His Majesty's Dragons: World at War

[General Havoc]

London, August 20th, 1940

Parliament stood quieter than anyone had ever seen it, not even faint murmurs from the backbenchers, every man listening to what promised to be a rare performance from a man who, love or hate, had come to symbolize much in the minds of the British public. Churchill was a man of many enemies, including dozens present in the House of Commons, but not one of them would ever have dared suggest that his oratory was anything but first rank.

"Rather more than a quarter of a year has passed since the new Government came into power in this country. What a cataract of disaster has poured out upon us since then. The trustful Dutch overwhelmed; their beloved and respected Sovereign driven into exile; the peaceful city of Rotterdam the scene of a massacre as hideous and brutal as anything in the Thirty Years' War. Belgium invaded and beaten down; our own fine Expeditionary Force, which King Leopold called to his rescue, cut off and almost captured, escaping as it seemed only by a miracle and with the loss of all its equipment; our Ally, France, out; Italy in against us; all France in the power of the enemy, all its arsenals and vast masses of military material converted or convertible to the enemy's use; a puppet Government set up at Vichy which may at any moment be forced to become our foe; the whole Western seaboard of Europe from the North Cape to the Spanish frontier in German hands; all the ports, all the dragon coverts on this immense front, employed against us as potential springboards of invasion. Moreover, the German air power, numerically so far outstripping ours, has been brought so close to our Island that what we used to dread greatly has come to pass and the hostile dragons not only reach our shores in a few minutes and from many directions, but can be escorted by unladen beasts eager to strike against our own."

"He's laying it on a bit thick, isn't he?" murmured Lord Beaverbrook, barely loud enough to hear himself, confident that his counterpart would understand him perfectly.

"Oh be quiet, Max," responded the three-ton dragon from the corner of his mouth. "You're hardly one to talk, you know."

"My good sir, I am providing a valuable service to the British Empire, both by maintaining morale and - "

"Max, if you do not be quiet, I will eat you. I am trying to listen to this."

"We cannot tell what lies ahead," said Churchill, undeterred by whatever murmurings might be coming from his left. "It may be that even greater ordeals lie before us. We shall face whatever is coming to us. We are sure of ourselves and of our cause and that is the supreme fact which has emerged in these months of trial."

"I'd feel significantly surer if the bloody Russians would join the dance."

"We're lucky they didn't join Hitler after that cock-up in Hampshire," said Imperator, growling softly, but loud enough for Beaverbrook to hear.

"The Russians are thick, but not that thick," said Beaverbrook. "The Tsar knows who it was that tried to murder his sister."

"Yes, and the rest of the bloody Russians know that a national hero went down on our bloody island. It takes some doing to rectify a thing like that.

"Why do I say all this?" continued Churchill. "Not assuredly to boast; not assuredly to give the slightest countenance to complacency. The dangers we face are still enormous, but so are our advantages and resources. I recount them because the people have a right to know that there are solid grounds for the confidence which we feel, and that we have good reason to believe ourselves capable, as I said in a very dark hour two months ago, of continuing the war "if necessary alone, if necessary for years." I say it also because the fact that the British Empire stands invincible, and that Nazidom is still being resisted, will kindle again the spark of hope in the breasts of hundreds of millions of downtrodden or despairing men and women throughout Europe, and far beyond its bounds, and that from these sparks there will presently come cleansing and devouring flame."

"The great air battle which has been in progress over this Island for the last few weeks has recently attained a high intensity. It is too soon to attempt to assign limits either to its scale or to its duration. We must certainly expect that greater efforts will be made by the enemy than any he has so far put forth. Hostile coverts are still being developed in France and the Low Countries, and the movement of squadrons and material for attacking us is still proceeding."

"RAF'll love hearing that," whispered Beaverbrook.

"RAF knows as much already," said Imperator. "In fact I met a squadron not long ago who seemed to be looking forward to it."

"It is quite plain that Herr Hitler could not admit defeat in his air attack on Great Britain without sustaining most serious injury. If, after all his boastings and blood-curdling threats and lurid accounts trumpeted round the world of the damage he has inflicted, of the vast numbers of our dragons he has slain, so he says, with so little loss to himself; if after tales of the panic-stricken British crushed in their holes cursing the plutocratic Parliament which has led them to such a plight; if after all this his whole air onslaught were forced after a while tamely to peter out, the Fuehrer's reputation for veracity of statement might be seriously impugned. We may be sure, therefore, that he will continue as long as he has the strength to do so, and as long as any preoccupations he may have in respect of the Russian Air Force allow him to do so."

Murmurs of assent filled the stone hall, not joined by Imperator, whose mouth frowned slightly at the corners. Lord Beaverbrook raised an eyebrow, but the dragon did not elaborate, and he soon turned his attention back to the speech.

"The enemy is, of course, far more numerous than we are. But the skill of our fliers and their dragons, whether domestically British, bred up from the Dominions, or volunteers from foreign lands, is unsurpassed in Germany or elsewhere. It is a fact, as I see from my daily returns, that our dragon strength now, after all this fighting, is greater than it has ever been. We believe that we shall be able to continue the air struggle indefinitely and as long as the enemy pleases, and the longer it continues the more rapid will be our approach, first towards that parity, and then into that superiority in the air, upon which in a large measure the decision of the war depends. The gratitude of every home in our Island, in our Empire, and indeed throughout the world, except in the abodes of the guilty, goes out to the British dragons and airmen who, undaunted by odds, unwearied in their constant challenge and mortal danger, are turning the tide of the world war by their prowess and by their devotion." Churchill paused, as though moved by his own words, before finishing his thought with a voice slightly tinged with reverence. "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few."

