First and Second Editions © 1995 Krister Sundelin The Storyteller System is © 1991 Mark Rein·Hagen Credits
Author Krister Sundelin Helping Hand Rasmus Hansson Bold enough to allow dragons in his campaign, Fredrik Fredrik Einarsson Cover Michael Whelan The Storyteller system was designed by Mark Rein·Hagen HTML conversion by Rasmus Hansson, 96-07-20 First Edition HTML-conversion by Rasmus Hansson, 95-05-24
Dedication To all those who dared to gaze into the eyes of the Dragon, to the friends that share my dreams, and to those who wields the magick of perception and creation Disclaimer This document is contains the full text of Dragon: the Waking Wrath originally published online as a free download by Krister Sundelin in 1995. No words have been changed or omitted with the exception of correcting typos, reorganizing tables for clarity and adding page numbers to the Contents.
You are encouraged to make copies and print-outs as needed. This PDF has been published as a free download – if you are asked to pay for it you have been a victim of fraud. Illustrations The art used in this book was formatted by Laura “Tamara” Henson in 2009. All illustrations with the exception of the cover art comes from three sources, most are © Dee Dreslough 1996-2008 www.dreslough.com www.dreslough.com,, the rest is from Simply Software’s Sci-Fi & Fantasy Clipart 3 and Witches Witches and Wizards Clipart Clipart both both edited by Jon Jon Gustafson Gustafson and © 1997-2008, No Hassle Home. The Borders and Dividers are from Microsoft Word 2003.
front page and this page single sided, print print the remainder Printing Instructions: Print the front of the document double sided. The last page should printed single sided and used as the back cover.
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Contents 1: Th The Dr Drago agonkin kin 2: First Flight 3: Traits 4: Magick 5: Combat 6: Relations 7: Last Words
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The Dragons have mystified mankind through the centuries. Some think of them as monsters, others as a superior and more beautiful race. Whatever they are, they they are not going to fall into such simplifi simplifications cations as "good" "good" or "evil". This text introduces introduces the the Dragonkin into the World of Darkness. What you need
This is what you need to make use of this text:
At least one of the Storyteller Storyteller games. We would suggest that you got Vampire: The Masquerade and Werewolf: The Apocalypse. These games contain most of the rules needed. You will find the few other rules you need in this text. These other rules mainly mainly concern magic, aerial combat and dragon society. All All other rules are to be found in either Vampire or Werewolf. Werewolf. One computer equipped with a printer, preferably preferably a Postscript printer to print the neat character sheets. A bunch of dice. Some friends. We would suggest that these friends are open-minded and have a lot of role-playing role-playing experience, since playing a dragon or having one's character meet a dragon requires requires a lot of skill. skill. All other useful role-playing equipment.
In the beginning...
Author's note: As many other things, there is a be ginning. This beginning is so far away in the past that that Mankind Mankind will not remember remember it. For my part, part, it began with with a ball you know, that kind of party where there are no men or women, just just gentlemen who wear suits or uniforms uniforms and ladies who wear elaborate elaborate dresses, dresses, when when the main event is waltzing waltzing where I met a charming lady that called herself Rithka.
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Something happened this night that still puzzles me, something lady Rithka did. I wanted to know how it was done, and the lady disappeared. Six months later, a letter arrived. When I opened it, I found a letter letter from the the lady at the ball ball and a bunch of paper. I was even more puzzled when I recalled that I never told her where I lived. Then I started to read...
