Avlis Races: Drangonari

[Orleron]

The drangonari elves are a cruel reptilian race allegedy created by the Angadar soon after his ascension to godhood. They appear mostly elven in form, except they have scales much like a lizard in colors ranging from the darkest green to a bluish color. Their hair is always black, and their eyes contain slit pupils and range in color from gold to dark brown, with the occasional violets and greys.

According to legend, the drangonari were created according to Angadar's intentions. Rumor has it that in his mortal days, an avariel female once tried to assassinate Angadar, and nearly succeeded. This individual was a close friend of his then wife, Demetria, and Angadar was outraged by the betrayal. His anger lashed out against the avariel woman, consuming her, but it did not stop there. Angadar vowed revenge on the avariel race itself. This revenge was embodied in his race. When first created, the drangonari very much resembled a twisted form of avariel, complete with reptillian demon-like wings. The newly created race settled on the east coast of the main continent and began to build the multilayered city of Grantir in present-day Drotid.

Why the other characteristics of drangonari, such as their scales and ability to spit fire, resemble dragons is not completely known, but it is thought that Angadar himself has a connection to dragons through some magical means.

As a race, the drangonari are at home in virtually any environment. Within the city of Grantir itself, there is a layer in the trees, on the ground, and below the ground as well. A drangonari can thrive just as easily below ground as they could in a treetop metropolis. This makes them extremely versatile and adaptable. Adding to their dangerous air, is their strong ability for organization and discipline. Drangonari are often lawful, though there are of course exceptions.
They often favor wizardry, and talents for sorcery are not uncommon either.

Shortly after the time of the rescue of Angadar's daughter Jade from the Nine Hells (see timeline), a war occurred between Grantir and the nearby avariel city of Toostan. In that tumultuous battle, the dragons of good and evil sided with the avariel and drangonari respectively, and the skies were filled with them. In the end the city of Toostan was razed, and all avariel were thought to be extinct from Avlis. The drangonari did not suffer nearly as much loss as they did, though they did not remain unchanged either. Through some means unknown to this day, all but the oldest and most noble drangonari lost their wings. Some say it was an avariel spell thrown at them as a last ditch effort to make a stand. Others suspect it was punishment from the god Mikon for destroying a race. Many, will just not broach the subject at all. Whatever the cause, it is extremely uncommon to see a drangonari elf with wings in this age.

The drangonari speak a totally different form of elvish taught to them by their elven god Angadar, who is rumored to be from another realm. They have their own society in which men and women are equal and hierarchy is only determined by intellectual and magical power. Their home city is Grantir, as noted. Grantir is run largely as a theocratic triumvirate, loosely speaking. Angadar is the supreme head of the city and below him are his two demigod assistants Stephanus and Bobil. The mortal followers of these three gods form the government of the city, and they generally run the Church of Angadar itself, as well as guide the direction of the race as a whole.