The founding of the Holy Empire of Degascia was perhaps an event blessed by the gods. In the eternally warring lands of the continent of Amascia, where petty warlords declared their kingship in one moment and fell the next, no one truly expected Lord Arthur Degascia to be different. Well, some did, considering that Lord Degascia was a dragon. A human-sized dragon, but a dragon nonetheless. Perhaps the last of the dragons, Arthur Degascia was an egg when his master, Lord Micah Degascia, discovered and hatched him. From a pet to a confidante, Arthur stayed by Micah's side throughout the darkest and brightest times of Degascia's attempts to carve out a greater piece of Amascia for himself. And when Micah was struck down by illness, he picked, of all things, a dragon to lead his fiefdom to greater glory.

It would work.

Degascia united the continent of Amascia through both brilliance and strength on the battlefield and diplomacy in the courts of his foes. There was one thing that this young dragon thought wise to do, but the eventuality of its side effects outlived him.

The continent of Amascia was no unified land of races, not even close. The land of the fair folk, the land of the elves, the land of the dwarves, the land of the humans, and the lands of many more were entwined together in one gigantic squabbling piece of land. But as Degascia conquered, the power he brought to the negotiating table forced the many lords of the races to bend to his knee.

There was one condition that they agreed to, though. That they rule their own lands, pay tribute to Degascia and never wage war against each other ever again. Lords swore their fealty to Lord Degascia as an alternative to annihilation.

Arthur Degascia would be crowned as Degascia I, the first Emperor of the Holy Empire of Degascia.

But even dragons do not live forever. And as the last of his kind, he needed a heir. And Degascia knew enough about human nature, or the nature of the living. Even as Lord Micah once swore upon Arthur's capability, many of Micah's retainers refused to serve a dragon. The last of the dragons would create a compromise.

Gathering the many lords that he appointed, kept or forced under his heel at his palace in the city of Micahar, Degascia declared the Eternal Scale Concordat. The Emperor would take a wife from every lord's choosing, and sire a child with her. All these children, known as Dragonbloods, were all potential Emperors/Empresses. From each lord's fiefdom, the lord could choose a single Dragonblood to serve as an 'Empire-elector', a man or woman with the power to vote for the next ruler of Degascia, as long a Dragonblood was chosen to rule. No lord, even of Dragonblood nature, could ever elect an emperor or rule the empire themselves.

From the battlefields, the politics of nobles changed to the courts. At least, for the next 1000 years. 56 Emperors and Empresses have ruled Degascia since then.

However, Degascia LVIII (58 in roman numerals) would perhaps be the last. During the reign of the 57th Emperor of Degascia, a great debate amongst the lords and nobles forced an amendment of the Eternal Scale Concordat. No longer had an Emperor of Degascia needed to be of dragon heritage, and lords themselves would elect the next emperor instead of the Dragonbloods.

And when the 57th Emperor died, the lords squabbled over the next Emperor. Arguments turned into feuds. Feuds turned in battles. Battles turned into wars. The Concordat was broken. The 58 Lords of the Empire went to war. 

---

(Lord is a generic term that ignores gender.)

Races:

[hider=Human]Self explanatory. There are 21 human Lords of the Empire.[/hider]
[hider=Dragonblood]Dragon-bloods are simply descendants of the first Emperor, Arthur Degascia. While the first sons and daughters of Arthur Degascia kept just about every possible draconic trait and ability, the blood of the dragons has diluted over time as dragonbloods interbred with the general, non-dragon population. Perhaps some of the purest dragon blood-line would have some draconic physical traits and most draconic abilities such as fire-breathing, but most of the dragonbloods in this era only have their ancestry to rely on.

Previously, only dragon-bloods could rule or decide who was the next ruler of Degascia, but a recent change in the electoral law allowed the lords to choose amongst themselves instead. Dragon-bloods are not allowed to be Lords by law, though 2 dragon-bloods have recently taken the title of Lord.[/hider]
[hider=Reffian]Best described as 'humans with more masculinity'. While perhaps the average human male may be about 5'9" (1.75 metres) tall, Reffian males are big, muscular men who reach an average height of [b]8[/b] feet (2.44m). Even their women are no slouches in the height department, reaching about 6 (1.83m) feet tall on average. While their men are impressively tall and strong (and despite all that, of the same average intelligence as humans), their women have the most noticeable trait of looking like boyish and youthful [i]male[/i] humans in every outward appearance except for facial hair and genitals. It is only during pregnancy and a few years after childbirth do their bodies adopt a more feminine appearance.

Reffians often serve as mercenaries, and their women often pass themselves off as human men to get into mercenary forces. There are 5 Reffian Lords altogether.[/hider]
[hider=Algazians]Essentially, Elder Scrolls Argonian [url=http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Expy]expies[/url]. There are 5 Algazian Lords altogether.[/hider]
[hider=Cakeet]Essentially, Khajiits from the Elder Scrolls series. There are 5 Khajiit lords altogether.[/hider]
[hider=Hydragea]Plant-like people who photosynthesise but reproduce like ordinary humans. They can terraform and encourage growth of plant life in limited capacity, and large numbers of them are capable of terraforming in the same way construction workers do. They drink water (they can eat normal food, but culturally prefer meat over vegetables), and have a good immunity to poisons and poisoned/contaminated water. They average 4'11" (1.50m) in height, but they aren't pushovers in warfare.

