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''Dragonrealm'' is an open-ended fantasy series by Creator/RichardKnaak. The series mostly follows events related to the sorcerous Bedlam family, but a few novels focus on the adventures of other significant characters.

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''Dragonrealm'' is an open-ended fantasy series by Creator/RichardKnaak.Creator/RichardAKnaak. The series mostly follows events related to the sorcerous Bedlam family, but a few novels focus on the adventures of other significant characters.

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* IdentityAmnesia: The Gryphon washed up on the shores of the Dragonrealm with no memory of how he arrived there or who he really was. ''Wolfhelm'' explores his origin story as he travels across the seas to the lands of the Ravager, where he came from. [[spoiler: He's a Master Guardian of the Dream Lands who was forcibly altered by the Ravager.]]

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* IdentityAmnesia: IdentityAmnesia:
**
The Gryphon washed up on the shores of the Dragonrealm with no memory of how he arrived there or who he really was. ''Wolfhelm'' explores his origin story as he travels across the seas to the lands of the Ravager, where he came from. [[spoiler: He's a Master Guardian of the Dream Lands who was forcibly altered by the Ravager.]]
** This happens to Shade every time he [[ResurrectiveImmortality reincarnates]], with his personality shifting between the extremes of good and evil while only bearing fragmented memories of his previous incarnations that he considers separate people, complete with giving himself a new name every time. [[spoiler:At least, it does until he finally settles on a more-or-less permanent identity due a shift in his curse.
]]



* MedievalStasis: Despite the fact that the novels span centuries, if not millennia, of events in Dragonrealm history, the civilizations and societies remain largely static.

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* LiteralSplitPersonality: In a sense, [[spoiler:Darkhorse is this to his "twin" and "progenitor" Yureel, as Yureel was the first one and, on whim after meeting and absorbing two siblings, was inspired to try and create another "him" to converse with by splitting himself into two. Of course, the act took so much energy that Darkhorse's first conscious memory as a separate individual involved running for his life from his "brother" trying to ''eat him'' to regain the lost essence.]]
* MedievalStasis: Despite the fact that the novels span centuries, if not millennia, of events in Dragonrealm history, the civilizations and societies remain largely static. This is justified by the fact that not only are many races LongLived, but often the ones in power seek to stamp out any sort of progress that could threaten their power.



* OneHitKill: The Sunlancer Bow, a spell created by the Dragon Masters, is capable of taking out even a Dragon King with one shot.

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* OneHitKill: The Sunlancer Bow, a spell created by the Dragon Masters, is capable of taking out even a Dragon King with one shot. The drawbacks are that it's a difficult spell to cast, can take some time to set up depending on the time of day, and it drains a decent chunk of energy to perform.

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* GreatBigLibraryOfEverything: The Library in Penacles is rumored to contain the answers to any question. However, the answers are often cryptic and very difficult to decipher.
* IdentityAmnesia: The Gryphon washed up on the shores of the Dragonrealm with no memory of how he arrived there or who he really was. ''Wolfhelm'' explores his origin story as he travels across the seas to the lands of the Ravager, where he came from. [[spoiler: He's a Master Guardian of the Dream Lands.]]
* InterspeciesRomance: Although uncommon, it does happen often enough. For instance, the Gryphon (a unique human/animal hybrid) takes a [[CatPeople cat-person]] (Troia) as a mate. They are even genetically compatible enough to bear children.

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* GreatBigLibraryOfEverything: The Library in Penacles is rumored to contain the answers to any question. However, the answers are often cryptic and very difficult to decipher.
decipher. [[spoiler:This was intentional on the part of its original creator.]]
* IdentityAmnesia: The Gryphon washed up on the shores of the Dragonrealm with no memory of how he arrived there or who he really was. ''Wolfhelm'' explores his origin story as he travels across the seas to the lands of the Ravager, where he came from. [[spoiler: He's a Master Guardian of the Dream Lands.Lands who was forcibly altered by the Ravager.]]
* InterspeciesRomance: Although uncommon, it does happen often enough. For instance, the Gryphon (a unique human/animal hybrid) takes a [[CatPeople cat-person]] (Troia) as a mate. They are even [[HalfHumanHybrid genetically compatible enough to bear children]]. Cabe is a human who can claim elven ancestry. [[spoiler:Humans and drakes are also compatible enough to have children.]]



