Species Status: Closed, personal lore species
Species sheet: Here
What is a Starfarer? Perhaps the best way to begin would be to tell their origin myth: at the beginning of time, there was a void. This void was not empty, though-- it was full of something that was not yet formed. Raw, untapped creative potential, ready to be given shape. Two sides of the void united, positive and negative, yin and yang, masculine and feminine-- and gave birth to a being that embodied their union. This was the first dragon. She beat the void with her wings, forming an ocean, then drawing up land from its depths. She alit on that island, and then died.
This was not her end, however. For in death, a tree sprung from her corpse-- each branch a galaxy, each leaf a star. And new life, a whole universe, begun. And the void pressed in, eager to take shape-- a billion facets that each gave rise to a new something in the universe. Physical laws, phenomena, elements, minds. The more those who had been born from the Tree looked out upon the universe and tried to describe it, the more the void took shape. Each facet, a new dragon in the form of the original, but containing only a fraction of the myriads within her.
This is a story, but it is also truth. To the dragons, the Tree is both a metaphor and a place. It is the source of all life, especially theirs-- and by slipping out of physical reality to navigate its branches, they travel amongst the stars.
In less flowery terms, a Starfarer Dragon (often just "dragon", or "Starfarer" if it's neccessary to disambiguate them from other forms of dragons across the multiverse) is a being born of the collective unconscious of sapient beings. Originally, they were tied to only the beings of their home universe, the Dusk Traverse. After the event known to dragonkind as "the Sundering", they expanded the Tree's influence to attempt to sustain the other universes damaged by the Sundering-- this stopped what is now known as the Four Realms from collapsing, but heavily damaged their ability to sustain a presence in the physical world. Each dragon is simultaneously a physical creature and a thoughtform born from the collective perception of a concept-- this can be as small as one culture's aesthetic ideal, or as large as the metaphors surrounding a physical concept like "light" across multiple cultures or even species. A dragon's complex life will often connect shorter-lived and more abstract concepts to others, solidifying their existence.
The practical upshot of all of this is that dragons' physical forms are wildly varying. While a few things are always kept in common-- (at least) six limbs (two back legs, two wings, and two forelegs), horns, a tail, and ears-- no two dragons look exactly alike. In addition, they are prodigious shapeshifters, and thus their "default" form is also shaped by their personality, self-image, and aesthetic preference. The other wrinkle is that they are incapable of death in the typical sense. The only way to destroy a dragon is to fully erase all memory of the concept that sustains them from the minds of the sapient beings that hold it. A dragon can be grievously injured or even have their physical body fully destroyed, and they will still be able to somehow return. (Though frequently, such injuries still carry lasting effects.)
A dragon can also choose to release their physical form and return to existing only as a concept-- this is usually a response to the lasting toll that immortal life among shorter-lived beings can take on an individual. To do so, a dragon seeks out an uninhabited planet, and finds a resting place. Their body petrifies, and a grand tree grows from it-- this tree reaches up into the upper layers of the atmosphere and will slowly terraform the planet into a life-sustaining one. A dragon will also pick up microorganisms from their travels, and the tree's effects cause rapid evolution in them-- eventually morphing into complex multicellular life. While the timescales involved are eons, it's rumored that even this is not a permanant end to a dragon's life and they will eventually be reborn from the tree's roots...
A dragon is simultaneously two things-- a physical creature, and a concept. This concept is generally referred to as a dragon's "sphere". No two dragons have the same sphere, but the words used to describe them may match. A word has many definitions, and spheres are often described in ways that are both metaphorical and flowery. The connection between dragon and sphere goes two ways-- a dragon can exert a fair amount of control over manifestations of their sphere in the physical world, but they are also beholden to it. The way a sphere is conceptualized by sapient minds will shape the abilities and-- to a degree-- personality of the dragon that embodies it. The influence tends to be strongest from the species and home culture of the dragon's non-dragon half (more on this later).
For masterlist purposes, a sphere is described using one to three English words. This may simply be a loose translation of how the dragon themselves would describe their sphere, and the actual manifestation may be different from a "straightforward" reading of said sphere. Some examples: Adelaide's sphere of Light manifests both as creating and manipulating literal lights and hard-light constructs, and "illuminating" hidden knowledge. Shiranui's sphere of Repose lets him view and travel through the dreams of mortals, as well as revive or converse with the recently-dead ("waking" them or sending them to rest). More esoteric spheres exist-- Sian's (my fursona, in this case) sphere of Sophic Mercury is an alchemical term whose definition is beyond the scope of this writeup and in this case loosely represents a power over agents of change.
All dragons, regardless of sphere, have the ability to transition between physical and metaphorical space. In the practical sense, this allows them to create wormholes that can be used to travel large physical distances in a short amount of time. Frequently traveled routes leave "soft spots" in reality known as "dragonpaths". The source and destination of a dragonpath are close conceptually, even if they are not close physically. How this manifests is often complex-- for instance, a dragonpath might link two solar systems that are in constellations that one culture views as featuring characters from the same story. Or a back door in a candy shop might lead to another candy shop on the other side of the world. However, in order to create a dragonpath, the dragon must be aware of and capable of visualizing the conceptual link. Those who have some influence from dragons (such as being an Acolyte, exposed to dragon blood in some form, or simply being a descendent of a dragon) have the ability to percieve well-traveled dragonpaths and travel through them, but not create ones. The traveler may not be fully aware of the link, but a less-traveled dragonpath is easier to locate and use if the traveler understands it. Dragonpaths can be as small as a cat flap or large enough to fit an entire spaceship through.
