The Age of Mortals saw more changes than any other age. Let’s take a look at Teyr – A Draconian Nation. Buy Age of Mortals: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/557/age-of-mortals-3-5?affiliate_id=50797
Transcript
Cold Open
If it weren’t for Kang and his regiment, there would have been no future for Draconians.
Intro
Welcome to another DragonLance Saga episode. My name is Adam and today I am going to talk about Teyr – A Draconian Nation. I would like to take a moment and thank the DLSaga members, and invite you to consider becoming a member by visiting the link in the description below. You can even pick up Dragonlance gaming materials using my affiliate links. I am referencing the Dragonlance Campaign Setting and Age of Mortals sourcebooks for this information. If I leave anything out or misspeak, please leave a comment below!
Discussion
The legacy of Draconians is one of the Dark Queen trying to rule Krynn. They were shock troops in a brutal war made from the eggs of her enemies. That is until Margaret Weis and Don Perrin wrote a few short stories and a couple novels about Draconians, completely redefining them. After the War of the Lance and the defeat of Takhisis, most mortals, both good and evil, saw Draconians as needing eradication. In fact their very designed existence was engineered to die out, as they couldn’t reproduce. They could live an incredibly long time, but there was no future generations of their race. Until Kang and his regiment heard about female eggs being hidden away. This was a long shot, and it could spell their doom, but the Draconians saw it as their only hope for a future, so they took up the quest.
The only problem was, these eggs were secreted into the depths of Thorbardin, and it was at the same time that Chaos was unleashed, and waging the Chaos War on all creation. They were ultimately successful in discovering the eggs and defeating the Chaos Minions that were in their way, securing their race. The downside to discovering the one thing that can perpetuate your race, is that one typically over protects them. We see this with religious women adopting roles defined for them by their culture, and we saw it with the Draconians and their females. And what it all ignores is that life itself is difficult and the only constant is chaos. So that overprotection diminishes what would otherwise be a valuable contribution to a society. This was ultimately realized, and they discovered these females had talents and abilities that were different from the males.
The next step in securing a future was to locate a home. Somewhere these Draconians could live in perpetuity. What they discovered was an ancient dwarven settlement called Thoral Des. Its origin was nearly two hundred years before the Cataclysm, and its purpose was to guard against the Ogres of Blode and act as a settlement for trade. When the Kingpriest demanded fealty, the Dwarves refused, and Istar attacked. Just before the Cataclysm Thoral Des was attacked, defeated and fell to ruins. When the Draconians under Kang’s direction discovered the ruins, they began to use their engineering background taught to them in the War, and rebuilt the city stronger than ever with an Onion motif as inspiration. The new city was noticed by the Knights of Takhisis in Neraka and they tried to bring the city under their control, but ultimately failed. The Draconians had had enough of living someone else’s life, and it was time to take their own destiny in their own claws.
Teyr rests north of Neraka, and east of Estwilde. It is just south of Nordmaar, and buts-up right next to the Astavar Mountains. Its territory is framed by the Woods of Lahue to the west. It is a mountainous region with heavy forests and massive grasslands to the north. It is ruled by a civilian tribunal led by now Governor Kang with representation from both the draconian civilian and military population. There are outposts in addition to the primary city which are controlled by outpost commanders. They do accept humans in their territory, but they live mostly lawless lives as mercenaries by contrast.
Some important sites in the region start with the city of Teyr has a population of just under six thousand and five hundred. It is one of the most impregnable cities in all of Ansalon. Again, it is built with an onion motif, with its walls in successive layers. The first layer is thick outer walls, then the walls of a great central bastion, and then finally the bastion itself. This walled city of stone features its government house, known as the Bastion, at its center. It features military barracks within the walls, and civilian businesses and domiciles outside the walls. There is a great centuries-old dwarven crafted hall underground called the Hall of Thanes, which Governor Kang uses as a shelter beneath the government center. It is large enough to house the entire population if disaster returns to the region. It features deep wells to draw water, and features four incomplete underground highways; two of which extend beyond the city walls. The gate house was reconstructed to a massive four stories with reinforced two-story oak doors. Seven towers look down over the city’s seven corners. All are constructed the same save for Slith’s Perch in the far northeast corner of the city. The Bastion is the nerve center of the city. This fort has five turrets with views overlooking the city’s outer walls. The chophouse known as Kang’s Kitchen rests near the bastion at the center of town. The smells of exotic spices and fresh meat drift through the nearby streets. Its cozy warm interior is designed specifically for Draconians. At its far end is a raised platform for the governor and his top aides.
The Drunken Dragon is located outside the city and earned its name due to the wicker dragon used as a roof. It’s more of a social hall than a bar. Its inner wall features a mural of the Battle of the Fortress of Maranta by Mak. The Noresh Outpost is sixty miles south of Teyr and thirty miles west of Robann. It overlooks the ancient dwarven royal highway, and covers the northern pathway through the Astivar Mountains. Ten draconians man the outpost and are commanded by a junior officer. It’s hidden atop a rock promontory which is nigh impossible to scale. It is not intended to be a defensible position, but its layout is typical of the outposts around the region. Robann is a small town of just under a thousand. It’s located in the southeastern tip of the mountain chain and is the only settlement on the plains. Its walls are made of wood and stone and were structurally crafted by Kang. The Ruins of Mount Brego are rumored to be left from an ancient dwarven Kal-Thax. It hasn’t yet been mapped as any who enter the ruins never return from them, so Governor Kang has declared the ruins off limits.
Some other major geographical features include Mount Brego. It’s the central feature of the western horizon as seen from the city of Teyr. Wild ogres can be seen wandering the ancient ruins scattered over its surface. And lastly, but certainly not least, is the Peak of Destiny. It is the Southernmost peak in the Astivar Mountains and is unique due to a staircase that ascends from a small meadow halfway up its base to the peak itself! At the top of the peak is a viewing platform carved out of the living rock. On a clear day, the three peaks surrounding Sanction, known as the Lords of Doom some two hundred miles away, can be seen.
Outro
But that is all the time I have to talk about Teyr – A Draconian Nation. What do you think about Draconians turning from wartime monsters to player characters? Will the nation of Teyr ever expand due to war with its neighbors? And finally, would you ever play a draconian in this era? Leave a comment below.
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Don’t look downcast. You will have a chance to die.
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