World Reference
World History and Information
The world Ladon hails from is currently at the technological, scientific, and cultural point that would be the equivalent of 1930s America. The world itself is run by one world government, the result of strife from a war that has long been perverted by recorded history.
A few thousand years ago, an assemblage of mages united the countries of the world and formed a fascist regime that forced all its citizens to assimilate, destroying other languages, cultures, and massacring the resistance. Their most outspoken and capable opponents happened to be the non-humans, who were capable of using magic and thus competing with the mages. The war was brutal, and the mages eventually won through sheer power, numbers, and the fact that they were able to render some very powerful curses on the non-humans. The war itself caused the brown dragons to go extinct, and the others were almost hunted to extinction by mages. Each non-human race was cursed by the mages in some way, which hampered them greatly. Thankfully the non-magic population had invented weaponry (namely the crossbow) capable of turning the tide of the war. The mage families were executed and various new world leaders lead purges that (supposedly) annihilated the mages altogether. They threatened to do the same to the non-humans, but the groups retreated into unpopulated areas of the world and hid themselves away. Magic was outlawed and, over the course of hundreds of years, the history most widely accessed was rewritten until no trace of the non-humans and magic in general remained. There are of course conspiracy theorists and those who believe they know the truth, but quite often they are either regarded as insane by the public or silenced by the government.
Nowadays, 99% of humans see the anti-magic laws as synonymous with anti-fraud laws against fortune tellers and the like. In fact, the anti-magic laws eventually became a clause in a larger law governing the business of consultation and therapy. Ladon and his kind now live in this largely oblivious society. The criminals Ladon works with are the only ones aware of his ability to use magic, and they're not about to go squealing to anyone. The last thing they'd need is to call legal attention to themselves, particularly with such an insane claim. Besides, Ladon has a few favors he could call in to the police department, too. He keeps his ass well-covered that way.
Magic and the Magical Community
Magic is a prevalent force in Ladon's world, no matter how dumb modern society is to it. If there's an element in life or nature, there is a form of magic that utilizes it. Some schools of magic died out with the mages, but many are still around and practiced on a daily basis by the non-human races. There are schools of elemental magic like hydromancy, geomancy, pyromancy, and fulgurmancy. There are schools of less traditional magic, like glyphomancy, oculomancy, and narcomancy, and hundreds to thousands of others. Magic is typically taught either from master to student or from tome to "reader." Tomes act more like reserves of information than like books, they have a number of spells on them that need to be solved, and once they're unlocked, their contents flow freely into the mind of the opener.
Most magic users can learn up to five types of magic, though this number can vary based on the intellectual level, magic sensitivity, and general compatibility of the user to their craft. Ladon knows three types and has hit his threshold. If he decided to take on another form of magic, he would likely be inept at it. Some types of magic take a lot from the caster, and can therefor render someone who would normally be capable of using five different kinds only able to use one. Tempestomancy, which allows the user to control the weather around him for a ten mile radius, is one example. A mage capable of using this kind of magic will likely be unable to use any other.
There is a genetic element to magic use that is prevalent in most non-human races, with a few variations and exceptions.
Mages: Humans are mostly non-magical, especially now that they have killed off most the mages-- humans capable of using magic. Mages are not born to non-mage bloodlines, and a mage who has children with a non-mage will not bear children capable of using magic. A few mages survived the purge and a few of their descendants are still around, but not many.
Dragons: Dragons are typically elemental magic users, mostly because less traditional magics tend to require physical qualities dragons don't possess, like, well, thumbs. Every dragon is educated in at least one form of elemental magic for defense, though it's rare they actually have to use it. Dragons are capable of learning transformation magic, though they are very limited-- they only get to pick small details to their appearance, and they can't take on multiple forms. Ladon's physical appearance has to do with many factors that reflect his original form: he's a scrawny dragon, so he's a scrawny person in his human form. His skin color and neither ugly nor stunning appearance were chosen with the goal of blending in with the majority of Nieve's populace, who tend to be fair-skinned and moderate in terms of appearance. Ladon's transformation magic is not yet strong enough to hide his horns or the odd coloration of his eyes.
