Well, G'Ryth are sea dragons. Their name is always used in the plural or as an adjective. "I am G'Ryth," Stryck says. "I am a skald of the G'Ryth," S'orn introduces himself. G'Ryth have a very Norse-like culture, with a many long-standing traditions. G'Ryth literally means 'fish dragon' in the Ancient Tongue.
DESCRIPTION: The G'Ryth are western dragons- with four legs and two wings.
However, years of evolution have caused them to be somewhat differently shaped
from land dragons. They have webbed forepaws, deep tails, and only a single
crest on their heads, slanted back sharply. (Think 'hadrosaur') Their wings
are long and not very broad, usually kept folded together very closely on their
backs to resemble a fish's dorsal fin, and used in much the same way. The scales
are small, like fish scales, and usually a 'silvery' solid color. The most
attractive shades to the G'Ryth are the ones that most resemble water itself
(silvery light blue, silvery light green, etc.) while the most exotic are dark
colors.
The G'Ryth are not very large, for dragons, being only a little bigger than a horse
when fully grown.
SPECIAL ABILITIES: All G'Ryth have racial telepathy and share a racial
memory that extends back many, many years. Both of these are stronger or weaker
according to the individual, but any G'Ryth may, if they need to, call upon
other G'Ryth or suddenly remember something that happened well before they hatched.
All G'Ryth are able to spout water as a sort of breath weapon. Doing this depletes
the water in their own bodies, however, so they only resort to this when in or
very near water (which is all the time for most of them). When in battle, they
use udents, which are magic spears of ice or steam, that they conjure themselves.
G'Ryth use water magics almost exclusively (lots of raw material!), but tend to specialize
in either ice or steam, matching the style of udent they use. G'Ryth are
psionically capable as a race, but few learn how to use any psionics other than
simple telepathy.
SOCIETY: The G'Ryth are clannish, traditional types. Groups of G'Ryth
that live together ('holds') tend to have three or four clans in them, with at
least one of the following:
a seer
a skald
a 'king'/'queen'
a warleader
Seers are, well, seers. Skalds are rather like bards, but primarily compose 'epic' or 'saga' poetry (read Alliterative verse). The skald is also responsible for remembering all the significant happenings of the past and present- a daunting task, as well as acting as a diplomat when one is needed. The 'king' or 'queen' is usually just the leader of the largest clan, and only really commands in wartime. The warleader is often the same as the king/queen, but not always.
The G'Ryth are surprisingly peaceful. They believe in Providence and in some kind of god, but have no 'religion', per se, and express themselves in song, for the most part. When one of the G'Ryth creates a new song, a celebration is often held.
One of the main beliefs of the G'Ryth is that the first to hatch and the last to hatch out of a clutch are marked by destiny. The first-hatched are called 'soul-called', and it is believed that they are called forward, before the rest, always leading. The last to hatch are known as 'long-thinkers' and are thought to be the type that carefully consider before doing. Surprisingly, the beliefs are quite correct. Long-thinkers tend to be seers or skalds, while soul-calleds tend to become warleaders or explorers.
Even though they are such a peaceful race, the G'Ryth are fierce fighters. Creating an udent for the first time and claiming a warcry are both important marks of coming of age.
If you have any further questions about the G'Ryth, please email me, and I might also put the answers on here. :>
