Your Dragon's blood is deep beneath
A fleshy mammal's shell.
A mighty bite behind your teeth,
A fire within each cell.
Your tail is one of legends made
Leapt from a Dragon's spine,
Your shimm'ring scales shall never fade,
Your glory always shine.
Splinter - Draykh-Nahka
Set - Untamed
Class - Legendary Jumper
Habitat - In the Gloridax Military Base outside Centrum, dozens of branches of special forces are trained, altogether constituting the greater Gloridax Army. Most who carry the fire blood but who were not eggborn end up serving a stretch of military service. Unless they volunteer, the scaled of the fire blood never wind up in combat, or any type of service. Dragon Jumpers are a single branch of the Gloridax Army; at any time there are approximately twelve of them. This number varies constantly because of the extremely high turnover rate of Dragon Jumpers. They all live together in a single large flat on the grounds of the base, where they are forced into a uniform lifestyle with their fellow Jumpers.
Size - Dragon Jumpers are usually chosen from the weaker and scrawnier Gloridax. They are always Humans, or Dragons who were not blessed with scale, tail or fire. For one thing, there is always something more useful (and less deadly) for the stronger brutes. Also, the Jumper Masters have finally decided that skinnier limbs allow the Jumper to land a few more crucial attacks before they… land.
Lifespan - The Humans and Dragons from which Jumpers are chosen were never meant to live long lives. If nature had been allowed to run its course, these young soldiers of the Gloridax would have found mates and had offspring, crowding the city of Centrum to the breaking point and increasing the suffering of all. Instead, they were selected to be Dragon Jumpers, one of the highest honors bestowed by the Dragons on commoners. As Jumpers, their lives will end soon, but cleanly, with no attachments, and in a beautiful blaze of glory. This is why the Dragon Jumpers are elevated to the status of Legendary.
Weapon - It is truly a wonder that the Dragon Jumpers can be such an effective form of attack while plummeting through the air. The best Dragon Jumpers can pull of six or seven attacks through the duration of their fall, becoming increasingly stronger as they near the ground. One of their most interesting weapons is called the dropspike. Dropspikes were designed by Gloridax engineers with the help of Scavo scientist they have been harboring. Their unique shape allows them to accelerate faster than gravity intends, so they land even harder than a boulder. Each Jumper also wears a belt of shockbulbs which are all released at once as the Jumper pulls a ripcord. When these shockbulbs land, they release a brief but powerful paralyzing wave in every direction. If aimed correctly, shockbulbs freeze the whole enemy team in the crucial moments of the Dragon Jumper’s final attacks before landing. The last thing a Dragon Jumper does before hitting the ground is deploying their parachute. It is a simple chute, which merely slows the Jumper’s fall by 50%. Usually this is enough for the Jumper to survive the fall.
Diet - Dragon Jumpers eat what the Jumper masters tell them to eat, since they are service people in the Gloridax military. They are required to eat not only the meat of Bunglo and Draka, but a large amount of root vegetables and leafy greens. When they complain about this (and they complain often), the Jumpers are merely told that while meat feeds the body, vegetables feed the brain. To the Gloridax, the greatest value of a Dragon Jumper comes from his being able to make the most of the short time he is falling. They are not given as much meat as the infantry, for example, because the Masters know that the bodies of the Jumpers will break either way.
Allies - The official data collectors of the Gloridax have noticed that while they develop a strange division from all other citizens, the Dragon Jumpers always establish very special camaraderie among themselves. They become extremely close, sharing everything with one another and willingly giving up the memories of their previous identities. As much as the Masters despise this side effect, the Dragon Jumpers have become a shining example of cooperation and brotherly love.
Enemies - Fortunately because of the great danger, Dragon Jumpers are rarely called into action outside the civilized battles of Mount Mox. When they are used, the Dragons mean to make a quick and silent attack, an attack that is over before the victims know it has begun. Since they follow orders from the Gloridax, the Dragon Jumpers’ enemies are the Dragons’ enemies, and they are plentiful. As a sort of tradition among the Jumpers, they also have a special hatred for Serpentines, the non-Dragon hybrids that crawl the sands of the Burning Lands. Beyond the running joke, the Jumpers have nothing against the Serpentines. They just enjoy taunting them as a group because Serpentines are so difficult to hit from above.
Work - Dragon Jumpers work long hours every day, training for their one job. Prep and reset always takes awhile, since flying Dragons (who can be stubborn) must always cooperate. The special practice suits that the Jumpers wear are too bulky for them to carry their full arsenal, but the practice wings allow for greater air resistance, so they fall more slowly. They also always conduct practice jumps over the ocean, where testing has resulted in significantly fewer broken bones than when they used to do it over the Sands.
Pastimes - When they are not working, Dragon Jumpers are allowed (even encouraged) to party in their flat. They are able to select party guests from regularly updated lists of the most young and wealthy Dragons. One of the most trendy things an over privileged Gloridax youth can do these days is spend an evening at the flat of the Dragon Jumpers. But for outsiders, there is always a danger of being drawn into the various dramas of the house. It’s nothing like the real world in there.