Dragons live in communal societies called clutches, which I will detail later. They're found in patches all over the world, usually hiding in deep forests, mountains, deserts, any place that humans don't usually bother inhabiting. There were originally six different kinds of dragons, identified mostly by the color of their scales: brown, blue, black, gold, green, and red. The browns have been extinct since the war that separated the non-humans and humans. The blues are believed to be extinct as well. Other colors are in various states of decline in terms of population. Dragons may pair off in mixed colors, but such couples aren't able to reproduce.
Weres: Weres are creatures capable of shifting between two forms. Much like Ladon and his friends, they are able to pick their other form, though many of the physical aspects of that form are not up to them. Depending on where a pack lives, the weres may choose different races to imitate-- a were pack in the mountains where Ladon grew up may opt to have a dragon form. The vast majority of weres have chosen human forms, though, if only because it's their safest option with humans so prevalent and the need for secrecy. Weres tend to be on the large side in their human form. They're either taller or wider than your average human, and can be intimidating. They aren't all show, either. Weres are unable to use magic aside from transformation, but what they lose in magical ability they more than make up for in physical strength, stamina, and agility.
Were personality tends to be heavily influenced by their given animal form. Canine weres tend to be more loyal to their pack leaders than bear or mountain lion weres, but there is a cultural emphasis on dominance and power in were society. All weres will recognize the authority of the alpha in their given pack, even if some members will be more reluctant than others to follow their commands. Ladon has the alpha of one specific pack as an indebted comrade, and therefor he has control over the entire pack. A small section of the pack remains outside the city, mostly the females and pups/kits/what-have-you. Now and then the pack has to leave to defend their territory when another pack threatens to outnumber the outer sect.
The curse the mages placed on the weres involves a bloodlust that happens now and then during full transformations. It's rare, but more common during full moons. Because of this, weres try to limit complete transformations from one form to another, and often find a middle ground between the two forms to shift to when they need their animal side for any reason. During the solstices and equinoxes, though, they automatically change back to their animal form.
Succubi and incubi: The natural born shapeshifters of Ladon's world. Succubi are the female members of the race while incubi are the males. They are capable of changing their appearance drastically, though they can't alter their species or gender. While the other races are creatures with magical abilities, succubi and incubi are more inherently magical. The myth of their origin states that they were created by mages through a very involved process of different types of magic, but no one is entirely sure if that's the truth or a rumor spread by mages to make their power seem more god-like. Regardless, succubi and incubi were once servants of the mages, and when they betrayed them during the war, the mages used obedience spells, which caused them to turn on the other races. They are often regarded in a less favorable light by others because of this, and find they have no place in human society or the magical community, making them complete outsiders.
Succubi and incubi come in various shapes, sizes, and coloration. They are primarily humanoid and bipedal, but they differ from your average human in their original form, which involves two large, curved horns that arc forward, up over their ears and eyes of one solid, often shimmery color. They are particularly adept at using magic that requires physical contact or emotional connections. One succubus Ladon encounters frequently is an oculomancer and can command people to do as she wishes if she can make eye contact with them.
Vampires: Vampires have been around for a long, long time, and they're fairly traditional. They feed on the blood of others, mostly humans. They are adept with magics that involve mental manipulation or hypnosis. They don't sparkle, burn in the sun, or avoid garlic, but they are a very finicky bunch and have delicate sensibilities because, if you can catch them, they're rather fragile. They're less like walking corpses and more like creatures with a different way of aging. Mostly, their flesh and organs do not change, but their bones do. A 50-year-old vampire can take more risks than a 200-year-old vampire can, because falling and breaking a hip is the least of their worries. Thankfully, though, vampires are almost eerily graceful and light on their feet. They have no curse on them because they didn't participate in the war. They mostly keep to themselves, wooing rich old men and women and living off their estate. Vampires keep their relationships with other vampires primarily light and social, except to mate.
Dryads: Tree-dwelling creatures that can live for hundreds of years, as long as they can find a healthy tree to sleep in. They often resemble older humans, with leathery, wrinkled skin and white hair. They speak slowly and are meticulous about things that they do. They are said to have limited magical abilities, mostly because they gave up most their power in favor of pacifism. They did not participate in the war.
The Elders: The fae, essentially. Very little is known about them except for a few things: getting lost in the territory of the Elders typically means certain doom. Those who make it out are never the same, and often wind up taking their own lives within a short period of time. No one has seen them, and there's debate over whether they can be seen. The belief in dragon culture is that the Elders eat anyone who wanders into a place said to be populated by them, be it woods, caves, anywhere. There is an "energy" about the areas rumored to be the home of the Elders. Ladon has never encountered them, and hopes he never will.
