The Age of Dragons

The third age of Antheros is known as The Age of Dragons.

The world of Antheros had been reduced to little more than a charred husk during the war between Evera and Deinous in the Second Age.  Jormungandr the greatest of the Dragon Lords had taken his place at the top of the world where he slumbered and maintained the barrier between Antheros and its moons. 

The Remaining Seven Dragon Lords had been left to nurture the world back to its former glory.  At first the dragons did this on their own, and through their care and the power of magic they began to slowly breath life back into the dead planet. 

After several thousand years the plants and waters had started to return.  The wildlife and creatures (such as Centaurs and other mythological type things) had started to reappear as well, but there was still much left to do. 

The Dragon Lords, however, had begun to grow arrogant in their power.  They felt they deserved a better fate than to have to spend all their time caring for the planet.  Eikpyrnir, the Dragon Lord of the Forest, had decided he would use the divine abilities granted to him by the god Antheros to create servants that would tend to the Forest in his stead.

Eikpyrnir created the first of the seven Dragonspawned races: The Elves.  Eikpyrnir favored magic, and granted all his elves the ability to command the arcane by giving them the eyes of a dragon and teaching them the secret language of magic.  He made them immortal and because Eikpyrnir was vain he made them all beautiful to behold.  He bound the Elves to himself and the forest, and charged them with the care of the woodlands.  Eikpyrnir then found himself a peaceful and comfortable glade where he spent the next thousand years taking what he felt was a well deserved nap.

Following the example set by his twin, Nidhogg the Jungle Lord created the second Dragonspawned race: The Mouryxt.  Nidhogg modeled the Mouryxt after the large Jungle Cats that lived amid the trees.  The Mouryxt were swift, graceful, strong and fierce.  He gave them a playful streak for he himself had one as well.  To some he gave the gift of magic, but he did not feel it was necessary for all to have.  He made them keen yet instinctual creatures.  He then bound them to his service and to the Jungles.  Nidhogg then spent his days creating games to play in his jungle home, and would occasionally venture out to play tricks on the other dragon lords.

Hafgufa the Sea Dragon had grown a strong liking to the taste of the creatures that lived in the worlds oceans, and so that she could have more time to devote to dining upon them, she created the third Dragonspawned race: The Merfolk.  She gave the Merfolk the tails of fish, so that they could swiftly travel the waters.  Hafgufa was vain like Eikpyrnir and made the Merfolk beautiful as well.  She made them natural hunters with net and trident so that they might better catch fish for her.  To the men she grated the gift of magic to aid in their hunt, and to the females she granted them a beautiful voice and the talent for song.  This way she could have music with which to eat by.  Hafgufa then bound the Merfolk to herself the worlds Seas.  In addition to taking care of the oceans the Merfolk were made to bring great quantities of Sea Creatures to Hafgufa.  She would then gorge herself while her Mermaids sang for her.  Hafgufa soon grew fat but refused to see it.

The fourth Dragonspawned race was the Dwarves created by Fafnir the Dragon of the Mountains.  Fafnir had grown obsessed with the beauty of all the precious gems and stones that could be found in the rock.  He made the Dwarves stout and tough as the stone they would live in.  He gave them eyes made to see in the black of caves, and muscles suited to working rock along with an innate skill for working metal and stone so that they could craft Fafnir fine works of art and Jewelry.  He only gave a few the knack for magic, and really only so that they could use it to enhance their craft.  He bound the Dwarves to himself and the Mountains, and bade them to mine and bring him treasures.  Soon Fafnir’s great cave was so full of gems, gold and finely crafted items that he was forced to sleep atop piles of it.

The Orcs were the fifth Dragonspawned race; they were created by The Desert Wyrm Raratoskyr.  Raratoskyr, after spending several thousand years in the unforgiving desert, had grown tough, burned, and scarred.  She had also been blinded by the sun, but had gained a magical sight in its place that allowed her to view the past, present and the future all at once.  She scoffed at her cousin’s obsessions with vanity, games, and trinkets.  She valued strength and power, and so she made her Orcs to be strong and thick-skinned like herself.   Of all the dragonspawned races the Orcs were the most ugly (possibly because their creator was blind, or because she simply didn’t care).  Raratoskyr decided to model the females of her race more closely after herself and so she made them all blind, but gave them the gift of her magical sight instead.  The males were made brutish and many in order to better survive their harsh environment.  Raratoskyr bound the orcs to herself and the desert, and she then buried herself in the sand where she spent her time looking on the future.  She was the only dragon who knew of what fate awaited them all.

