#Dragon Blooded

[autumnslance]

hi! random question for you because i stumbled upon your blog and have a lot of ffxiv character stuff in my head. what do you think about a WoL who is half dragon - do you think this could work? i'm not fully through the story so not sure on all the lore. but i was thinking of making an OC who is half dragon as an AuRa, who ik are NOT half dragon but what if the WoL was an actual half dragon? thanks for any input! have a nice day!

OK, this is one of those "here is the official lore, do with it, or not, what you will" answers. Cuz it's sorta kinda possible, in a way, just not how many other fantasy settings would do it.

Now, you say you're not all the way through story, but I don't know how far that means. So I may be vague about some things and spoil some others. Lore first, and then some options to play with it...

Number 1: FF14 dragons are aliens. It seems hinted at in some ways, but we do learn that for certain in an optional raid quest in Stormblood. They are extraterrestrial, do not originate on the same planet. Hence the strangeness and strength of their abilities, especially among Midgardsormr and his First Brood, from whom all other True Dragons descend.

Number 2: Dragons reproduce asexually. Their mating is more a meeting of the mind and heart (which is why dedicated sibling pairs, like Tiamat and Bahamut, are not a problem). Their development is highly mutable, and dependent on personality and environment. Which is why there are so many kinds of dragons, and why this form of procreation isn't a problem for them.

(They also don't really care about gender, we find out in later game; they use pronouns and gendered language, but it's more like they pick it out of a hat and also I think it's in part how mortals parse their draconic language and identification of each other.)

In the ARR patches, the Ishgardian church's story about the ancient Saint Shiva is "she lay with dragons" and...sorta? Again, not necessarily sex as we primates manage it, but there was a romantic relationship that's one of the central elements of Heavensward's story.

Number 3: Dragons do not turn into people. Not natural born True Dragons, anyway. There is one who uses a simulacrum/homunculus that he controls in order to walk among people, but it's an artificial puppet body created via certain methods.

Heretics can sometimes turn into dragons--sometimes temporarily, sometimes permanently (not always their intent). They manage this by drinking dragons' blood (willingly given or not, depending on situation). There's also some plot points in HW where we learn some people in the past partook of a dragon's internal source of power and now it's spread through uncountable descendants--the reason for Dragoon abilities and heretics able to tap into that and become draconic.

Certain characters in certain questlines have noticeable powerful aetheric abilities and dragons can sense the connection--because one of their parents had imbibed dragon blood. There's also a quest where a Dragoon, who by training already has an "inner dragon" awoken and tapped into, is forced to drink dragon's blood and nearly loses her sanity and self, the attempt to transform her into a mindless beast (and the source of some of the Horde's shock troops, the characters realize) an element of the story, and can she overcome it.

(these side quests were part of my inspiration for Aeryn's unexpected backstory "Bearing Sins of the Past")

Number 4: There are dragon legends in the East, but only some have to do with True Dragons descended from the First Brood. We eventually learn Seiryu of the Four Lords is not a dragon, though often is mistaken for or described as one.

There are also throughout the world large flying lizards, dinosaurs, and other big reptilian creatures native to Hydaelyn, but not related to the First Brood. They're usually common animals with no intellect.

(This is because world lore writer Banri Oda just loves dinosaurs)

SO! All that said, what's this mean for making a half-dragon OC? Well, there's options!

To be lore compliant, someone of Coerthan descent and involved with, or from a family involved with, heresy (per the Ishgardian definition) can have draconic features, maybe try to pass themselves off as Au Ra, and/or have the ability to transform, either with a catalyst (blood, alchemy, a spell tapping into their inner dragon/draconic heritage, whatever) or because it's become an inherent part of them. Think draconic-blooded sorcerers from Dungeons & Dragons. They get their inherent magic due to draconic ancestry/influence somewhere in their lineage.

There's also always the mistaken/lying element; maybe the character thinks they are, or something has to do between their family and legends of the auspices and Four Lords. One of the things about FF14's lore is a lot of it is given in world and in characters; some of it is known to be wrong or misrepresented or incomplete etc., to give the devs wiggle room--as well as us as players.

One can partially ignore canon and say yeah, a humanoid parent boffed a draconic parent, in whatever form, and now this unlikely one in a million chance (or not, if we're already throwing away some lore) offspring is around and grown into an adventurer.