More murmurs, this time enough for Churchill to pause, before launching into a more technical discussion of ongoing operations in Africa, the Middle East, and of negotiations with the Americans. As both Imperator and Beaverbrook knew these things, Beaverbrook turned to his counterpart with a question.

"I hear he wants to shift more squadrons out of Britain."

"Old boy's chomping at the bit to strike back, any way we can. I only barely managed to talk him out of attacking Berlin with a phalanx of heavyweights."

"I'm hardly an expert, but - "

"Indeed you're not. Something you'd do well to remember, Max."

"You know, I'm beginning to miss the days when your lot were seen and not heard from," said Beaverbrook.

"You never saw those days," said Imperator in mock contempt. "And given that our lot is all that stands between you and a Stalag, I think you'd best be more polite."

"And to think I left Canada for this," said Beaverbrook with a chuckle.

"Well I'm sure I could pretend to be an enraged Thunderchild if it'd make you feel more at home," said Imperator, not skipping a beat. "Or would you prefer one of those midweights that won't shut up about the crimes of the palefaces?"

"My boy," said Beaverbrook, patting the dragon on the shoulder, "I seriously doubt that even you can talk that level of nonsense."

"I'm a parliamentarian, Max," said the dragon, turning his head and smiling devilishly. "I can talk nonsense at any level required."

"The right to guide the course of world history is the noblest prize of victory," said Churchill, his voice bringing everyone back to attention. "We are still toiling up the hill; we have not yet reached the crest-line of it; we cannot survey the landscape or even imagine what its condition will be when that longed-for morning comes. The task which lies before us immediately is at once more practical, more simple and more stern. I hope - indeed I pray - that we shall not be found unworthy of our victory if after toil and tribulation it is granted to us. For the rest, we have to gain the victory. That is our task."

"Any news on what squadron's to be sent out?" asked Beaverbrook.

"Classified, Max, you know that."

"I'm the Minister of Supply, Perry. If I ask Winnie, he'll have to tell me. Or you can be a dear and let me know ahead of time so I don't have to put up with his lecture."

Imperator smirked. "Tangmere looks like the one we can best spare."

Beaverbrook's smile faded, his eyebrows rising. "Tangmere?" he whispered. "Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm not bloody sure, but you asked for an advance. I haven't even mentioned it to Dowding or Tolkien yet."

"But why Tangmere? They've been shattering the Hun every time they go up. Can we spare them?"

"We'll have to," said the dragon. "Winston's taken a liking to them, and keeps asking if we can't find some way of putting them to better work. He wants to set all Europe ablaze."

"All well and good, but - "

"The decision won't be made immediately. And when it is, we'll make do."

"Still," said Beaverbrook, turning back to Churchill, now winding down. "I can't believe he's even contemplating offensives with the RAF with things as they are. This is hardly the beginning of the end."

"For my own part," said Churchill, turning his head to look squarely at Beaverbrook and Imperator. "Looking out upon the future, I do not view the process with any misgivings. I could not stop it if I wished; no one can stop it. Like the Mississippi, it just keeps rolling along. Let it roll. Let it roll on full flood, inexorable, irresistible, benignant, to broader lands and better days."

"No," said Imperator, as applause broke out throughout the chamber. "But it might just be the end of the beginning."

[General Havoc]

The year is 1941.

In the skies above Great Britain, in the deserts of North Africa, from the warm waters of the Mediterranean Sea to the frozen fjords of Norway, war has enveloped the world. The invincible legions of the Nazi Empire have crushed all resistance to their tyrannical rule, covering the entire continent in a shawl of darkness and terror. Only Britain, and her far-flung Empire still stands against the Nazi hordes, battling for her very survival in the face of an evil too terrible to contemplate.

The defense of Britain, the lynchpin of her resistance to Hitler's tyranny, are the dragons and dragon-riders of the Royal Air Force, Britain's last, best weapon against the menace of Nazism. Bred and raised to combat from all across the world, crewed by expert captains and officers, these majestic beasts take daily to the air to combat the draconic armadas of the German Luftwaffe in battles that will decide the fate of the world itself. Aided by volunteers from foreign lands, and refugees from nations already crushed under the Nazi yoke, these desperately outnumbered dragons and captains are the only weapon Britain has to defend itself against the seemingly limitless power of the Nazi war machine.

This war, the greatest in history, is already becoming known as the Second World War. It will prove either the last gasp of a defeated and broken nation, or the finest hour in the storied history of His Majesty's Dragons.

[General Havoc]

On Dragons:

Wild dragons have been recorded in Europe since the dawn of time, but it was the Romans who first learned to domesticate, breed, and harness dragons for use in war. While the weapons the dragons carry and the tools used by the men who ride them have changed, the basic facts regarding the care and use of dragons have not been significantly altered in two thousand years.

Dragons incubate in the shell for an extremely long time, in the case of heavyweights, as many as six years. Customarily, a captain is assigned to the dragon as soon as the egg has been laid and verified as viable. During this time, the egg is kept in a warm, preferably humid environment, in the company of egg handlers and other air force personnel. In addition to ensuring that the egg is properly cared for, the handlers are encouraged to speak at length both to the dragon and to one another in the presence of the egg, as a nearly-formed hatchling dragonet is capable of assimilating and learning languages through its shell.

