A drow, battered, bleeding, sword and shield in hand, turns toward his attackers. They think they have him. They are wrong. He opens his mouth, unleashing a torrent of flame, engulfing his foes in the blaze. A human woman laughs with a copper dragon in its lair. The two share a new but powerful kinship. So when a red dragon arrives to commandeer the lair and kill its occupants, the woman and the copper dragon fight side-by-side against their vicious assailant. A dwarf slams his axe down into the head of a goblin, killing the creature. He turns just in time to block an incoming bolt with his shield from another goblin. The new attacker is too far away and already reloading its crossbow. Stowing his axe at his belt, the dwarf stretches forth his hand, blasting the distant goblin with a blue bolt of electricity. Dragon knights follow a unique martial path that makes them formidable combatants with a sword and shield and equally powerful spellcasters, drawing on their connection to the dragons they revere. The Draconic Orders are not actual organizations with any kind of hierarchy, but a way of training and furthermore a way of life that honors whatever dragon they are associated with. Some dragon knights fight for the cause of good, others for the forces of evil, and still more ___ everywhere in between. ### Reverence, Not Religion While dragon knights have great respect and reverence for the dragons associated with their order, they do not worship them or treat them as deities in any way. Rather, they hold that the creatures are important and precious parts of the world they inhabit and seek to emulate them through combat and social interactions. They do not necessarily condone or like all the behaviors of their patron dragon, but they will find ways to learn from it that they can apply to their own moral code. ### Inner Dedication Draconic Orders are not just a method of training or even simply a way of life. Those who subscribe to them have dedicated themselves deeply to a path similar to that of the great dragons. They have a strong inner connection to their chosen order, and it is through this connection that they are able to tap into the abilities and talents of dragons.