* PurpleIsPowerful: Dragon King Purple (who died during the Turning War) was arguably even more powerful than the Dragon Emperor Gold, if only because Purple controlled the city of Penacles and its [[GreatBigLibraryOfEverything Library]].

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* PurpleIsPowerful: Dragon King Purple (who died during the Turning War) was arguably even more powerful than the Dragon Emperor Gold, if only because Purple controlled the city of Penacles and its [[GreatBigLibraryOfEverything Library]]. [[spoiler:He also had aspirations of [[TheStarscream usurping Gold]] via believing he legitimately ''was'' more powerful, and had the heroes not stopped him since his plans would have led to mankind's utter subservience to drakes forever would as well likely would have succeeded in his planned betrayal.]]



* WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity: Shows up frequently, especially among Dragon Kings. Gold, Ice, Brown, and Crystal are not known for being the most rational. Duke Toma is more calculating than most, but he's also quite mad with power. Azran [[spoiler: Bedlam, Cabe's father and Nathan's son]], goes completely off the deep end while creating the [[{{BFS}} Nameless]]. Many--if not most--members of the Tezerenee clan suffer from this trope. [[spoiler: Shade, Dragon King Crystal, and the Tzee are all former members of the Tezerenee clan still alive and all are quite, quite mad.]]

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* WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity: Shows up frequently, especially among Dragon Kings. Gold, Ice, Brown, and Crystal are not known for being the most rational. Duke Toma is more calculating than most, but he's also quite mad with power. Azran [[spoiler: Bedlam, Cabe's father and Nathan's son]], goes completely off the deep end while creating the [[{{BFS}} Nameless]]. Many--if not most--members of the Tezerenee clan suffer from this trope. [[spoiler: Shade, Dragon King Crystal, and the Tzee are all former members of the Tezerenee clan still alive and all are quite, quite mad.]]mad, though the sanity of the former two ebbs and flows depending on the circumstances.]]
* WizardsLiveLonger:
** Human wizards can live on average for 300 years, with exceptionally powerful ones being able to extend that further and even those with little power having extended lifespans by several decades. This is due to both slowed aging and the use of rejuvenation spells, to the point it's not uncommon for a wizard who looks to be in his 20s or 30s to actually be over 100. As wizards near the end of their life, however, it takes more energy to maintain such spells, and they'll start aging much more normally.
** Drakes can live even longer, with it being mentioned the strongest can live up to 1000 years. Though given the drakes' perchance for battle and treachery, it's hard to find any that live over 600. [[spoiler:The Crystal Dragon King was an exception, being the first of his line and outliving ''several'' of his "heirs" through age alone, though he had the help of a powerful artifact for that matter.]]
** The Vraad were even more impressive, their {{Physical God}}-like magic allowing them to live for thousands of years and still only look middle-aged. Their arrival in the Dragonrealm, along with the loss of much of said magic, also came with effects of age creeping up on them faster, which several found quite disconcerting after living for so long without signs of visible aging. Gerrod Tezerenne, one of the youngest of his clan, was about 900 years old when he made the crossing of worlds [[spoiler:and would go on to outlive many of them when he became Shade, who's practically a TimeAbyss, though [[ResurrectiveImmortality he cheats in that regard.]]]]
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* DoomedByCanon: The ''Turning War'' prequel series. ''ALL'' of the characters are DoomedByCanon to some extent. All of the events set up the backstory of ''Firedrake'', the first novel in the ''Dragonrealm'' series. [[spoiler: Nathan Bedlam dies, but imparts some of his soul into his newly born grandson, Cabe. The Turning War itself is doomed to failure, with Azran backstabbing (literally, in a few cases) many of the Dragon Masters.]]
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* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: How the rulership among the Dragon Kings is established. The Dragon Kings are acknowledged as the most powerful members of their respective clans, both physically and magically. The Dragon Emperor (Gold) is even more so. [[spoiler: However, only dragons born from eggs with a special speckled band markings are allow to vie for the rulership of a clan.]]
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** Also Shade. He is introduced in ''Firedrake'' as always having his face in shadow within his hood. A closer look reveals that his features are blurred out. [[spoiler: It's part of his curse of immortality.]]
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* SharingABody: Cabe Bedlam shares his body with [[spoiler: Nathan Bedlam, his grandfather. This is because Nathan imbued Cabe with part of his own soul in order to save Cabe's life when he was a baby.]]
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* PurpleIsPowerful: Dragon King Purple (who died during the Turning War) was arguably even more powerful than the Dragon Emperor Gold, if only because Purple controlled the city of Penacles and its [[GreatBigLibraryOfEverything Library]].
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* OneHitKill: The Sunlancer Bow, a spell created by the Dragon Masters, is capable of taking out even a Dragon King with one shot.
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* NighInvulnerability: As Darkhouse is literally made of the Void, he is very, very difficult to harm, let alone kill. he is somewhat vulnerable to magic, but it takes an extreme source, such as Vraad sorcery, to really cause him much difficulty. He can absorb just about any other magical or physical attack. In fact, he is so over-powered most of the time that many of his conflicts result in a CurbStompBattle against his foes.
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* MedievalStasis: Despite the fact that the novels span centuries, if not millennia, of events in Dragonrealm history, the civilizations and societies remain largely static.
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* LargeHam: Darkhorse. He knows exactly how awesome he is and will tell you in no uncertain terms.
--> "Call me Prince of Darkness, Lucifer, Thanatos, Death--if you wish! You know my nature, but not my mind! If I am different, it is because one must be so when eternal! Otherwise, madness would have taken me long ago!"
--> "Come my darlings! Are you so afraid to embrace a loved one? Have you forgotten so soon that Darkhorse finds you always? Come! Will neither of you be first?"
--> "To demons I may be a demon! To most others, I am he who brings an end to all time!"
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* InterspeciesRomance: Although uncommon, it does happen often enough. For instance, the Gryphon (a unique human/animal hybrid) takes a [[CatPeople cat-person]] (Troia) as a mate. They are even genetically compatible enough to bear children.