Upon hatching, a dragonet tends to be the size of a large dog, regardless of breed. It is considered extremely important that the prospective captain be present for the dragon's hatching, as once the captain encourages the dragon to speak to it and accept the captain's affixing its first harness (a process generally done with much formality and pomp), the dragon and captain are considered a bonded pair, inseparable save through catastrophic occurrences. Part of the process generally involves the captain giving the dragonet a name (Latin names are traditional, but all types are acceptable). While dragonets have been known occasionally to reject their assigned captains, this tends to be rare in modern times.

The exact nature of the bond between a dragon and his or her captain is not fully understood, but its existence is unquestionable. Dragons, despite their obvious innate intelligence, will quite literally kill or die for their captain, disregarding all else, including their own safety, and the vast majority are perfectly content to obey their captain's orders in all situations and circumstances, even in the rare case when the captain has proven neglectful or incompetent. Upon the captain of course, no such physiological bond is set, but as captains are typically selected at a young age and rigorously weeded and trained for this situation, it is exceedingly rare to find a captain who does not value their dragon's health and comfort above all things. It is not unheard of for Captains or even Admirals to threaten or carry mutiny in the face of a perceived threat to their dragons from authorities above, and while this typically does not impede their military efficiency, senior commanders would be wise to bear the consequences of poorly-thought policies in mind.

Dragons hatch fully self-aware and intelligent, and capable of fluently speaking any languages they were exposed to during incubation for a long period of time. They grow at a prodigious, almost visible rate for the first year of their lives, attaining full size roughly 12 months after hatching. Carnivorous and voracious eaters, an adult dragon of heavyweight size will consume a small flock of sheep or a half-dozen cows daily, though they can make do with less if pressed to it. Harnessed dragons have never been known to eat men, though wild ones have occasionally done so.

A dragon's combat role is dependant largely determined by its size. All dragons are separated by breed into Lightweight, Middleweight, Heavyweight, and Special Weapons categories. Lightweight dragons serve as scouts, couriers, and skirmishers during combat. Middleweight dragons serve as front-line combat units, primarily engaged in fighting off other dragons and protecting the vulnerable special weapons units of a combat squadron. Heavyweight dragons are the armored fist of a dragon-squadron, using their superior size, crews, and weight to thrash smaller beasts, break up enemy squadrons, as well as for bombing runs against ground or sea targets. Special Weapons dragons, breathers of fire or spitters of acid and venom are the center of a combat squadron, in the way a carrier is the center of a naval fleet group. These dragons are mostly used for devastating ground-attacks, as well as deployed for pinpoint strikes against enemy beasts.

While specific traditions vary by country, for the most part, Aviators and Aviatrixes are selected for service to the corps at the age of approximately seven years. By age ten, those selected as potential officers are given the rank of Cadet and assigned to dragon crews to learn the skills necessary for serving with or commanding a dragon in combat. The lucky ones will eventually be assigned their own dragon to command, a distinction which is considered the greatest honor an aviator can receive. Those who do not will find themselves serving as officers aboard middleweight, special or heavyweight dragons (lightweights do not typically have a flight crew other than the captain), where they may be assigned as machine gunners, bombardiers, radiomen, or navigators. The enlisted crew of a large dragon is generally comprised of older men of lower rank but undoubted skill, who serve as the ground and air crew of a heavy combat dragon.

A dragon's natural lifespan is generally considered to be between 200 and 250 years. As all dragons, if not killed by disease or combat, will therefore outlive their original captains, the concept of draconic inheritance has arisen. Aviators, being a relatively secluded lot, tend to marry (when they marry) within the air corps, and their children are usually brought up within the organization. As a dragon whose captain has died is almost always devastated beyond all consolation, it has been found that if the dragon has someone they are familiar with, with which to share its grief (generally a child of the deceased captain), the chances of the dragon accepting them as a new captain increase dramatically. As a result, many dragons are captained by direct descendants of their original captains, with older ones having as many as eight or more captains from the same line. The transition is neither guaranteed nor easy, but no other workable solution has ever been determined. It is found to be helpful if the older captain can retire gradually, giving the dragon time to grow used to his or her new handler.

[General Havoc]

Excerpted from lecture notes at the Royal Air Force Basic Combat Tactics course, Imperial War Ministry, Spring 1937, Rear Admiral D. Park (ret.), presiding:

As the method of fighting dragon vs. dragon is a bit... odd for those unaccustomed to it, I do not expect that you people will excell in your first training go-rounds. In fact, I expect that many of you will attempt to do things that are totally unsuited for combat, if not downright impossible. I am therefore going to go over a list of what I PRESUME will be common questions or facts that bear mentioning. You are all of course encouraged to contact me with further questions. Everyone at some point thinks that they and they alone are the first to come up with a brilliant idea for how to revolutionize dragoncombat with the addition of light artillery, so let's get all that out of the way, shall we?

- As a minor example, Ostender, yes you, I couldn't help but notice you asked for a scoped Lee-Enfiend Number 4 rifle instead of our more customary submachine guns. I would be remiss if I didn't mention to you that sniper rifles are completely useless from dragonback, as you will no doubt find the first time you go up. Imagine trying to accurately aim a scoped rifle from the bed of a pickup truck driven by a epileptic drunkard at eighty miles an hour over rough, hilly terrain. Firing one from a dragon is even more difficult than that. Your 'vehicle' is not only alive and in-flight, but actively engaged in melee combat while you are attempting to take aim. This throws one off. Don't look so horrified, everyone makes that mistake.

