drake profile

So, I've been drawing a lot of Drakes lately. A lot of scenes with Drakes in them. Scenes that imply some sort of established backstory... So, I figured I should put pen to paper--metaphorically, of course--and actually spell out what that backstory is. The result was a species profile to help explain why thhese Drakes spend all this time messing with the nearby Humans...

Also note, this is a first draft, none of this is set in stone. Nor is it necessarrily complete. So if you've got any questions, comment, or critiques, do not be shy with them.





Physique—The Drake is best described as being a cross between a sapien and a dragon. They share a sapien’s basic face and body-type, although they stand somewhere in the range of twenty feet tall. Their body is covered with dragon-like scales, with prominent—yet somewhat pliable—plates on their torso. Their bodies are complimented with claws, horns, a bony crest on their brow, with frill in place of their ears, and a large pair of dragon wings on their back.

There are four varieties of Drakes, each possessing a unique destructive breath, and marked by a distinctive color scheme. There are Fire Drakes—reddish fire breathers, Ice Drakes—bluish ice-breathers, Slime Drakes—greenish creatures that breathe spores that grow into a slimy moss, and Dust Drakes—brown or earthen Drakes with a sandblast breath. These varieties do not constitute separate sub-species, or even separate races. They are instead traits more akin to hair or eye color. With the proper mix of recessive genes, a pairing of any two varieties can result in child of a third type.

Drakes are primarily predatory, subsiding mostly on deer and other large game. Most eat their food raw, with certain Fire Drakes being a common exception to this. Nearly anything else can be eaten as supplements, and some Drakes will go to great lengths for their favorite morsels. Despite appearances, Drakes are light eaters, needing far less than what their size would imply.

Attitude—Almost without exception, Drakes are solitary creatures. A few are nomadic, but most are territorial, and settle into a single lair. Sedentary Drakes are very protective of their territory, and will patrol it regularly, driving away other Drakes, or any other unwelcome creatures. Humans, and other lesser sapiens, do not fall under this ‘unwelcome’ category, and are often viewed as a resource more than a rival…

Life Cycle—Drakes are one of the longest lived of physical creatures. In ideal conditions, they can live active lives up to 150 years, and even up to 200 years when assisted.

Drakes are not family creatures. A couple will come together to mate, and leave each other soon after. (Mating itself is often a violent affair, with both parties often loosing control. To avoid this, Drakes vent most their urges on other, lesser, creatures—which allows them to remain much more restrained.) A year after the mating is over, an egg will be laid, to be watched over individually by one of the two parents. Sometimes the mother will keep the egg, but just as often it will be returned to the father. In a few unfortunate instances, neither the father nor the mother will bother to raise the egg…

Typically, a coupling produces only a single egg. After being laid, an egg will gestate for another year. When it does hatch, it will produce a toddler-like Drakelet. From there, the youngster will develop towards maturity at the same rate as a Human would.

Magic—Drakes are inherently magical creatures. Magic powers their distinctive breath, and is necessary for their basic subsistence. It allows them to weigh less than their bulk would entail—making flight possible—and allows them to eat far less than a typical creature their size. A Drake deprived of magic will be forced to eat more, eventually become unable to fly or use their breath, and will ultimately perish outright.

There are three ways that Drakes consume magic. A healthy Drake will typically use a mix of all three ‘feeding’ styles, though they often have a particular favorite. However, most Drakes—being thoroughly uneducated—have no real concept of ‘consuming magic.’ Thus, they have no idea why they feel compelled to the following things, they know only that they must and that they feel good when they do…

The first method involves the use of their destructive breath. When the breath destroys something living, it frees the magic inherent in the creature, which the Drake can then inhale. This encourages Drakes to revel in the destruction they’ve caused, whether it be to natural or cultivated land.

A second method involves contact with refined gold. Gold naturally accumulates free-floating magic, which the Drake can absorb on contact. It should be noted copper is useless for this purpose, and silver is too volatile in the magic it collects. Thus, Drake hoards tend to be exclusively gold. Though the word ‘hoard’ is somewhat misleading, as Drakes rarely collect a true ‘mountain of treasure’ as portrayed in legends.

The last method involves taking magic directly from Humans or similar creatures. Physically exhausting a smaller sapien again frees the magic inherent in them, which can then be absorbed at close quarters. This breaking of the lesser sapien can be done violently, or romantically. Natural selection and simple attrition have resulted in a prominence of the latter method, since a Drake who doesn’t leave a pile of corses in its wake is less likely to be systematically hunted down…

Habitat and Range—Drakes are most at home in mountainous, heavily forested areas. Though a few individuals will venture into barren or flatter territory if conditions warrant it. For reasons described above, Drakes thrive best in areas that are partially populated by Humans or other civilized species. Partially populated areas are preferred over heavily populated areas, just as a matter of safety. Drakes always cause some degree of friction with other races—again, for reasons described above—and spead-out populations are easier to retreat from, and harder to organize against the Drakes.

As previously mentioned, a typical Drake will establish a home lair. Typically a cave, but sometimes just an open area with clear boundaries. A Drake will tidy up—or despoil—their lair based on their personality, and will decorate the lair with their few personal effects. Their hoard of gold will always be in their lair, but not always on open display. Once established, it takes a life-threatening experience for a Drake to change or leave it lair.