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* TheFaceless: The Faceless Ones from the Dreamlands. They are the leftover bodies from the Vraad's earlier attempt to transfer their spirits from Nimth to the Dragonrealm. [[spoiler: The original {{Precursors}} stole the bodies for their own inscrutable purposes.]]



* {{Precursors}}: Where to begin? ''Dragonrealm'' contains several ''layers'' of {{Precursors}}, each more ancient than the last. Going backwards in time, they are roughly as follows: Dragon Kings preceded humans. [[spoiler: Dragon Kings are actually descended from the Vraad--it's sort of complicated]]. Vraad preceded Dragon Kings. [[spoiler: Humans, like Dragon Kings, are descended from Vraad--again, complicated]]. Seekers preceded Vraad. Quel preceded Seekers. An even more ancient race of spirit beings are heavily implied to be the ones who started the whole process going. [[spoiler: Two of these ancient creatures now take the form of the Dragon of the Depths and the Ravager, while others inhabit the bodies of the Faceless Ones residing in the Dream Lands.]]

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* {{Precursors}}: Where to begin? ''Dragonrealm'' contains several ''layers'' of {{Precursors}}, each more ancient than the last. Going backwards in time, they are roughly as follows: Dragon Kings preceded humans. [[spoiler: Dragon Kings are actually descended from the Vraad--it's sort of complicated]]. Vraad preceded Dragon Kings. [[spoiler: Humans, like Dragon Kings, are descended from Vraad--again, complicated]]. Seekers preceded Vraad. Quel preceded Seekers. An even more ancient unnamed race of spirit beings are heavily implied to be the ones who started the whole process going. [[spoiler: Two A remnant of these ancient creatures this race now take the form of the Dragon of the Depths and the Ravager, while others inhabit the bodies of the [[TheFaceless Faceless Ones residing in Ones]] from the Dream Lands.Dreamlands.]]

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* AlienSky: The Vraad homeworld, thanks to centuries of magical abuse by the Vraad, is home to one of these. It's an ever shifting riot of colors and storms sweeping the land.

