The Art of Animism

In the world of Golden Treasure (which is Earth of long ago) everything that lives, and even some non-living things, have a spirit. As you experience life as a dragon thousands of years ago, you'll perceive many things which humans would not, the most important of which is a being's Essence.

Dragons use the word "Essence" to refer to a being's spirit, and also to blood, which they regard as the physical manifestation of the spirit. To "taste a being's Essence" may refer to having a glimpse into the inner workings of that being's soul (or to tasting its blood - which is usually clear by context). With tongues nearly as sensitive as a snake's, dragons refer to taste far more frequently than humans, and many of the words they use are difficult to translate.

Dragons see all tailed animals as natural citizens of the world, fellow Children of Earth and Sun. The thought-word they use is difficult to translate, but the closest we can get is the term "goodbeast". They see such beings, whether mammals, insects, reptiles, birds, fish or any other kind of being, as good and natural. Their behavior and life-patterns (which dragons refer to as their "Way") are fundamentally in harmony with the world as a whole.

When a dragon looks at a living being, its senses "see" far more than humans. For example, a human may look at a doe and see this:

But a dragon, looking at the same doe, would perceive its hidden Essence. They would sense the scent swirling around it like an aura and the light of its spirit flowing through its body, laced by a tinge of the Green Wisdom which the deer have absorbed through their millennia of following the forest paths. They would sense the power of the Air element spiraling off of their swift hooves. They would even perceive the spiritual crown they bear, as favored lords and ladies of the great spirit of the woods. So to a dragon's eyes (and tongue and nose), the same doe may look like this:

To the dragon, these things are as much a part of the doe's identity as its physical form.

While humans can see the crown which deer wear only when it takes physical form on the head of a mature male in season, dragons can see that same crown on all deer, male or female, old or young, because it is a part of their spirits. That it occasionally grows into reality is just one example of the transcendent magic of the forest.

With dozens upon dozens of animals already featured in the game and even more planned, you can look forward to seeing a dragon's-eye view of the world!