Ryujin

Ryujin are a rare and prideful sub-race of Youkai with distinctive draconic features. Claiming to be the only true direct descendants of mythical dragons, Ryujin are often at odds with Lizardfolk and Kobolds, who both claim the same - though Ryujin don’t give the opinions of “lesser races” much thought in that regard. Overall, Ryujin are regal and intimidating with a presence that commands a room and a glare that can silence a crowd.

Culturally, Ryujin live together and apart from the rest of Kiraran society. They don’t tend to form Ryujin villages but instead take on leadership roles in other Youkai communities as exclusive merchants, mayors, governors, or just wealthy nobles leveraging their wealth and power. They demand a level of excellence from those around them that causes communities they’re in to both be free of corruption and require full, constant effort of improvement that can drive people away in search for an easier, simpler life.

But what Ryujin demand of others, they demand of themselves even more intensely. Ryujin craftsmen will spend decades perfecting a single work to be worthy of their effort and lineage. Warriors will master techniques passed down from master to student for hundreds of years and often fight with an elegance that would be more at home on a stage than a battlefield. Scholars and mages dissect and understand their chosen fields to degrees of minutia reserved for specialist universities. Striking up a conversation about a Ryujin’s interest will be a sure method of being regaled with the proper impact angles for hammering the shape of a katana, an arcane breakdown of individual elements of the Glittershard spell, or a detailed retelling down to individual combatants of an ancient, obscure battle.

But most mysterious of all are Ryujin adventurers. Often young and still in training (for a Ryujin), their drive to seek out the wonders of the world is second to none. The pride and drive for excellence is still present but there is often an underlying goal or purpose in their traveling the world. Ryujin adventurers are often knowledgeable in history and lost knowledge and they always seem to be searching for something, an ancient item or manuscript or tome. Unless you are extremely close to a Ryujin, it is not recommended to press them on the details of their search.

“You are ignorant of what stands before you.”