The Surface of Nastrondir during the First Days
"Only the Eldest can remember fragments of the First Days. Contrary to it's name, the First Days lasted longer then the First Age and Second Age combined."
Dragons refer to themselves as the
"Firstborn". This isn't far from the truth, as they were born in the moment the
Lindwyrm's body crashed upon the surface of the
Ginnungagap. As if escaping a prison, the first Dragons tore through the serpent's womb, and thousands of them filled the sky above the newly formed
Nastrondir.
They were first, but not alone. The corpse of the Lindwyrm spasmed and twitched, and malformed creatures sprouted from beneath it's flesh like tumors. These monsters were not animals. They had no form of consciousness or ego. They did not feel hunger like the Dragons, nor did they feel pain or get tired. They were creatures born from the blind rage the Lindwyrm held for all of creation in it's final moments. The
Mortals of the
First Age would name these creatures
"Daemons", as was their tradition to give names to things. But these creatures were not a race, not really, as no two Daemons are alike in form. They cannot breed, and can only be born directly from the Lindwyrm's body. The Dragons of the First Age managed to eradicate the Daemons on the surface of Nastrondir after many generations, but these creatures can still be found in the
Second Age deep beneath the earth.
As the surface of Nastrondir settled, the
God Weapons that had killed the Lindwyrm still raged against it's body. The skies above Nastrondir were filled with the
Crimson Lightning of
Graveryl, the divine spear lodged into the Lindwyrm's back. The
Silver Fire of the arrows launched from
Tasla scorched the surface, and many juvenile Dragons were burnt alive in massive wild fires. The
Black Oil of
Belderiver, stabbed into the Heart of the Lindwyrm, overflowed from the wound and poisoned the newly formed seas around Nastrondir. Many Dragons perished during this savage era, either to these divine plagues, battles with Daemons, or predation from their own kin.
Those that survived witnessed the lands transform over time. The flesh of the Lindwyrm turned to soil, it's bones to rock, and it's blood into water. Eventually, even the God Weapons subsided. The Crimson Lightning would only ravage the
Storm Coast, giving Dragons dominion over most of the skies above Nastrondir. The Silver Flame dissipated form all regions save the Crater in the
Wyrmscrown, that had once been the Lindwyrm's eye socket. The flow of Black Oil began to retract, and the seas of Nastrondir diluted the poison enough to allow Dragons safe passage through it's depths. Over countless generations passed before Nastrondir turned from the hell scape of the First Days into the world we know in the Second Age.
Solas Muur, the Prince of Orphans
"The Dragon-Lord of Wandering Isle is known for his eccentric tastes, as well as his love of Mortals. In the Second Age he has enchanted his island to wander The Lir, to protect his people from the dangers of outside world."
As the Daemons retreated beneath the earth, other creatures appeared on the surface. They were more similar to the Dragons, having a need to eat and rest. They did not attack mindlessly, and thus the first Dragons saw no need to wipe them out. These Dragons had no higher intelligence, but were cunning animals. Over time several Dragons found ways to shepherd massive flocks of specific beasts together. They would protect them from other Dragons and feed on them only when hungry. It was these more far-minded Dragons that would become the
Dragon-Lords of the First Age, but it wasn't until the appearance of Mortals that the Dragons gained true wisdom.
The Dragon-Lords of the First Age believed that Mortals were born from beasts that lived around the areas the God Weapons resided. They believed
Humans were born in the Ashen Wastes around Belderiver. That
Dwarves came from deep within the heart of
Wyrmspine where the spear tip of Graveryl resides. The
Elves are believed to have been born from beasts that huddled around the Silver Fire for warmth in the frigid Wyrmscrown. Because Dragons were not thinking creatures yet, there is no record of when Mortals appeared. But when Dragons finally came into contact with Mortals, a miraculous transformation took place that changed the future of both races. The Dragons began to think.
The Dragons who came into repeated contact with Mortals found themselves gaining some form of insight that existed outside of instinct and animal cunning. They could think, reason, plan, and for the first time study their own forms. They found themselves distinct from their still feral brethren, and decided to refer to themselves as
High-Dragons. At first the High-Dragons merely observed the world, attempting to grasp their own place in it by using the fragmented memories they had when they were feral. They began to experiment with the natural Gifts they were born with, and many discovered the power of the
Dragon Tongue (Miracles) that could reshape the world with ease.