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* AlienSky: The Vraad homeworld, thanks to centuries of magical abuse by the Vraad, is home to one of these. It's an ever shifting riot of colors and storms sweeping the land. The sky is often described as a nausea-inducing shade of green reminiscent of decay.


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* DeathWorld: Nimth, the homeworld of the Vraad becomes this, due to their abuse of sorcery.


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* {{Weredragon}}: The more advanced Dragon Kings and their broods fall into this category. Male dragons can take the form of armored humanoids which appear mostly human unless you look at them closely. Female dragons have more advanced shapeshifting capabilities that allow them to pass for fully human in most cases.
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* ArmoredDragons: Subverted. When in human form, male dragons appear to be wearing dragonscale armor and helms. It's actually their natural skin.
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* BirdPeople: The Seekers (or Sheekas) qualify--avian humanoids, though their description is somewhat vague. They fly, have feathers, bird heads/faces, and yet walk upright and have limbs capable of great manual dexterity.
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* DarkIsNotEvil: Darkhorse again. He's portrayed as being innocent and naive when it comes to humanity. He's curious and inquisitive and is a tremendously loyal friend. Any evil he commits is almost entirely due to being controlled by an enemy.
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* CurbStompBattle: Darkhorse is quite good at this. A number of adversaries attempt to attack him, but he just laughs and ''absorbs'' them with ThePowerOfTheVoid.
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* AGodAmI: Shows up with disturbing regularity within the series, typically alongside WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity.
** The Ravager absolutely believes he is the god of the Wolf Raiders. [[spoiler: He's actually a powerful {{Familiar}} of the original {{Precursors}} with delusions of godhood.]]
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* Origin of the Dragonrealm

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* Origin of the DragonrealmLiterature/OriginOfTheDragonrealm
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* AerithAndBob: Within the main storyline we have Nathan, who begat Azran, who begat Cabe Bedlam. Who then marries Gwen. You also have Barakas, Lochivan, and Reegan Tezerenee, who are related to Gerrod. So there is definitely a bith of AerithAndBob to this series.

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* JekyllAndHyde: [[spoiler: Shade. He is burdened with a curse that gives him conditional immortality. He can still die, but when he is eventually reborn, he will either adopt a good personality (if he died while evil) or an evil personality (if he died while good). The few people who know of his curse are extremely wary of dealing with him because they never know which personality is dominant. Shade is aware of his curse and is clever enough to manipulate people towards his own ends no matter which personality is dominant.]]

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* JekyllAndHyde: IdentityAmnesia: The Gryphon washed up on the shores of the Dragonrealm with no memory of how he arrived there or who he really was. ''Wolfhelm'' explores his origin story as he travels across the seas to the lands of the Ravager, where he came from. [[spoiler: Shade. He is burdened with He's a curse that gives him conditional immortality. He can still die, but when he is eventually reborn, he will either adopt a good personality (if he died while evil) or an evil personality (if he died while good). The few people who know Master Guardian of his curse are extremely wary of dealing with him because they never know which personality is dominant. Shade is aware of his curse and is clever enough to manipulate people towards his own ends no matter which personality is dominant.the Dream Lands.]]



* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Several show up within the series.
** Cabe Bedlam and his wife Gwen within the environs of the Green Manor.
** The Gryphon is an able and reasonable ruler for the city-state of Penacles.
** Dragon Kings Blue and Green are also perceived as decent rulers [[spoiler: though Green eventually pulls a FaceHeelTurn against the Bedlams, souring that relationship for a very long time]].
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* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Several show up within the series.
** Cabe Bedlam and his wife Gwen within the environs of the Green Manor.
** The Gryphon is an able and reasonable ruler for the city-state of Penacles.
** Dragon Kings Blue and Green are also perceived as decent rulers [[spoiler: though Green eventually pulls a FaceHeelTurn against the Bedlams, souring that relationship for a very long time]].
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* JekyllAndHyde: [[spoiler: Shade. He is burdened with a curse that gives him conditional immortality. He can still die, but when he is eventually reborn, he will either adopt a good personality (if he died while evil) or an evil personality (if he died while good). The few people who know of his curse are extremely wary of dealing with him because they never know which personality is dominant. Shade is aware of his curse and is clever enough to manipulate people towards his own ends no matter which personality is dominant.]]
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* {{Precursors}}: Where to begin? ''Dragonrealm'' contains several ''layers'' of {{Precursors}}, each more ancient than the last. Going backwards in time, they are roughly as follows: Dragon Kings preceded humans. [[spoiler: Dragon Kings are actually descended from the Vraad--it's sort of complicated.]]. Vraad preceded Dragon Kings. [[spoiler: Humans, like Dragon Kings, are descended from Vraad--again, complicated!]] Seekers preceded Vraad. Quel preceded Seekers. And an even more ancient race of spirit beings are heavily implied to be the ones who started the whole process going.

