Physical Form
Dragonborn are a tall species, originating from the Kiebe Forest, with appearances reminiscent of the great dragons of their namesake - scaled skin, clawed hands and feet, fanged maws, and horned heads. They also possess muscular tails, and flexible spines on their head and neck that continue to grow as they age. Dragonborn generally have horns, faces, and in some cases frills that resemble whichever of the ten colors of dragon match their scales. Like with dragons, there is very little sexual dimorphism between male and female dragonborn - the only noticeable difference besides voice is in specific scale markings which are imperceptible to other species.
Dragonborn come in ten distinct color variations, each matching a color of dragon - black, blue, brass, bronze, copper, gold, green, red, silver, and white. Alternate colors may exist when dragonborn of two different colors reproduce, which is an uncommon but certainly not unheard of occurrence. Scale color tends to change somewhat with age. The "chromatic" scale colors (black, blue, green, red, white) are very dark colored and almost black when young, brighten up to their adult scale color over time, and begin fading in a mottled pattern as they reach old age. The "metallic" scale colors (brass, bronze, copper, gold, silver) are shades of dull, mottled brown when young, attain their bright, metallic adult scales over time, and begin to "rust" as they age, obtaining green patches about their spines, joints, and the edges of their wings. Dragonborn eyes are typically blue, green, or yellow, with yellow being favored by chromatic colors, green being favored by metallic colors, and blue being quite rare among both.
Dragonborn are generally 5'8" - 6'10" feet tall and 180 - 360 lbs on average. Both sexes have a roughly similar distribution of heights and weights.
Lifespan and Reproduction
Dragonborn typically live from 65-80 years of age. They enter the preteen stage at 6, hit puberty around age 10, reach adulthood at age 15, are considered middle aged at 40, and are considered elderly at 60.
Dragonborn mothers carry the egg for 3 months before laying, and the egg must be kept warm for another 3 months before it can hatch. Dragonborn eggs are capable of surviving for a while without warmth, able to lay dormant for up to 4 months before damage to the unborn child starts to occur, depending on the temperature they are kept in. Rewarming simply restarts the development process where it left off. Dragonborn females have a fertile period at varying intervals depending on the climate, approximating every 3 months in warmer areas and every 5 months in colder area. Pregnancy nearly always yields a single offspring, with twins being a rarer and riskier occurrence. Dragonborn children are born quite well developed, and are capable of walking hours after hatching.
Diet
Dragonborn are predominately carnivorous, and are capable of consuming a wide variety of meats and fish from any locale. They may further supplement their diet with fruits, in greater quantities if meat is scarce, and they can survive a season or two on plant matter if possible, though such a diet has an ill effect on their health.
Notable Attributes and Abilities
Thanks to their connection to the great dragons, dragonborn are naturally very magical creatures, possessing several supernatural abilities. Each dragonborn type has an associated element - for red and brass, fire, for silver and white, cold, for black and copper, acid, for green and gold, poison, and for blue and bronze, lightning. Dragonborn have a breath weapon, which allows them to produce a line or cone of their element from deep within their lungs. Dragonborn are also naturally resistant to damage from their element, which serves both as protection from some enemies and protection from their own breath weapon. With great focus and much practice, a dragonborn can also learn to summon spectral wings of their element, granting them temporary flight.
All dragonborn, regardless of element, can produce a fraction of a true dragons' aura ability, lending a strength to their presence which can be leveraged to strike fear or inspire courage, depending on the individual's intent. Such as ability can be a boon to the dragonborn in many social situations, though not as much as the more widely feared and warned-against enchantment magics.
By some quirk of their vision, dragonborn are capable of seeing things most races find imperceptible. The markings that distinguish male and female dragonborn have this quality, allowing dragonborn to easily tell each other's gender, though other races will find themselves stumped without hearing the voice of the individual in question. Certain flowers, insects, and minerals also have this quality, and these may be used to craft dye for the creation of textile patterns or other artistic creations that can only be discerned by dragonborn.
Culture
Caesintril and Bahamuti tend to have differing views on mixed-race children. Bahamuti usually value the unique identity of their races, and tend to look unfavorably on pairings between different colors, even if such pairings are not outright illegal. Caesintril tend not to care, leading to a higher occurrence of Jiili Caesintril than any other mixed-race dragonborn.
Dragonborn tend to have a high reverence for magic, as it's an integral part of their being. Plants, animals, fungi, and minerals that provide spell components usually have a significance ranging from "high" to "sacred" among them, and many of their oldest holidays and traditions center around magical phenomena. This is true even of the famously magic-averse Haruta, who have held on to many of their ancient traditions despite swearing off magic after the Forest War.
Dragonborn often use their head spines for adornment in a similar way to how other species use their hair. Paints and dyes can be used to create designs of varying permanence on the spines, cloth wraps and ribbons may be used, as may beaded bands and other sorts of jewelry, and sometimes the spines may even be pierced.
Races
Dragonborn races are simply divided by the sheen of their scales - the Bahamuti, or chromatic dragonborn, are the taller and heavier type, while the Caesintril, or metallic dragonborn, are shorter and slimmer. The individual colors may also be denoted along with their races - Pral Bahamuti (black), Maof Bahamuti (blue), Achuak Bahamuti (green), Charir Bahamuti (red), Aussir Bahamuti (white), Auraj Caesintril (brass), Oeboth Caesintril (bronze), Ipiye Caesintril (copper), Aurix Caesintril (gold), and Orn Caesintril (silver). Mixed bloodlines may be denoted as Jiili Bahamuti, Jiili Caesintril, or Jiili Ternock for an individual with both Bahamuti and Caesintril blood. It is unknown why the Bahamuti and Caesintril populations are split between the Talnora Plains and the Lerovul Forest respectively.
Pronunciations: Bahamuti (BAH-hah-MUT-ie), Caesintril (CAY-sin-tril), Pral (PRAHL), Maof (MOWF), Achuak (ah-KOO-ahk), Charir (cha-REER), Aussir (au-SEER), Auraj (AU-raj), Oeboth (OH-both), Ipiye (ih-PY-yay), Aurix (AU-rix), Orn (ORN), Jiili (JEE-lee), Ternock (TER-nok)