The first of the Draecon passed to Earth in ancient times.

At first, their appearance was so rare that they were the providence of myth. Some

stories described fearsome, scaly creatures with horns and wings, with fire in

their gullets. Others saw the Draecon as spirits or minor gods, harbingers of

fate or good luck. Accounts widely varied on the appearance of these creatures,

though all agreed on their frightening appearance and otherworldly powers.

The truth, later revealed as more Draecon travelled to

Earth, was this: The Draecon are a shapeshifting race who hail from a dimension

called Draconae. They can take, and switch between, a variety of forms. Their

strange powers come from a mysterious art inherent to their people called

Spirit-Craft.

Though the relationship between the Draecon and the people of

Earth has been rocky at times, often due to misunderstandings between their

very different cultures, they are now considered close allies. The days of

Draecon fighting in human wars are long since over, and the two worlds now

foster a relationship focused on learning, culture, and developing their shared

project of exploring outer space.

Draecon forms are highly variable in terms of coloration,

details, size, and overall look, but the five main forms have common features

that differentiate them. While it is technically possible for a Draecon to take

on a form that isn’t listed here, because it isn’t regulated or studied, it is

considered quite dangerous, and thus it is avoided.

Drake: A versatile form with four legs, a tail, and a

pair of wings. This form has thumbs and fine digits, making it a good choice for

fine-detail work. It is one of the most common forms, and the one most seen on

Earth, due to the Fleet’s preference of drake form for its Draecon enlistments.

Draconet: A four-legged form similar to drake form, though

without wings. It is designed primarily for running, with feet that are more

like paws than hands. It is generally smaller and sleeker than other forms.

Wyvern: The most proficient at flight, the wyvern replaces

the drake’s two front legs with powerful wings. Wyvern size tends to vary greatly.

Many have short tails with fans or feathers for added flight control.

Wyrm: A limbless, snakelike form, used for both

burrowing and swimming. Some have flippers while others prefer smooth, slippery

scales. Some have the ability to “swim” through the air.

Envoy: A modern addition to the form list, created in

1987: a bipedal form with humanoid proportions. While controversial at its

unveiling, it has become a popular form for Draecon who wish to spend an

extended period of time on Earth. It makes it far more convenient to fit in

human spaces. Initially used exclusively by diplomats but now also occasionally

used for tourism.

An ancient practice that goes back as far as humans and the

Draecon have known about each other. The dragon initiates a telepathic

connection, the human reciprocates, and a Bond is forged that can never be

broken. A Bonded pair can share emotions and memories, speak to each other

silently across great distances, and move in combat as if they are one being.

In modern days, mental conditioning, aptitude tests, and cybernetic

enhancements can support Echo Bonds. Historically, though, they were sustained

only through Draecon Spirit-Craft.

Echo Bonds are also highly regulated in the modern age. The

earliest Bonds had no societal expectations attached to them, so farmers, travelers

and community leaders alike might forge one. As time marched on and human

society changed, Echo Bonds became more associated with martial and governmental

occupations: knights, guards, and explorers, as well as kings, elected

officials, and nobles.

In the present age, the organization known as the Outer-Earth

Exploratory Fleet, normally shortened to “the Fleet”, has negotiated exclusive

rights to authorizing Echo Bonds. Due to concerns of this power falling into

the wrong hands, most Earth governments have made forging Echo Bonds outside of

the Fleet’s regulations illegal.

The Draecon art called Spirit-Craft involves convincing the

world to change in specific ways according to their desires. It is a skill that

must be trained and developed and takes some discipline to master. Through

Spirit-Craft, the Dracon can produce astounding effects: making changes to

their own physiology; creating blades or weapons; altering the landscape to

their specific desires; and maintaining portals between Draconae and Earth.

Though its applications are extensive, use of Spirit-Craft

is much more difficult on Earth than it is in Draconae. This is because the

changes Spirit-Craft makes are dependent on the dimension of Draconae itself—where

physical laws are far more mutable. Thus, when outside of their own dimension, Spirit-Craft

works by pulling the dimension of Draconae slightly closer.

Some Spirit-Craft operations, such as the ability to ‘teleport’,

called Transference, can be supplemented on Earth using technology. The

possibilities for tools of this nature are nearly endless, but so far the only

projects which have seen development are those which aid the Fleet’s expansion into

outer space.

The Outer-Earth Exploratory Fleet, known colloquially as the

Fleet, is a pseudo-military organization whose stated goal is to explore outer

space and other dimensions. The Fleet has hundreds of thousands of enlisted

members and holds exclusive rights to forging Echo Bonds between humans and the

Draecon. Though its discoveries have led to the greatest technological

advancements of the past century, critics of the Fleet claim it is too focused

on generating profit for its government sponsors.

When the Draecon first began crossing over to Earth in

earnest, and the existence of other dimensions was confirmed to the people of

Earth, there were some who took the sudden revelations as an opportunity. The

Fleet’s founders were mainly explorers in Europa, looking for new ground to

explore—and exploit—after all the continents on Earth had already been

discovered.

Using an old, outdated model of the universe which labelled

the world in “layers”—including Inner Earth, Earth, and Outer Earth—the explorers

decided that external dimensions were a part of the mythical "Outer Earth”,

and it was their duty to fully explore and document it.

Their plan eventually fell through due to the nature of Draconae—a

world where scarcity does not exist, and from which resources cannot be extracted.

The Fleet had, by that time, consolidated a lot of power and

expertise within its ranks. Soon, it would turn its attentions to a new

frontier: the vast reaches of outer space surrounding Earth. This new, more profitable

goal would carry it to the modern age and cements its influence.