The Dragon Lord Prologue
In the distant world of Caladonia, where fantasy rules supreme, there is a land filled with wonder. Mathladon, the nation of the four kingdoms. The Elven nation to the north, Alasma, is surrounded by vast forests, bountiful in fruit and plant-life. Its people are all gifted with the power of magic. The vast mountain range to the South is the Dwarven realm, Tortunga, filled with riches hidden deep below the earth. They are expert craftsmen, in steel and stone and though they cannot wield much magic, you would find none better to make enchanted weapons. In-between the land of the Elves and the Dwarves, next to the coast, lies the kingdom of man, Calathorn, the largest of the four nations, comprising of lowlands, perfect for farming, and a good portion of the forest of Alan-or, the border of between Alasma and Calathorn, where the hunters practice their trade. It is a trading nation, buying and selling from both the Dwarves and the Elves. They also possess the ability to change the form of one matter into another, the science of alchemy. Then there is the fourth nation. A vast wasteland at the edge of the country where any creature, whether magical or not, find it difficult to survive. Not because of the inhospitable nature of the land, but because of the inhospitable lords who rule this land. This is the desert of Valona, the domain of the Dragons. Their scales burn like fire in the sun's reflection and their strength is legendary. Yet you will find no creature more intelligent and cunning as they. Dragons were loved by all, great songs and feasts in their honour from the elves and great jewels and suits of armour were created by the dwarves for them. Even the humans admired them but, due to the stubborn pride of the Dragons, had no contact with them. Eventually, out of greed and pride, the Dragons attacked Calathorn, looking for more land. The humans, despite their admiration and fear of dragons, quickly mobilized their forces to defend their nation. Only an elite group with extraordinary skills and equipment, known as the Knights of Calathorn, were able to take the fight to the dragons, but they were too few to make a difference. For a year they raged a bloody war against each other until, after enough blood was spilt, the elves and dwarves stepped in. Though the elves favoured the dragons and the dwarves man, they knew that unless, the war ended, the kingdom of man would cease to exist, and the Dragons would not recover from their loses for many generations. On a small island off the coast of Calathorn an armistice was signed between the two races, and just in time too. A week after it was signed reports came in of strange, dark figures amassing outside the border. Concerned, mankind sent a scouting party to check out these disturbing reports. Ten were sent out, only three returned. They confirmed the reports of monsters on the borders and after confirming their reports with the Elves these creatures were revealed to be Orks, a race of green-skinned marauders who relished battle and conquest. Centuries ago, before either man, dwarf and dragon set foot on Mathladon, the Orks had begun a campaign to conquer all of Mathladon and the native races to Mathladon, known only as the dynasty of the four blades, fought them. The dynasty was made up of giants, shades from the nether-realm, the early ancestors of the elves, the Auleuvian and the strongest of the four races, the Titans. Each of these races fought against the Orks and, after a year of fighting, drove them back beyond the border, but the Orks left a deadly parting gift. A deadly poison against which there seemed no defence. The giants fell first, due to their low immune systems, followed by the shades who, now without any mortal bodies to inhabit, were forced back into oblivion. The Auleuvian, gifted with powerful magic, cast wards to protect themselves and their descendants. However, even with all their power, they could not escape the poison's deadly fate. They were no longer immortal and their vast magical power was severely weakened. Finally fell the Titans. While most of their race fell, a small few offered themselves to the creator, and were spared a death by the poison. They exist now as Demi-Gods, serving the creator in all things. Before the Orks could try again, the first dragons arrived in Mathladon. Fearing the dragon's power, the Orks, in their weakened state, retreated further back towards their homeland. Now they had returned to destroy everyone, and everything, in Mathladon. Under the advice of the elves, all the four nations banded together to defend their country. By now the human military had split into two. The majority of the forces remaining as the Royal Army, the remaining smaller number belonged to the Knights of Calathorn, who had a vendetta to pay against the Orks who had killed their leader, the Knight Commander. For a year the four nations fought against the Orks until, like in the past, they forced them to withdraw. Everyone, bar the Knights, stopped at the country's border, not wishing to walk into an Ork trap. The Knights, still enraged by the loss of their leader, pursued the Orks all the way back to their homeland. Because of this, they were spared the Orks parting gift. Again their poison swept across the land. The Humans were greatly affected, the death toll rising into the thousands. The Dwarves retreated back into their tunnels and sealed them up, trying to prevent the spread of the disease amongst their people. The Elves, though their wards still intact, feared that death would take them if something was not done.