- The above applies to all kinds of aiming. The reason dragon captains like machine guns and submachine guns is because they spray bullets into the air, increasing the likelyhood that one will hit SOMETHING on the enemy's side. Rifles and handguns will simply not hit the enemy in all but the most awe-strikingly rare occasions. Bear all of this in mind as you brag to one another on your marksmanship skills.

- Typical dragonfights take place in a series of "passes", in which a dragon (remember that most dragons cannot hover) flies past or at an enemy, strikes it (crew included) with claws and teeth and weaponry, and is past it in less than thirty seconds, only to whirl around and do so again. Obviously, this technique is more applicable to some dragons than to others.

- Another common occurance is that two dragons of roughly equal size and power (or for that matter, mismatched dragons) will get into a grapple of some sort with one another, and do their best to tear the stuffing out of their opponent. This can be likened to a wrestling match carried out in mid-air, and crewmen of either dragon who do not watch themselves can easily be crushed between the dragons or sliced in half by a claw stroke. Any man here who has his head taken off by their own dragon in the midst of one of these scrimages will have no sympathy from me. It is your responsability to keep out of the way. The most important thing here is that while dragons are ripping at one another with their claws and teeth and rolling over and over in mid-air, they are NOT flying, meaning eventually they need to break off the engagement or face a rather terminal impact into the ground.

- All things being equal however, dragons are TOUGH creatures, and it is NOT easy to kill one. Direct artillery fire will do the trick, but none of that is available to you people, I don't care what requisition orders you put in. Special weapons can do it if aimed properly and of the right manner. A large dragon can kill a smaller one outright if it hits it correctly, and enough raw damage will kill even the biggest dragon through bloodloss or a torn-open throat, but such things are rare. Most dragon-crews will pull out of a battle before their dragon is at TOO great of a risk of death, and only in the largest and most desperate of engagements is one likely to actually have multiple dragons die on either side. Skirmishes are rarely (but sometimes) fatal. The point being, I do not want people to think that they can fly in and slay four enemy dragons in one pass. A captain and dragon who has actually KILLED an enemy dragon is considered an ace. Many dragons will go their entire careers never having done so. If you encounter a captain who claims to have killed more than four dragons in his career, you may safely regard him as a liar and a cad, as the number of captains who have done so, particularly in peacetime, can be counted on one hand.

- Being as dragons are so hard to kill, one of the primary ways they are taken out of a battle is by capture. How does one 'capture' a flying dragon? Simple. One takes the captain prisonner and orders the dragon to do what the captors say. Invariably (almost) they will. It is for this reason that during a "pass", one will often send members of one's own crew leaping over onto the other dragon, armed with all manner of weaponry with the intention of killing the crew and capturing the enemy captain ALIVE. I emphesize the ALIVE aspect because a dragon whose captain is killed will instantaniously become a frenzied wild monster of destruction, which can be rather counterproductive (though effective at breaking up formations, no doubt).

- ALL dragons are bulletproof (essentially), even the smallest. Their hides protect them from anything worse than minor bruising from even sustained, close-range machine gun fire. High-velocity, high-calibre rounds (the american .50 calibre for example) can cause superficial bleeding and the like, but one is unlikely to actually meaningfully injure a dragon with such ordinance, save perhaps a lightweight. The machine guns are there to massacre the enemy dragon's crew, a vital step in boarding and capturing the enemy dragon, as well as in preventing one's own crew from being similarly massacred.

- Heavy dragons have been known to carry heavier types of weaponry. The jerries once experimented with mortars, only to find that one is more likely to hit oneself than an enemy with such a weapon from dragonback, and to drop the project. Nevertheless, one can find such things as 20mm autocannons or even 37mm Anti-tank guns mounted on the larger beasts. These CAN and WILL injure a dragon in poportion with their own power and the size of the dragon. One should simply bear these facts in mind.

- Being as this is the case, one might expect to find a Regal Copper with a 75mm in its harness, or a German Kampfritter with an 88mm AT gun, no? One does not find these things because A: They and their ammunition weigh too much, B: These things have no accuracy from the air, and C: They interfere with the dragon's ability to defend itself. You try brawling with a backpack full of rocks on, and tell me how effective it is. That artillery piece is of no use when another dragon can simply rip it off, or worse yet, beat the piss out of you while you try to compensate.

- Formation manuvers are way to complex to go into here. Suffice to say that since combat consists of "passes", one of the primary roles of a formation is to ensure that the enemy cannot make passes on the vulnerable special weapons dragons, because if they attempt to do so, an angry heavyweight will intercept and tear them right out of the air. Conversely, one of the primary goals of an attacking force is to find a way to break up an enemy formation. Once the enemy is scattered and disorganized, attacks can be directed at the appropriate target.

- Formations, as I said before, vary, but MOST formations call for each weight class of dragon to take on a specific role:

- Lightweights are skirmishers and interdictors, interfering with enemy operations and attacking dragons who have been split off or engaged by another dragon. A lightweight alone will be murdered if it goes up against a heavyweight alone (usually). Four lightweights however can surround a heavyweight and attack it from many angles at once. Lightweights break up enemy passes with flyby and harrassment attacks, deflecting them away from their targets.

