The New Flipside Worldbuilding Thread, because I can
So yeah, just another one for me to mess around with, like my superhero thread.
Anyways
from
THE CATALOG OF SPECIES
Dragons: Dragons are a group of reptiles, roughly divided into two categories. Flightless Dragons or Drakes, and Winged or True Dragons. Also covered here are Pseudodragons, which are not dragons, but often mistaken for them. A third type of true dragon, the Ancestral Dragon, once existed, but they are now extinct.
Drakes: A drake is a flightless dragon. All drakes possess a predatory cunning though not the true intelligence of their flying counterparts, and while Bearded Drakes have wings, none can fly.
Bearded Drakes/Red Drakes: Bearded Drakes are an apex jungle predator. Generally, they are red with black stripes (though green Bearded Drakes are not unknown, this is why the term "Red Drake" is no longer widely used), and have a "beard" of hairlike fibers that hangs off of their maw, they are quadrupedal with two stunted vestigial wings, and a segmented tail, they are approximately the size of tigers when fully grown. The purpose of this beard is not known (though there are several competing theories), it is known however that the beard continues to grow with age, and extremely old Bearded Drakes may have very long beard indeed. Contrary to popular myth, a Bearded Drake's beard appears on both sexes of the species. Bearded Drakes are largely solitary, and are quite territorial. The only contact a Bearded Drake will generally ever have with another, is when it is young and being raised by its mother, fighting off rivals, and mating. Bearded Drakes mate only once in their entire lives, and females rarely have more than one offspring. Defensively, Bearded Drakes do not have a breath weapon as such, but their bites are often toxic due to the high amount of bacteria in them. They are also more than willing to use their large claws.
Maned Drakes/Green Drakes: Maned Drakes are pack predators that roam open plains. They are small, roughly the size of a large dog, they have no wings and a stiff tail. They have a mane of hairlike fibers up and down their necks, but this does not grow to nearly the size of a Bearded Drake's beard. Generally, they are green with darker green stripes. The largest individual leads a pack (usually 10-15 individuals, some of whom are likely infants or elderly) and has exclusive mating rights. Maned Drakes have been domesticated by some plains communities, this variety, known as a Horse Drake, are quite difficult to control, but make excellent guard and work animals (being quite strong for their small size).
Dragons: Dragons are quadrupeds with an independent set of wings (that is, not connected to their arms, see Pseudodragons below), they are quite intelligent, and speak an assortment of languages mostly consisting of guttural growls and high pitched screeches. Dragons can speak the languages of the bipedal races, but only with some difficulty, and they are often hard to understand.
Mountain Dragons: The traditional "Red Dragon" archetype (though they can be brown, tan, yellow, orange, or even white as well). They are quite intelligent and capable of breathing fire. They're also the largest true dragons, being larger than even elephants. Some Mountain Dragons also have a beard as Beard Drakes do, but this is a genetic trait, and is fairly rare.
Arctic Dragons: The smallest true dragons, Arctic Dragons are generally white and lack a breath weapon. They are also the most solitary of all true dragons, as such, little is really known about them.
Cave Dragons/Gem Dragons: Often thought to be two species, Cave and Gem Dragons are in fact the male and female respectively of one. Cave Dragons are smaller, usually brownish in coloration, lack a breath weapon and rarely leave their caveside lairs. Gem Dragons are larger, and can be nearly any color with extremely shiny, highly-reflective scales, Gem Dragons can spit a concentrated beam of burning light from a special organ in the back of their throats. One Gem Dragon often has several Cave Dragon mates, who collectively raise her young. Cave/Gem Dragons are among the most intelligent Dragons, and one Gem Dragon--the Baroness Gruuu'z G'khaaie--even became the ruler of a relatively prosperous city.
Sand Dragons: Desert dwellers by nature, Sand Dragons spend quite a lot of time on the ground. They are usually yellowish tan in color to blend in with the desert sands, and frequently can be found spending hours stalking small prey. Sand Dragons are often incorrectly typified as lazy, in actuality they are simply far more active at night than during the day. Sand Dragons do not have a breath weapon as such, but are capable of blowing massive quantities of sand at any would-be attackers. Sand Dragons are also far more serpentine than many dragons and have long, slender bodies.
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Pseudodragons: Pseudodragons are creatures that are oft-mistaken for dragons, but are in fact, not dragons. What they actually are depends on the individual species.
Wyrms/Wurms/The Dragonesque: Wurms are perhaps the least dragon-like pseudodragons. They are in fact, a class all their own. These are the last descendants of a group of reptile-like mammals. Wurms are enormous, making even Mountain Dragons look small by comparison. Wurms also lack independent wings, their wings instead being built onto their arms, much like bats. A Wurm's head has a single, long, rhinoceros-like horn protruding out of it. Wurms are generally very dark in coloration, nearing if not actually completely black. Their "scales" are in fact, small plates of chitin (the same substance fingernails are made out of), and as such, are not as hard as real dragonscale. They can also breathe fire, which only furthers their confusion with true dragons.
Sea Dragons: Sea Dragons are in fact an unrelated class of aquatic reptile that come in a variety of shapes and sizes.
Primal Dragons: Primal Dragons are in fact the last remaining dinosaurs of the carnosauria order, rather than actual dragons. They most closely resemble Gigantosaurus, though they are significantly smaller.
Oh, and Bearded Drakes... If a pair has one child only, then wouldn't they go extinct? Might want to correct that to 3 (to account for deaths before having children)
Plausibility isn't really the goal here. The Flipside works on a pretty different set of natural laws than we do.
Though I'm not entirely sure how that'd work myself. I assume magic (that's not a joke).
I don't know, maybe. I'll get back to it next time I do biology.
I have a fantasy map drawn up, and it is horrendous. I am going to post it anyway. Students of cartography steer clear.
Sounds good to me.
Behold my eye-searing creation. Which I will not even embed here.
My visual art skills are lacking. Astute lookers may notice that it is Pangea. There is a reason for that (sorta) and I will elaborate on it another time.
Anyhow, a quick run-down of what is what.
As a note:
Anything cross-hatched with two or more colors is claimed by those two nations
"Claims" are here defined as territory a nation believes itself to be the owner of, but lacks the physical power to enforce any laws in those territories. How much control a nation has over its claims fluctuates frequently, but most often, Claimed territories are in practice, series of city-states and rural, unaffiliated communities.
Nations!
The Primate of Dorado:
The Kingdom of Korokopoul
to be continued....
immediately
The Lersoet Desert is largely uninhabited, aside from the numerous tribes in the area, the following are exceptions to this rule:
The Lands of the Dragon Baroness (Informally: Gruzia or G'ruuuzmayYn)
The Free City of Andar
Never heard the name before, so no.
The Remains of The Kendar Empire
The Kendar Empire was at one point the dominant force of the Flipside, encompassing almost all of its landmass, including what is now The "New" Kendar Empire, South Free Kendar, Lower Kundar, and much of the currently-unclaimed Western Jungle, as well as parts of Rheingamungzst. As empires of such massive size are wont to do, Kendar collapsed under its own weight after barely a half-century at its peak. Emperor Kondarus is still a widely-revered figure today for managing to even hold it together that long. After its fall, Kendari was split between what remained of the north (which kept the name of the Kendar Empire) and what was left of the south (which became known as Kundar) with different descendants of Kondarus claiming the throne at different times.
"The Kendar Empire" (New Kendar)
South Free Kendar ("The Duchy of Piyelax") & Allied Territories
Lower Kundar
Now show me what you're doing with magic.
I'm still aiming to finish the nations' profiles first.