The Valoris Dragons

Both standard and same-sex breeding are welcome. But most importantly, same-sex breeding is only available to half-dragons.

No one is exempt from love, and everyone knows this.

The only caveat: half-dragons from different clans cannot form an alliance, as it is prohibited by law. (Because one alliance resulted in the creation of storm dragons.)

Each element gave birth to several clans. A clan is a family by choice, not necessarily by blood.

Fire Clans
The Ignir clan is the most numerous and warlike. They live on the Wing Archipelago and consider themselves the direct heirs of the dragon empire.

The Ember Clan are Ignir renegades living in the center of the world, in Arkada. They have abandoned clan life and serve as mercenaries, bodyguards, and gladiators.

Ice Clans
The Isskar clan is the only ice clan, living in the Isskar Ridge in the north. They are reclusive and rarely leave the mountains.

Heavenly Clans
The Aeris clan are nomads of the plains. They build no cities, living in tents. Every clan member must take the First Flight—an initiation ritual. Those who cannot fly become Guardians of the Ways—the keepers of history and maps.

The Vysar clan are sedentary skyfolk who live on the western cliffs. They build nest-cities on the clifftops. They consider the nomadic Aeris "strays."

Earth Clans
The Korn clan are the forest half-dragons of the Deep Forest. They are peaceful, healers, and herbalists. But in battle, they are the most resilient: their bodies regenerate faster than others.

The Garda clan are mountainous earthmen living in the southern spurs of the Isskar Range. They are builders, blacksmiths, and stonemasons. They are the ones who construct the buildings that are later purchased by all the other peoples.

Storm Clan
Clan Noctis isn't a clan, but rather a curse. Storm half-dragons don't unite—they're too few in number, and too dangerous for each other. Each lives separately. If a storm child is born into the clan, they're either exiled or... hidden.

Fire red, crimson, copper flame, heat, resistance to fire water, cold the most hot-tempered, the strongest physically
Ice white, silver, pale blue frost, icy constructs, slow heat, direct rays of the sun the most secretive, the most patient
Sky/Wind azure, mother-of-pearl, gray flight, lightning, speed, sound manipulation, confined spaces, dungeons, the most freedom-loving, the fastest
Earth/Forest green, brown, dark gold stone, roots, growth, healing, venom fire, heights, open spaces, the wisest, most connected to nature
Storm/Darkness black, purple, obsidian shadows, thunder, fear, telepathy direct light, other half-dragons rarest, most dangerous, loneliest

Scales don't appear everywhere, but usually on the forearms, neck, and along the spine. The color depends on the element.
Eyes have vertical pupils and sometimes glow in the dark.
The body is taller and denser than a normal person, the bones are heavy, the skin is hot (for fire ones) or cold (for ice ones).
Not all creatures have wings. Some have rudimentary, membranous wings, incapable of propelling them into the air. A few have fully developed wings, but even then, flight requires tremendous effort and doesn't last long.
Tail - many have it, but it varies from a short stub to a full tail with a comb.
Life—people live 200–400 years. They age slowly, but when old age comes, it comes quickly.
Each element has its own weakness: fire elements cannot stand cold and water, ice elements cannot stand heat and dryness, heaven elements cannot stand confined spaces, and earth elements cannot stand heights.
Elements and types of dragons
The world is based on five elements. Each element determines not only magic but also the clan's character, culture, names, and relationships.

How a Half-Dragon is Born
There are three ways:

Bonding (ancient path). The dragon voluntarily shares part of its essence with a human. This is a ritual, not genetics. The result is that the human gains draconic traits: partial transformation, elemental magic, and an extended lifespan. The dragon weakens as a result. This path has almost disappeared—pure-blooded dragons no longer trust anyone.

Heritage (path of blood). Children of half-dragons. If one parent is half-dragon, the child may inherit the traits, or they may be born as a normal human. Heritage is unpredictable: sometimes it manifests in the first generation, sometimes it "awakens" three or four generations later, when the descendant is unaware. These cases are the most dramatic.

