

-- GRAMMAR RULES --

-- Put every sentence on its own new line.
This reflects how drakes put more time and consideration into each individual sentence or sentence fragment, often taking a breath between them. And sometimes speaking with a kind of rhythm.

-- No compounding sentences with 'and', 'or', 'but'
Generally prefer separate sentences.
Sentence fragments as separate sentences are good.
When compounding is needed use: "yet", "also", "less so", "more so", "as well", ";" or ","
Examples:
"These creatures are feeble of body yet possessed of a limitless capacity for deceit."
"We shall win the trust of this emperor. More so the adoration of his slaves."
"Ignite their watchtowers, as well their bridges."

-- No contractions.
For examples, use "I shall" instead of "I'll" and "do not" instead of "don't".

-- No directly asking questions with "?"
Questions can be put forward as imperatives: "You will speak to me every secret your mind holds." (These are generally never put to superior ranking drakes.)
Questions can be implied by statements: "I wonder as to the nature of their alliance."

-- Use only "shall" for first person and only "will" for second and third person.
For example, "I shall lead them to victory." versus "You will lead them to victory."

-- Capitalize legally defined terminology when invoking the Ways.
Examples:
"Upon this isle, I hereby Proclaim my Eyrie."
"By the Ways of Morogor we Proclaim you Rogue."

-- Archaic meanings of words
Usually the most archaic meanings of words in the common tongue are used in the morogor drake dialect, due to its isolation for thousands of years.




-- GLOSSARY --


- Ancestor -
When capitalized, this refers specifically to an ancestor revered for their heroic deeds.
Drakes have a powerful sentiment that a heroic Ancestor can reappear, in times of immense need, to offer wisdom or even physically intervene on the behalf of their descendants.

- Aspirant -
A drake with a rank high enough to command a wing and enter the contention.
This rank is achieved by completing a series of trials.

- Automaton -
One of the large steam powered siege machines constructed in the ancient past by dwarvish runesmiths and drakes of the clasher caste.

- Caste Burner -
The generally highest caste, renowned for their strategic thinking, leadership, passion and concern for other drakes.
They are also known to be somewhat aloof, prideful, stubborn and vague on details.
Nearly half of all dominants are of this caste.
Saying:
May your fire light the way in darkness.

- Caste Clasher -
The honorbound protectors of the offspring, Ways, and Secrets of the drakes.
They can be counted on to put following the Ways of Morogor before all other loyalties, besides the defense of eggs and hatchlings.
Saying:
May your ancestors tread beside you.

- Caste Fighter -
Quick thinking, adaptable tacticians and fearless warriors.
They somewhat lack foresight and seeing the bigger picture.
Saying:
May your blades find their marks in fury.

- Caste Glider -
Scouts, messengers, stewards of hunting grounds and shamanic tellers of the Spoken Memories.
Their limited usefulness in fighting off intruders leaves them the lowest status of the castes.
Saying:
May your wings catch the winds to soar.

- Contention -
See "dominant".

- Dominant -
The leader of a drake flight, chosen through rigorous tests of group hunting ability followed by a contest of military leadership known as the contention.

- Dominant Morogor -
Revered as the great Ancestor of all drakes by the burner and fighter castes.
The gliders' Spoken Memory says he was instead a defeated warlord, outcast with his followers to the archipelago that now bears his name.

- Dragon -
A distantly related group of creatures that share a capacity for flight and the ability to spit fire.
Generally large, carnivorous, intelligent and prideful.
Includes drakes and fire dragons.

- Drake -
A race of lesser dragons. They are bipedal, diurnal and have a high capacity for smithing, organization and strategy.

- Drakish -
The tongue of the Drakes of Morogor.
As its structure is alien compared to the tongues spoken by other races, communication between the races can be difficult.

- (Exonym) Caster -
Also called Hurler.
Ancient word for human, referring to the human propensity for throwing missile weapons.
Also may refer to the magical spellcasting talent of humans, which drakes likewise lack.

- (Exonym) Craftling -
Ancient word for dwarf, referring to their unmatched skill for crafting weapons, tools and even highly complex machines in the distant past.

- (Exonym) Drakekin -
Ancient word for fire dragon, a creature which drakes feel a deep kinship and reverence for.

- (Exonym) Fleetfoot -
Ancient word for saurian, referring to their nimbleness.