The first Dragon to take up
A Second Skin is unknown, but the desire to interact with Mortals is a widely held desire among High-Dragons. It is believed this is due to the fact that eating Mortals gives no nourishment to Dragons, and thus their only use was as a curiosity. The High-Dragons who transformed themselves in Mortals and joined communities found themselves subjected to situations they have never been in before. The Dragons, who had always been solitary creatures, found friendship, camaraderie, and even love amongst the Mortals. For awhile these High-Dragons hid their nature from the Mortals, but as threats of Nastrondir became greater many High-Dragons chose to reveal themselves. Reactions were varied, depending on the situation, but eventually many Mortal communities began to venerate the High-Dragons as protectors, leaders, and Gods. These High-Dragons took up the mantle of Dragon-Lord, and created Nations to protect themselves and their people. The Mortals refer to this time, where Nastrondir was divided up by the Dragon-Lords, as the First Age.
Not all Dragon-Lords were kindhearted however, some High-Dragons simply desired to be worshipped, and looked down on Mortals as lower lifeforms. They ruled through brute force and tyranny. As the First Age continued more Dragon-Lords rose to prominence. Territory became scarce, and some Dragon-Lords went on wars of conquest to claim more for themselves and their people. The most powerful of the High-Dragons controlled vast territories, and had evolved into even more powerful versions of themselves,
Elder Dragons. The difference between a High-Dragon and an Elder Dragon is like the difference between a young adolescent and a full adult. The Elder Dragons were powerful enough to impose their will upon the other High Dragons, and soon a time of relative peace descended upon Nastrondir. Mortal scholars refer to this time period as "The High First Age" where the peace imposed by the Elder Dragon-Lords reigned supreme.
It wasn't until the birth of the
Archdragons that this peace would shatter, and the First Age would end.
Baal Shax, the Blackveiled
"The Tyrant of Belrandir was a monstrous Dragon-Lord who ruled through fear and terror. When he returned from the war against the Archdragons, his people took up arms against him. Thus did one of the greatest Elder Dragons of the First Age perish to Mortal hands."
The
Age of Fire is a time period dwarfed by the First Age and the Second Age, but it was a time of such incredible strife that it was given an Age of it's own. It began at the height of the First Age, as the most intelligent Dragon-Lords continued to study and examine the nature of Nastrondir. They discovered
Seithr, the life energy that all creatures born of the Lindwyrm possessed, and
Aeithr the divine energy from beyond the Stars. Dragons could consume and manipulate Seithr better then any other creature on Nastrondir. Aeithr eluded them however, being unable to consume or manipulate it. In fact, concentrated Aeithr could damage them, and the God Weapons imbeded into Nastrondir was the strongest source of Aeithr. Most beings on Nastrondir were also averse to Aeithr, causing most animals to avoid it's presence. Only Mortals could tolerate it, and in fact some could even consume it to gain power.
The Dragon-Lords who studied it were obsessed with Aeithr, their pride not allowing them to leave something so prevalent in the Universe go unknown. Many would induce evolution onto themselves in order to somehow gain the ability to consume Aeithr. Many Mortal generations came and went, as these immortal scholars continued to research, until one was daring enough to take drastic steps. High-Dragons had long ago learned ways to absorb Seithr directly from the Land they marked as their own. Doing so allowed them to stop eating for nourishment, and enhanced their powers in the territory they controlled. The Elder Dragons were even more powerful in this art, and had long obtained the ability to manipulate every atom of Seithr under their rule. By using this power to the fullest, it was believed by some Dragon scholars that a final evolution could be achieved. One that would give an Elder Dragon full grasp of all matter in the Universe.
The name of the first Elder Dragon to perform this ritual has been wiped from history. It's sin so great that all of Dragonkind refer to it only as
Nidhogg, Dragon-Tongue for "The Defiled". Three other Elder Dragons would follow in it's footsteps, and like the first, they would be given the derogatory names of
Fafnir (Blood Enemy),
Ofnir (Sworn Enemy), and
Svafnir (Black Enemy). The ritual these Dragon-Lords performed absorbed all Seithr in their territory, which at the time killed all life in the vicinity. Even far into the Second Age these lands carry the mark of the ritual, as life slowly returns to them. What was left of their lands were massive cocoons which cradled the abominations the Elder Dragons had become.
