Solethanian Dragonkind
In Solethania, Dragons, Lizardmen, Dragonkind, and Kobolds are all ‘Dragonkind’ and are modeled after bee hives/ant colonies. These Dragonkind colonies are called Clans. The only true Dragon is the Queen, always female. They’re capable of laying thousands of small unfertilized eggs in a very short amount of time (and will do so once every six months or so), eggs that will always hatch into kobolds, dragonborn, lizardfolk, and wyverns. She will lay one fertilized egg early in her life that will remain dormant and hatch as a new Dragon Queen immediately upon her death.
Kobolds are the lowest rung of the Dragonkind ladder. Their lives are short even if they make it to old age, and they rarely do. They’re the grunts, servants, bodyguards, and anything dangerous will likely have them in the middle of it. A Kobold will always gladly do whatever its master (any Dragonkind of its color not another Kobold) desires gleefully even if it means immediate death.
Dragonborn are Kobold wranglers. They translate the plans and goals of the Queen into actions. They see to the care and growth of to the small cadre of Kobolds placed under their control. In war, they are the front line officers. Dragonborn tend to be strong sorcerers, wielding the power of the Queen’s bloodline.
Lizardfolk are the administrators. Their emotions seem distant and alien even within the Clan. They create the overarching plan of the hive based on the will of the Queen. They see to and coordinate the logistics and resource management of the entire clan, ensuring the whole thing runs smoothly and efficiently. Their sheer emotionless pragmatism is what keeps the Clan running like a well oiled machine.
Wyverns are the elite bodyguard of the Queen. There’s rarely more than a dozen in the largest of Clans, the average is closer to three or four. Their entire existence is built around protecting the Queen, and they are the last line of defense before the Queen herself. Many adventurers have mistaken Wyverns for Dragons, and most those who claimed to have ‘Killed a Dragon’ have only killed a Wyvern.
While all members of the Clan are capable of complete autonomy on their own outside the Clan, they are literally incapable of knowingly going against the will of the Queen, and by extension, the Clan. I will likely go into Dragonkind clan society and cultures in another post.