- (Exonym) Serpent -
Ancient word for naga, referring to their being a kind of serpent.

- (Exonym) Stonekin -
Ancient word for troll, referring to their kinship with stone.

- (Exonym) Teller -
Ancient word for fire guardian and fire wraith.
Fiery elemental creatures of majestic size, power and wisdom in the distant past.
They were benevolent mentors to the early drakes.
Now, they are diminished to small beings huddled near passive volcanoes and other sources of great heat.

- (Exonym) The Faerie -
Ancient word for the inherently sentient faerie world and all creatures tied to it, such as the elves, woses, nixes and certain elemental creatures.
Remembered as extremely dangerous foes by the glider and clasher castes.

- (Exonym) The Horde -
Ancient word for orcs and goblins.
Remembered as dangerous foes by the glider and clasher castes. But considered mere prey by the prideful burner and aggressive fighter castes.

- (Exonym) The Jotnar -
Ancient word for an unknown race or faction of creatures with diversely zoomorphic forms and sizes, as well as a dual elemental nature.
Remembered as dangerous foes by the glider and clasher castes.

- Eyrie -
A Drake fortress, home to a single flight and containing their primary hatchery and forge.

- Fledgling -
A young drake, bipedally mobile yet still unable to fly.
They have left the hatchery but usually do not roam far beyond the eyrie.

- Flight -
A large group of drakes, lead by a dominant.
The name relates to the first drake inhabitants of Morogor being outcasts that were made to 'take flight' from a worldwide drake society in ancient times.

- Greatland -
The drakish word for "continent" (along with "great island").
Usually used to refer to the Great Continent to the east of Morogor.

- Hatchery -
Where drake eggs are cared for. Generally overseen and protected by members of the clasher caste. A library is often adjacent, where clashers guard their Secrets.

- Hatchling -
A newly hatched drake, about two thirds the size of an adult human but clumsy and largely defenseless.

- Hunt -
An organized, large scale hunt for prey called by a high ranking drake.
The drake that "calls the hunt" is responsible for setting the end goal as well as the safety of the hunters.

- Intendants -
Advisors and lieutenants of a dominant, usually one of each caste other than its own.

- Intendant, First -
Primary advisor to the Dominant.
Tasked to take temporary command of the flight if ever its dominant is incapacitated.

- Kin -
Members of a drake’s own flight.
Also used for drakes formerly of the same flight.

- Kith -
Members of an allied flight.

- Morogor -
Also known as the Domain of Morogor.
Archipelago, located somewhere in the Great Ocean southeast of the Green Isle and west of the "Greatland" (Great Continent).

- Prey -
Any creature drakes consider food, though generally the most dangerous ones, with "game" more often used to refer to easier prey.

- Reascension -
Also known as the Reascension from Exile.
A glider aspiration to return the Drakes of Morogor from their exile. It has two aspects:
The first is the physical escape from the Morogor archipelago back to the distant continents, made difficult by the vastness of the Great Ocean and a lack of surviving geographical knowledge.
The second is discovering and overcoming the flaw of character that led to their exile by the 'noble' drakes of the distant west.

- Secret -
A ceramic tablet on which some of the secret written history and technical knowledge of the drakes is written.
They are made and guarded by the clasher caste.

- Spoken Memories -
Also called the "Memories".
An oral history of the drakes going back into the early times of Irdya, but generally known only to the glider caste.
The telling and hearing of these stories taps into a vague ancestral memory which all drakes possess.

- Ways of Morogor -
The truly enormous code of laws that govern Morogor and the highest authority in the land.
They have accrued for nearly five thousand years and are more and more focused on managing territorial redistribution as Morogor loses ground to the surrounding ocean.

- Winds of Fate -
Also called the "Wind" and the "Winds".
Glider belief that destiny is a kind of swirling complex of air currents, which they call Windpaths.
These Windpaths cannot be seen, but can be felt "under your wings".
Carefully choosing the right Windpath can deliver one to a desirable outcome, the wrong one leads to ruin.
Gliders believe there is no escaping the Winds, you are either on one Windpath or another.

- Windpath -
See 'Winds of Fate'.

- Wing -
A small attack group of drakes.
Generally a detachment from a much larger flight, used in warfare or when a hunt has been called.

