ToI -- The Dragon Master/Ideas for Plots and Stories
From Create Your Own Story
If you have any ideas for plot lines or directions for the Dragon Master story, put them here.
Contents |
General Thoughts and Instructions
Basic Story Concept: In the Dragon Master storyline, Dragons who visit the human realm are hunted down, captured, and enslaved by both licensed humans (Dragon Catchers), by government enforcers (Dragon Masters), and by poachers. At the beginning you are given a choice of gender and race, which... depending on your choice will split you onto one of two main story branches.
If you are human, you are given the choice between being hired to work as a Dragon Poacher (i.e. you become a criminal), or being hired as an aide to a professional Dragon Master (think of them as being like special agents of the FBI who are tasked with handling all issues dealing with a specific kind of situation; in this case it's anything to do with Dragons and Exotic creatures) with the goal of becoming one yourself.
If you become a poacher, you try to capture and sell as many dragons as you can while evading the law for as long as possible.
If you choose the path of becoming a Dragon Master however, you are given various tasks that involve dragons in one form or another, and are tasked with gaining ownership/protective custody of as many dragons as you can in your free time, and then training and/or developing a relationship with them.
Regardless of which path the player chooses, they may choose to treat their dragon slaves with kindness or with cruelty, but doing so will have consequences. Ultimately the main purpose of this branch is to focus on the relationships between you and your dragons, and explore how it affects you. Possible endings would include: setting your dragons free, keeping them, dying in various mishaps or getting eaten by one, getting arrested, and so forth.
If you are a Dragon, then the storyline is a bit more linear in nature. You go into the human lands hoping to start a new and better life (The Dragon lands are in a state of perpetual famine), get captured by a Dragon Master (and possibly sold to another person), and are tasked with figuring out how to either escape and live in hiding in the Human Lands, befriending the Dragon Master and becoming his familiar, or convincing him to let you go.
Theme: In the Dragon Master, the theme revolves around and always deals with the relationships between humans and dragons. Whatever you add to the story should involve and focus on that above all else. Themes of Loss, Slavery, Hatred, Love, Revenge, Change, Strength/Weakness, Being Broken, Renewal, and Freedom are also appropriate and relevant themes that can and should manifest in this story as well.
Tone and Mood: The Dragon Master story is a story that should be well balanced in both humor and soberness. In this time period, Illnora has elements of grim and gritty fantasy in it, but those are not necessarily the only factors that you should consider. Joy and misery should both be present, though the degree to which you emphasize one over the other is us to you. Slavery is a thing in this world, and that does come with horrific treatment from some of the more cruel masters. Do not be afraid to make the horror of a character's actions known. If someone gets raped, touch on the horror and misery of that situation, especially if that is the angle you wish to take.
Other Notes: Golden Age Illnora is a steampunk/magitech world.
Above all else, make sure that everything advances the plot and provides character development or fleshing out. Nothing should be done just for the sake of doing it, it must have a distinct purpose in the story!
Possible Storylines
Dragon Smuggler
One storyline could be about being a dragon smuggler, a human who helps dragons escape to humanity and get better lives?
That might be a good angle to explore, possibly would fit best for the Female Human Rouge or Cleric storyline? Might need to think on the specific nature of that kind of plot and how that would interact with the world, but as a rough idea, its a good start. --Durzan 01:45, 4 March 2019 (UTC)
One of the storylines that has you play as a magic-user has them be an assistant to dragon smugglers or dragon smugglers themselves, removing the slave brands on escaped dragons?
-Fredhot, March-5-2019.
That can work. --Durzan 14:19, 6 March 2019 (UTC)
?
An idea popped up in my head: one of the dragon master storylines would be about dragon marks, for no discernible reasons, "breaking" and letting dragons free with all their powers and, at moments, "fixing" themselves for no discernible reasons?
-Fredhot, March-5-2019.
Questions and Answers
So, if dragons can be turned into humans, is it possible for humans to be enslaved as dragons, intentionally or not? What purpose do dragons serve as slaves when they've been turned into humans? What about enslaved dragons that haven't been turned into humans? What about slavery among humans and non-dragons?
Are there any defining marks to tell dragons-turned-humans from actual humans? Have dragons already made that leap into transforming into humans so as to be hidden?
Is enslaving humans a normality?
Edit: Are dragons in the habit of enslaving humans and, if so, is it for revenge on the usual and/or because their society also has slavery?
---Fredhot, March, 4, 2019.