- Middleweights serve as the main battle arm of most formations. On the defense, they form a protective barrier around the special weapons dragons, sallying and intercepting assailants, and blocking their paths. On the offense, Middleweights are the primary attackers, the ones whose job it is to penetrate the enemy formation and hit the special weapons dragons as hard and often as possible. They are also used to fix the enemy dragons in place, drawing them into combat, and enabling the heavyweights to make THEIR attacks.

- Heavyweights are the battleships of the air. They are unmanuverable (generally), and are thus used in a direct manner. On the defense, the Heavyweights are the inner line, the flying barricades that form solid draconic walls against middleweight attackers, as well as intercepting enemy heavies as they come in. They are usually placed just behind and above the special weapons dragons so that they can cover all of the blind spots, and move around as needed to shield them. On the offense, heavyweights are entirely lacking in subtlety. They smash through the enemy line and scatter the formation as much as they can, either making a hole for the middleweights to follow, or using the middleweights as pins to hold off enemy defenders while they go directly for the core dragons.

- Special Weapons dragons are what it's all about, in the end. On the defense, these dragons are what everyone wants to kill, and they know it. They stay in the center of the formation, and do their best to avoid melee and close-combat. When pressed to it, they stick close to the heavy dragons and use their weapons to whatever effect they can. Defense is not their strong point. On the OFFENCE however, these dragons are pure murder. They use their special abilities liberally and constantly, avoiding melee combat and raining death on the enemy once the heavies and lights have locked the defenders into position or opened a hole to the enemy specials. These dragons are the ultimate force multiplier. A Longwing or Tasmanian Venomspitter can kill a heavyweight dragon outright with one well-aimed shot (or spit , if you wish to be litteral), something that can turn the tide of an entire battle, and something which is MUCH easier if done in conjunction with the other dragons' efforts to place the enemy in a position to be shot at.

- Remember, all of the above is the THEORY. The practice can get mighty chaotic. Unorthodox tactics can work, but bear in mind the capabilities of your own dragon and those of your enemy.

- Good hunting ladies and gentlemen. I shall see you all in the air.

[General Havoc]

In this game, you will play both the captain of an RAF combat dragon, and the dragon itself. Your captain and dragon may either be British, or a volunteer or refugee from another nation.

The list of dragon breeds available for play is long, and only gets longer as I invent or reveal more. To that end, I have created a reference work for everyone to consult on the specifics of one breed or another. This reference work can be found here. It contains an index to search for breeds by weight class or country.

Every breed from the old version of this game, as well as several new breeds, is listed on the site above. Bear in mind though that even that listing is only a fraction of the total number of breeds in existence, and I simply have not had time to fully update it. If you wish to play a dragon from a category that is sparsely-populated or even unpopulated, please simply let me know, and I will do whatever I can to assist.

That said, please bear in mind the following rules:

1: No Axis dragons. I may bend this one if someone comes up with a spectacularly good background, but the dragons of the Luftwaffe (and those of their allies) are generally off-limits to players, both because it is hard to justify a German dragon fighting for the Allies, and because I have intentionally created German dragons to be the sorts of characters that work better as NPCs than as PCs. I'm the GM. I get to cheat. That said, if you really desperately want a German dragon, talk to me, and we'll see.

2: No Super-Heavyweights. Super-Heavyweight dragons (and one or two other special weapons breeds) are simply off limits. These dragons are the Yamato-classes of the skies, and can project force well beyond that which I am prepared to permit any player to project. They exist for me to plot with, and for you to perform amazing feats in defeating or surpassing, not so that a player can simply shoulder his way through a formation of Kampfritters. I've got lots of breeds. You can find something you will like that isn't game-breaking.



To sign up for this game, please provide the following information:

Captain's Name:
Captain's Age:
Captain's Description (physical and personality):

Dragon's Name:
Dragon's Age:
Dragon's Breed:
Dragon's Description (physical and personality):
Background (both Captain and Dragon, please be as detailed as possible):

[Cynical Cat]

You know my name and you know my deeds.

Night has fallen. Winter has arrived. The cold and the dark are forever hungry.

[Comrade Tortoise]

Dragon Sheet
Name: Haakon Magnusklekket (Haakon, Hatchling of Magnus), "Jarl of Innherred"
Breed: Valdemarian
Nationality: Norwegian
Color: Fir-Green with speckled grey.
Born: 1773
Religion: Draconic Norse-Pagan
Languages Spoken: Norwegian (including Old Norse), Swedish, Danish (These are all nearly mutually intelligible, and if you know one, given proximity, one readily picks up the others)
German, French, English, Latin, Ancient Greek.

Armament: Armored Dragon-harness, usual guns and crew. Long piercing spines attached to his tail with leather straps (basically a thagomizer. What, you dont think a viking dragon will have other weapons?), steel claw extensions.