Merlings: The fish-people who live off the coasts of deserted islands. They mostly keep to themselves and are rarely seen by anyone on land. Merlings were also not involved in the war, mostly because the battles didn't take place in the ocean. Ladon knows about them only through accounts of his friend Draig. They don't use magic much, mostly because they're self-sufficient and don't need to defend their territory or themselves very often.
Nieve
The world consists of four continents, and one government rules over it all. The continent that most of Ladon's story takes place on is Aberna, the middle continent that is shaped a bit like a pear. On its northeast shore is the city of Nieve, where Ladon currently lives.
Nieve looks a lot like Atlantic City, circa 1930. Technology is at the same point as it would be in the 30's, there are black shiny cars everywhere, black and white photos, television has just started becoming a household name, and telephones are all over the city. There is a long stretch of sandy beach, which tends to be more cold than beachy most months out of the year. Nieve draws a lot of sea-faring families, as well as those who flock to busy cities, and while it's certainly not the largest city in the world, it's definitely in the top ten. Nieve's landmarks include the famous boardwalk, the ferris wheel of which can be seen first by those arriving at the city by boat. There is also a number of casinos, a fishing district with numerous canneries, and a train station famous for its "revolutionary" design.
Ladon's base of operations is in an abandoned charm school a few miles past the city limits. L'Ecole de Madame Saint Edellanna Pour Jeunes Femmes Élégantes (Madame Saint Edellanna's School for Charming Young Women) has been out of business for almost a hundred years now, but Ladon's vampire business partner Limael purchased a large amount property outside the city, including the school, years ago and allows Ladon and his mob to utilize the building and its grounds. Limael's mansion is located a few acres away, closer to the shoreline.
Dragon Culture in Depth
Dragon society is primarily familial. Rather than having a government, class system, or over-all organization to all the different races, each family is its own sect and each sect has its own rules based on its location, size, and special circumstances. The catch-all word for a family in dragon lingo is "clutch." Clutches can be as small as the group of eggs you hatched from. It can also indicate the immediate family of mother, father, and siblings. A clutch can also represent the familial colony dragons live in-- some blood related, some not. When Ladon says that he left his clutch behind, he means all three of these definitions. He abandoned the siblings he hatched with, his parents and younger siblings, and the entire system of caves and their collection of other dragon families. In ways, "clutch" is a synonym for generation, family, and community.
From the time they hatch, baby dragons are taught that humans are bad. Their parents and siblings raise them with an almost unhealthy fear, solely to keep them from venturing out of the mountains and into places where their parents can't protect them. The older dragons utilize stories to tell about the wickedness of human beings. By the time a dragon is old enough to sneak out of the caves, they're well aware of what fate would meet them if they did: killed by bipedal savages and made into boots.
As dragons get older, they start to learn that the stories aren't necessarily true, but they have their reasons for being told. Eventually they learn that their existence is kept secret because they're severely out-numbered and humans have been known to slaughter their own kind, let alone anything different or threatening. Whether or not humans would actually kill dragons (or worse) if they found them is unknown, but on whole it's agreed that finding out for sure isn't worth the risk. Again, dragon culture is based heavily on the protection and cultivation of the family, and no adult dragon in his or her right mind would willingly put their clutch in danger of being massacred.
Ladon's Deviance and What That Means for Him
Ladon's clutch happens to live in the mountains a couple hundred miles south of Nieve, the city where he currently lives. Their rules are relatively simple: do not leave the mountains unless in the hunting party, do not expose yourself to humans, if a human sees you, kill them before they can alert the other humans. Hunting parties would descend on forests and farms, and bring back elk, deer, sheep, and cows for the clutch to share. This was the only time it was permissible to be anywhere near human establishments. Ladon disobeyed this rule on a nearly daily basis.
Ladon was fascinated with humans. He would sneak away on a regular basis to spy on humans on the farms and eventually in the village, keeping out of sight. This worried his mother, angered his father, and made all the other dragons in the clutch nervous. Many believed Ladon would get the entire clutch killed, because a human would some day see him and he wouldn't have the heart to kill it. After so many arguments with his father, Ladon eventually left the clutch, convinced he could live amongst humans.
