By Dominic Ford
Long ago, when
Dragons walked the empty world alone, they began to struggle mightily
to find their place in this vast world. With so much to explore and
so little to do, the Dragons began to grow restless. As the clans
grew and the younger dragons began to mature, they began to squabble
with each other. This led to a variety of inter-clan struggles, often
resulting in egg stealing and ritualistic dueling. The Elder Dragons
watched this with fear and trepidation in their hearts, and knew they
had to intervene before one Dragon forgot their divine heritage and
killed another. The Elders convened at the First Forge, and discussed
the various issues the clans had with each other. After days of petty
squabbling, they finally concluded that they needed the assistance of
Tiala, the mother of Dragons.
Each Elder brought
forth a small token of their clan for their mother, and Tiala rushed
quickly to help her children .
She
listened carefully to their concerns, and then at the end presented
them with the First Gift, which became the Lost Gift. This was the
Song of Dreaming, the Dragon Horn of Sleep. Simply blowing the horn
played a sweet lullaby which sent the listener to a long sleep filled
with vivid dreams. The council agreed to only use the horn against
the worst offenders, but as time passed their resolve slowly slipped.
Finally a young Dragon was sentenced to a long sleep for building a
wall a few feet higher than his older neighbor desired. In a fit of
rage the young Dragon seized the horn and blew it long and hard,
sending the entire council of Elder Dragons into a deep sleep. When
they awoke, the horn was gone, lost forever. Thus was the First Gift
received, abused, and lost.
The Elder Dragons,
again at a loss and now without even the basic punishment of the
Horn, turned to their divine father, Bahu. Their gifts woke him from
slumber, and he immediately determined that their conflict stemmed
from nothing more than boredom. Bahu developed and taught each clan
secret methods for creating a strong material, unique to each clan.
This formed the Second Gift, which is the forgotten forge lore. This
was the True Secret of Fire, purest Dragon Steel. Naturally, the
clans were far from content with their own secrets and sought that of
the other clans. Each clan engaged different methods, varying from
the Iron hiding in forges and Gold seducing Masters to Blue scrying
for secrets and Silver torturing those who opposed them. This only
served to increase the inter-clan conflict, as each clan had new
reasons to be angry with the other clans.
Worried and unsure
of what to do next, the Elders once again went to Tiala, seeking her
wisdom once again. Tiala was greatly displeased to see her children
again, and flew south, across the great plain and beyond the Southern
Lands, on the border between the Dragon mountains and the great
birthing place, which had become the Dragon Sands. Here she diverted
the winds and dried the land, and created a desert valley trapped by
high mountain wells. She called for the Elders, and they came, one at
a time, to answer their mother. Tiala showed them this new place, the
Third Gift, the Dead Lands, and promised the Dragons this would be a
place of solitude, where they could think and consider their actions.
Each Elder, save the White, waited within the confines of this
desolate valley until the flesh rotted from their bones and their
power infused the sand, the air, the mountains with powerful and
dangerous magic. The White Elders stand today, guardians of this
ancient place, torn between their final respite and their sacred
protective duty.
Younger Dragons knew
they couldn't last long without a council of Elders to watch over
them, and each clan set their own criteria for who should sit on the
council. The Silver dragons chose based purely on age, the Whites
based on number of offspring, the Coppers on crop yields and the
Blacks on an election system. Each clan chose a different way, but
eventually a new council was convened, but the strife and conflict
between clans was stronger than ever. At last, the Dragons turned to
Bahu a second time, pleading for something to end the worst crimes -
the egg stealing and the constant shedding of blood outside formal
duels. Bahu found the worst offender, a Dragon who had stolen at
least twenty eggs from each other clan. With this criminal Bahu set
the example and began the Rite of Dra-keth, ripping off the dragons
front wing bones and cursing the Dragon to amplify pain and hunger,
remind her of her crimes and feeding on her intellect. This formed
the Fourth Gift, the unmentionable gift, the path to Destruction, the
Dra-Keth.
After several years
of performing the rite only against those who most deserved it, the
young Council grew concerned again. The authorized blood duels were
getting more frequent and less lenient, and the Council worried it
was only a matter of time before one Dragon killed another outright.
Finally they went to the first forge and spent five long months in
prayer and meditation, avoiding all food, drink, or carnal vices.
Thin and weary, they called upon both Tiala and Bahu for guidance.
Their parents arrived to find the young councilors on the brink of
starvation, and knew the Dragons needed something to keep them
occupied and distracted. Tiala and Bahu exchanged a knowing look, and
developed a plan. Tiala formed dozens of small creatures and Bahu
breathed them to life. This was the Fifth Gift, meant to be the Great
Distraction. This became the Pure Honor, as the Dragons became
virtual gods to the Dwarf Children.
The Dwarves,
inspired by their parents, began feuding almost immediately. The
Dragons, attempting to be as excellent parents as their own, quickly
began to intervene. They spoke of patience, of service, of clan
loyalty above your own, of family and honor. The Dragons began to
follow their own advice, and the danger of murder seemed to lessen
gradually as time went on. Still, strife boiled under the surface.
Bahu and Tiala knew that someday the Fifth Gift would fail their
jealous and difficult children, just as the first four did. Until
that time, the Dragons would be occupied with their children.
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