Chapter 4. Friends and Foes
1. You are not alone. Do you have any clan alliances or rival clans?
Indeed! My clan has had several excursions over to Prufrock over the last few years. This has been done by stray couriers, wayward dreamers, errant wanderers, or armed-to-the-teeth sailors. Rara Avis is another clan that is known, but it is not exactly an ally. My clan members had passed it as refugees years and years ago and sometimes there are exchanges of trade or expertise between them. Most of the clan alliances have pretty much staled otherwise though. There are no specific rivals though.
What keeps these two clans together?
Personal connection, good conscience, and trade keep Rara Avis, Prufrock, and The Quarry together. Prufrock is a hospitable society, welcoming to most of a scholarly or magic disposition. Rara Avis is similarly welcoming. The Quarry has many interesting resources that might be valuable, Rara Avis is far to the north, good for knowing the layout of the Reaches, and Prufrock is an island on the Western coast and has a tradition of magic and science.
2. Let’s talk about beastclans. Which beastclan can be helpful to yours?
The Centauri are by far the most hospitable and helpful of the local beastclans. They are long-held allies of dragonkind in the area. They are hardy and industrious as well as shrewd diplomats and great warriors. They are a strong and proud people willing to uphold any promise they deem honourable, despite the risk. They come to work around the Quarry often, both for trade and to repay debts. They often like to trade for dragon made tools that have better metallurgy than they can manage. They provide a lot of the clan’s food as well as some potions, fabrics, guidwork, scouts, and local insight. They are also better at talking to other beastclan groups than most dragons, so they are decent arbitrators too.
The Maren, in the Southern Sea, are also quite helpful to seaward allies of the Quarry. They provide protection from the water as well as food for dragon kind and dragons protect them from above and from the land while providing them with tools and help when they want it. One Maren school has even begun rebuilding an above-sea-floor settlement near a small port town.
Which are harmful?
The Serthis have been a plague on the region since time immemorial. They flood from the south every few decades, burning and pillaging as they go. They are nearly universally aggressive, so insight into the culture and motives of the local population is slim.
Are these outliers or is this typical?
For the most part, Serthis aggression is the norm. The outliers are those that are not so vicious. These are often called “Lone Wolves,” though they be snakes. Serthis in groups tend to be more aggressive than on their own, and those that are alone tend to be so to avoid being killed for their perceived cowardice by their own kin. The Lone Wolves still tend to avoid dragons because most do not discriminate between rogue or enemy Serthis. There are exceptions though.
How does the familiar you have of the same race feel about this prospect?
Serthis familiars are often very careful around dragons, very careful indeed. A mis-slither and they may lose a tail. Two Serthis are companions of dragons in my clan. One is sort of like an unofficial therapist for one dragon and the other is the adopted mother of another dragon.
3. While we’re on the subject, let’s focus inwards a bit. How do familiars work in your clan?
Familiars may be pets, companions, or workers depending on the dragon and/or case. A few may also be ambassadors.
Are they ever constant companions or are they all clustered together in a seperate part of the lair? They are spread all over the clan, not segregated. Beastclans tend to stick into groups when on their own though. Pets may remain in the dragon dens though. Workers come and go.
Are your familiars all sentient or are they more beast like? I would go with the word Sapient myself. Only a few are, like Serthis, Centauri, or Longneck. A few non-beastclans that are as smart or smarter or the Miths, dryads, and magi-fungi.
Can they communicate with dragons?
Most have trouble with speaking Draconic Common, but dragons can usually speak the various Beastclan dialects give proper training. That is why most beastclans just speak their own tongue around dragons, while dragons might speak the language of whomever they are talking too. Beastclans tend to also have trouble understanding common because it doesn’t even sound like words to them. Psychic beings may have some benefit, but not all of them can read the minds of dragons very well. Smaller, more similar dragons and those that are psychic themselves helps immensely. Only the Maren have their own written language in the area though, so writing messages is not a good plan either. Body language is tough too because dragons and Beastclans are so different.
Flip through your dragons and think about each one’s familiar.
How do fish or flying types of familiars get through their day?
It depends. Flying familiars tend just fly around, following their host. They may also just hold on as they move around. Aquatic familiars either stay in a body of water and the dragon comes to them, or the dragon spends a lot of time in the water where they can be.
Don’t forget about sprites.
They are magic and can come and go as they please.