Now that Ladon is so disenchanted with humans, why doesn't he go back? There are two main reasons he doesn't. Number one, dragon society may be relatively idyllic, but the paranoia and lack of innovation is killing them off. The dragons have two large issues that have become their greatest challenges in terms of survival: A low birth ratio of fertile females, and the egg sickness.
Female dragons are able to lay a clutch every 20 years. Clutches typically consist of 50 eggs, and prior to the war, most of those 50 would hatch. After being cursed by the mages, the hatch rate dropped to half, so a couple is lucky to get 25 hatchlings from their clutch. Of those 25, 5 will likely be female, and one might be fertile-- and it's rare for an entire hatched clutch to make it through childhood. This makes for a very low ratio of viably reproductive dragons. Considering how low the ratio of fertile females is to males and infertile females, there is less stigma about pairings that are unable to bear young. That isn't to say the culture is completely sexually liberal, though: fertile females are expected to be paired with fertile males, and a fertile male can not refuse a fertile female under threat of expulsion from his clutch.
The egg sickness started appearing a few hundred years ago. The sickness was named due to the way it first manifested, as a phenomenon that caused all the eggs in a clutch to die prior to hatching. The sickness has since in a few cases spread to adult and young dragons, where its process is easier to deduce: the sickness first shuts down the nervous system, rendering the dragon incapable of movement. It then causes massive internal hemorrhaging. Lastly, the dragon's furnace kicks on once panic sets in, and the internal organs catch fire and burn the dragon to death from the inside. So far there is no cure, and no one knows how or why it spreads.
Essentially, dragons are dying off. Two races are already gone. Ladon could go back to the mountains and over his five-hundred year lifespan, watch his race slowly die out, or he could live well in human society.
The second reason he won't go back is that leaving your clutch just isn't done. Being exiled is the worst punishment a dragon can suffer, and given how much danger he's put his people in simply by living in the city, he believes he would be exiled even if he returned. This feeling has been reinforced by the fact that his little brother ran away from the clutch to find him. He's not just put his people in danger, he's encouraged the younger generation to do the same. How realistic Ladon's beliefs are remain to be seen, since he hasn't really given his family the opportunity to say whether they forgive him or not. Deep down, he believes he HAS to remain in the city, and there's no going back.
The world Ladon hails from is currently at the technological, scientific, and cultural point that would be the equivalent of 1930s America. The world itself is run by one world government, the result of strife from a war that has long been perverted by recorded history.
A few thousand years ago, an assemblage of mages united the countries of the world and formed a fascist regime that forced all its citizens to assimilate, destroying other languages, cultures, and massacring the resistance. Their most outspoken and capable opponents happened to be the non-humans, who were capable of using magic and thus competing with the mages. The war was brutal, and the mages eventually won through sheer power, numbers, and the fact that they were able to render some very powerful curses on the non-humans. The war itself caused the brown dragons to go extinct, and the others were almost hunted to extinction by mages. Each non-human race was cursed by the mages in some way, which hampered them greatly. Thankfully the non-magic population had invented weaponry (namely the crossbow) capable of turning the tide of the war. The mage families were executed and various new world leaders lead purges that (supposedly) annihilated the mages altogether. They threatened to do the same to the non-humans, but the groups retreated into unpopulated areas of the world and hid themselves away. Magic was outlawed and, over the course of hundreds of years, the history most widely accessed was rewritten until no trace of the non-humans and magic in general remained. There are of course conspiracy theorists and those who believe they know the truth, but quite often they are either regarded as insane by the public or silenced by the government.
Nowadays, 99% of humans see the anti-magic laws as synonymous with anti-fraud laws against fortune tellers and the like. In fact, the anti-magic laws eventually became a clause in a larger law governing the business of consultation and therapy. Ladon and his kind now live in this largely oblivious society. The criminals Ladon works with are the only ones aware of his ability to use magic, and they're not about to go squealing to anyone. The last thing they'd need is to call legal attention to themselves, particularly with such an insane claim. Besides, Ladon has a few favors he could call in to the police department, too. He keeps his ass well-covered that way.