Allow me to rephrase Question One: could a human be enslaved and then given to a master under the pretense that said human is actually a dragon? Is slavery fraud a regular occurrence?
---Fredhot, March-3-2019.
Could there be dragon freedmen- dragons that were slaves but were freed through manumission? What would their place be in society? How would they be viewed? Perhaps one of the dragon storylines could be about a dragon freedman?
---Fredhot, March, 5, 2019.
To what extent has technology reached in the the other/various ages besides the golden one? Pre-industrial by our standards, still slagging behind in their equivalent of a technological dark age, or something else? The presence of an ever encroaching darkness and magic would suggest that scientific development would be substantially hampered. Why make a musket when you can conjure a fireball?
---UnassumingCivilian, March, 6, 2019
So, since there are "grand dukes", what are the hierarchies, situations, and the various ruling bodies in detail?
---Fredhot, March, 20, 2019.
Answers:
1. Q: Is it possible for humans to be enslaved as dragons?
A: No, it is not possible for humans to be enslaved in a dragon form. Humans generally do not naturally have the ability to assume an alternate form (with one possible exception, that I can't go into here and now because spoilers), nor do dragons have access to the ability to use magic, so a dragon enslaving a human into a dragonoid via a polymorph spell wouldn't work.
2. Q: What purpose do dragons serve as slaves when they've been turned into humans? What about enslaved dragons that haven't been turned into humans?
A: These two questions largely stems from a misconception... Dragon's are not being turned into humans permanently via human magic. Dragons have the natural ability to freely polymorph (IE Shape Change) between their natural form and their humanoid form, just like a lycanthrope in D&D can with practice assume their animal form, a hybrid form, or their natural form. Dragons are inherently magical beings, and while they lost their ability to use and control their magic after the Great Cataclysm, some few abilities remain. Their limited shape changing is one of the few remnants of their former magical prowess.
Humans control dragons through magic, either directly or indirectly. One of the first priorities of all Dragon Catchers is to bind a captured dragon with magic as soon as possible. A dragon bound with spells is basically helpless (unless the owner is #TooDumbToLive anyway and inadvertently sets their dragon free), but a dragon not yet under the thrall of arcane influence is still a grave threat and is perfectly capable of causing a lot of damage in its attempts to escape or fight. Thus, whenever possible, a Dragon Catcher will always ensure that either they (or someone else who is proficient in magic) is capable of binding spells to a dragon.
The process is actually quite simple: A wizard simply uses his mana to create a glowing rune or tattoo upon the bare skin or scales of the subject, and then splices additonal spells into the Arcane Mark. The Mark by itself is harmless, but any spell (and therefore its effects) that are spliced into the Mark's matrix will automatically affect the person upon whom the mark was applied. In addition, so long as the mark remains intact and isn't dispelled, the effect of the spliced spells will continue to affect the target. Even severing the limb or joint the mark is a part of will not remove it, for the mark would simply appear on another part of the body. In order for a mark to be removed, it must be dispelled or nullified by either the original caster or current owner of the mark, or it must be cracked by a wizard powerful and clever enough to decode the mark's encryption.
As for what this has to do with your original question, I'm getting to that. You see, common spells that are regularly included in a Dragon's Mark of Servitude include: magical compulsions to obey the commands of the person who currently owns them, a spell that prevents the dragon from attacking or harming their master without express consent, a tracking spell, a spell that prevents a dragon from dimension hopping (basically Planar Binding), and a spell that prevents a dragon from shifting between their humanoid and dragon forms without express permission.
A dragon in their human form has not nearly as many options as in their natural state (they can fly, they can dimension hop, they can spit fire or lightning, they have claws and teeth, and are extremely strong and physically tough), so humans keep them in that form out of convenience as it makes them that much easier to control. If a human has need of a dragon's natural form for whatever reason, they can simply command the dragon to revert, and they will be compelled to do so. Afterward, the human can simply order the dragon to revert back to their humanoid form.
3. Q: What about slavery among humans and non-dragons?
A: Well, there are the Spirits, but they are more like forces of nature than actual living beings. They are rather hard to enslave, though one can bond a spirit as a familiar. The process for bonding a familar is similar to that of marking a dragon, but is a bit more involved, and requires mutual consent.
Apart from Spirits, it is unclear at this particular time if there are any other sentient exotic creatures besides humans and dragons (excluding other humanoids, which are basically descended from humans and therefore are technically not an exotic sentient species). As such, slavery isn't really an issue regarding them.