My friend, Our conversation six months ago is still intriguing my mind. Smiling, I recall your words; "It is like magic. How are you doing it"? And when I avoided the question, question, you asked for the truth. truth. Then we parted, not on the best terms. terms. The Truth, that ungraspable thing you asked for it and I could not give it to you. The truth, truth, only the truth and all of the truth. truth. There's so much to tell you. you. I remember remember the plains of Ukraine, several thousand years before the n ame was conceived. I recall your kin, barely able to communicate. And now, you have harnessed powers that you barely comprehend. It is astonishing to see your kin develop so so rapidly. But forgive me, I am stalling. The truth is, that there are worlds within worlds. There are legends and lore, and somewhere in the inner core of the legends, there is a small grain of truth. I am the truth of the legend. I am of the Dragonkin. I can c an see your face as you are a re reading this believe believe me, I do see it! It is is a simple thing thing to conjure an image image of the future future when you will receive this letter. You are, right now, slowly putting your glass of that dark brown, bubbly beverage down on the table, fully concentrated on this this letter to the point that you will not notice that the glass will will fall to the floor. floor. I apologize for the inconvenience this surprise will cause you when you will have to clean the floor at your desk. Alas! now that I have put doubt in your conscious and scientific scientific mind, let me proceed. proceed. I have the full consent of my superiors superiors,, lady Sinyé, Sinyé, her ally lord Draconis Vermithrax, and the sovereign of our Court, lady Alaria, in writing this. I will will here explain the nature of myself, myself, our purpose purpose and our actions. actions. I cannot prove all that will be here revealed, at least not in writing, but if it is proof you want, I will tell tell you how to find them. Now, turn the page and read the Truth of the Dragonkin, the Truth that you requested. R
Author's note: When I turned the page, I found a long text describing the nature, origin and strength of the Dragonkin. It It was not easy to read, written written by hand in old English English th (late 18 century, by my best guess). When I was finished, finished, I decided to let others share
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this knowledge. knowledge. I did not care whether whether I played played along with the the plans of the Dragonkin Dragonkin or not, I simply simply wanted to pass on this knowledge. But to whom? When I thought of it, I found that if I simply passed the text on, it would be perceived as a piece of fiction. Then all my role-playing experience flowed through my head, and I decided to re-write all of it to to fit some role-playing role-playing system. It is better, I thought, thought, to present a truth within a lie than something that will be perceived as a lie within the truth. The choice of game fell on the Storyteller system, and this is the result. Enjoy!
The Covenant Once upon a time… With those words, many a story have begun as will this. Once upon a time, briefly after the Flood and before the First First Covenant, all the Immortal Races gathered at Mount Ararat to discuss the future future of the world they were were inhabiting. The Immortal was struck with with a crisis there was no way that all of them could inhabit the world and roam freely as before. Some of them said said that the Flood Flood was the result result of God's Wrath Wrath upon them them that the Immortal was the target target of the Flood. Whatever the the reason of the Flood was, the Immortals Immortals were paradoxically paradoxically dying. This was debated over and over again legend says that the debate went on constantly for seven weeks, and that the sun did not show itself during the gathering. It was a dark time for the world, and and it ended with a new dawn for for the Earth, Earth, the First First Covenant. Covenant. At that time, it was the only Covenant and thus The Covenant. The Covenant was simple all the Immortal Races should withdraw from the world, limiting limiting themselves as much as possible in action as well as in numbers. numbers. The Covenant was to be supervised by the most powerful of the Immortal Races, the dragons.
The Watching The dragons assumed their role as the guardians of the Covenant, and pooled their immense powers together. One of their kin should always be awake, harnessing the Power and the Authority as the Guardian. The Authority was passed from dragon to dragon, century after century, until Christendom came. Sometime during the early Dark Ages, Europe was christened. In the mythology of the Christians, the dragons were were servants of Evil, all-engulfing world-destroyers world-destroyers in the time of Armageddon, Armageddon, battling battling among the Legions Legions of Darkness. Darkness. So, when a Christian Christian warrior warrior found a live dragon in his vicinity somewhere on the borderlands of Caledonia and Britain Britain he rode to it and challenged challenged it. With faith, faith, steel and the Wrath Wrath of God, the dragon was slain.
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The slaying of the Guardian was never neve r reckoned with. At that time, the Guardian was the only dragon dragon awake, and the event passed... passed... unnoticed. unnoticed. Until recently.
