Dragons are interesting creatures, not least because they appear to have more than one way of reproducing. Like all reptiles, they lay eggs. If these eggs are fertilized by another Dragon, they hatch into Dragons. If they remain unfertilized, they hatch into Dragonkin.

Dragonkin are significantly smaller than Dragons, around human-sized. They are also not nearly as tough as Dragons, especially in the chest area. Their backs, limbs and tails are covered with a lesser version of the scales found on a Dragon, but their chest is merely a thick hide of the type found on many wild animals. They cannot breathe fire. They also mature quickly; reports indicate they are ready to fight within three days of hatching! However, all Dragonkin sleep between the hours of midday and 3 pm each day, as the aspect of the sun between those hours damages their eyes.

Dragonkin have a short lifespan, around 10 years or so. They are known to attack caravans carrying loads of gold even when they are far from their usual territory, which leads me to believe that they can smell gold, even from such a distance.

Dragonkin are often arranged into armies by their Draconic masters. With their information and guidance, Dragonkin forge armour and weapons. They do not seem to have any sort of culture of their own – they exist to serve their masters in any way required.

What their real purpose actually entails is not known – perhaps it is beyond human comprehension. We do know that they carry out the following tasks for their masters:
When ordered into battle, they fight with great zeal, as if it were their entire purpose. It is worth noting that this is a rare occurrence and seems to only be only against adventurers – Dragons do not send their armies against each other to conquer each other’s territory. One recorded incident has occurred of Dragonkin attacking a city to punish a thief who stole treasures from a Dragon.

They are believed to be responsible for gathering gold for their Draconic masters. It has been suggested that they also mine and forge gold coins. This may be the reason they are seen only in small
numbers unless there is a reason for a large army.

Dragonkin’s lives seem to be linked to the Dragon they serve; on the rare occasions adventurers have slain a Dragon, they have found nothing but Dragonkin corpses within its lair, which usually do not offer further resistance.