Dragon Changed

          Background: When a dragon is dying there is a way to prolong his/her life but s/he will only be a mere shadow of their draconic self. There is a spell which attaches the dragon's spirit to a human, imbuing the new host with specific qualities, but the spirit begins to sleep and is only called upon by the human counterpart. The number of time the dragon's spirit may be used varies based on the dragon's natural life span and power before the spirit fades and human host is released. The human does not have to be willing, but the rewards are great. Dragons usually try to groom a host before death for this purpose.

          Physical Qualities: Coloring depends on the dragon, but the human host usually develops bright eyes, thicker hair, tougher and clearer skin along with color changes. Muscles become denser and fitter. Vision increases. Taste is heightened. Life is extended.
          Mental Qualities: Sometimes the strength of the dragon is such that s/he can be present at all times in the human mind. Even without the dragon's presence, the host has access to most knowledge the dragon brought. Also the temperament of the dragon can implant itself on the human's personality, not totally suppressing the original but acting as a heavy influence.
          In summary, the dragon changed become visually different from their previous selves. They become stronger and they live longer. Their skills and wisdom now encompass that of a dragon. They have a secret weapon if they are ever in a situation which they need to call upon the power of a dragon's spirit.

          Story Summary: As a forced dragon changed, a young man now lives with a red/gold dragon's spirit attached to him. Not only did the young man not agree to the binding, the dragon was one of the strongest and was about to die unnaturally which means the dragon's presence is fairly constant as a clear voice in the man's mind and as a character in the man's dreams.

Story: He was one of the most powerful mages in the dragon community. He had cultivated many gems of power, artifacts of legend, friends among species, and many dangerous enemies. His latest research was about influencing minds, in particular the influence of the masses. He justified the research with examples of calming riots, broadcasting information, better disciplined armies, or stopping the cry for war. Through his studies he had found which spells to use in combination that affect thoughts in the mind. He had also just discovered the level of subtly which affects the mind enough for the subject to act upon the influence without alerting the subject.
          At this point he was attacked in surprise by a human warlock. The warlock managed to kill the human that was to be the dragon's host before inflicting a fatal blow during the prolonged battle.
          Eventually the dragon became too weak and used the last bit of his strength to send out an anchor for the spirit transfer. The anchor falls upon a sleeping young man in the village just south of his lair. He wants to live long enough to stop his work from falling into the wrong hands.

          The young man comes from a small village that had been under the protection of a wise and powerful red dragon. In return for his protection, they offered to help him in his research. During one night the young man ways up to a painfully bright light. A moment later he passes out. He wakes to a voice in his head. Once fully conscious the voice explains to him the situation that he is now a dragon changed. The dragon spirit now wants this young man to go stop the warlock but all the man wants to do is follow his father into engineering. He remains resolute until the warlock begins his own experimentation on the village. The young man alone is spared because he is a dragon changed with a strong dragon who can counter the magic.
          Eventually he does defeat the warlock but the stress causes the physical changes to happen very quickly so that when he returns to his village, he isn't quite accepted to a point where he decides to travel.
          Unsure of where he is going or what he is going to do there, he simply chooses the direction by tossing a stick. The dragon is content to let him do as he pleases once he understands the young man's hardships and the young man as a long life ahead of him.
          As the man travels he comes across troubled towns where either his engineering skills or draconic knowledge will help them out. He usually is awarded gifts or a job which gives him money and/or supplies for his next journey. He keeps moving because initially his behavior still isn't settled and he doesn't feel comfortable with so many people. The he comes to enjoy being able to help many people and the gain of knowledge though traveling.