What is the lore regarding a dragon’s core and the core less? Are Chroma the only dragon species with cores, or do all dragons have one, other than Coreles? Do different species have different names for them?
MOD: All dragons have a Core, which is their magical center. It has a different name for different species, but the Dunewyrms and the Chroma call it the same thing. Whereas the Coreless are usually only called that by the Chroma and the fourth dragon species, and it’s usually a derogatory term. Though I’m sure the Kuros also have little use for individuals in their species who are born without/with a weak element.
The Core is, according to the Chroma, the center of a dragon’s magick and essentially like a soul. It’s the very fiber of their being. Coreless dragons can still be affected by and affect magick, but not in the way dragons with a strong Core can. Cores aren’t actually the soul, but basically the ‘physical’ center of where their magickally replenishing breath magick originates from, somewhere in the chest. It’s basically another organ, but the Core itself is not a physical organ. The Core can, however, be damaged by outside (or inside) physical forces, as it relies on the individual’s body/health to keep it strong and controlled.
I had a story when I first tried my hand at TLoS story making where an Electricity Chroma had been struck by lightening, which caused his Core to become wildly unstable, and he needed to fasten an elemental focus on his tail (where he was struck) to keep the element balanced in his body. Otherwise he would randomly just start shooting out lightening bolts and generating crazy powerful arcs of electricity that could potentially harm others. In the same clan, another Electricity Chroma got the rough equivalent to magickal cancer, which would eventually make her Core implode on itself and kill her. These are just a few examples of how Cores can be harmful if individuals are in freak accidents/contract terminal illnesses that target their Cores. There will be more lore about the Cores as time goes on, but I hope this gives some idea into what they are!
Meanwhile, the Coreless are generally seen as weak as a whole by the Chroma and in some families, dirty little secrets. It’s an old practice generally frowned on now, but back when Titus was born, most families would cull Coreless hatchlings. Despite their weakness, they’re still Chroma, and if they can at least fight with claws and teeth and the rest of their bodies, they have to have some use as soldiers or arena fighters. The Coreless generally find it hard to fit into Chroma society, and a good handful of them either become lone wanderers, or move to the ever growing neutral territory Bjartr Tunga. In recent seasons, however, a territory has been claimed and is being repurposed for a home to study and train the Coreless or those with weak Cores, founded by Morpheus Starborn. The Coreless do indeed have patron gods, but I haven’t really cemented any details out about them yet.
Meanwhile, the Dunewyrms believe that every individual can contribute to society and find their own happiness, and value every member of their people regardless of how strong or present their Cores are.
