Dragons

The dragons that exist within The Dream vary greatly in their size, power and appearance. They can be broken up into various distinctions and, on some instances, ranked by their range of influence.

The Elder Gods (Ray`lyvnae)
These dragons are the foundations of worlds. Without them, the material worlds which much of life exists on would collapse. They are the great guardians that can "move mountains" in a sense. They can be either stationary and never leave the world which they host, or they can be nomadic and travel between worlds.

Understand this, the Ray'lynvae are deeply connected to the worlds they have forged a bond to. When they pass away or are forced to sever the bonds to the world(s) they host, then those places disintegrate into an apocalyptic state. Many civilizations have foolishly wiped out their existence by hunting their Ray'lynvae.

The Ray'lynvae are considered as gods at times, and live long enough to question if they are immortals. They can take physical shape, but usually exist on a unmaterialistic realm such as in The Astral, The Rift. etc.

The New Ray`lyvnae
The New Ray'lynvae have the pedigree and power to become a pillar of a world bred into them. However, they do not have the wizened experience that the first or second generations of Ray'lynvae had. The new generation are fewer in number than their predecessors, and are very nomadic. They tend to be shapeshifters that have a key true form, but have the knowledge that what is physical, is not reality.

What separates them from their cousins, The Lessers, is that they retain a high concentration of purity of original Ray'lynvae in their bloodlines. It is because of the purity of their blood that even though they may not be as earth-shattering in power as The Elders, they can be a devastating force to contend with.

The Draca`Ortus are amongst the new generation in that they are descended from Ray'lynvae, but like the rest of the new generation, they exist mainly on the cusp of material reality.

The Lesser Dragons
Don't be fooled by the title of Lesser Dragon. These dragons are no lesser than their Ray'lynvae counterparts. They wield a great deal of strength, intelligence and overwhelming magical power. They are specialized in one or two areas of magic and are often considered specialists. A few can shift into a secondary form, depending on their ancestry and gifts, but they all have the longevity and ability to grow to the mass of the Ray'lynvae.

The Lesser Dragons don't rely on or forge those deep interconnections with the worlds they inhabit. Instead, they have routed all of that power into mastery of one or two elements. So it is in this division that you find the great elemental dragons; some command such an impressive mastery of their element that they are referred to as gods by other mortals.

It is among the Lesser Dragons that we find the Nine Guardian Dragons:
 * Aquos - Water/Ice
 * Cen - Earth/Metal
 * Kaos - Chaos
 * Lux - Light/Holy
 * Raikou - Lightning
 * Seirei - Spirit/Biotic (Life)
 * Sora - Air/Wind
 * Umbra - Shadow/Dark
 * Ur - Fire