4. Are there any defining marks to tell dragons-turned-humans from actual humans? Have dragons already made that leap into transforming into humans so as to be hidden?
There are three general rules that a dragon's alternate form adheres to:
- A Dragon's humanoid form is always vaguely consistent in appearance, form, and structure. A dragon cannot change the features of their humanoid form to their liking, as it represents what they would look like if they were indeed human. A Dragon's humanoid form always bears some resemblance to their dragon form. A dragon's appearance in their human form will reflect the proportional age of their dragon form: IE, a child dragon will turn into a child human, and an adult will turn into an adult human. Usually it is the dragon's eye color, which remains constant regardless of what form they take. Note that Dragon's generally have eye colors that could pass for human in their humanoid form. Their hair color either reflects the color of their scales or defaults to a natural hair color that a human could have (IE, Red, Brown, Blonde, Black, Auburn, Silver/White, etc).
- Their eyes ALWAYS noticeably glow in the dark of their, reflecting the acute and supernatural nature of their night vision. In addition, their senses of smell and hearing are a bit more keen than your average human, though they are greatly diminished when compared to their natural form. Apart from that, there are no discernible physical traits that would immediately out them as a dragon.
- A dragon cannot fly, dimension hop, or use their breath weapon (Fire, Ice, Lightning, etc.) while in their human form.
- A dragon in human form needs to eat a proportionally smaller amount of food to what they would need to eat in their dragon form. The amount of food eaten in human form will not scale up, and therefore will leave the dragon hungry upon transforming. However, if they eat food in their dragon form, they will remain sated in their human form with no ill effects and will still remain sated in their dragon form (provided they ate enough in the first place).
So yes, in a manner of speaking, dragons do have physical traits that can set them apart from a human, though nothing nearly so obvious as having horns growing out of their head, having little fangs, or big red eyes with cat slits. Their eyes glowing in the dark or the fact that their hair or skin tone may resemble the color of their scales are the only physical traits that will or can directly give them away.
However, the biggest signs that give a dragon away are not physical, but psychological and social in nature. A dragon is not used to staying in human form (or using that form at all), and so often have trouble maintaining their balance while walking. In addition, a dragon's thought processes and unconscious mannerisms stick out like a sore thumb in Human society, and those who are paying attention and know what to look for can easily tell a dragon from a human at a glance based on this alone. Even for the most experienced dragons who are used to living among humans can only reduce the obviousness of this effect, not remove it entirely. As such it is almost impossible for a dragon to dwell within human society for very long without eventually getting caught and enslaved.
5. Q: Is enslaving humans a normality?
A: Yes, humans do enslave other humans, and it is considered normal. However, slavery on Illnora more closely resembles the forms of slavery in ancient cultures rather than the far more despicable forms that we have seen in relatively recent history. In other words, the term "slave" and "servant" are practically synonymous.
There are a few ways of becoming a slave:
- You are sold into slavery to pay off a debt that you or a family member owe, or as punishment for a crime you (and you alone) committed. You will be set free when the debt is paid, when the terms of your slavery contract are fulfilled, or until your master sets you free.
- You were captured in war and sold for profit. You work until either your master sets you free or you are able to purchase your own freedom.
- You are sold as a slave of your own free will. You work until either the conditions of your contract are fulfilled or until your master sets you free.
Note that slavery can actually prove beneficial for the slave under certain circumstances. A slave is subservient to their master, and as a result, their social status is derived from the social status of their master. The slave of a nobleman will have more rights and influence than the slave of a common peasant. In fact, some people may actually find it shameful if they were set free. But while the specifics of these matters vary from culture to culture, a master and a slave always have certain expectations that are universal in nature:
- It is expected that the slave loyally and dutifully carry out all lawful tasks given to them by their master.
- The master is expected to treat their slave with a degree of respect and responsibility. At a bare minimum, a master is expected to provide food and shelter for the slave, protect him and his family members (if any) from external and internal threats, and refrain from abusing them. In addition, the master is expected to provide all necessary knowledge and tools required for the tasks he intends for the slave to perform.
- It is expected that upon fulfillment of a slave's contract or terms of slavery, that he or she be given the opportunity to claim their freedom without hinderance. If they choose to do so, the master should provide them with a parting gift. If they choose to remain, the master should honor their wishes.
- It is also expected that a master and a servant deal honestly with one another; if a slave has earned his freedom, a master should acknowledge it and offer to set him free.
- It is expected that should either party break these expectations, that the law of the land be strictly and justly enforced upon both parties.