The Awakening Somewhere east of the land-mass land-mass known to man as America, America, a dragon awakened in the late nineteen-eighties. Her human name was Alaria if ever a dragon's dragon's name or sex is relevant, relevant, this particular particular dragon dragon was more female than than male, and her name would be conceived as Alaria among humans and she had been asleep for more than six thousand years. She stretched out with her senses, searching for the Guardian to learn of the world. She found nothing. Except for a lot of humans, of course, but she never reckoned them to be a threat. Several years were spent, looking for the Guardian, but Alaria never found it. it. She gathered knowledge of the Mortal world as she looked, learning their their language, and eventually, she knew that the Guardian was not only dead, the other Immortal Races was spreading around the world like a disease. This enraged the newly awakened dragon's mind, and her body woke as well. She drifted to the nearest shore and walked, in human form, up on a moonlit beach. On this this beach, there were were only one living being, being, and one dead. The vampire vampire was feeding feeding on the human, and before Alaria recognized the event, the human died.
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Alaria understood, but not the vampire. The vampire thought the naked woman was but another victim and approached her with blooded fangs and gleaming eyes, trying to dominate dominate her and seduce her to take her blood blood as well. Alaria Alaria was astonished. astonished. Never had a vampire ever tried to feed on the Dragonkin, and here one came trying to do this. And if this was not enough, he was also trying trying to control her mind. The vampire quickly learned a lesson that night "never stare into the eyes of a dragon". Alaria stared back, paralyzing paralyzing the vampire with her gaze. The vampire stopped stopped in his tracks with with a silly-lo silly-looking oking face. Alaria dropped her guise, spread the the golden-red wings in the night and accelerated, partly by flapping, partly by magick, and grabbed the vampire in her fangs. fangs. She flew to the the roof of a tall human-built human-built building building and landed. landed. You, You, Alaria said, speaking for the first time in millenniums, who are you to ignore ignore the Covenant? Know you not the Strictures? And who are you to to dare to Embrace one of our kin? "Say again?" the vampire asked. The Covenant strictly forbids your kin to move as openly as you do, do, she continued. The Covenant forbids your kin to to raise challenge towards the Guardians. These are written in the Strictures Strictures of the Covenant, Covenant, and your kin agreed agreed to join it or be destroyed. destroyed. Now, you dare to break them, and even claim ignorance ignorance of their existence? existence? "Hey, man, look..." the vampire stalled. stalled. "I follow the rules, rules, like. I ain't broken the Masquerade. I didn't hunt outside me turf. I ain't broken the the Prince's laws." You lie, lie, Alaria's mind roared. The Strictures Strictures are broken. The Dragonkin Dragonkin will not look lightly on this. "The what?" the vampire vampire exclaimed and continued whispering whispering "The dragonkin? Like, there are more of you?" Yes. Yes. And Alaria raised her long slender neck to the moon and sung. It was a complex song, beautiful and horrific beyond beyond belief, almost imperceptible for for the human ear and unencompassable for the human mind. The song was beautiful, the vampire could not stand it, and with the end of the song, every dragon was awake. You shall present me to your Prince, Alaria said. "No way, man," the vampire answered, an swered, "he'll kill me, like." You shall present me to your Prince, Prince, Alaria repeated, else you will not exist to see the next night .
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"I don't mean to make you angry or disappointed, lady," the vampire insisted, "but I ain't introducing you to the Prince. Prince. See, I like my neck. I don't know if you can destroy destroy me here and now, but I know sure sure as hell that that he can." I see, Alaria said almost regretfully. Then she grabbed the vampire, and flung herself to the skies. She gained altitude quickly, rose above the clouds clouds and stayed hovering hovering in the air. Do air. Do you think you would survive a fall fall from from here here? she asked. Or have your kin forgotten forgotten the dragonkin's dragonkin's breath? breath? She exhaled a long breath of fire, rendering the vampire struck by panic. She held him still with both claws until he became calm again. Or should we stay here until the sun rises, rises, Childe of Cain? Do you still still not know know I could destroy destroy you as the bug bug you are? "Okay, okay," the vampire begged. "Just don't hurt me, okay? I'll show you to the Prince, and then you let me go, okay?" I will give that event a thought, Alaria answered and sunk herself to the sleeping city. city.
