Thread: The Root of Knowledge (Cheeky_Cherry & Greeneyed23)

Until recently the lands of the Seven peoples had been at peace. In the North the Dark and Light Elves nestled in their massive forests and the twin mountain ranges of the Tyk and Nyk. In the West the Circled Range served the dwarves as a stronghold and the center of their massive mining ranges. To the South lay the Pajh Ocean and on the shores of which lived the orcs who ruled the fishing business with skill and fervor, while in the low mountains ringing the shoreline the temples of the Amshir, the magical beings of the land lived and studied. In the center of all of these was the Hollowed valley, created by the several dozen mountain ranges throughout the land, forming a sort of oblong valley that held most of the humans. including the greatest human city, Exatochl. In the East, upon the Rthdarian Desert, the Dragons had built their dwellings. The current outbreak of violence was by a group of bandits that spanned the entire land, though they did not harass the dragons, or if they had they had not survived the foolishness. The issue was they were many, strong, well armed, and absolutely ruthless. they slaughtered their victims and took everything including slaves, and sometimes the people they took vanished altogether. Every day the attacks grew worse and people were demanding a solution. Centuries, maybe millenia, before, there had been a great war between the six races of the land that had rocked the very planet to it's core. The orcs and dwarves had slaughtered each other mercilessly, the elves were fighting amongst themselves, the humans were fighting everyone, and the Amshir were using powerful magics to destroy their foes. All of this had not truly affected the Dragons. They were a race apart. The war lasted for more than a century and the death tool and shed blood had been so thick as to be enough to fill an ocean. Then finally the Amshir, and the magic users of the other races had made a serious mistake. A dragon is a creature of magic. Born of a mating of the four elements and fueled by a magic of immeasurable power, they have long been sought by all of the races for a number of reasons and uses. Their scales are harder than diamond and are worth far more. Their bones, especially their fangs and talons, are used for tools and weapons, as they are light but incredibly powerful and seemingly unbreakable. Their hearts are massive and are known to make a man extremely potent in bed, and their own organs heal all sorts of diseases. Their tails can fell whole towers, they can of course breath fire, and the larger ones can destroy whole cities alone. That they can fly also adds to their mystique. What is truly most intriguing about them is their eyes. being what and who they are dragon's eyes can bewitch any creature. The problem is that most beings who gaze into their eyes tend to go mad. one cannot look into the darkness of time so long as to be eternal go mad. often they just die their bodies unable to bear the strain of the sight. there are those who have survived but they are extremely rare and even they will admit to being changed by the experience. The magic users sought to bring all of this power to bear in their war. So several expeditions, unaware of each other, entered the Dragon's lands and stole eggs. Each egg hatched instantly, a sort of defensive mechanism, and their mother's arose. Unfortunately all twelve hatchlings were killed, along with the mothers, and several other eggs were smashed. Millenia before this war there had been another. Then Dragons had roamed the land devouring anyone and anything they wanted, often ensnaring their prey with their eyes simply for the fun.History cannot be sure how or why but one day that changed. Seemingly at the same moment of the same day near the very dawn of history six dragons tried to ensnare a member of each race. It didn't work. The being instead just gazed into their eye still speaking but in the tongue of the Dragons which should have been impossible. So were born the Dragon Souled. Effectively dragons themselves these beings appeared more and more until the Dragons agreed to cease their murderous ways and take their place as the mighty race they were. Working with the other races through the Souled, they developed the current situation and the borders. The nations were not enemies and often traded with each other but they did have their own rulers, lands, and laws. The dragons set themselves apart as while the eldest they were also the least organized and they also knew that their fury would destroy any opponents. As indeed it nearly did. After the eggsmashing the Dragon were enraged. Their entire nation rose up as one and first scoured their lands hunting down and slaughtering each offender. then they flew out of the desert like a sandstorm and laid waste to the other six nations. There had been thousand upon thousands of dragons and their Souled, humanoid but just as alien creatures, had ridden with them served as the small claw of the mighty force. Within hours the six nations were forced to band together but even this was nothing to the dragons. Their fury was insatiable. No matter how many they lost they flew on, and the tales of how even in death they slew hundreds or even thousands still chilled their neighbors to the bones. It was then that the six nations truly learned about the Souled. Forged into the image of Dragons themselves they possessed the same nature and qualities and the same fury. They were far beyond superhuman, far beyond even the elves, and possessed the Dragon Eye. The only thing they lacked was they could not fly, and though some disagreed, they could not breath fire. this hardly mattered as a hundred of them had been dropped screaming into the warcamp of the alliance's offensive and had slaughtered the camp utterly without a single loss. This action had effectively ended the war. Since then everyone had been happy to leave the Dragons in peace. Now for some reason a single Souled had been seen in the land. They did things their own way and for some reason this one was walking toward Exatochl. The whole land was in uproar over the bandits but slowly they were questioning the presence of the Souled. And well they might. The Souled in question was a head taller than most but no giant, though he was very powerfully built. No one had seen his face because of the heavy robes he wore, but what truly marked him was the dragon egg he carried plainly in a pack on his back. No one but a Souled would dare carry an egg. Thus the stories of the Souled reached Exatochl within days, if not hours, of the being stepping out of the desert into the eyes of witnesses. What havoc he was causing and would further cause was not his concern.