Hilidisyinir Dragon Lord of the Marsh created the Goblins as the sixth Dragonspawned Race.  The cleverest and smallest of all the Dragon Lords Hilidisyinir created his Goblins to be as witty and as intelligent as he was.  He made them small like he was and ugly like their home was (although they didn’t turn out quite as ugly as the orcs).  He gave most of them a talent for magic because when used properly, magic was good for playing tricks on people.  He then bound them to himself and to the swamps.  Hilidisyinir then devoted his time to matching wits and playing games with his cousin Nidhogg.

The final Dragonspawned race to be made was the Humans, whom were created by Landvættir the Great Dragon of the Plains.  The only reason Landvættir made his race last was because he took it took him a long time to decide what exactly he wanted in his race.  Landvættir had trouble deciding what skills and attributes he valued most, and then one day realized that not one skill should be placed above another and that truly a perfect race should have the capacity for any and all skills. And so, Landvættir designed his Humans to be first and foremost adaptable.  Humans, while not particularly well suited for any single skill, had been made so that they could apply themselves to any skill they needed (with practice).  He granted a fair number of them with the skill for Magic as well. Landvættir then bound the Humans to himself and the plains.  He then spent most of his days traveling the world of Antheros, for Landvættir had a great wanderlust.

A thousand years passed and the Dragonspawned races toiled away working their bound lands and for the pleasure of their Dragon Lords.   The world continued to grow and heal until finally it had returned to its former glory.

The god Antheros stirred in the worlds core, awakening after having recovered much of the energy he had spent creating the Dragon Lords.  He grew pleased when he saw how his world had prospered.

Then after looking more closely he saw that his Dragons had created races of their own.  Races which had been bound to them as little more than servants and slaves.  Slaves that had been doing the work his Dragons were meant to do.  Dragons who now busied themselves with games, food, and slumber.  Only Jorgmungandr, who maintained the barrier protecting the world from his brothers, had stayed true to his duties.

Antheros made his presence known to the seven wayward Dragon Lords and summoned them to him.  When they assembled he told them he was disappointed with their choices.  All the Dragons were crestfallen at their creator’s displeasure, except for Raratoskyr who had foreseen this day and had prepared. 

Antheros went on to explain that he had granted the Dragons free will like he had all his creatures.  So, he was not upset at them for neglecting their duties, for that is the nature of freedom.  It was after all their choice to do so and he would never take that away.  However, he could not abide them creating life that would never know any choice at all save the ones given them by their masters.  It was for this act that they would now be punished.

Antheros’ first punishment was to strip the seven Dragon Lords of much of their power, including their immortality.  The seven lords could now be slain, and they were told that the only way to prevent themselves from withering away and dying like all other living creatures was if they were to join their cousin Jormungandr in slumber at the roof of the world.

He was not completely cruel, however, for he allowed them to ability to sire lesser dragons, through whom they could continue to experience the waking world by sharing their senses.  They would only be able to watch, hear, feel, and smell however, as the Dragon Lords themselves would have no control over what their children did.

Unable to face the prospect of mortality, all Seven Dragon Lords then traveled to the roof the world where they each took a place within the circle made by the much larger Jormungandr.  They each followed his example and bit upon their own tails and six of the seven immediately entered into a deep slumber along side him. 

As her cousins slept Raratoskyr remained awake so that she could lay the eggs that would become the lesser dragons.  She would lay 500 eggs, just as she had foreseen, before she joined her cousins in sleep.

Antheros then turned his attention to the Dragonspawned races. He unbound them from their service to their land and their dragon lords by granting them each free will.  The seven Dragonspawned races all awoke as if from a dream free to do as they pleased for the first time in their existence.  Even though they didn’t fully understand what had happened, all the Dragonspawned celebrated that day; all but the Elves that is.

The elves found themselves mourning that day.  This is because, in the same instant they had been granted their freedom, they had also lost their immortality. 

Antheros then returned to the core of his world where he watched these new races with interest.  He had not created them, and so he did not know what they might do with his beloved world.  He thought about looking into the future to find out, but in the end he decided it would be more fun to just wait and see what may come...

Then started the fourth age of Antheros: The Age of Man.