The Archdragons emerged into the world with a shattering roar that was heard across all Nastrondir. They awoke with a hunger that could no longer be sated with Seithr, and thus did they hunt for sources of Aeithr. They would devour Mortals with impunity, never stopping long as their thirst for divine energy was unquenchable. The Dragon-Lords who first fought them were no match for their new Divine powers, and many were lost in the carnage that was now called the Age of Fire.
The battles raged for many years, until finally a group of Dragon-Lords who could put aside their grudges against one another joined together to fight against their common enemy. They managed to slay Nidhogg, whose body rests on an island at the tip of the Wyrmstail. They drove off the other three Archdragons, two of which flew toward the High Heavens in search of Aeithr from the Gods themselves. The final one, Ofnir, was terribly injured and fled to the depths of
The Aegir. Many hope that it continued it's descent into the
Ginnungagap, but the Elder Dragons who survived the Age of Fire still fear it's return.
Of the Elder Dragons who fought, only a handful returned, and none unscathed. Many were forced into healing meditations that lasted many decades, and while they healed the Mortals they ruled were visited by voices from beyond the Stars. The Gods had finally taken notice of Nastrondir.
Arthuin, Prince of Oolinde, battles Cridhe Bheithir
"When the Light Elves rebelled against the Autumn Queen, she met their betrayal with Fire and Blood."
When the Gods slew the Lindwyrm they left only their God Weapons as well as two beings they created to watch over it's body.
Mene the Observant White Moon and
Mani the Tireless Black Moon. Both were Demi-Gods assigned with ensuring the Lindwyrm never arose from it's grave, but neither were given instructions for the creatures that stirred upon the monster's corpse. Thus did they continue to monitor Nastrondir without interfering for the entirety of the First Age. Only with the birth of the Archdragons did the Moons stir to life, and begin sending reports back to the Heavenly Realms. The Archdragons were more similar to the Lindwyrm then any other creature born from it's body, and devoured
Holy Light like the Eldritch Horror that sired them.
The Gods were horrified by the appearance of the Archdragons, but did not feel threatened. They were nowhere near as powerful as the Lindwyrm, and were miniscule compared to the vast bodies of the Gods. If the Lindwyrm had been like a Dragon to the Gods, the Archdragons were like snakes. Dangerous, but not something to go to war against.
That changed when the Archdragons fled Nastrondir, and flew toward the
Heavenly Realms. What happened to them is unknown, but the Gods feared more of them rising from that forsaken world and took actions. Through Mene and Mani they could directly observe the surface of Nastrondir, and through these lenses could influence things even from far away in the
Astral Sea. On the surface they made a discovery that changed their plans on how to deal with the Archdragon threat.
Among the malformed creatures born from the Lindwyrm, a few somehow held the Holy Light within their insignificant souls. The Gods could manipulate Aeithr just like the Dragons manipulated Seithr, and thus the bases of the
New Covenant formed. The Gods were able to speak to certain mortals who held higher concentrations of Aeithr, and through them did they manipulate others. These
Chosen were referred to by different names depending on the race. The Humans called these people
Saints, and they became prophets for the common people who gathered around them fervently. The Elves who were Chosen became
High Elves, and were more numerous then any of the other Chosen, becoming a new upper-class within each Elven Tribe. The Chosen Dwarves became
Paragons, and the knowledge imparted to them by the Gods allowed them to create new inventions that pushed the Dwarven Kingdoms into an industrial age.
Each race formed a different religion around the
New Gods, with different doctrines and rituals. But all of them shared one single command that could not be altered, never be a friend to Dragonkind. It was this doctrine that would lead to the fall of the weakened Dragon-Lords, and set the stage of the Second Age.
A newly hatched Dragon-Newt
"Don't let their cute beginnings fool you. They'll be the size of a horse in a moon, and the size a house by year's end."
Dragons possess both sex organs, and are able to procreate with themselves. In fact this is actually the most normal circumstance for a Dragon's birth parent. Dragons live apart from their kind as much as they can, and only with the discovery of Mortal relationships did any Dragons even try to procreate with one another. These relationships are always short (By Dragon standards), as the territorial instincts would cause even the most intelligent Dragons to grow sick of each other after a century.
