Dragolets
A species of fluffy semi-reptilian creatures.
These little beasts are all that remain of the fierce and bloody history of the draconic age, the inheritors of the dragons' legacy, as well as their curse. Entirely unintimidating compared to their much larger and more dangerous pre-curse ancestors, Dragolets have settled into a niche alongside humanity- that of a fairly smart, sentient, and largely powerless creature in a world rife with magical influence... though even humanity at least has a few magicians.
Although a few Dragolets remain that had first hand experience of life as a true dragon, most of their kind have never been able to use magic, nor feel the wind beneath their wings. It is only within the last few generations that something seems to have... shifted. A burgeoning power that ripples across the species as a whole. Within the last thirty years, magic has begun to return to the Dragolet species- a gift once thought lost forever as a punishment for the cruelty and avarice of dragons. It is weak, and still rare, but undeniably present. A weakening of their curse, perhaps...
An odd omen indeed.
Anatomy and Design
Being that they are essentially just dragons that have been cursed into safer, smaller, fluffier versions of themselves, they still retain some draconic anatomy, though its been twisted by the magic affecting them.
★ The design of their snouts is still fairly reptilian, sporting two lizardlike nostril slits.
★ All of their feet have opposable thumbs, squishy pawpads, and each toe is tipped with a nonretractable lizardlike claw.
★ Their tails are still lizardlike, and end in either a tapered point or a dragonlike spade.
★ Some Dragolets grow horns... but this seems fairly inconsistent and even nonsensical, with some of them having rather unnatural shapes.
★ Dragolets have ears resembling that of various mammals, such as cats or deer.
★ They're covered with a coat of soft fur. This fur can be short/velvety, huge and fluffy, curly like wool, or any other kind of style.
★ They haven't lost their wings! ...Although, they are rather small and stunted, being around the same size as their head at the largest, and with flight capabilities slightly worse than the average domestic chicken. Normal Dragolet wings can be batlike or feathered- they can even have one of each!
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Dragolets primarily rest on four legs, but are fully capable of walking bipedally, sort of like a bear. For the sake of consistency, please keep your dragolet on all fours for their masterlist art, but please feel free to depict them walking on their hind legs in any other art or writing you do! You can also feel free to depict them more "anthro," we're not policing biped anatomy that hard.
Life Cycle
Every Dragolet begins life as an egg.
Like most so-called "magical creatures," magic does play a part in Dragolet reproduction, with couples of all sexes and orientations fully capable of conceiving together. It's hard to say how that part of it works, though- love magic is mysterious, and often seems to happen regardless of anything intentional on the parents' part. Stranger still, it is the only type of Dragolet magic left completely untouched by the enchantress' curse, all those years ago. Furious as she was, it seems she could not bring herself to bring an end to the dragons entirely.
Baby Dragolets are fully mobile and have all their teeth as soon as they hatch, and theoretically could survive on their own. Unfortunately, they're dreadfully stupid, and really shouldn't be left to their own devices. It takes a few years of careful mentorship for them to learn what is and isn't okay to eat, what animals aren't dangerous to poke with a stick, and that sort of thing. Dragolets are considered children all the way up until their 20th year... Though moody teen Dragolets would probably argue otherwise.
Beyond 20 years old, aging gets a little... funny. Experts aren't sure why, but the most popular theory is that the dragons of old didn't actually age discernably at all, only getting larger and larger the longer they survived. While the curse has certainly made Dragolets mortal, it doesn't seem to apply to every individual consistently. One twin might retain their youthful 20-year-old appearance for the next fifty years of their life, while the other might start turning grey and wrinkly after only five years. It seems to have something to do with personality, with a Dragolet's appearance tending to reflect their attitude and outlook on life.
On average, Dragolets live to be about 100 years old. There are exceptions, with some very rare individuals claiming to be over 600 years old, dating back to the draconic era. Most adult Dragolets are smaller than humans, averaging about 4-5 feet tall at the top of their head. There is little variation from this sizing, with one notable exception- some Dragolets will hit a second growth spurt at 120 years old, if they happen to live that long, and will stop growing once they hit somewhere between 7 and 8 feet tall at the top of the head.
Traits
Dragolets have two trait types- Draconic Traits and Enchantments.
Draconic traits have been seen here and there throughout history, but have become more common in the last thirty years or so, for unknown reasons. These bizarre traits bear an uncanny resemblance to those that were once seen on ancient dragons- things like huge fangs or claws, spikes down a Dragolet's back, or even multiple heads. A long time ago, it was feared that a Dragolet with a draconic trait was reverting back into a real dragon- a fearsome, greed-driven monster with ravenous hunger, and a sure cause for alarm. Thankfully, it's been proven that's quite impossible- so now draconic traits are just considered another part of one's appearance... albeit a very uncommon one.
Enchantments are distinctly magical in nature, a precious gift given of The Sovereign's own waning draconic power. These enchantments are given sparingly, usually in return for doing something kind or courageous, in the hopes that the bearer of this gift will use it for good. Supposedly, it's also possible to obtain an enchantment without their help, via contact with magically-charged artifacts from the draconic era... if one is foolish enough to risk exposing themselves to a curse. There is a black market for these items, one that the governing powers of Serpentem still scramble to keep under control.
Besides these, most other aspects of a Dragolet's appearance are considered very average. Things like long hair and all kinds of body types are all normal to see on a daily basis (and thus, do not require any kind of item to add, change, or take away from a Dragolet's design.)