Awakening (wild path). Rarest of all. A human with no dragon blood, in moments of extreme stress or near death, "awakens" an ancient echo within themselves—as if somewhere deep in their bloodline there was a Bond, and it has finally been sparked. Such half-dragons are outcasts among outcasts: neither clans nor people recognize them.

The Age of Dragons. For millennia, dragons were the only intelligent masters of Valoris. They wielded elemental magic, built empires, and waged war among themselves. Their civilization was great, but brutal.

The Great Decline. About 800 years ago, something happened—wars, a cataclysm, a plague. History diverges. Pure-blooded dragons are almost extinct: out of thousands, only dozens remain, and they hide in inaccessible places around the world.

Northeast is the Wing Archipelago, a chain of volcanic islands. Fire clans live here. The earth is hot, the rivers boil, the sky is covered in ash.
North—the Isskar Ridge, a mountainous land of eternal glaciers. Ice clans build cities right in the ice, with halls carved into the rock with hundred-meter-high ceilings.
The West is the Elemental Plains, open steppes and hills where the wind never ceases. Here, the celestial clans are accustomed to flying at dawn and dusk.
South—the Forest of the Deeps, a tropical wilderness where the earth breathes magic and the trees reach to the clouds. The Earth and Forest clans dwell in the roots and canopies.
The center is the Throne of Ash, the ruins of the ancient capital of the dragon empire. Now stands the human city of Arkad, the world's largest commercial and political center. Half-dragons come here, but don't stay long.

A nickname is the heart of a name. It reflects an action, an external trait, or a destiny:

Flaming Fang is a warrior who distinguished himself in battle.
Quiet Step - scout, assassin
Child of Ash - an orphan who lost his clan
Wingless - a half-dragon that cannot fly (an insult if spoken by an outsider; an honor if given by the clan of the heavenly Pathkeepers)
Twice Born - one who has undergone Awakening
Whisper of the Storm - a storm that hides its nature

Society and hierarchy
Inside the clan
The Elder is the head of the clan, usually the oldest and strongest. Not necessarily the oldest—sometimes a young half-dragon with exceptional strength is chosen as an Elder.
The Keeper preserves history, rituals, and magic. Each clan has its own Keeper of Flame/Ice/Wind/Root/Shadow.
The warrior is the foundation of the clan. He protects, hunts, and wages war.
Master - craftsman, blacksmith, healer, builder.
Young (Wingless) - a child who has not yet undergone initiation.

The law of half-dragon magic: power always takes something in return. Use too much fire—you burn your own lungs. Freeze an enemy—your fingers turn black. It's not an infinite resource, but a loan from your own life.

The law of love:
Do not enter into a love union with another dragon, for the punishment will be stormy.

The Arcadian Triumvirate is the human government of the city of Arcad, which stands at the center of the world on the ruins of the ancient dragon capital (the Ash Throne). It is the largest commercial and political center of Valoris.

Key points:

Attitudes toward half-dragons: Their services are purchased—bodyguards, mercenaries, gladiators. But they are prohibited from owning land or holding public office. Respect is through fear, not equality.

Dragonstone. The Triumvirate is waging war with Clan Ignir over the dragonstone deposits on the Wing Archipelago. Superficially, it's a dispute over resources. In reality, the stone is fragments of a purebred dragon's prison, and the Triumvirate knows it.

A secret role. The Triumvirate supports the Order of the Pure—the very sect that hunts half-dragons. Not out of hatred, but out of calculation: the Order keeps the dragon imprisoned, and the Triumvirate wants to keep it that way. It's easier to keep the world in fear of half-dragons than to allow the return of true dragons.

Manipulating Outcasts. Sindar Cinderheart, leader of the Ember Clan rebellion, is a secret agent of the Triumvirate. His task is to gather disgruntled half-dragons in one place, then destroy them all at once.

In short: the Triumvirate aren't outright villains, but cynical pragmatists. They control the world through lies, control, and the fear of others. And the scariest thing is, their logic works. As long as they're in power, people live.