Magic and the Magical Community
Magic is a prevalent force in Ladon's world, no matter how dumb modern society is to it. If there's an element in life or nature, there is a form of magic that utilizes it. Some schools of magic died out with the mages, but many are still around and practiced on a daily basis by the non-human races. There are schools of elemental magic like hydromancy, geomancy, pyromancy, and fulgurmancy. There are schools of less traditional magic, like glyphomancy, oculomancy, and narcomancy, and hundreds to thousands of others. Magic is typically taught either from master to student or from tome to "reader." Tomes act more like reserves of information than like books, they have a number of spells on them that need to be solved, and once they're unlocked, their contents flow freely into the mind of the opener.
Most magic users can learn up to five types of magic, though this number can vary based on the intellectual level, magic sensitivity, and general compatibility of the user to their craft. Ladon knows three types and has hit his threshold. If he decided to take on another form of magic, he would likely be inept at it. Some types of magic take a lot from the caster, and can therefor render someone who would normally be capable of using five different kinds only able to use one. Tempestomancy, which allows the user to control the weather around him for a ten mile radius, is one example. A mage capable of using this kind of magic will likely be unable to use any other.
There is a genetic element to magic use that is prevalent in most non-human races, with a few variations and exceptions.
Mages: Humans are mostly non-magical, especially now that they have killed off most the mages-- humans capable of using magic. Mages are not born to non-mage bloodlines, and a mage who has children with a non-mage will not bear children capable of using magic. A few mages survived the purge and a few of their descendants are still around, but not many.
Dragons: Dragons are typically elemental magic users, mostly because less traditional magics tend to require physical qualities dragons don't possess, like, well, thumbs. Every dragon is educated in at least one form of elemental magic for defense, though it's rare they actually have to use it. Dragons are capable of learning transformation magic, though they are very limited-- they only get to pick small details to their appearance, and they can't take on multiple forms. Ladon's physical appearance has to do with many factors that reflect his original form: he's a scrawny dragon, so he's a scrawny person in his human form. His skin color and neither ugly nor stunning appearance were chosen with the goal of blending in with the majority of Nieve's populace, who tend to be fair-skinned and moderate in terms of appearance. Ladon's transformation magic is not yet strong enough to hide his horns or the odd coloration of his eyes.
Dragons live in communal societies called clutches, which I will detail later. They're found in patches all over the world, usually hiding in deep forests, mountains, deserts, any place that humans don't usually bother inhabiting. There were originally six different kinds of dragons, identified mostly by the color of their scales: brown, blue, black, gold, green, and red. The browns have been extinct since the war that separated the non-humans and humans. The blues are believed to be extinct as well. Other colors are in various states of decline in terms of population. Dragons may pair off in mixed colors, but such couples aren't able to reproduce.
Weres: Weres are creatures capable of shifting between two forms. Much like Ladon and his friends, they are able to pick their other form, though many of the physical aspects of that form are not up to them. Depending on where a pack lives, the weres may choose different races to imitate-- a were pack in the mountains where Ladon grew up may opt to have a dragon form. The vast majority of weres have chosen human forms, though, if only because it's their safest option with humans so prevalent and the need for secrecy. Weres tend to be on the large side in their human form. They're either taller or wider than your average human, and can be intimidating. They aren't all show, either. Weres are unable to use magic aside from transformation, but what they lose in magical ability they more than make up for in physical strength, stamina, and agility.
Were personality tends to be heavily influenced by their given animal form. Canine weres tend to be more loyal to their pack leaders than bear or mountain lion weres, but there is a cultural emphasis on dominance and power in were society. All weres will recognize the authority of the alpha in their given pack, even if some members will be more reluctant than others to follow their commands. Ladon has the alpha of one specific pack as an indebted comrade, and therefor he has control over the entire pack. A small section of the pack remains outside the city, mostly the females and pups/kits/what-have-you. Now and then the pack has to leave to defend their territory when another pack threatens to outnumber the outer sect.
The curse the mages placed on the weres involves a bloodlust that happens now and then during full transformations. It's rare, but more common during full moons. Because of this, weres try to limit complete transformations from one form to another, and often find a middle ground between the two forms to shift to when they need their animal side for any reason. During the solstices and equinoxes, though, they automatically change back to their animal form.
Succubi and incubi: The natural born shapeshifters of Ladon's world. Succubi are the female members of the race while incubi are the males. They are capable of changing their appearance drastically, though they can't alter their species or gender. While the other races are creatures with magical abilities, succubi and incubi are more inherently magical. The myth of their origin states that they were created by mages through a very involved process of different types of magic, but no one is entirely sure if that's the truth or a rumor spread by mages to make their power seem more god-like. Regardless, succubi and incubi were once servants of the mages, and when they betrayed them during the war, the mages used obedience spells, which caused them to turn on the other races. They are often regarded in a less favorable light by others because of this, and find they have no place in human society or the magical community, making them complete outsiders.
