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.
Origins
The origins of Breheimian Dragons are disputed, with historical accounts attributing the phenomenon largely to divine intervention. The Alfartru pagans holds that Dragons are created by the Elves from those who commit fraud and try to get out of contracts by murder, while the eastern and northern pagans that one of the Gods curse men to become dragons when their appetite and greed causes them to commit great evils. The Western Lutheran Church holds that the Dragon Curse was a curse put in place by the Devil on Breheim and will only be lifted when the last pagan converts or is driven from the country, while the Eastern Lutheran Church holds that the first Dragon, and the Dragon Curse, was caused by King Tormund of Taranger, when he attempted to trick the Devil into returning his stillborn son to life, the Devil returning him as the first Dragon. The Breheimian Universal Church holds that Dragons are created by the White-Christ out of those who due to their greed can never escape the clutches of Satan, in order to give men good battle and honorable deaths in battle.
Modern Breheimian secular theories are no more unified than the faiths on the cause of dragons. The most commonly held theory is that Draconization is caused by a rare genetic defect mostly carried by Breheimians, which catalyze when under extreme mental stress. Another popular theory is that Draconization does have a magical element, likely the result of intentional experimentation by ancient Breheimian mages which contaminated bloodlines or even the land itself. Some Breheimian Socialists have posited the theory that Draconization is proof that greed is contrary to human nature, and that an excess of greed will alter the physical form to match the spirit.
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. There is no medical consensus on wealth's effect on Breheimian Dragon is due to absolute value, monetary value, labor value, relative value or some other factor.
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. Indeed, 2022 Study on the Causes of Draconization argued for the opposite, although this study is generally considered to be poorly founded, being based on interviews with ninety-eight Breheimian Dragons and comparing their statements to their pre-Draconization medical and criminal records. 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.
Until the Draconization of Nils Andersen in 1929, it was believed only murder or an act leading to the death of another could be the catalyst for Draconization. Nils Andersen, Deputy Leader of the Socialist Worker's Party, seemingly underwent Draconization from embezzlement of state funds, culminating in his Draconization upon using embezzled funds to purchase an expansive mansion in Just. Modern Breheimian research into Draconization hypothesises that a great taboo out of greed is the catalyst, rather than death. While this taboo might be religious, in the case of the atheist Orthodox Marxist Nils Andersen it seemed like embezzlement and enrichment was sufficient. It is still not known if the taboo needs to be a personally held belief, or if it is sufficient for the taboo to exist in the philosophical beliefs of the afflicted.
Heredity being a factor is generally agreed upon by the medical community, as is having at least a certain amount of wealth during the act that causes the transformation.
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 times 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 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.
Breheimian Dragons Abroad
In 2013 the Royal Malgravean Times reported on a couple of instances of Malgravean citizens undergoing transformation into a Breheimian Dragon. It is unknown how this came to be and studies on the subject have proven to be inconclusive, however, it is known that each individual case travelled to Breheim as part of a rebellious act against the social structure of Malgrave and attempted to take advantage of the political situation in Breheim to enrich themselves, with one individual being at least partially responsible for an industrial accident that cost the lives of several workers.
Malgrave tends to view Breheimian dragons with suspicion, as their greedy lifestyle is seen as against the practices of social solidarity and has also been linked to numerous scams involving cryptocurrency, however, they are still protected under anti-discrimination laws and efforts have been made to account for them in the public healthcare system in case any are wounded while visiting the country.
In 2016 Eclipse released a digital single to try and raise awareness of Breheimian Dragons and fund research into their predicament which was followed in 2021 with a similar campaign made by Venus.