Breheimian Dragons
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 1,500-2,000 (estimated) | |
| Languages | |
| Breheimian | |
| Religion | |
| Lutheran-Evangelical Church, Breheimian Paganism, Alfartru, Draketru |
Breheimian Dragons are an ill-defined species, racial, ethnic or cultural group in the Republic of Breheim. Debate continues in Breheim on whether or not the native dragons should be considered Sapient Non-Humans, a Human Subspecies, Cursed Humans or criminals. Breheim Dragons are not born, and no naturally born Breheimian Dragon has been known to exist. The process of becoming a Breheimian Dragon is known as Draconization, also sometimes as the Curse of Greed or the Dragon Curse.
Appearance
Breheimian Dragons take on wildly different forms, with some being noted as having a snake-like appearance, without limbs, while others are noted for resembling more Mystrian Dragons in appearance. Their size varies from a length of three meters, to as large as forty meters.
Breheimian Dragons grow in size in tune with the size of their wealth, and in the process attain a greater number of appendages and abilities. A destitute Breheimian Dragon would resemble a large snake, and have even been known to lose the ability to speak. The wealthiest Breheimian Dragon recorded, the slave trader Jarl Harald Tordsen of Kvithall in the early 17th century, was noted to have reached a length of fifty meters, possessed four clawed arms, great wings and could breathe blue flames.
Draconization
Draconization, the process of becoming a Breheimian Dragon, is poorly understood. From the historical record, Draconization requires at least three elements: for the afflicted to be greedy, for the afflicted to commit a great taboo in pursuit of that greed, and for the taboo to be committed knowingly and with sobriety. While sociopathy has been speculated to increase the risk of Draconization, this is generally viewed as spurious at best by modern Breheimian pathologists. Even then, attempts to intentionally replicate Draconization has generally failed, along with attempts to study the phenomenon in controlled conditions. Those afflicted with Draconization seem to have not intentionally sought to become a dragon, and some were ignorant of the very possibility.
Draconization is known to be a rapid process once initiated, and have been reported to take place over just a few hours. It is reported to be a severely painful experience, where bones break and extend, skin is shed and replaced with scales and psychological changes are observed in the afflicted as well.
There are no naturally born Breheimian Dragons. While there are cases of Breheimian Dragons attempting to produce offspring, these have all been stillborn when hatched.
Psychology
Breheimian Dragons exhibit few emotions barring a seemingly insatiable greed and the desire to acquire more wealth. While traditionally, Breheimian Dragons gathered their wealth in the form of physical objects, in recent years some Breheimian Dragons have taken to storing their wealth as less tangible goods, from stocks to cryptocurrency. This acquisition of wealth seems to cause direct physiological changes in a Breheimian Dragon, increasing their strength, size and abilities. This also causes a strengthening of what is known as the Curse of Greed, causing the Dragon to seek more and more wealth to own and lessening other desires proportionally.
This insatiable greed seems to replace the Dragon's other desires substantially. Most Breheimians Dragons have little to no sexual drive, their appetite and taste buds seem to morph where the more expensive something is the better it tastes, and a general numbness for other emotional states and desires. Breheimian Dragons are also noted for having little fear for their own life if their wealth is under threat, willingly dying to protect it.
While many historical accounts of Breheimian Dragons depict them as violent, modern Breheimian Dragons are only six as likely as the general population to be accused of violent crime. Modern Breheimian Dragons more often attempt to accrue wealth by legal means, as legal wealth seems to be sate their greed more, and modern Breheimian law enforcement being substantially more efficient.
In Modern Breheim
While Dragons were hunted and slain in most of Breheim's history, in 1874 Draconization was recognized as a medical condition. While the Socialist Worker's Party recriminalized Draconization in 1925, with the punishment being summary execution, attitudes to Dragons had shifted away from viewing them as monsters. In 1944, execution for Draconization was removed from Breheimian punitive guidelines, and replaced with attempts at rehabilitation. The Dragon Rehabilitation Program, from 1944 to 2014, only had a single successful case. Draconization was relatively rare in the years of SWP dominant-party rule, generally only one or two incidents registered annually. Many Breheimians afflicted by Draconization during SWP rule attempted to emigrate to more profitable shores.
Draconization was decriminalized in 2015, by the Anti-Discrimination Act.
Draconization has seen a spike in recent years in Breheim, with 2021 having a total of two-hundred and eighty-nine cases of Draconization. The current population of Breheimian Dragons is estimated to be in the low-thousands.
Draketru is a faith originated in the mid 2010s by the Dragon Harald Ragnarsen, portraying Draconization as a spiritual enlightenment where unimportant concerns and desires are shed in favour of the tranquility of acquisition of worldly goods. Draketru has not been recognized as a religion in Breheim and has few non-Dragon followers, and most believe it to be a tax evasion scheme by Harald Ragnarsen.