Succubi and incubi come in various shapes, sizes, and coloration. They are primarily humanoid and bipedal, but they differ from your average human in their original form, which involves two large, curved horns that arc forward, up over their ears and eyes of one solid, often shimmery color. They are particularly adept at using magic that requires physical contact or emotional connections. One succubus Ladon encounters frequently is an oculomancer and can command people to do as she wishes if she can make eye contact with them.
Vampires: Vampires have been around for a long, long time, and they're fairly traditional. They feed on the blood of others, mostly humans. They are adept with magics that involve mental manipulation or hypnosis. They don't sparkle, burn in the sun, or avoid garlic, but they are a very finicky bunch and have delicate sensibilities because, if you can catch them, they're rather fragile. They're less like walking corpses and more like creatures with a different way of aging. Mostly, their flesh and organs do not change, but their bones do. A 50-year-old vampire can take more risks than a 200-year-old vampire can, because falling and breaking a hip is the least of their worries. Thankfully, though, vampires are almost eerily graceful and light on their feet. They have no curse on them because they didn't participate in the war. They mostly keep to themselves, wooing rich old men and women and living off their estate. Vampires keep their relationships with other vampires primarily light and social, except to mate.
Dryads: Tree-dwelling creatures that can live for hundreds of years, as long as they can find a healthy tree to sleep in. They often resemble older humans, with leathery, wrinkled skin and white hair. They speak slowly and are meticulous about things that they do. They are said to have limited magical abilities, mostly because they gave up most their power in favor of pacifism. They did not participate in the war.
The Elders: The fae, essentially. Very little is known about them except for a few things: getting lost in the territory of the Elders typically means certain doom. Those who make it out are never the same, and often wind up taking their own lives within a short period of time. No one has seen them, and there's debate over whether they can be seen. The belief in dragon culture is that the Elders eat anyone who wanders into a place said to be populated by them, be it woods, caves, anywhere. There is an "energy" about the areas rumored to be the home of the Elders. Ladon has never encountered them, and hopes he never will.
Merlings: The fish-people who live off the coasts of deserted islands. They mostly keep to themselves and are rarely seen by anyone on land. Merlings were also not involved in the war, mostly because the battles didn't take place in the ocean. Ladon knows about them only through accounts of his friend Draig. They don't use magic much, mostly because they're self-sufficient and don't need to defend their territory or themselves very often.
Nieve
The world consists of four continents, and one government rules over it all. The continent that most of Ladon's story takes place on is Aberna, the middle continent that is shaped a bit like a pear. On its northeast shore is the city of Nieve, where Ladon currently lives.
Nieve looks a lot like Atlantic City, circa 1930. Technology is at the same point as it would be in the 30's, there are black shiny cars everywhere, black and white photos, television has just started becoming a household name, and telephones are all over the city. There is a long stretch of sandy beach, which tends to be more cold than beachy most months out of the year. Nieve draws a lot of sea-faring families, as well as those who flock to busy cities, and while it's certainly not the largest city in the world, it's definitely in the top ten. Nieve's landmarks include the famous boardwalk, the ferris wheel of which can be seen first by those arriving at the city by boat. There is also a number of casinos, a fishing district with numerous canneries, and a train station famous for its "revolutionary" design.
Ladon's base of operations is in an abandoned charm school a few miles past the city limits. L'Ecole de Madame Saint Edellanna Pour Jeunes Femmes Élégantes (Madame Saint Edellanna's School for Charming Young Women) has been out of business for almost a hundred years now, but Ladon's vampire business partner Limael purchased a large amount property outside the city, including the school, years ago and allows Ladon and his mob to utilize the building and its grounds. Limael's mansion is located a few acres away, closer to the shoreline.
Dragon Culture in Depth
Dragon society is primarily familial. Rather than having a government, class system, or over-all organization to all the different races, each family is its own sect and each sect has its own rules based on its location, size, and special circumstances. The catch-all word for a family in dragon lingo is "clutch." Clutches can be as small as the group of eggs you hatched from. It can also indicate the immediate family of mother, father, and siblings. A clutch can also represent the familial colony dragons live in-- some blood related, some not. When Ladon says that he left his clutch behind, he means all three of these definitions. He abandoned the siblings he hatched with, his parents and younger siblings, and the entire system of caves and their collection of other dragon families. In ways, "clutch" is a synonym for generation, family, and community.
