Bronze Mandragora
Bronze Mandragora - dwellers in the depths.
Inquisitive and curious, Bronze Mandragora are some of the most adventurous Mandragora after the Green. They have a deep affinity for the sea, rarely found away from the ships upon which they make their livelihood. They have yellow-orange scales with green edges that darken, as they grow older. They have wings, but rarely make use of them above the surface. Instead, they are used to propel themselves through the water with the same speed and grace that the Black Mandragora display in the air. Bronze Mandragora are taller than most Mandragora with broad shoulders, and gill-like membranes on their neck. They can remain underwater indefinitely by breathing through these membranes, and their dense build and cell structure enables them to dive to extreme depths without magical aid. The digits on the hands and feet are webbed, and their flattened tails are long and powerful. The heads of the Bronzes have a wide bony ruff, and the males have a small straggly beard sprouting from their chin.
The Bronze have a deep love for the sea, and are rarely found inland. They are the true rulers of the seas around Lonaraban, for Maritime law supersedes the rule of the Shirr’haim. This unspoken directive is the result of a number of naval blunders by the Shirr’haim and Red Mandragora that caused the loss of several ships. It is common for pushy or obnoxious passengers aboard a Bronze craft to be invited to “swim home,” if they do not like the way a ship is run. Mandragora ships are swift, sturdy craft ranging from the single-seat Shrike class (Tol’arn) to the gigantic Nautilus (Korra’chi) class transports. However, the most common is the Hammership (Tar’brak), a fast but robust class of ship that can be easily customised for trade or war.
Bronze Mandragora have loud booming voices and make rooms small by virtue of their somewhat boisterous presence. They are stubborn, obstinate, and can bear grudges for a considerable time. Bronze Mandragora favour weapons that also function as tools on board a ship, such as a krii’gaath (dagger), or b’ra’yiic (a weapon derived from the boat-hook). The PeaceForcer Sentinels frequently become embroiled in the fleet rivalries that erupt into huge outbreaks of violence from time to time in the waterfront towns. For the only activities that Bronze Mandragora love more than sailing and roaming the sea, are drinking and fighting. “Taking the Bronze approach” is a common epithet used in Mandragora society, meaning the subject is attacking a problem head-on with great courage, but little foresight.