Haakon was hatched on October 17th, 1773 in his family line's fortress Festing Drage-Innherred to Magnus Halvardklekket, the Grand Duke of Innherred since his own ascension in 1545, and traces his family line and their holdings back to Torstein "Deathwing" Olavsklekket, who conquered the region from Nils Eriksklekket in 840 AD. In fulfillment of his obligations, he has fought in every war from the Theater War to the Norway-Sweden war in 1814, which resulted in the union between Sweden and Norway, which lasted until 1907. He ascended his Dukedom in 1814 upon the death of his father at the battle of Langnes (and either driving off, or accepting into his service his younger siblings, granting them baronies within his own territory. Several of them actually had to be killed). The end of the war resulted in 126 years of peace. Haakon "rules" over the border region between southern and northern Norway, and saw the industrial revolution, Darwin, the advent of genetics, and considers himself a child of the enlightenment. In fact, he literally is a child of the enlightenment. Most other Valdemarians are conservative if not downright parochial. Most of these Valdemarian's live in the arctic circle. Haakon grew up ruling a port city in the Age of Reason. As a result, Haakon comes off as a surreal study in contrasts. He lives in a viking-age class structure (or at least the trappings of one), inducts his men into a viking war band with melee duels, is a vocal and sincere Norse Pagan (even if somewhat modernized), lives by old codes of hospitality and revenge, and deals ruthlessly with those he considers enemies. On the other hand he considers himself (and in fact is) classically educated. He actively makes an effort to take an interest in newfangled technology, new philosophies and coming up with new ways of doing things. He also supports (vocally, in his capacity as Jarl) equal legal rights for every and all people (Humans all look alike to him, so he really sees none of the differences the humans seem to quibble over).

He firmly believes that the Norns, placed him in his position of power over his lands and thus he has an absolute right to command said lands. However, with that absolute right comes an obligation to those who were placed under him. This might on the surface make him likely to be one of those Valdemarians to get a visit from a Jotunmeister with a kill order. However, he also believes that the King of Norway was put in power by said Norns and has an absolute right to rule over a unified Norway. So, he rules his lands within the bounds that the King of Norway set in place. As a result, while he had his detractors, the majority of the 50 someodd thousand people living within his Duchy were happy to have him around. He offered his extensive policy experience to the human administrators within his lands, helped with the production of crops, organized (through his Huskarls who serve as officers) and provided a base for the Reserve forces of the Norwegian army based in his territory, served as an arbiter of disputes among his population, "assisted" law enforcement, dealt with feral dragons from the mountains raiding livestock, supported either through rhetoric or funds civic organizations he found to be worthy of his attention, and generally comported himself as a Big Man in any small community might. Albeit, at a somewhat larger scale.

And then the war began. It did not hit Norway at first, and it was not certain who would invade first. Both the Germans and the British traded with Norway, and wanted to deny strategic access and trade to the other, and had busily been violating Norwegian neutrality. Haakon got to work. He mobilized his Huskarls and prepared Innherred for war. The Germans invaded first on the 9th of April, 1940. The germans attacked Oslo, Kristiansand, Egersund, Bergen, Trondheim and Narvik simultaneously, in addition, they hit the dragon coverts at Fornebu and Sola. The Norwegian army was at this point only partially mobilized (and in secret, no less), and due to prior maneuvers and naval combat between the british and germans, did not know the full gravity of the situation until the germans landed. Taking the dragon coverts at the same time left most of the Norwegian airforce unable to join battle at all--having either been captured, or in full flight to secondary coverts after overwhelming force was levied against them.

The Navy was caught unaware, and with inadequate coastal defenses. The Germans took Narvik and Trondheim almost before the Norwegians knew what hit them. The coastal defenses at Bergen managed to damage a light cruiser before the fortifications and city were taken. Kristiansand was more difficult. Twice the landings were repelled, until the germans started using captured Norwegian codes to send false orders and friend/foe recognition. Oscarsborg even managed to sink a cruiser, but in the end, Oslo was taken within 24 hours. This however, gave the government, along with the treasury, the time they needed to leave the capital. After a week of what is best considered delaying actions by Norway and allied forces, Steinkjer was occupied by the french at Haakon's invitation, as part of an attempt at retaking nearby Trondheim. His brothers and sisters, each controlling their own villages and towns within his Demesne held the line with Haakon when the Luftwaffe commenced its attack on the French and Norwegian forces attempting to stage an offensive out of the town. However, the few mid-weights--even when supported by anti-aircraft fire and artillery from Festing Drage-Innherred--could not maintain air superiority alone against the sheer weight and numbers of German dragons, and were forced to withdraw after losing half their number and inflicting disproportionate casualties upon the Germans. This left the town open for bombing, which left most of the town in ruins and 2000 people homeless. On April 24th, after a week of fighting, Drage-Innherred, and the rest of Steinkjer surrendered to the Nazis and were occupied. The germans then called Haakon's younger brother Lars Magnusklekket out of exile in the mountains, and set him up as the new Dragon-Jarl. One who was all too willing to collaborate with the Nazis. On that day, watching from a mountaintop as his brother landed on the highest perch of the fortress proclaiming himself Jarl, Haakon swore an oath to kill his traitorous usurping brother, and display his flayed corpse--preserved with Formalin--in the central courtyard of Steinkjer, until his line failed or the final battle of Ragnarok ended the world.

From that humiliating defeat, his forced abdication from his Duchy, Haakon and his loyal relatives, along with their Huskarls traveled north to assist in the liberation of Narvik, retaking the city on May 28th. However, by then the invasion of france and the low countries had commenced, forcing allied soldiers to evacuate Norway, along with the legitimate Norwegian government and roughly a quarter of the Valdemarian Dragon-Jarls. The rest had either been killed, captured, or were collaborating with Fascist scum. Haakon went with them, along with those of his siblings who survived the final attack by the Luftwaffe--with all of their air-crews and whatever ground forces they could rescue--reasoning that to remain would only lead to their deaths, while allying with Germany's enemies would perhaps permit them to eventually recapture their home.

