Dragonborn

Dragonborn, or Skepsisaurus, are ancient denizens of the Middle Kingdom, the children of the Great Gold Dragon.

Description
After the Dwarves but before the Elves, the Dragonborn took the stage. Shaped as the humanoid inheritors of the ancient Dragon empire by the Great Gold Dragon himself, the Dragonborn settled in and expanded out from the agricultural rich river valleys in the middle kingdom, or china as it is known today. In China, the Dragonborn built an empire, subjugating other native humans and goblinoids and as their influence spread. Dragonborn emperors claimed the mandate of heaven, citing their creation by the Gold Dragon himself as right enough to lay claim to the whole of China and beyond. This claim was proved difficult to keep, however, and every now and then a dynasty will be overthrown and a new ruling class will rise with the blessing of the Gold Dragon and his four sons. This is known as ‘losing the mandate’ or as the goblins call it, a ‘change in management.'

Dragonborn dwell almost exclusively within the borders of the middle kingdom, where they rule over Kobolds, Humans, Short Folk, and Goblinoids. The Dragonborn form the bulk of the upper ruling class, though the bureaucracy of any dynasty is so massive that it is practically impossible to have one race be the ruling class. They do hold a notable superiority complex about their high and mighty origins, though in truth they may not be as special as they think, with some analysis of their biology being noted as “disturbingly similar to a mutated human” by elf scholars. How the elf scholars know what biology denotes a mutated human, nobody knows.

Culture
Dragonborn culture is very much tied to Chinese culture in general, which prizes order and law above all other things. The people of the middle kingdom are divided into four distinct classes: landlord and peasants who constitute the two major classes; and merchant and craftsmen which constitute the two minor classes. Unlike the real china, it has proven difficult for the non-Dragonborn to assimilate like many ethnicities did with the Han people. As a result, there is a great deal of racial bigotry within the society, with Dragonborn and Kobolds being viewed as innately superior to all other races thanks to their Dragonkin status. However, this bigotry is highly regional, and in areas where there are practically no Dragonborn it has proven itself only as an effective way to cause revolution and rebellion. However, this bigotry and prejudice has recently led to a revolution in the arts, with the traditional arts of calligraphy and poetry being almost completely overthrown by human made paintings and literature, as well as kobold sculpture and mongol music. Clothing, too, has undergone a revolution, with Egyptian and European clothing becoming more and more popular within the borders of the middle kingdom.

Religion
Dragonkin Religion is built around the worship of the Five Dragons: those being the Dragons of the east, west, north, and south winds; and their father, the Great Golden Dragon, who created all of China, as legend states. The Dragonkin also prize philosophy, with the mastery of Confucion texts and understanding of Legalism being requirements to enter the imperial bureaucracy.

Language
Draconic, the official state language, is tonal in nature and is notable for its distinct hisses, rasps, and clicks made to communicate complex ideas while having a mouth filled with teeth.