From the time they hatch, baby dragons are taught that humans are bad. Their parents and siblings raise them with an almost unhealthy fear, solely to keep them from venturing out of the mountains and into places where their parents can't protect them. The older dragons utilize stories to tell about the wickedness of human beings. By the time a dragon is old enough to sneak out of the caves, they're well aware of what fate would meet them if they did: killed by bipedal savages and made into boots.
As dragons get older, they start to learn that the stories aren't necessarily true, but they have their reasons for being told. Eventually they learn that their existence is kept secret because they're severely out-numbered and humans have been known to slaughter their own kind, let alone anything different or threatening. Whether or not humans would actually kill dragons (or worse) if they found them is unknown, but on whole it's agreed that finding out for sure isn't worth the risk. Again, dragon culture is based heavily on the protection and cultivation of the family, and no adult dragon in his or her right mind would willingly put their clutch in danger of being massacred.
Ladon's Deviance and What That Means for Him
Ladon's clutch happens to live in the mountains a couple hundred miles south of Nieve, the city where he currently lives. Their rules are relatively simple: do not leave the mountains unless in the hunting party, do not expose yourself to humans, if a human sees you, kill them before they can alert the other humans. Hunting parties would descend on forests and farms, and bring back elk, deer, sheep, and cows for the clutch to share. This was the only time it was permissible to be anywhere near human establishments. Ladon disobeyed this rule on a nearly daily basis.
Ladon was fascinated with humans. He would sneak away on a regular basis to spy on humans on the farms and eventually in the village, keeping out of sight. This worried his mother, angered his father, and made all the other dragons in the clutch nervous. Many believed Ladon would get the entire clutch killed, because a human would some day see him and he wouldn't have the heart to kill it. After so many arguments with his father, Ladon eventually left the clutch, convinced he could live amongst humans.
Now that Ladon is so disenchanted with humans, why doesn't he go back? There are two main reasons he doesn't. Number one, dragon society may be relatively idyllic, but the paranoia and lack of innovation is killing them off. The dragons have two large issues that have become their greatest challenges in terms of survival: A low birth ratio of fertile females, and the egg sickness.
Female dragons are able to lay a clutch every 20 years. Clutches typically consist of 50 eggs, and prior to the war, most of those 50 would hatch. After being cursed by the mages, the hatch rate dropped to half, so a couple is lucky to get 25 hatchlings from their clutch. Of those 25, 5 will likely be female, and one might be fertile-- and it's rare for an entire hatched clutch to make it through childhood. This makes for a very low ratio of viably reproductive dragons. Considering how low the ratio of fertile females is to males and infertile females, there is less stigma about pairings that are unable to bear young. That isn't to say the culture is completely sexually liberal, though: fertile females are expected to be paired with fertile males, and a fertile male can not refuse a fertile female under threat of expulsion from his clutch.
The egg sickness started appearing a few hundred years ago. The sickness was named due to the way it first manifested, as a phenomenon that caused all the eggs in a clutch to die prior to hatching. The sickness has since in a few cases spread to adult and young dragons, where its process is easier to deduce: the sickness first shuts down the nervous system, rendering the dragon incapable of movement. It then causes massive internal hemorrhaging. Lastly, the dragon's furnace kicks on once panic sets in, and the internal organs catch fire and burn the dragon to death from the inside. So far there is no cure, and no one knows how or why it spreads.
Essentially, dragons are dying off. Two races are already gone. Ladon could go back to the mountains and over his five-hundred year lifespan, watch his race slowly die out, or he could live well in human society.
The second reason he won't go back is that leaving your clutch just isn't done. Being exiled is the worst punishment a dragon can suffer, and given how much danger he's put his people in simply by living in the city, he believes he would be exiled even if he returned. This feeling has been reinforced by the fact that his little brother ran away from the clutch to find him. He's not just put his people in danger, he's encouraged the younger generation to do the same. How realistic Ladon's beliefs are remain to be seen, since he hasn't really given his family the opportunity to say whether they forgive him or not. Deep down, he believes he HAS to remain in the city, and there's no going back.