The Second Covenant The Prince met Alaria, and as the vampire caught had said, he was hostile. The Prince had bested all other supernaturals that he had met, from Garou to Mages. Mages. He was certain that one more could could be bested, especiall especially y this foreign foreign naked lady. This attitude attitude is certainly not the best to wear when talking to a dragon. Before the night was passed, the city was in need of a new Prince and Alaria had left left with the vampire she she had caught. The arrogance of the Kindred convinced Alaria that her decision was right. She called a Gathering of the Dragonkin to discuss discuss the events. The Dragons came, one by one, to Mount Ararat Ararat as before, before, and one year after the Waking, Waking, there was the Second Second Gathering. Gathering. The debate went on for a night and a day, the air filled with the strange and eerie sound of dragonsong. The vampire could tell of the strange debate, four hundred naked men and women standing, standing, sitting sitting or lying lying on the ground. No sound sound could be heard, heard, and the people gathered gathered spoke only with with their minds. minds. Some of the dragon thoughts thoughts leaked to the vampire vampire and he thought it it resembled resembled song. The Gathering was more of a council of war. Try to imagine the frustration of lady Alaria when she in her regal position position founds herself cheated of the throne of the Covenant. And imagine her asking the most noble of the the Dragonkin if she would raise raise the bloody flag to reconquer it and with conscience could make this claim. Imagine the pride of the the regal dragon when all of the dragons accepted her as their sovereign. One may think that the Swan from Avon was psychic psychic when he described the council of war that Henry V of England held before the war against France.
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And at the end of the Gathering, Gathering, the Second Covenant was settled. Much of the Dragonkin's power had been invested in the Guardian. The Guardian had been slain slain and the invested power was lost. lost. Once again, the Dragonkin had to pool their resources together. together. This time, time, the power should not be concentrate concentrated. d. The Dragonkin Dragonkin would not risk risk another loss. Three strictures formed the Second Covenant. The three Strictures are called the Prides, the Quest and the Custos.
The Prides
The Dragonkin was split into into eight fractions that night, called the Prides, all named after after one of the eight dragons of the Second Waking who shared the Pride's Pride's thoughts. The eight prides prides immediately immediately started started to debate debate among them in what way the Second Covenant should be introduced to the world.
The Quest
As for the lost power of the Guardian, this should should be quested for. Some would quest for it to release all the power and restore the Dragonkin's former former might. Others would quest for it to gain all of that power for themselv themselves. es. All would, would, however, quest for the Power. Power.
The Custos
The last stricture of the Second Covenant was the Custos. Custos. Alaria prompted for the Dragonkin to resume their role role as Guardians of the First Covenant, and several of the Prides agreed. But not all. Some of the Prides Prides do not wish to chain the other kin to a covenant long lost and no longer remembered, especially since since the Earth has survived more than one and a half millennium millennium without a guardian. Other prides claim that something is happening. The Immortal Races are changing, rapidly growing in numbers. The Guardians are again needed. The Custos will ensure that the growth growth is controlled. controlled.
The Eyes of the Dragon What does a dragon look like? It It is a very hard question to answer, since no dragon is exactly alike any other dragon. There is also a great difference difference between the dragons of the court of Alaria and those of the Eastern Court.