I've also seen folks portal in their OC from another fantasy setting where such things are more plausible, such as D&D (Baldur's Gate 3 is the current new hotness) or Warcraft (where it's honestly more assumed, as I can't recall an actual canon half-dragon but that's always a popular RP concept).

So while on the surface, some may say "no, that's not canon because--" there are ways to make it work within lore, if not how one usually thinks of "half-dragon" or "dragon-blooded" (tho kinda in the D&D sorcerer sense, IMO).

Or you throw out canon, and tell folks "I know the lore is X, but for my character's story I'm headcanoning Y instead." And then block any fussy attempts at lore policing.

Or just use the power of crossovers and portal stories/isekai to make it work, and again tell lore police to screw off.

Hope this helps, and happy OC writing!

[toxinfox]

Happy Year of the Wood Dragon!

Yushoto Jaya, chosen of the Elemental Wood Dragon, converses with a friendly moss dragon during his morning stretches and spear kata.

[theonyxpath]

Five years ago today we released Dragon-Blooded: What Fire Has Wrought for Exalted Third Edition. The deluxe version is in print direct from our partners at Indie Press Revolution https://www.indiepressrevolution.com/xcart/Dragon-Blooded-Deluxe-Edition.html Or at your FLGS! Also in PDF and POD at DriveThruRPG at https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/261732/DragonBlooded-What-Fire-Has-Wrought?affiliate_id=13&src=OPPTumblr

[ajokeaboutadog]

[weirdosweirdart]

I said i would get to the UV pics.

Well, finally got there.

Heres ya go

[artbydungeon]

Happy Calibration @novafigura! I hope I've done your Oroonoko justice! I really liked her vibes.

[capsensislagamoprh]

Sorcha is coming along. Should I add jeweled shoulder straps? Maybe a center gemstone so it's more shoulders, less bewbs? Thoughts?

Okay, normally she wears fire colors, but some time you gotta follow your muse. I'm still working on the finishing touches. Smoothing the mold around the face, gotta make her eyes and a wig. Face up, all those details.

But damn, she's good for a start, I think. She's got golden hair, so I gotta find the right blend for that. Face is made of a different resin, but the face up should fix that color differential. I like this dress style for her, though.

The Paper Army is coming along. You can't see it, but Lerias (the purple one) has elf ears. That wig is too thick. Imma have to fix it. Gotta flock George and Double. Do some blushing on them all. Wigs, eyes, so many details! And Dhampir *dose* have a completed suit, but I gotta find it. When you put things away for protection, you loose shiz, you know what I mean?

Lerias fits most 1:6 things with tailoring. Her shoes have to be BJD 1:6, though, rather than play scale. Dhampir needs shoes. I gotta find the right 'noble but practical' footwear. Sorcha fits guy Rainbow High shoes... I think I can modify some rainbow high girl shoes to fit her. It's the length, since she's so much taller. (RH are just a little taller than Lerias.) I'm also on the great search for a fully articulated guy doll - young adult (high teens) that's about an inch or two higher than Lerias, but with muscles for Geroge's human form. I also want to find the parts to make a were-rat (rat-were) form, so I can have George's war form as well. I may have too custom those, but I'm so afraid I'll mess it up.

If I manage to get this group done, the next list is Paper Army secondary characters. Rupert the Dawn Treader, Crazy Hakeem, Draco-Litch Murry, and that-ass-owes-me-a-pony! a.k.a. Strad. The dick. It's an ongoing mission.

[shmuffalo]

[saturni-idae]

Down in the dungeon, where hunger resides 🩸

I wanted to make a dungeon meshi fanart for a while, and man, I love Falin, so here we go

I hope you like it :)

[kavaleyre]

• The Hanged Man •

“Compared to what Falin went through? This is nothing.”

[robynnnn311]

nobody is making him say this he’s just saying it unprovoked

[sihtryggr]

father, son, holy spirit.

[theonyxpath]

On this day in 2019 we took you on a tour of the history, politics, culture, law, and economics of Creation's greatest and most terrible empire. The Realm is available in POD & PDF for Exalted 3rd Edition from our partners at

https://drivethrurpg.com/product/276067/The-Realm?affiliate_id=13&src=OPPTumblr

[artnoonewants]

Poor delusional Viserys 😔

[ruporas]

dragon meat, you, and me

[orphetoon]

(sketch) blood in the water