Drakkhozhn

From Codex Vocrotha

Physical Description

The Drakkhozhn are a powerfully built cold-blooded reptilian race. For the paleontologically oriented, the Drakkhozhn resemble velociraptors grown into a more upright, bipedal form, adding the fins of a dilophisaur in the process. They stand from six to seven feet tall and are scaled colorfully, reds, oranges, yellows and blues being as common as greens, blacks, browns and greys. They have a long tail used for balance, which in rare cases is also prehensile. Their mouthes are capable of duplicating Human tongues, though their tendencies to make gutteral the "ch" sound and place too much emphasis on the letter "s" are habits they rarely bother to surmount.

Sociopolitical Outlook

The Drakkhozhn Empire, Khozhn'ol, is one of the most militaristic and ordered Empires in all the world. Each citizen is a member of the Drakkhozhn Military from the time they have completed their schooling, and each receives military training during this schooling. Many are released from service at young ages, to serve as traders or to seek their own fortunes, but the benefits of being part of the Drakkhozhn Army are so well in line with the Drakkhozhn mindset that it must be a truly adventurous and confident Drakkhozhn who requests a discharge from the military. Such a discharge is not considered dishonourable, and in fact news generated by the errant Drakkhozhn may very well add honor to their family.

The Drakkhozhn possess another thing that sets them apart from the other Sentients: a genetic memory. Some memories are handed down generation after generation, while others fall by the wayside. The Drakkhozhn do not understand why certain memories are retained and others lost, but criteria seem to include life-changing experiences or moments of glory.

Though all these factors add complexity to the Drakkhozhn philosophies, the Drakkhozhn are most noted for what the other races describe as a notable lack of morals. The Drakkhozhn , by 'warmblood' perceptions, are a race entirely without moral codes for behaviour. Truth be told, there is a moral code, one with exactly one tenet, which interprets roughly as:

Doing What Must Be Done is Good, and That Which Obstructs One From Doing is Evil.

Sacrificing another for an expedient end is to be expected in the Drakkhozhn culture, and there are no hard feelings, for the Drakkhozhn was merely doing what is "Right" -- with whomever ends up being alive being just a little more right than whoever ended up dead.

Drakkhozhn worship as they please, addressing each God or Goddess as they believe they have need; for this reason, they are not often priests, for they lack the necessary dedication to a single Being. They that become Priests, however, most often speak the Word of Rigos, for it was She that gave Sorcery to the Drakkhozhn, and it is She that helps maintain the Strength of Khozhn'ol. She has a special Drakkhozhn name: Khel-akkhar, She Who Strikes Quickly.

Allies & Enemies

Partnering with other races will be done for "right" reasons; fighting the same race to extinction is a similarly viable alternative under different circumstances. For this and other reasons, the Drakkhozhn have managed to acquire a somewhat negative reputation amongst the warmblood races with the exception of the Feralis, who (according to Drakkhozhn lore) were given life by the Drakkhozhn several thousand years ago. Though still uncomfortable with the Drakkhozhn, the Lyđuđræ will occasionally deal with them; they understand and respect the moral code of the Drakkhozhn, though they could not ever commit to such a code. The Dolgothros can deal with the Drakkhozhn individually, but there is a milennia-old grudge that many Drakkhozhn hold against them -- the murder of Empress Da'Saahn. Many Drakkhozhn have race-memories of that time, and so they often find ways to make a Dolgothros an obstacle to overcome. Though this may seem at first a contradiction in terms with their moral code, the position of Emperor is sacrosanct according to the Drakkhozhn holy book, the T'khozhn-idrakkh, and thus all bets are off in this exceptional case.

Khozhn'ol does not deal with the Daloric Empire on any level, as the Dalorics themselves have always proven antagonistic to Khozhn'ol. Oddly, however, many Drakkhozhn have been known to serve the Daloric Empire as mercenary warriors, and this habit has made their reception by warmbloods on Dalkiar somewhat cool.