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All dragons have at least two forms, the human form and the dragon form. The Mortal form looks exactly like a human. It has exactly the same anatomy, to the point that it is possible to treat a dragon in mortal form with with modern medical science and get a predictable predictable result. result. The mortal form form is better than the average average human, but still still not different. The only difference lies in the eyes. Being the eyes of the dragon, the whites are too white, the irises too clear in color and often too wide wide not exactly inhuman, just alien. This gives ordinary mortals (and other supernatural creatures too, such as vampires) the creeps, since it is quite clear that the being in front of them is a little little different. Add to this the sensation of power that lies in the gaze of a dragon. This does not identify a dragon in mortal form it only gives a sensation sensation of being in the wrong end of something something extremely powerful. It is possible to identify a dragon by looking at the shadow, which still is the shadow of a dragon, not that of a human. Some dragons create an illusory illusory shadow, or changes it's it's shadow, to resemble that of a human, but many supernatural creatures can sense this use of dragon magick and point out the dragon by this. Since dragons do not dress in dragon form, they seldom seldom dress in human form either. Instead, they create an illusion illusion of clothes, which fools mere mortals but seldom supernaturals. The dragon form is impressive; it is a combination of lethality and beauty. It has a slender body, not the clumsy lizardlike lizardlike body of old stories but more that of a bird bird or dinosaur, with two strong strong back legs and two more slim forelegs forelegs that doubles doubles as hands. The hands and feet are clawed. clawed. There is a third third pair of appendages, appendages, the wings. wings. Although Although the wings are sometimes used for propulsion, the dragons are more likely to use their magick to propel them through the air and the wings only for lift lift and maneuver. Thus, it is possible for dragons to fly at supersonic supersonic speeds and with a maneuverability maneuverability that surpasses surpasses most modern jet fighters. A typical dragon is forty feet long and has ha s a wing span of sixty to eighty feet. Of this length, one third is neck, one sixth sixth is body and one half is is tail. The tail ends in a spiked growth, growth, much like the the one of a flail. The back of the the dragon is covered covered with lethal lethal spikes, spikes, which makes sitting on the the back of the dragon very uncomfortable, not to mention mention falling onto it. If a dragon dragon ever carries a human passenger, the the passenger would prefer to be carried in the dragon's forelegs, forelegs, and the dragon would not like to have a human on its (relatively) vulnerable neck anyway.
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The head is small in comparison to the body and is far from the crocodile head he ad so common in fantasy art. It looks more of a bird's beak than that of a reptile. The eyes of the dragon dragon are a chapter of its its own. They are narrow and ovoid in shape. They are protected by two sets of eyelids, the inner closing closing horizontall horizontally y and the outer closing closing vertically. vertically. There are no pupils, pupils, and those who think there are often mistakes the half-shut half-shut inner eyelids, eyelids, which shuts shuts from the sides, sides, as pupils. pupils. The eyes reflect reflect light much like those of a cat, creating an illusion of glowing eyes. Staring into the eyes of a dragon dragon is to stare through through the gates of Magick itself the eyes reflect the nature of the dragon's soul as pure pu re incarnated incarnated magic, magic, the very essence essence and fabric of space. The color of a dragon varies. Some are simple-coloured, others have elaborate p atterns of colors, and still others others shift colors like gasoline in a puddle of water. water. There is no connection between the dragon's power and its its color.
Dragons do not need to eat, sleep or breathe. They may fall into a great Sleep that may last for centuries, but when they are awake, they are awake for a millennium millennium or so. Food and air are unimportant to a being that is nutrified by the flows of Magick in the world. They may eat for the fun of it, they do breathe if they speak the mortal's tongues tongues and they may sleep (or at least meditate or simulate), but none of these are necessary. Dragons may well survive in a submerged cave for centuries without food or air. Although dragons are sexless in in dragon form, they have a gender in mortal form. Since Since there are no sexless humans, there are no sexless dragons in human form. The mortal gender is more more of a function function of the dragon's attitud attitude. e. A dragon that behaves "female" "female" often has a female mortal gender. The dragon "language" does not have any gender, but in "translations", the dragon's mortal gender is often used. Thus, a mortal would address Alaria Alaria and perceive perceive her name when presented presented to her as "lady Alaria", Alaria", even if she's in the sexless dragon form. The dragon in human form is capable of having and enjoying sex. It is possible for a female dragon in mortal form form to get pregnant, as well as a male may reproduce with human females. Any offspring from from human form is always all all human, even if both parents are dragons in human form form no "dragon genes" will ever appear in the offspring.
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