Dragon: Person.
Geomancer: Magic user empowered by alignment with Fate and the land gods. Their power is considered to come from the land, hence the geo- prefix. Geomantic magic is considered divine or priestly magic, but cannot be used to heal.
-gon: Suffix. A dragon of a particular kind or trade.
Izerah: Izerah have a theropod body structure with horns and earfins; they are 'raptor-dragons'. These dragons are seen in every theome that is not inimical to life, as they instinctively prefer to travel widely and settle far from their origins. Izerah lack innate magic, but they are virtually immune to fatigue. Although they cannot fly, their ability to maintain a sprinting pace for up to two days straight ensures that they can still cross continents in record time. In emergencies, izerah can run even longer than that, but they begin suffering hallucinations when they have been awake for more than 48 hours.
Kalla: These somewhat rare obligate bipeds have avian beaks, triangular feathered ears, equine hooves, and no wings. They were created in Kelkaith with the swaivshon, but have diffused from it somewhat more. They are capable of summoning lightning, their scaled hands are unburnable, and they can see through glare. There is some prejudice against kalla because of the perception that their innate magic is bizarrely violent, but kalla know they can weld metals bare-handed.
Land god: The spirit of a land, locally omnipotent.
Lesser divinity: Unusual term for anyone who is not a land god.
Necromancer: Magic user empowered by dissent with Fate. Known for working with flesh. As dragons in Theoma are Fated to live forever, dissenting with Fate means that all necromancers risk death. They are thus ‘casting from their own demise’.
Pfod: A hand that is also a foot. Vrash and swaivshon have pfods. Arguably, vashael also have pfods, as they are capable of walking on all fours, but it is typical to consider vashael to have hands.
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Serenity drain: The consequence of using any magic other than innate magics is to suffer a temporary madness that grows with continued use of magic and recedes over 4-16 hours after cessation of magic use. Energizing, but dangerous. It is easy to make mistakes while afflicted with serenity drain.
Spellwrack: The consequence of using necromancy specifically. In addition to serenity drain, necromantic spellcasting also causes the body to rot away painfully. In small doses, this hurts, but it heals. In large doses, it is fatal, but necromancers have ways to animate themselves past this 'death'. Long-dead necromancers claim that bouts of spellwrack never stop hurting, even long after all the nerves of their body have rotted away.
Swaivshon: Most of these furred quadrupedal dragons live in a small number of hyper-dense cities in the cold northern extreme of the world. They are rare sights outside of Kelkaith. Swaivshon have no innate magic, but they resist many things. They often shrug off spells with which they disagree; they do not need to be consciously aware of the spell for this to work. It is very difficult to burn, freeze, or shock a swaivshon. Their eyes can see through glare.
Theome: The territory of a land god. Etymologically, a theological biome, hence theome. These are the usual units of territory on Theoma.
Vashael: The second most numerous kind of dragon. Vashael have a theropod body stance with wings. Most of them have pronounced and expressive fins. They have the ability to control the wind in their proximity; this is called the amicus breeze.
Veserus: A technically numerous kind of dragon, but rarely seen above the surface of the water. Veserus breath only to speak, and their native language is signed. Most veserus appear to be vrash mixed with fish or cetaceans, but some can pass for common vrash.
Vohntrai: The rarest kind of dragon. Obligate bipeds like kalla, vohntrai have a wide variety of appearances within what is termed 'draconic'. They reform five years later if killed by any cause. Their bodies regenerate rapidly from lesser injuries. However, they are almost totally incapable of necromancy, and they can never remember more than the most recent four hundred years of their lives. Vohntrai who spend too long in one theome start turning transparent, becoming what are known as ‘ghost vohntrai’.
Vrash: The most numerous kind of dragon. Vrash are quadrupeds, but their forelimbs end in dexterous pfods. They have wings. They are known for their tendency to wear armor as a form of fashion. They can reform surfaces by touch, making them superior artisans and farmers.