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* {{Precursors}}: Where to begin? ''Dragonrealm'' contains several ''layers'' of {{Precursors}}, each more ancient than the last. Going backwards in time, they are roughly as follows: Dragon Kings preceded humans. [[spoiler: Dragon Kings are actually descended from the Vraad--it's sort of complicated.]].complicated]]. Vraad preceded Dragon Kings. [[spoiler: Humans, like Dragon Kings, are descended from Vraad--again, complicated!]] complicated]]. Seekers preceded Vraad. Quel preceded Seekers. And an An even more ancient race of spirit beings are heavily implied to be the ones who started the whole process going.going. [[spoiler: Two of these ancient creatures now take the form of the Dragon of the Depths and the Ravager, while others inhabit the bodies of the Faceless Ones residing in the Dream Lands.]]



* WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity: Shows up frequently, especially among Dragon Kings. Gold, Ice, Brown, and Crystal are not known for being the most rational. Duke Toma is more calculating than most, but he's also quite mad with power. Thanks to Shade's curse, he's also quite insane. Azran [[spoiler: Bedlam, Cabe's father and Nathan's son]], goes completely off the deep end while creating the [[{{BFS}} Nameless]]. Many--if not most--members of the Tezerenee clan suffer from this trope.

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* WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity: Shows up frequently, especially among Dragon Kings. Gold, Ice, Brown, and Crystal are not known for being the most rational. Duke Toma is more calculating than most, but he's also quite mad with power. Thanks to Shade's curse, he's also quite insane. Azran [[spoiler: Bedlam, Cabe's father and Nathan's son]], goes completely off the deep end while creating the [[{{BFS}} Nameless]]. Many--if not most--members of the Tezerenee clan suffer from this trope. [[spoiler: Shade, Dragon King Crystal, and the Tzee are all former members of the Tezerenee clan still alive and all are quite, quite mad.]]
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* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: Dragon Kings in general are quite long lived, though there are some Dragon Kings that stand out. Ice and Storm are among the oldest and most powerful. Crystal is an order of magnitude older and more powerful. Shade is nearly immortal, though it's also his curse. Sorcerers are known to live for centuries. The Gryphon is also quite long-lived, having played an active role in current events since the Turning Wars 200 years ago, with no signs of slowing down.

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* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: Dragon Kings in general are quite long lived, though there are some Dragon Kings that stand out. Ice and Storm are among the oldest and most powerful. Crystal is an order of magnitude older and more powerful. Shade is nearly immortal, though it's also his curse. Sorcerers are known to live for centuries. The Gryphon is also quite long-lived, having played an active role in current events since the Turning Wars 200 years ago, with no signs of slowing down.down.
* WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity: Shows up frequently, especially among Dragon Kings. Gold, Ice, Brown, and Crystal are not known for being the most rational. Duke Toma is more calculating than most, but he's also quite mad with power. Thanks to Shade's curse, he's also quite insane. Azran [[spoiler: Bedlam, Cabe's father and Nathan's son]], goes completely off the deep end while creating the [[{{BFS}} Nameless]]. Many--if not most--members of the Tezerenee clan suffer from this trope.
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* PatchworkMap: The Dragonrealm is the quintessential patchwork map. There is little rhyme or reason to the geography, other than that it reflects the personality of the Dragon King that rules over each region. Some of the oddities are due to magical intervention. The Barren Lands (ruled by Brown) used to be verdant forests and grasslands until a ritual gone awry turned them into a desert. ''Another'' ritual gone awry then turned the Barren Lands back into forests (though the name stuck).
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''Dragonrealm'' is an open-ended fantasy series by Creator/RichardKnaak. The series mostly follows events related to the sorcerous Bedlam family, but a few novels focus on the adventures of other significant characters.

