This is some backstory and worldbuilding surrounding my original species, the Arkhosian Dragon! This species is closed currently but will later be opened for Adopts/MYO!

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Arkhos is a volcanic ice planet with a dense but breathable atmosphere which occupies a distant, far-flung orbit around a red supergiant star.

Over approximately 80 percent of its surface, Arkhos is a frigid, lethally cold wasteland with no liquid water. The light that reaches the surface is clear, but dim, and barely provides any heat. Its temperature measures around -350 degrees Celsius across much of its surface, and unprotected exposure is completely lethal to most forms of life after just two minutes. Were it not for its plentiful geothermal activity, Arkhos would likely be unable to support any life at all.

Only where magma wells up from below and warms the surface is life able to bloom. Scattered amongst the vast tracts of deadly cold are a sparse and precious handful of active volcanoes with wide, deep calderas spreading out below the surface. These small zones of life-giving warmth are called the Oases, and are the only locations on the planet with liquid water. At the center of each Oasis lies one or more volcanic peaks, interspersed with bubbling hot springs and gas vents. Here, the environment is extreme in a different way - it's far too hot for anything but extremophiles and fire-resistant dragons to survive in. Surrounding the scorched core of an Oasis is a broad ring of warm, pleasant, vibrant tropics filled with flora and fauna of all kinds. Life thrives here, but competition is fierce due to the limited availability of space. Further out lies the final ring, a chilly boreal forest whose inhabitants are tough, resilient, and fewer in number. Beyond this zone again lies the outer inhospitably-cold lands, which Arkhosians have named The Waste. Only a select few species have evolved to survive in The Waste's extreme environment, and they are rarely ever spotted. Because most Oases are discrete and spread out from one another, much speciation occurs, meaning that the same species can have vastly different appearances and adaptations across the planet's different habitable zones. Bioluminescence is a very common trait due to the planet's low natural light levels, and Arkhosian scenery glitters with a rainbow of gently pulsating colors at night.

One species has managed to become the apex predator of the Oases, and in the past few millennia has risen to sentient intelligence and society - Draconis arkhosia anima, the Arkhosian Dragons, or simply the Arkhosians. Arkhosians are a diverse people, similar to most other species on Arkhos, due to the disparate nature of the Oases. Their size, coloration, patterns, facial features, horns, wing and tail types, and language all vary widely, but their general body shape, physiology, and core level of intelligence remain consistent across all races.

Arkhosian Dragons are large, sleek quadrupeds. They are covered with specialized fur-like down feathers that provide excellent cold and heat insulation, and are fire-resistant. Their ventral tails, foot pads, wings, tail plumes, and snout bridges are covered with highly reflective, insulating scales, and they possess between one and four pairs of horns, whose shape and color can vary widely among populations. Interspersed along each individual's body are areas of bioluminescence which help to compensate for the dim surroundings resulting from their planet's vast distance from its home star. Coloration and patterns vary among the various races. They possess two large, downward-pointing, triangular ears, and a single biological crystal in the center of their foreheads, which is densely packed with neural tissue and is thought to be the center of their psychic power as their "third eye". They have excellent vision, and their eyes are large with a vertical slit - this slit pupil can open up wide to let in the maximum amount of light possible at night, but can also squeeze shut to protect against bright volcanic eruptions and aggressive biolum displays. Their leathery wings and tail plumes are broad and multi-lobed to allow for easy takeoff and extremely precise midair turns. Arkhosian dragons often catch volcanic updrafts and glide in circles without flapping, but are also capable of swift, acrobatic active flight. Their bodies are slim and streamlined to allow for better maneuverability in flight. Their hands and feet have five claws, four in front and one in back, with razor sharp claws.

Arkhosians are both intensely curious and deeply spiritual, and alongside their scientific ventures they have long practiced magic and divination. Telekinesis and telepathy are essential skills for the Arkhosians, and allow them to communicate quickly and easily and perform delicate tasks without the dexterity that tiny hands provide. Through study and practice, they are even capable of illusory and transformation magic, and can even transform temporarily into bipedal form. These powers are innate to the species, and are greatly amplified through the use of Arkhosite crystals, which can only be found in winding caves deep inside the body of the planet's volcanoes. These crystals come in a wide variety of colors, but are most commonly deep red or purple. Because of their potent mystical properties, Arkhosians adorn themselves with Arkhosite jewelry and incorporate it into their religious ceremonies, wherein they worship each volcano as its own God or Goddess. Arkhosite is also central to Arkhosian science and technology, and has been used to make a wide variety of meta-materials with highly useful properties. Although each Oasis is separated from all the others by the vast, inaccessible Waste, Arkhosian Elders in each population have long had access to a collective consciousness that allowed each population to share general knowledge, technological discoveries, and other insights in the form of visions and dreams - and so each discrete population has long believed that others were somewhere out there waiting to be found.

Once the first population of Arkhosians developed advanced enough technology to craft protective gear and venture out into the Waste, they finally discovered the other Oases and were united with the other populations of their people. Over time, each newly-found population was absorbed into the larger society, and efforts were made to connect the known Oases together with highly-insulated, heated covered highways. At the present time, there are five known occupied Oases, together scattered out over thirty percent of Arkhos's expected surface area. It is expected that others still exist waiting to be uncovered and brought into the group. Currently, the newly-formed AAF (Arkhosian Aerospace Federation) is developing a space program - the first of its kind for the species - with the goal of sending satellites into orbit in hopes of finally locating and cataloging all of the planet's other inhabited colonies. Who knows how many others are out there just waiting to be welcomed under the Wings?