Once, eons ago, dragons had a grand civilization. Never a particularly organized one-- directing dragons is like herding cats, so the Queen was a largely ceremonial position. Eager and curious, they left their home planet to find homes among the civilizations of other beings. Some granted knowledge, others ruled as gods, others were passive observers. Some dragons assisted their allies in building grand works-- space stations, Dyson spheres and swarms, vast interstellar trade networks. It was not a flawless age, but it was one of peace, prosperity, and learning.
But over time, factions developed with their own views of how to interact with other civilizations. Those who saw other species as lesser races started to organize, seeking to build an empire. This caused those who preferred to aid or passively observe to start banding together, seeing a threat. When the empire-builders struck-- they met resistance, disorganized at first but increasingly urgent as the new civil war dragged on.
Records of what followed are scattered. Civilizations were destroyed, planets were burned. But what most sources are adamant on is that it was the empire-builders who designed the weapon that broke the world. As dragons cannot die in the normal sense, even the most mortal damage was not enough for one side to truly destroy the other. Somehow, however, they had found a way (untested, unproven) to not just physically destroy a dragon's body, but to delete their entire sphere from existence. Full erasure of the concept from the minds of everyone who held it.
Fearing utter annihilation, the resistance flocked to the site where the weapon was being built, seeking to destroy it before it could be completed. In a panic, the empire-builders attempted to utilize it despite its unfinished state.
The result tore a hole in space parsecs wide-- and quickly spreading. Dragons too close to the weapon were simply erased from existence. The concepts they embodied were lost forever, unable to be recalled by any being. And worst of all, it was not simply their own universe threatened. Other stars, other existences were leaking through and blending together.
The remaining dragons realized that everything they held dear was on the brink of being utterly destroyed.
The reigning Queen, formerly at the vanguard of the resistance, proposed a solution-- a work of myriad dragons' power that could stabilize the situation. Resistance and empire-builders alike lent their Spheres to knitting the fabric of reality back together over the hole. But it was impossible to go back to the way things were before. The sundered universe was stabilized, but at the cost of linking all four affected universes together with the Tree's power.
All dragons rely on access to the Tree to maintain their existence. Its power is vast, but not infinite. Spreading it across multiple realities stretched it thin. The background "radiation" of creative potential that fueled the dragons was no longer a guarantee.
For this too, the Queen had a solution. But this one encountered more resistance. The dragons that participated had their very nature fundamentally changed, drawing on the bodies of the species they had spent so much time with. They merged themselves with other beings, utilizing their flesh as a physical shell to hold their metaphorical nature and keep them anchored to reality.
Those who refused this process left. Some used their paths to travel to other worlds entirely, hoping to find an alternative power source that could fuel their orignal form. Others simply left for metaphorical space with no intention of returning, hoping to find peace in unity with the Tree.
And the site where the weapon had gone off became a pocket universe where all four worlds mingled-- the Alucandra Flux.
The current form of a Starfarer Dragon, as a result of the queen's work, is two creatures simultaneously. They are both a Starfarer and another being-- the only requirements for what a Starfarer may be mixed with is that the species is sapient and capable of sexual reproduction.
Starfarers are shapeshifters, and their "default" form is that of their non-dragon half. However, their dragon nature will always show through. A Starfarer will usually-- though not always-- have a bright hair/eye/fur/scale/feather color that is distinctly unnatural for their species. Duo-toned or gradiented hair is very common on humanoids, or the equivalent on other species. Heterochromia is also extremely common. (The more they look like they walked out of an anime with particularly unrealistic designs, the better!) Additionally, all dragons will have a "tell" in their base form, some aspect of their dragon form they retain no matter how much they shapeshift. This may be unnaturally shaped pupils; scales, feathers, or fur; or some other "off" trait. For instance, Shiranui has feathers in his hair and on his back, and Ruairí Carrol has a split reptilian tongue.
Full-blooded dragons also have the ability to shift into their full dragon form. Starfarers have an extreme amount of morphological variation, to the point where two different dragons may not even resemble the same species. However, all Starfarers will have a minimum of six limbs (two front legs, two wings, and two back legs); wings that are one of mammalian, reptilian, avian, or fin-like in nature (insect wings are forbidden); visible ears; horns; and a tail.
The final typical form a dragon can take is called their "hybrid" form. This is their default form with traits of their dragon form-- a hybrid form will show the dragon form's wings, ears, horns, and tail. A dragon can mix and match their default and hybrid form to any degree, showing potentially just the wings, or just the horns and tail, etc. It really depends on their mood.
Half-dragons (described further later) do not have access to the full dragon form and can only take their default and hybrid forms.
All dragons possess a degree of shapeshifting ability. While large changes to their default form take time and effort, their dragon form is much more malleable. A dragon's appearance can change to suit their fashion sense and sensibilities. However, their default form will always stay within the bounds of what is possible for their species naturally (though still with unnatural dragon features)-- though not necessarily typical! Shifting physical sex characteristics are a particularly easy shift for dragons, and many will bounce between "male" and "female" (or whatever is appropriate for their species) multiple times through their lifetime.
One feature that will always show on ANY dragon, regardless of species, is blood that quickly hardens to a resin-like substance when exposed to air. A dragon's blood may even be unusual colors for their species. (This is typically the result of unusual pigments in the bloodstream rather than a difference in the chemical that carries oxygen.) A typical blood transfusion bag or testing vial with anti-clotting substances can keep dragon blood fresh for three or four days, but it will inevitably harden into resin if left longer than that even if it is kept in a completely airtight container. Air exposure simply speeds up the process.