons also made hunting them the ultimate sport, especially for Dracos. Most notably, a guild of Dragon Hunters was organized by the then Draco Kings. Anyone who managed to slay a Dragon single-handedly became known as a Dragonslayer, and earn the respect of many their prowess as warriors would become legendary.
This lasted until the War of the Draco Sucession when a young Draco named Bowein, a young commoner who had spent most of his life far from society, became the first Dragon Rider, showing prowess greater than any of the Dragon hunters before him. His prowess eventually helped him to become the first Dragon King.
Bowein taught many Dracos all of what he knew about Dragons, and many new riders appeared. Taming Dragons became such an important part of the Draco society that he founded the Dragon Order, which first served as the Royal Guards until they forcefully split from their sworn duty. He also forbade the hunting and/or killing of Dragons.
A few centuries after the rise and proliferation of dragon riders, the Dracos attempted to conquer the other five races. The conflict known as the Great Dragon War left millions dead, but eventually, the five nations combined their effort to defeat the army of the Dracos. During and especially after the conflict, the five races engaged in a systematic slaughter of Dragons where they could find them. Though the Dracos eventually negotiated reasonable peaceful terms with the victors, the number of dragons had been notably reduced, from hundreds of thousands to less than five thousand.
After this war, Dragons and their eggs began to be monopolized by the Dragonlords, with only family members and trusted men being able to become dragon riders. Each of the Dragonlords has a stable especially made for housing dragons.
Known Dragon Riders[]
Trivia[]
- Tamers of Sea Dragons are not considered Dragon Riders or Dragon Tamers.