Most Dragons are born in a clutch of several siblings... and they will cannibalize each other once they hatch from the nest. Usually the survivor is the one that was born first. Rarely will a Dragon have a living parent, as most Dragons will only lay a clutch of eggs if they believe their death is approaching and want to ensure the survival of their genes. Siblings are rare, but not impossible as the two strongest may be unable to devour one another, or one is able to escape it's fate by leaving the nest early. The parent desires this outcome, in hopes that the strongest child is the survivor. Dragons born from two parents may have wildly different experiences to this, and it may even mirror a Mortal family...except the child is more like a pet. Since Dragons don't gain higher intelligence for long periods of time, the parent will quickly lose interest in them once the cute phase is gone. Interestingly enough when there are two parents they will usually only lay a single egg instead of a clutch, likely to avoid witnessing the fratricide.
A Dragon-Newt will be considered a full Dragon around 50 years after hatching, but they will continue to grow the reset of their life. Dragons can go through
Evolution but it is always induced by outside factors. The Environment or a particularly nasty fight will cause a Dragon to go into Evolution. If the Dragon's environment changes it is possible for these new mutations to atrophy, and a Dragon could even lose a Gift or Word overtime. The moment a Dragon obtains higher intelligence, they can be considered a High-Dragon. These Dragons are usually centuries old at this point, with the youngest being at least over 150 years old.
Dragons inherited the greatest powers of the Lindwyrm, the ability to absorb and the ability to evolve. Dragons absorb Seithr by eating lifeforms rich in it, and later in life they can absorb it directly from the lands they control. This is the fuel for their Gifts and Miracles which Dragons call the Dragon-Tongue. It is a language that they instinctively know, and likely the Lindwyrm's language. When Dragons use the Dragon-Tongue it will always require Seithr in some form, either from the Dragon themselves or the Land itself. Seithr is never lost, it only changes forms. If something dies while using up all it's Seithr that energy will eventually return to Nastrondir to be used again. Only the Archdragons were able to completely destroy Seithr, but even the lands they robbed of it are slowly recovering in the Second Age.
Evolution is something all Dragons possess, and they are constantly evolving over their lifetime. Evolution is what this game calls Leveling Up. By Evolving Dragons get stronger, gain new Facts, and can develop new Words/Gifts. Dragons who live in the Seas gain traits from it, Dragons who live in the desert gain Earth traits, and so on. When a Dragon becomes a High-Dragon they can finally intelligently design their evolutions to fit their needs. This is why High-Dragons and Elder Dragons are much stronger then normal Dragons who have yet to unlock their higher intelligence. Along with being able to influence their own evolution, High-Dragons can also now apply esoteric powers to themselves that don't appear in nature. Things such as Governance, Engineering, Music, and other concepts become available to High-Dragons.
This is why every player in this game will start their story as a High-Dragon, for Dragons beneath that form are mostly animals.
When players get enough Seithr(XP) they can choose to return to their
Lair. Here they can enter a state of Evolution which at least lasts for a Scene. While in this state you are completely helpless, and must either take the risk, or gain protection from followers or fellow players. Evolution will always change your Dragon's Physical body in some way. They will either get larger, or gain a new feature on their body. When a High-Dragon has evolved into a form they deem at or near their ideal state, they may take on the mantle of Elder Dragon. Elder Dragons don't really care about age, but are more about how much Seithr a Dragon has absorbed, and if it was used to Evolve intelligently. You will have the chance to apply the Elder Dragon status to your character after level 5, this will impart with you a second name and a title.
Players who have chosen surnames already, they won't be applied to your character until you reach the Elder Dragon stage.
Character Creation Notes
- Follow normal Godbound Character Creation rules EXCEPT one of your Starting Words must be Dragon, and you may take A Second Skin as a free Gift.
- Words not found in the Main Rulebook (Yes even Thrones) are subject to inspection and may get rejected.
- Your character will be 1000+ years in age. Do not think about this too much, as Dragons are not effected by this the same way a human would. The current year is 1221 SA, and you hatched toward the end of the Age of Fire.
- Levels will be gained through story progression, so do not expect to grind levels or gain advancement fast. You will all gain experience at the same rate regardless of what you are doing. Advancement is more related to factions and organizations.
- Character Creation will take place after Players are chosen. I won't be approving any CS's until next week*.
Main Dragon Theme: Time of Change
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:07, Sun 30 July 2023.