Utøvende Sheet:
Name: Bjørn Svendsen
Nationality: Norwegian
Hair Color: Blonde
Eye Color: Green
Born: 1903
Religion: Norse-Pagan
Armament: bearded axe, submachine gun



The Valdemarian relationship with humans is a bit different from the relationship with most other dragon breeds and their "captains". Valdemarians are not harnessed at hatching by an individual selected by a human overlord, will not permit themselves to be 'bred', nor do they take orders from their human companions. What happens is that a new egg born to the Jarl is cared for by all the personal staff of the Draconic Overlord. They all make sure it stays warm, they all talk to it, tell it the Sagas and sing to it. The hatching and bonding does not take the form of a harnessing. Instead, it takes place as a sacred right, with the Overlord calling upon his child to select a blood-brother (or for that matter, sister) from those devoted followers who cared for it in the egg. This is done not so the dragon can be harnessed and commanded, but to form part of the bond between the overlord's heirs and the people they will someday potentially rule. Instead of a commander, the Bondsman acts as an adviser, confidant, and executive officer (Utøvende), carrying out the will of their Jarl. It is often an inherited position within the lifetime of a single dragon (unless the line fails or none of the children are acceptable), though it may switch families between dragons. Legally speaking, they hold the military rank of captain within the Norwegian military, and are trained by said military when they reach the age of majority. Periodic drill is also required. This is a concession on the part of their Jarl, partially because they would arrange for their human to be trained anyway, and partially because they do participate in the armed forces of Norway from time to time. However, by no stretch of the imagination is there any doubt about who is subordinate in the relationship. This of course is not to say that an Utøvende does not have a great deal of power. The bond is still the same as with all dragons and their captains.

Bjørn is the fifth in his line. His great great grandfather Marius Knutsen was the son of a free-holding farmer acting as a stable-hand until the "little" Haakon took him as his Blood-Brother and vastly changed his station in life. Unlike his great great grandfather, Bjørn was not born a stable hand. He was born into a warrior tradition--preserved by the Valdemarian Jarls--unbroken since the 8th century. He still carries with him some of the symbols of that tradition: a Dane Axe, wool cloak, and a viking helmet in addition to the typical flight jacket and submachine gun common among aviators. Of course, for ceremonial use he also has a hauberk.

In terms of his personality, well, imagine a viking living in the 1940s who is ruled by a dragon. Less flippantly, he tends to be cheerful once he gets to know someone, and enjoys nothing more than the wind on his face while flying into battle. He also enjoys sitting around a fire listening to stories while drinking mead (often lounging back in the crook of Haakon's arm). However, he is fairly well educated and well rounded outside of his more Vikingesque pursuits and enjoys more cerebral activities like poetry and literature. All and all, he is a pleasant person to be around, even if sometimes it might take him a while to really warm up to new people.

[frigidmagi]

That was pretty good Ben and I liked it, expect for this

He firmly believes that Thor, God of Fate has placed him in his position of power over his lands and thus he has an absolute right to command said lands. However, with that absolute right comes an obligation to those who Thor has placed under him. This might on the surface make him likely to be one of those Valdemarians to get a visit from a Jotunmeister with a kill order. However, he also believes that the King of Norway was put in power by Thor and has an absolute right to rule over a unified Norway.

*whaps CT on the nose* Bad Turtle, Aesir don't work that way! Thor is a bad ass motherfucker, no mistake but he has no control over fate. Not even the All Father has control over your fate. Your Fate was decided by the Norns, a trio of female beings who rule over the fates of god and men alike. They are not unlike the Greek fates. They would have been the ones to place kings and dukes, not Thor. He's to busy saving your scaly ass from the Jotun and others.

*wonders off grumbling*

[Comrade Tortoise]

That was pretty good Ben and I liked it, expect for this

He firmly believes that Thor, God of Fate has placed him in his position of power over his lands and thus he has an absolute right to command said lands. However, with that absolute right comes an obligation to those who Thor has placed under him. This might on the surface make him likely to be one of those Valdemarians to get a visit from a Jotunmeister with a kill order. However, he also believes that the King of Norway was put in power by Thor and has an absolute right to rule over a unified Norway.

*whaps CT on the nose* Bad Turtle, Aesir don't work that way! Thor is a bad ass motherfucker, no mistake but he has no control over fate. Not even the All Father has control over your fate. Your Fate was decided by the Norns, a trio of female beings who rule over the fates of god and men alike. They are not unlike the Greek fates. They would have been the ones to place kings and dukes, not Thor. He's to busy saving your scaly ass from the Jotun and others.

*wonders off grumbling*

Thank you. Consider the relevant change made.

[LadyTevar]

Jebediah and Judith, still in Tangmere. A little older, a little wiser, and an a lot easier on the ears, as the accents have mellowed with exposure to Proper British Grammar.

[General Havoc]

You know my name and you know my deeds.

Night has fallen. Winter has arrived. The cold and the dark are forever hungry.

You know nothing, Jon Snow!

Jebediah and Judith, still in Tangmere. A little older, a little wiser, and an a lot easier on the ears, as the accents have mellowed with exposure to Proper British Grammar.

There are miracles!

[Cynical Cat]

Thor also isn't a god of dukes and nobility. That shit doesn't much concern Thor. Rulership is the business of Odin and Rig (who is an aspect or alias of Heimdall). Thor is like Mars (who is very much NOT like Ares), a workingman's god popular with farmers and warriors.

