Chapter 99: Astride The World

*…varied widely.  In particular, while the relationships of East Asian humans with the local dragons was superficially more accepting than those of European and Mediterranean humans, the simple fact remained that the two species were in competition for food and other resources.*

*Generally speaking, the various cultures of the region—Nippon, Huáxià, Việt, Goryeo, Khmu, Java, and others—revered the dragons who lived in the plentiful volcanic peaks spread throughout their region of the world, often as divine or elemental in nature.  This reverence did not prevent conflict between the humans and dragons, however.  Either in spite of or because of their cultural status, dragon poaching was common throughout history, especially due to the medicinal values (perceived or actual) of a number of parts and extracts from various dragon breeds, and rates of poaching spiked notably in times of political instability.*

*Likewise, the reverence shown by humans in some eras and locations could disarm a nest when the attitude reversed itself.  More than one East Asian nest was devastated, if not wiped out entirely, in periods of famine when desperate humans raided the nest, as the dragons were not used to the dangers that humans could pose to them—or, worse, being acclimated to the presence of humans in the form of monks and monasteries established near the nest in acts of veneration.  This particular cruel irony, that the monks who tended to and revered the dragons also led the human mobs to their targets, was not something that went unnoticed in various records, but it still happened repeatedly nonetheless.*

*Furthermore and most importantly, the human and dragon populations both needed the productivity of the land and sea to sustain their populations, and every population crash from the dragons gave the humans more room to expand into the vacated space—which they did, resulting in less room for the next generations of dragons.  And this would lead to further conflict.*

*In Zhōngguó, for example, farm raiding by hungry dragons could be and was seen as a sign that the reigning dynasty had lost the Mandate of Heaven.  More than one Emperor reacted to this by attempting to bring the unruly servants of Heaven back into proper action, authorizing or even leading organized hunts.  Some of these were more humane, intended to simply scare off the dragons from raiding livestock.  Others were not.  Legal attitudes towards dragons varied over time as well, with some dynasties having more protectionist attitudes towards dragons and passing wide laws protecting them, and others choosing a more narrow outlook.  One major contributing factor of the events of the early Dragon Era was that the Song dynasty had passed a number of strict laws protecting various species in their lands, including dragons...*

*—The Dragon Millennium, Manna-hata University Press, Ltd.*

## Major Events

* Hiccup, Fishlegs and William meet King Henry of the Franks. They bring news of William's adoption and he allows them to build a mail station at Paris.
* Fintan and Roisin celebrate Blathnat's first birthday.
* Drago gives the Pechenegs a deep background on the Asian lands and cultures.
* Some of the Berserkers try to kill Toireasa but Dagur kills them and saves her.

## Characters

### Humans

* Henry of Francia (first appearance)
* Fishlegs clan Ingerman
* Hiccup clan Haddock
* William of Normandy
* Henry's advisers
* Astrid Hákonsdóttir clan Haddock
* Wulfhild of Norway
* Cami Berthasdóttir
* Merida Dunbroch
* Sigurd Trondsson
* Basil Spondyles
* Alexios Arianites
* Gunnar Bræsisson
* Gudmund Hallvarsson
* Bláthnat
* Fintan mac Ionatan
* Roisin
* Uilleag mac Flan (first appearance)
* Moshe ben Ephrayim
* Cinaed clan Hofferson (first appearance)
* Éimhín mac Naomh
* Drago Bludvist
* Pecheneg Kagan
* Kurya
* Toiréasa
* Dagur mac Oswald

### Dragons

* Meatlug
* Toothless
* Stormfly
* Mistletoe
* Galloway (first appearance)

## Analysis

### Epigraph Tie-In

* The epigraph explains the cultural attitudes of East Asians towards dragons. The chapter shows Drago making the same explanations to the Pechenegs.