''Dragonrealm'' consists of the following series / novels:

*Origin of the Dragonrealm
**''The Shrouded Realm''
**''Children of the Drake''
**''Dragon Tome''
*The Turning War
**''Dragon Masters''
**''The Gryphon Mage''
**''The Horned Blade''
*''Firedrake''
*''Ice Dragon''
*''Wolfhelm''
*''Shadow Steed''
*''The Crystal Dragon''
*''The Dragon Crown''
*''The Horse King''
*''Shade''
*''Knights of the Frost''

Novellas:
*"Skins"
*"Past Dance"
*"Storm Lord"
*"The Still Lands"
*"Dragon Master"
*"A Wolf in the Fold"
*"A Game of Ghosts"

!!''Dragonrealm'' provides examples of:
* ApocalypseHow: Shows up several times.
** During the events of the Turning War, the lands of Dragon King Brown were turned into a wasteland.
** Dragon King Ice deliberately attempts to engineer a planetary form of this trope in ''Ice Dragon.''
** The Vraad accidentally trigger one through their abuse of magic by the time of the events in ''The Shrouded Realm.'' This forces them to flee from their world to the Dragonrealm for survival.
* AlienSky: The Vraad homeworld, thanks to centuries of magical abuse by the Vraad, is home to one of these. It's an ever shifting riot of colors and storms sweeping the land.
* {{BFS}}: Both the Horned Blade and the Nameless from ''Firedrake'' qualify.
* CatFolk: Troia, one of the guardians of the Dream Lands belongs to a race of catlike people.
* TheChosenOne: Cabe Bedlam in ''Firedrake'' and ''Ice Dragon'' is very clearly made to be TheChosenOne as everyone in the Dragonrealms is looking for him, either to sacrifice him in a dark ritual, or turn his potential magical abilities to their own advantage. [[spoiler: Cabe Bedlam carries a soul-fragment of his grandfather Nathan Bedlam.]]
* GreatBigLibraryOfEverything: The Library in Penacles is rumored to contain the answers to any question. However, the answers are often cryptic and very difficult to decipher.
* OurGryphonsAreDifferent: The Gryphon is a unique creature. He's bipedal, with the head/face of an eagle. His hands are clawed talons, something of a cross between an eagle and a cat. His legs resemble a lion standing erect. He does not have a tail, but he does have vestigial wings on his back. He's a bit sensitive about these, so the Gryphon (that's his name as well as his race) hides them with loose-fitting clothing most of the time. [[spoiler: He's one of the Master Guardians of the Dream Lands who went rogue--all of the Master Guardians are unique creatures.]]
* PowerOfTheVoid: [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Darkhorse]] is ''made'' of the Void. He's a sentient [[SphereOfDestruction sphere of annihilation]] in the shape of, well, a horse.
* {{Precursors}}: Where to begin? ''Dragonrealm'' contains several ''layers'' of {{Precursors}}, each more ancient than the last. Going backwards in time, they are roughly as follows: Dragon Kings preceded humans. [[spoiler: Dragon Kings are actually descended from the Vraad--it's sort of complicated.]]. Vraad preceded Dragon Kings. [[spoiler: Humans, like Dragon Kings, are descended from Vraad--again, complicated!]] Seekers preceded Vraad. Quel preceded Seekers. And an even more ancient race of spirit beings are heavily implied to be the ones who started the whole process going.
* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: Dragon Kings in general are quite long lived, though there are some Dragon Kings that stand out. Ice and Storm are among the oldest and most powerful. Crystal is an order of magnitude older and more powerful. Shade is nearly immortal, though it's also his curse. Sorcerers are known to live for centuries. The Gryphon is also quite long-lived, having played an active role in current events since the Turning Wars 200 years ago, with no signs of slowing down.

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