A month after the Orks had fled, whether by accident or a stroke of luck, a young Human scientist decided to combine Elven magic, Dwarven enchantment and Human alchemy together. The result was staggering. An antidote was created capable of curing the Ork's disease from each race. All, bar the dragons, accepted the cure. The dragons did not feel the effects of the poison and thus felt that they were immune. This idea changed when the Knights returned. With their bloodlust sated, and with greater confidence in their abilities, they decided to fulfil the dying wish of the Knight Commander, the eradication of the Dragon race. It was during the first battle between these two foes that the poison took its toll on the dragons. They found their strength weakened and their ability to breathe fire gone. The poison, though not killing them directly, would be the cause of their undoing. With a cocky attitude, the Knights changed their name to the Dragon Slayers of Calathorn. Battle after battle was lost as the Slayers killed more and more dragons. Fearing extinction, some dragons swallowed their pride and went to man for help. They made a deal with man that, in exchange for the cure, the dragons would merge with the human nation and they would become one. Many dragons saw this as a way that man could enslave them, while others believed it was the only way the preserve their species. A quarter of the dragon population submitted to human rule, while the remaining three quarters returned to Valona where they met their fate at the hands of the Slayers. Soon the only dragons that remained were those under the protection of man. Eventually, the Slayers declared that all dragons would be exterminated to prevent anything like the Human-Dragon wars from happening again. Obliged to help the dragons, the rest of man shielded them from the Slayer's wrath. Outraged, the Slayers declared war on the kingdom of man calling them traitors for shielding these mere beasts from the Devine judgement of the Gods. For many months brother battled brother and human sword spilled human blood. The Royal Army outnumbered the Slayers 50:1 yet it could easily be said that one Slayer was worth fifty swordsmen. For many months these two factions fought, neither one gaining the advantage. Humbled by the selfless acts of the humans to protect them, the dragons decided to swallow their pride once more and help the humans by giving them their power over magic. For the first time in history, Man was able to wield magic; some even considered them more powerful than the elves. With this power the tide of battle changed in favour of the Royal Army. These mages prevented the advance of the Slayers but only thanks to the Riders were the Slayers eventually defeated. The Riders were warriors with skill in both sword and magic to rival a slayer and elf respectively. On the island of White Scar, the island where the armistice was signed, a new alliance was formed. Both dragon and man came together to form The Dragon Lords. This organization fell outside the rule of the King but at the start consisted of only humans and dragons. These Riders were the final tipping point in the war. Within a month half of the Slayers had been killed and many more severely wounded. Whereas only two riders, and their dragons, were lost. Having the choice of annihilation or surrendering, they chose the latter. By order of the King, the Slayers were banished to Valona and never allowed to return to Calathorn, less they be executed for treason, but they were allowed to live.
The Dragon Lords were praised for their timely intervention and hailed as the Saviours of Mathladon, as it was feared that the Slayers would turn their attention to the other races if they were successful in destroying the dragons, as they had supported the dragons, meaning the other races would feel the Slayer's wrath. They were granted land in all the four kingdoms. In Alasma they were given the tallest tree in the realm, Elesmara. It became an academic fortress in later years. It held vast libraries of tomes and scrolls that any Rider, or dragon, in fact, an eager scholar would find helpful in their studies. This tower was not barred from non-riders, but only the libraries were available to everyone. The tree was enchanted so that when attacked it would turn as hard as steel.
In the mountain range of Tortunga the dwarves carved a fortress out of the rock face, Traig Vendor. It is here that armour and weapons are made for the riders and their dragons. The dwarves create the armour and some of the weapons but weapons like swords and spears are made by the elven blacksmiths stationed there. Their blades are as light as a feather and would never rust or dull.
In Valona lies a giant wall spanning from the forests of Alasma to the mountains of Tortunga. At random intervals of the wall large towers can be found acting as a bastion of defence but the largest of these towers is the fortress known only as Hell's Gate. Here the strongest, and most brutal, of riders are stationed. With the threat of an Ork invasion always a concern, they would act as the first line of defence until more forces could bolster their defences. The wall, made from both stone and iron, has survived many skirmishes with Ork raiding parties, with the defences soon forcing them to retreat.
Finally, the last fortress that was made for them was White Scar fortress, the main headquarters of the order, found on the same island as where the order was founded. The isle of the armistice as it became known as. Here you will find new recruits, usually sons and daughters of noble birth or those who have been scouted by the riders themselves, being trained to become the next generation of Riders. In White Scar is the Elder Council. They are riders and dragons who have been chosen by the previous council to leader the Order of the Dragon Lords.
White Scar is by far the largest of the four fortresses and the best defended. It is here that new baby dragons are born, in the safety and protection of the riders.
For many years the Order of the Dragon Lords protected and served the people of Mathladon, but things soon took a turn for the worst.
The Riders were meant to protect and serve the people of Mathladon, but there were those who felt that the people should be serving them. These riders, and dragons alike, became greedy in their power. They sought to use dark forbidden magic to increase their power, but there was a reason why is was forbidden. Using dark magic required taking mana from the nether-realm, the dominion of the Shades. Wanting to reclaim their land, Shades crossed over again into the world of the living and possessed the bodies of both rider and dragon. When the Dragon Lords finally learned of what had occurred, a quarter of the order had been tainted by black magic, many possessed by Shades. An almighty purge of the order began with many riders and dragons losing their lives. Eventually, the tainted ones fled White Scar, and any other fortress that they took refuge in, and went into hiding around Mathladon. These rogues soon became known as the Black Disciples.
If we fast forward to the present day we will see that the Dragon Lords are still in power with remnants of the Disciples evident in some parts of the county. The Dragon Slayers, who despite their small number remained active, are now hired mercenaries rather than the fearless elite that they once were to hunt down rouge riders and Black Disciple. Both these factions will play a key role in this story as they will shape and define the life of a small farm boy who is destined for greatness.