6. Q: Are dragons in the habit of enslaving humans and, if so, is it for revenge on the usual and/or because their society also has slavery?
A: Dragons do not enslave humans, and the thought of trying never crosses their minds. Even if they wanted to, dragons simply don't have the purpose or the means to pull it off, especially considering that humans have the upper hand with their ability to use magic. You must understand that the stalemate of the war between the two species still lays heavily upon the minds of both races. On top of that, the dragons have developed a paradoxical fear and unease regarding humans. While they hate that their kin are being enslaved, the last thing they want to do is give humanity a reason to mobilize and bring the brunt of their full power against them. If such a thing were to happen, the best thing the dragons could hope for is mutually assured destruction at best, and one sided extinction or enslavement at worst. Add to the fact that they are too busy fighting among themselves for food, water, and territory... and you can easily see why the Dragons maintain the status quo. After all, the elders would think... so long as the humans are content to remain on their side of the fence, we are safe, and anyone who goes over there is a fool at best.
Also, dragons who have not experienced slavery have at best a limited understanding of the concept. Slavery is practically a new and alien concept to them, despite the fact that sometimes their relationships seem to resemble some aspects of slavery.
Humans have never set foot in Draconia and do not have the means to do so even if they wanted to. Magic may be powerful, but humans have yet to replicate the effects of a dragon's dimension hopping.
Well, I think that answers all your questions...
--Durzan 08:21, 5 March 2019 (UTC)
Response to your rephrased question: Slavery fraud is indeed possible and somewhat likely, but if caught would result in some rather harsh punishment. In theory, a human could be enslaved and then given to a master under the pretense of being a dragon... but such would be highly illegal after all.
Like all forms of trade and marketing, the Slave industry is highly regulated (for humans, as well as dragons and any other non-human species that may or may not exist)... but like always, there would exist a subset of people who do not wish to conform to the rules. Thus where there exists a regulated industry, it would stand to reason that there would also be a black market. Dragon Poachers and unregistered human slave traders would sell their wares on this black market, and people who wish to do less than savory things to their slaves, or who wish to buy a slave without the necessary paperwork would as well. Such slaves acquired through the black market wouldn't have the guarentee of the law behind their treatment, but if discovered by law enforcement would be immediately freed (or at the very least, have their slavery legitimized).
So yes, slavery "fraud" as you put it is possible and even somewhat common. A human could be passed off as a dragon in human form, although it would be a flimsy fraud that would be easily exposed (you know, due to magic being used to enforce the slavery of dragons, while such isn't usually the case for humans). --Durzan 19:26, 5 March 2019 (UTC)
7. Q: Could there be dragon freedmen- dragons that were slaves but were freed through manumission? What would their place be in society? How would they be viewed? Perhaps one of the dragon storylines could be about a dragon freedman?
A; In theory, dragons who are freed can exist... but in practice, they practically wouldn't. Remember that the mark of servitude essentially functions as a dragon's green card, so in the unlikely event that they were legally freed, then they would be expected to return to Draconia. The closest thing you could get to a free and legal dragon in Illnora would be if a human kept the mark upon them and then treated them as being free in all but name. But with rare exception, humans aren't likely to do that.
A free dragon in human society would be looked on with a combination of fear, skepticism, and yes... racism if it got out that they were dragons and were legally free. On top of that, a freed dragon would have a target painted on their back by those who would wish to re-enslave them (both legitimately or illegitimately), as a case can easily be made that an unmarked and free dragon is in violation of the Compact. A freed dragon would in practice effectively be back at square one, where they could be caught and enslaved again, so long as they are in Illnora.
Human's don't necessarily look upon dragons as being equals, so the rules that would normally apply to slavery, while in theory should also apply to them, effectively do not apply to a dragon in practice.
As far as a story being a bout a freed dragon would be... it could be interesting. If the dragon essentially has a mark placed upon them with illusions of the standard spells spliced into them, then a dragon would be able to walk freely among men relatively unnoticed and unbothered as they would be perceived as being "legally enslaved". However, they would be at continual risk of someone finding out.
Question: What benefit is there for people to buy dragons outside of the law, from Dragon Poachers or otherwise? Under that question comes another one that inspired: what regulations does the slave market have in this world?
Answers for UnassumingCivilian
1. Since those questions are more about the overall lore of the mega-story itself rather than this specific story, the idea page linked here might be more suitable for them. I'll go ahead and answer the questions there.
