Grundraak

Grundraak, green dragons, are a sentient pseudoreptilian species. They have four legs, a long neck balanced by a proportionally long tail, and wings. Their skin is covered completely with rigid scales of a deep green colour.

Grundraak have no magic and basic technology and scientific knowledge, largely suppressed in the eras seen so far. They have a highly-developed religious system based around four gods, each of which is believed to patronise (or punish) a different section of dragonkind.

The word grundraak is nothing more clever than two similar-sounding synonyms for green and dragon. It's pronounced groon-drahk. Grundraak have their own language, but it's the sort of thing that makes linguists wake up in cold sweats. Any word or root in this highly complex and subtle language has many different degrees and shades of meaning depending on tone and context. The sibilants are also murder on anyone without a scaly snout.

• Lith - thing (root of various words)
• Hisslith - that which is cunning, cunning one, (in neutral tone) honorific given to god Gwaed the Cunning
• Ssislith - inquisitorious, questioning one, intelligence, that which is bright and cold like stars (stars were believed to be made of cold metal) - could be spoken in 'cold' tone (implying dispassion and ruthlessness) or 'warm' tone (implying fairness or the love of fairness)
• Umaa - umaa (onomatopoeic slang)

See also: Green, Adiment, Promo (grundraak), Several, Gwaed, Anadl, Calon, Asgwrn

Compare: ijsdrakon