TTBenjamin

They find open fields, remote mountain ranges, even set up Derricks around the ocean. No interest in diplomacy, trade, or any discussion between worlds. In fact, the aliens coming are mostly long-haul couriers, working class doing contract labor a few systems over, and tourists. Not an authority who can speak for their planet is among them.

So more curious humans start to chat them up, they're warm and at ease after all. Over time the aliens trust the human visitors more and they learn enough language between them to have a decent conversation. Finally it comes up: why are you just here vibing?

The aliens explain there's just enough Argon to get them high but not kill them (in moderation) and it's not hurting us for them to inhale then eventually exhale the Argon through their skin. So they come by on vacations or when they're stressed and use our air to relax. A few of them even mention they pop out for a sit after work before heading home to their families.

The humans are amazed at first, but one finally speaks up "oh, we have a similar thing. It takes some doing to produce through fermentation but we've discovered that a little bit of alcohol does that too."

The aliens sit on that for a minute then, after checking what "alcohol" is in their database their tendrils light up excitedly.

How to Play This Game

You are a dragon. You are as rare a being as you are powerful. As you age, you become stronger, greedier, and more villainous. To you, mortals are pets at best, pests at worst. Other immortal beings may oppose or befriend you, but they are stepping stones for your ambition. Other dragons may be allies or even close friends, but they too can become threats as the centuries melt together, tensions form, and goals clash. Your grudges last as long as you draw breath, your desires grow more frenzied and specific with each victory, and your willingness to follow wanes as your thirst for more takes over.

What drives you?

Survival - Dragons are feared for their ability to plot over generations and exert terrible wrath. If you are found out, you will be chased to the edge of the world and slaughtered. And while you might be strong enough to take on a single warrior, perhaps even a company of strong soldiers, there are people who specialize in hunting your kind. If they catch your scent, it’s not a matter of if but when they will kill you and use your scales for armor, your bones for speartips, your ichor for alchemy, and your blood for rituals.

Greed - Dragons are not monolithic. No two are exactly alike, even if the various types of dragon share some commonalities. But every dragon has one thing in common: The desire to hoard. You will pick a hoard, one of the sources of your immense power, and build it over time. You will bask in its glory, you will covet pieces that would make it more beautiful, you will use it as a resource to get more or even power your terrible magic.

Power - Not content to lay on a pile of gold, you will invade the society of mortals as one of them. You will scheme, plot, and manipulate these beings to see your will be done, protect your hoard from the over-curious, and gain access to influential mortals who can get you what you want. You may partake in court politics, fool the mortals into warring with each other, or undermine the efforts of other dragons over a centuries-old petty insult.

Resentment - Your kind are the closest to the Gods themselves. You were crafted by their hands and cast aside. You once ruled this world, but now you are forced to skulk in lairs or in disguise among the very creatures that replaced you. But you are smarter, stronger, and more patient than them. You will satisfy your ambitions on their backs and not just punish mortals that you hate, but their entire line for generations.

What opposes you?

Mortals - It is a shame, in the end, that you are forced to play by their rules to achieve your aims. And unfortunately despite your might you will meet mortals who would stand in your way. Perhaps you can crush them in your jaws, or perhaps that would expose you to greater danger. One cannot simply stride into a throne room and melt the king to slag and take his gold. It requires guile and manipulation to extract a kingdom’s worth of treasure.

Dragon Hunters - Though it has been hundreds, if not thousands, of years since the mortals rose to power by way of dragon hunters, their threat still looms and they have passed their skills on. Driven by ambition to steal the hoards and sell the parts from dragons, these specialized warriors use a mixture of magic, martial skill, and specialized weaponry to track, corner, and slay dragons. They rely on their fellow mortals to find their marks, and once they have the scent, they never give up. Between the bounty, the hoard, and the parts, a single dragon kill can set their families up in comfort and elegance for generations.

Immortals - You are not alone in your timelessness. There are others who last as long and have their own agendas. A vampire addicted to dragon’s blood would happily contain you and drain you for eternity. A werewolf would curse you with lycanthropy and turn you into an enraged weapon of war until you were finally brought down in a blaze of futile glory. The Fae would drive you from their lands, keeping you from treasure and safe haven. There are countless others and while they may not always be fast enemies, they are never to be fully trusted.