Drake
by Sheldon MorrisSometimes referred to as the Fey-dragons, these elusive beings appear as man-sized dragons in their true form, although they do not have forelimbs and their wings are rather small for their body. They are rarely seen in this form for two main reasons; they spend most of their time polymorphed in the form of a human, elf, dwarf, halfling, or gnome, and, their fey heritage provides them with the ability to turn invisible while in their true form.
Champions of Chaos The drakes were first formed when humans and elves threatened the entire world with their civilizations of magic and technology. The fey, as protectors of the ecology of the world, saw this threat grow to the point where humans unleashed the Great Rain of Fire. Vowing to ensure this cannot happen again, a group of fey became the first of the drakes, infiltrating the societies of humans, elves, and dwarves.
Law was deemed the enemy, as it was perceived to lead to stagnation, corruption, and self-destruction. Chaos was used to promote progress and limit the authority of any specific person or group to wield too great a power. Some drakes have embraced evil along with their chaotic philosophies, either because they have been corrupted themselves by an evil patron, or they have been lured by wealth, power, or pure selfishness.
Those drakes that know of their distant past are sometimes called 'good' by mortals, since they hold to the old ideals, keep watch for places where order has been corrupted, and attempt to overthrow it. A drake is always either chaotic good or chaotic evil, never neutral. No matter the motive, a drake ultimately sees all order as corrupt and only in anarchy can nature thrive.
Fair Folk Heritage Since drakes were 'birthed' from fey creatures (or 'Fair Folk' as many of them call themselves), they have several qualities that are relatively common among the fey. Their ability to shapechange between their natural dragon-like form and that of a humanoid is pivotal to their cause. Drakes can become invisible, however they can only use it when in their true form. They also possess a resistance to magic that is common among many of the Fair Folk. Lastly, they have that fey behavioural trait of enjoying tricks and pranks, and causing mischief.
Innate Roguishness A drake's natural behaviour would very well be described as roguish; spying, setting traps, infiltrating, stealing, spreading rumours and lies, and spreading anarchy in general. There have been instances where drakes have joined Thieves' Guilds to hone their skills, although these are usually too organized for their chaotic mindset.
MANDRAKE
Mandrakes in their true, or natural form, are tan in colour. They can change into a human form and tend to enjoy the company humans. Mandrakes have no difficulty hiding within human societies and often keep minor jobs that allow them to keep in touch with news. These jobs may be working in stables, inns, taverns, trading posts, etc. but do not take jobs of prominence or power. They sometimes use the guise of being an adventurer. Mandrakes often cause trouble by stealing from a town's food-stores, sowing anti-authority sentiment, and stealing from anyone.
WOODDRAKE
Wooddrakes are dark green in their natural form and can polymorph into the form of an elf or an halfling. Their behaviour is generally similar to mandrakes, but adapted more so to the elven or halfling culture they are in.
COLDDRAKE
Colddrakes are perhaps the most reclusive of the drakes since they shun daylight and live deep underground. They love subterranean areas that are coated in ice, but may also be found among underground communities of dwarves and gnomes. This connection is not surprising since they have the ability to polymorph into the form of a dwarf or gnome. In their natural form they are white.
ELEMENTAL DRAKE
Elemental Cousins
The elemental drakes are only distantly related to the fey. There are four types, each type being native to one of the elemental planes; airdrakes (blue), earthdrakes (brown), firedrakes (red), and waterdrakes (sea-green). They do not possess the ability to travel between planes on their own and instead 'piggy back' with another creature that can travel between planes. On their native elemental plane the drake can assume the form and attributes of a normal elemental. On the rare occasions that an elemental drake is on the Prime Plane, they can polymorph into the form of a giant, although they tend to be just a few feet shorter than the average giant and they have difficulty throwing rocks. Airdrakes can polymorph into a cloud giant form, earthdrakes into stone giants, firedrakes into fire giants, and waterdrakes into storm giants, and may be found among these giants for their own purposes.