[Comrade Tortoise]

Thor also isn't a god of dukes and nobility. That shit doesn't much concern Thor. Rulership is the business of Odin and Rig (who is an aspect or alias of Heimdall). Thor is like Mars (who is very much NOT like Ares), a workingman's god popular with farmers and warriors.

Yeah, I did a shit ton more reading WRT the Aesir last night.

[LadyTevar]

Bad Ben, not reading the source material first.

[Comrade Tortoise]

Bad Ben, not reading the source material first.

Hey, I did not say I had read none. I said I read MORE. There is a lot that has been written about said Aesir.

[rhoenix]

Captain's Name: Jacob Maximilian
Captain's Age: 25
Captain's Description: A tall, lanky man with dark brown hair and green eyes, Jacob normally acts as a friendly yokel from the American Midwest. He plays up his accent and turns on the charm when necessary to play the part, to allow others to underestimate him - however, he is sharply intelligent, his accent disappearing almost entirely when he is speaking seriously.

Dragon's Name: Franklin
Dragon's Age: 15
Dragon's Breed: Typhon
Dragon's Description: Appearing almost like a large patch of stormclouds against the night sky, Franklin is a stocky midweight of the line dragon, weighing in at nearly 20 tons. His coloration is a mottled black, with varying shades of grey that resemble a wisp of stormcloud. As for Franklin himself, he is a dragon of few words, though his actions have demonstrated his devotion to Jacob. He does enjoy reading, and learning both - though for curiosity as often as not.

Background: The only son of a minor archaeologist, Jacob often went to exotic locales with his father growing up. One of the trips resulted unexpectedly with an egg of a peculiar description, that seemed to pulse when the weather turned to rain and storms. It was then that his father helped his education begin in earnest, calling upon his old contacts to help his son and this unknown dragon egg.

When the egg did hatch at last, Jacob's training began in earnest, resulting in both boy becoming man after a few intense years, and a young, taciturn midweight dragon trained in the ways of war. At this point, Jacob was old enough to now join the American Air Force, with Franklin staying silently and stolidly by him.

When the time came, Jacob and Franklin volunteered to head to Britain to join the fight. His superior loudly protested the action while handing them the forms and a rather nice pen to use, and less than a month later, the both of them were making the long flight to Britain.

Equipment (to be announced, and acquired through gameplay)
- Rubber harness with metal contacts directly to dragon's skin (current)
- Retractable lightning rod system for harness (to be acquired)
- Ordinance QF "Two Pounder" 40mm anti-tank gun (50 shots - to be acquired)

[Charon]

When we are outnumbered 100 to 1, surrounded, beaten, bloody, and on death's door, you will be able to count on one thing.

"We've got them exactly where we want them!"

Kunja and Jake are absolutely insane. And they are coming back.

[Dark Silver]

As I've told Havoc..I'm pondering returning....but not sure if it will be with Hermeticus and Thomas...mostly because they took a drubbing in the second to last big fight with the Stuka's.....


I'm contemplating a Weyekin or a Typhon

[Charon]

I say go with a Weyekin. We've already got a Typhon (We don't need two to slow us down) and we could use a special weapons dragon.

[Dark Silver]

It would finally give me a reason to use this image.....

GUARDIAN.JPG (76.8 KiB) Viewed 7784 times

I originally wanted a Stonespitter....but I figured the group would hate the logistics nightmare of hauling around that much plant matter and rocks...

[LadyTevar]

Like the Negro, a Indian in WWII faced a lot of prejudice, even when they were "WindTalkers". However, an Indian with a Weyekin spirit-guide would be given far more leeway.

My only question was about those SpiritQuests. Did the quest lead to an egg? To a hatchling or young dragon who agrees to partner with them? To an elder, who may once have been another's Guide? To me, all are possible.

[General Havoc]

All of those things are possible. The spirit quest was, when you got right down to it, a matter of going out into the wilderness and seeing what you found, or what found you. The lucky few who did meet a Weyekin (and weren't eaten by it) found everything from eggs to venerable wyrms centuries-old. Every tribe, every band, practically every single person who captained, partnered with, or even consulted a Weyekin made their own arrangements with them on an ad-hoc basis. There was no absolute rule.

Of course all of that was many years ago. Modern Weyekin are (mostly) harnessed by the USAF. Like with the Thunderchild, you can (and will) see white captains with Weyekin. There are of course also a fair number of Indians of various tribes and sorts who have Weyekin, either because they were passed down to them from their forefathers (try "confiscating" a Weyekin and see what happens to you), or because they got lucky. I'm going to assume that the USAF is sufficiently racist (this being 1941) that they will not actually assign an Indian to a Weyekin, but perhaps I am mistaken. Either way, you can play an Indian or a White Captain (or anything else you can make plausible, frankly). Weyekin can take all comers.

And as to us already having a Typhon, I will believe that when a certain somebody posts the character.

[LadyTevar]

Scroll up, Havoc. Rheonix posted it.

BTW: SmokeDevils are grey or BLUE with fog-white wavy stripes. Jebediah is one of the blue ones... like the Blue Ridge Mountains, remember? We had this discussion way back when, and Aequitus and his Captain were both expecting a smokey-gray dragon when they saw the pale blue dragon marbled/agate-striped with white.

[rhoenix]

And as to us already having a Typhon, I will believe that when a certain somebody posts the character.

http://board.libriumarcana.com/viewtopi ... 60#p138860

[General Havoc]

Apologies, I crossed my breeds and thought Rhoenix had posted something else.