Dragon

The most well-known (though not the only) masters of many ancient magics, dragons are scarcely found anywhere on or near Sharum Mal’Kari anymore. Though records show them having lived throughout this realm many hundreds of years ago, the The Great War all but drove them extinct. While most powerful weapons and magics are capable of harming dragons, only specially formed weapons known as Dragon's Teeth are capable of killing them for good.

When dragons are grown, they appear to inherit at least some of the memories of their ancestors, which is only part of what makes them so deadly and dangerous. It is also for this reason that  dragons rarely feel the need to keep records of their own kind. However, with each death a dragon experiences, this ability becomes more and more difficult to make use of, with more distant lifetimes nearly impossible to access. For this reason, some ancient dragons end up seeking the solace of a Final Death rather than allowing their minds and memories to deteriorate beyond recognition. Traditionally, a dragon who is about to embark upon a Final Death makes a pilgrimage to the Well of Sorrow to deposit their most treasured memories before passing on.

Dragons who experience many deaths are more likely than most to behave in an aggressive manner, as they gradually lose touch with their surroundings and that which once held meaning for them. It is common for these dragons to become more and more reclusive and paranoid, caring only for their hoard and perceiving all others as a threat to their safety. In a sad twist of irony, it is this kind of behavior that often leads to a dragon being hunted and killed, which only further deteriorates their condition. It is for this reason that many dragons strongly value and respect their peers who have lived only a few very long lives, rather than many short ones—and why dragons who tend to live longer, peaceful lives are generally seen as “good”, while dragons who tend to live shorter, more aggressive lives are generally seen as “evil”.