Nefol Lore: The Last Dragon Clan
The Dragon-kin were once a dominant race of creatures who colonized many planets during the Time Before. They structured themselves in family/clan units, but were actually quite technologically advanced, even compared to other races at the time.
Interestingly, the race could take two forms – the larger “dragon” form that greatly resembles the creatures you think of when that term is used, and a smaller “person” form. It’s unknown how their dual formed nature came to be – perhaps it was something in the race’s origins? Perhaps they were a race of blended genetics? Or maybe it had something to do with the dragon’s deep-rooted connections to the Earthian peoples.
Either way, the person form had many advantages, including a smaller more mobile shape that required less food to sustain. There have been stories of Dragon-kin who choose to remain exclusively dragons, and those who almost exclusively favor their person-shapes.
Though there were always exceptions to the rules, most of the clans were ruled as a matriarchy. It was not unusual for a Matron dragon to wrest leadership of a clan as the eldest female was often larger and more powerful than the many males she ruled.
The younger females took their place as Wingguards, with the next in line to Matronship becoming what was known as a Wingleader.
The Last Dragon Clan
Many of the Dragon-kin clans were destroyed during the battles that lead up to the Mistake. Life was very difficult after that, with events and poor living conditions that resulted in many more of the race dying out. By the time Zemi Awakened and discovered the world of Nefol, there was only a part of one small clan still surviving on the planet.
This clan was unusual in that it was one that chose to fight against the Dragon-kin who sought to enslave and use the Arweinydd against their will. There may have been a friendship between the clan’s old Matron and the young dragon, Siri, who was widely known to lead the Arweinydd in captivity to freedom.
The previous Matron died in battle, likely sometime during the Mistake, or not long after. She was succeeded by her daughter, the Wingleader Zoe. Zoe was considered too young to take up Matronship at that point, so the clan was headed by the wardragon adviser, Dunstan, who was tasked to protect the Wingleader until she was old enough to take her place.
When Zemi discovers Nefol, the Dragon-kin of Zoe’s clan are the first creatures he encounters. In fact, it seems that they are aware of Zemi’s existence and have been waiting for him to arrive. Though Zemi spends a only a short amount of time with this clan, they are the ones who teach him of dragons and encourage his original dragon form.
Zemi later tells how Zoe’s clan simply disappears, and that he doesn’t know what ultimately happened to them. However, he carries the knowledge and form they gifted him and was inspired to create new dragons in their memory.
Dragons in Time
We know now that Zoe’s clan vanished in the past because it was transported to current-day Nefol, through the use of the Vision Stone. In fact, they will (hopefully) eventually appear in the Wayrift storyline once we finally get that far!
To put things in perspective, here’s a picture I drew of Zoe back in 2009! So the idea of her and the dragon clan has been around for quite a while now.