Hydragea often work as terraforming companies outside of their homelands. There are 5 Hydragean Lords altogether.[/hider]
[hider=Elf]Like Skyrim High Elves, but with both men and women having equally effeminate faces (though the body gives it away). There are 5 Elven Lords altogether.[/hider]
[hider=Avians]Flying bird-folk with talons/claws for hands and feet. They're of average human height, though they have feathery wings upon their back. Avians are much lighter than normal humans as they have less body fat and bone mass to allow them to fly. Avians typically rely on swift movement and smart strategy to defeat their foes. There are about 5 Avian Lords altogether.[/hider]
[hider=Dwarves]Dwarves are 4 feet in height. Males are short, sturdy dwarves, while females look more like DnD halflings. Dwarves are known for their smithing skills. There are 5 Dwarven lords altogether.[/hider]
[hider=Kai Han]To be filled in when I can remember [i]all[/i] the details.[/hider]
[hider=Tarasque](They are only named as Tarasques for sake of OOC reference, and perhaps their name used when someone finally catalogues them.)

Perhaps the weirdest and most disturbing amongst all the races in Amascia (and the least known. If you see a Tarasque, it's either Deathclaw, or you're not living to tell the tale by any appreciate means). Best described as lizardfolk much more monstrous and hulking as compared to the Algazians, the Tarasque's most unique feature is the way they breed.

The Tarasques live in dark swamps and are masters of stealth and guerilla warfare in their natural environment. Caravans travelling across these swamps often find their numbers dwindling as their guards or fellow travellers are picked off with a muffled, almost silent yelp as a Tarasque carries them off. Tarasques may attack caravans openly if they think they have the advantage.

If an individual is captured by a Tarasque, some of them suffer a fate worse than death. While a good number are eaten outright, some are chosen, by unknown selection criteria, to become Tarasques. The Tarasques bleed themselves and force-feed their victims with their Tarasquean blood. The victims are corrupted by the blood, slowly transforming into Tarasque themselves. Tarasques are technically genderless (unable to breed), but whatever gender the victims were before they became Tarasques can be seen upon their transformed body between their legs and on their chests (if female). Along with this physical transformation, Tarasques lose all previous memories, skills and personality they once had, becoming just another cunning and animalistic member of the Tarasque pack. All Tarasques look almost the same from the start of their first transformation regardless of their previous race, except for their previous gender.

Tarasques are unable to breed by intercourse.

Tarasques are roughly 6'7" (2 metres) tall on average. They are not a civilised race.[/hider]

[b]Name:[/b] Deathclaw (Real name unknown. The nickname was given to her by a friend of hers.)

[b]Age:[/b] ???? (Has been a monster for 3 years)

[b]Gender:[/b] Female

[b]Race:[/b] Tarasque. (She lacks the reptilian tail a Tarasque normally has. She managed to escape before the transformation was complete, but lost most of what she previously was.)

[b]Appearance:[/b]
Deathclaw is 6'7" and weighs about 298lbs. Her body physique, when looking straight ahead at her from the front, is physically comparable to that of a man's muscles and body shape. Despite what the picture seems to display, she has 5 claws on both hands. (Other than the chest. The butt feels just like a dude's. Not that anyone would pinch it.) The white spines on the back of her head are twinned and start from the top of her scalp and reach the back collarbone. (just above the the waist) Her skin is leathery and tough (her breasts are basically stuck in their position), and she wears nothing. Whatever is censored is actually there, and censored as part of good decency.

She speaks by growling with her vocal chords, a bit like how birds speak.
[hider=Deathclaw][img=http://i857.photobucket.com/albums/ab135/Desol_2010/themaidendeathclaw_zps58758277.png][/hider]

[b]Abilities:[/b]

Natural Skin: Deathclaw's skin is tough, and provides good enough protection to slashing and piercing attacks.
Muscles: Deathclaw is extremely strong, especially for her size. She once lifted up a wagon with next to no effort.
Speed: Deathclaw is fast. (She's also a warm-blooded reptile.)
Natural Weapons: From her fangs to her claws and her armblades, Deathclaw is dangerous at all times.
4 eyes: Deathclaw can see from her 4 eyes.
Numbed pain: Deathclaw experiences less physical pain than expected.
Brilliance: Deathclaw is actually quite smart. She can strategise and make good tactical decisions. She's also great at math.

[b]Weaknesses:[/b]

Sounds like Smaug: Deathclaw sounds like a male dragon talking. She doesn't really like that.
Claws: Claws make it very difficult / next to impossible for Deathclaw to do delicate work.
Carnivorous: Deathclaw is wholly carnivorous. And isn't happy when she's hungry.

[b]Personality:[/b]

It is unknown what Deathclaw's personality was like when she was human, but her Tarasque form is quite a mix of personality traits.

Deathclaw is quite animalistic in demeanour. She finds clothes harder to move in (so she skips wearing them), gets angry whenever her food is snatched away by any appreciable method (but usually doesn't act on it) and feels a sense of territoriality whenever she's sleepy or hungry. She often judges others based on their size and their smell. She's proud of her own physical power (and trains it very often. Aka one-hand push-ups), and loves a good fight with her claws, teeth, armblades, strength and agility. She's not offended if you call her a monster, though she would probably take some offence if you call her things like 'overgrown lizard' or something like that. She does dislike being compared to Algazians ("They're the lizards! I'm a goddess of war."), and considers the male Reffians to be her equal in pure physical strength.

On the other end, Deathclaw is still a woman. She still finds men attractive (and some Reffian women), but has no idea how to show any potential affection. She also likes children. Despite her name as 'Deathclaw', Deathclaw is remarkably merciful, assuming that the target deserves it. She often tests the limits of what she can do both socially, strategically and physically, because she believes that knowing one's strengths and weaknesses is important.