Dragon Keepers are individuals who desire to protect the dragons of the world, and any other creatures like them, desiring not to poach them or harm them or use them for work , instead wanting to treat them like friends, equals and mounts, looking after them as though they are humans
A collection of individuals of different backgrounds, races, personalities and family bloodlines with one objective in common: Protect the dragons. While their motives may vary, from protecting them to befriending them, or merely studying them, all of them have the same intentions of ensuring dragon life is protected from those who may want to kill the giant beasts.
Wild dragons are regularly hunted down for their scales, breath, horns and teeth and even for taxidermized models. Of course, dragon farms do exist as the scales of dragons are a necessity, especially for species who can't wear regular clothing such as the burning hot scorchers of Neverwinter. While the Dragon Keepers accept these as a necessary evil, they may not agree with the existence of them.
In a world where half of the animal population is composed of dragons and creatures in similar structure to them, and so heavily feared by so many, the Dragon Keepers strive to be a safe haven for the dragons where they can protect them and ensure that their numbers never drop to a dangerously low level.
The Dragon Keepers main base of operations is centralised around Karzeta, a small village south of Neverwinter complete detached from the lawless society. The entire village bases itself around being a home suitable for both humanoids and their dragon counterparts, built into the surrounding caverns and mountains where the dragons can roost and the people living can live high in the sky.
The organisation was founded on the discovery of a large collection of dragon brood mothers nesting in a flock exactly where Karzeta is now located. They had a huge array of eggs of different species, but being so close to Neverwinter put them at risk of poaching and egg theft. It was here that the first collection of Dragon Keepers began to build the village, surrounding the dragons with a protective barrier to ensure their safety and secrecy from the rest of the world. Of course, it didn't stay this way, but by the time the brood's nest was discovered there was already enough Dragon Keepers to protect them.
Many Dragon Keepers are considered to be as strange, or even fearful, as the beasts they care for when this is simply not the case. Dragon Keepers are normal people with a simple passion for all creatures dragon and reptilian. Most of their efforts go into retrieving stray dragon eggs or protecting elderly adults. They also raise the young from their eggs and hope to release them when they're large enough, but normally by that point they become too attached to their parental figures and remain in Karzeta. This is placing the village in a position where it's prone to overcrowding.
Become a Dragon Keeper is extremely easy. If you even protect or care for dragons even slightly, you can considered a Dragon Keeper, even if you aren't officially a part of the organisation. Although they don't openly advertise, news of their organisation spreads worldwide, and so catching wind of them isn't anything short of easy.
Although it was in its prime, the current Dragon Keepers are not ruled under any particular dictation