The Chronicler's Archives No. 01

Pages from the Chronicler's Archives - Fire Dragons, Rise and Fall of the Ember Fields.

As attested by Lord Inferken himself.

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Contrary to the beliefs of many people, the Dragons are not primitive species. They are simply more attuned to their biology. It is almost as if they themselves are a force of nature. All dragons are born as males, with fully functioning masculine reproductive systems. They also have an underdeveloped female system, deep in their core which lies dormant and idle until they mature. They spend the first 20 or so years of their lives as male, complete with masculine hormones and urges. They are called 'Fledglings' in this period of their lives.

Fledglings are the primary force of the Draconian swarm, they make up the majority of the populace of the nest. They are mainly used for menial roles like cleaning the nest, foraging, and other day to day activities. In times of war, they make up the front lines, willing to give up their lives in the name of their Emperor.

A typical fledgling would be about 7 feet tall in their native form. In their human form, he would be barely distinguishable from a normal teenage male. When a fledgling reaches maturity at about 20 years, he would either transition into Dragon Lord or Dragon Matron based on his Aggressiveness and battle prowess.

As a Dragon Lord, the main change is his physique. He rapidly undergoes extreme growth as there is a surge in male hormones. His overall size in his draconian form almost doubles and a set of horns grow on his head as a mark of his masculinity. His reproductive organs also mature as his penis grows to its full potential and his testicles are now finally able to produce virile sperm. The dormant female reproductive system is dissolved and assimilated into his body.

If the fledgling is still alive after maturity but not able to qualify as a dragon lord, then he involuntarily transitions into a Dragon Matron. This metamorphosis is not as smooth and easy as that of a Dragon Lord.

To fully evolve into a Dragon Matron would take weeks. The primary male reproductive organs are completely shut down along with the production of male hormones. The dormant female reproductive organs are jump started and they slowly overwhelm their male counterparts.

This is a painful process, as the sudden introduction of female hormones makes her body grow differently. The bones in her spine break and reform to make a more slender figure with longer necks. Pelvic and Pubic bones widen to give her more pronounced birthing hips. Instead of the horns of their male counterpart, she now grows a vibrant mane. Most importantly, the penis slowly withers and recedes to make room for vaginal opening to bloom. Finally, the female is ready to bear the eggs of a worthy male.

The draconian society was brutal. Their traditions and practices might be considered barbaric and pointless by other sophisticated races, but those customs were made to perfectly compliment the race's biology.

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One such example is their fabled Rite of Dominance. This is the custom by which a fledgling is deemed worthy to be a Dragon Lord. Since battle is the trigger to initiate the transformation, this custom in itself is a colossal festival of violence.

Every fledgling born in the same year, usually mature together within a few days of each other. As they mature, they all go into a sort of battle frenzy, aggressive towards everything that moves or breathes.

This is when the Rite of Dominance is held. The older Dragon Lords gather these fledglings and pit them against each other in a massive brawl. Scores of dragons, on the cusp of maturity, fight tooth and nail until no more than one remains standing.

This brutal festival is usually held in the presence of the Dragon Emperor and under the supervision of other Dragon Lords. The fighters usually fight until they are knocked out or broken or, in many cases, killed. Traditionally, nearly 30 fledglings enter the battleground out of which only less than 3 remain alive.

The last standing champion ascends to be a new Dragon Lord, while those who are defeated but alive will slowly start their metamorphosis into a Dragon Matron.

This is the Rite of Dominance.

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The fire dragons of the Ember Fields were a strict hierarchical society. Every single dragon would unquestioningly obey the command from a higher rank. At the top of the hierarchical pyramid is of course the Dragon Emperor, Gurthron. He was accompanied by a harem of five of the most powerful and strongest Dragon Matrons.

Under his command there were 4 Dragon Lords. These five Lords constantly fought with each other to establish a chain of command. These dragons Lords were free to challenge each other to duels over numerous reasons such as claiming territory, establishing dominance, breeding rights, spoils of war,etc. But, the most exercised reason is always a dispute over breeding the next clutch.

When a Dragon Matron goes into heat, any Lords nearby would compete to be one to impregnate her. Though this fight is not as violent as the Rite of Dominance as there can always be another Matron, another time. But, this ensures that only the strongest can sire the next generation.

During the peak of their power, the strongest Dragon Lord was undoubtedly, Lord Merntor. He was closely followed by his brother, Lord Inferken. Both Lord Merntor and Lord Inferken were the Emperor Gurthron's spawn. These two monsters were far stronger than their other contemporaries.

They were considered an anomaly, as both of them were twins of the same clutch and entered the Rite of Dominance together. Yet, both of them evolved into a Lord. It is said that during the final moments of the Rite, when the brothers faced one another, they were not able to defeat each other. They were evenly matched. The rite ended when both of them knocked out each other at the same time. Since this was unprecedented, the Emperor decided that he would let nature have the final word. Soon enough both of them evolved into Lords.

Lord Espern ascended to the position of the third Dragon Lord, 6 years after the twins. He was by far the most cunning of the bunch. He used underhanded tactics and mind games, to get an edge over his brothers.

Lord Novak the fourth ascended 10 years after the twins, since being the youngest and weakest, he always lost when it came to a physical confrontation. But, it is said that Emperor Gurthron recognized his potential as he still had a lot of time to grow into his prime.

Though they always competed and fought among themselves, there was no hatred harbored. They were all considered each other as brothers and would always aid each other against an external threat. Above all else, their loyalty to their nest was unquestionable.

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As the nest grew in power and influence, they also made many enemies. Namely, the had attracted the avaricious eye of the Inquisition. The Inquisition considered the nest to be one of the main threats to humanity. They were just waiting for an opportunity to strike. They didn't have to wait long.

The Fire Dragons had to cut ties with long standing allies like the Wind Dragon Tribe of the Northern Mountains due to the Recklessness of Lord Merntor.

The Wind Dragon Tribe was a Monarchy. Unlike their southern cousins, they were led by the Royal Bloodline. The King and his bloodline were even considered to be sacred. Unfortunately for them, the Crown Princess Seleren encountered Lord Merntor in one of her sojourns down the Mountain.

Lord Merntor was struck with lust, going against his brother Lord Inferken's counsel, he fought and defeated the princess's betrothed and bred her against her will. The King Solem, in response, swore vengeance against all the Fire Dragons for contaminating the Royal Bloodline.

This was the opportunity the Inquisition was waiting for. They dispatched High Inquisitor, Raphael with 3 contingents of highly trained knights to cull the Dragons of Ember Field. But, by far the most powerful tool she had in her disposal was a fully functional Argent, provided by the Temple of the Sun.

The Argent was a construct charged with the holy power of the Sun. It was forged by the dwarves to resemble the Archangel himself. There were only two of such creations in existence. The Argent of was a force of righteous retribution that will stop at nothing until its target is destroyed.

Inquisitor Raphel was master of subterfuge and deception, she infiltrated the nest in the cover of night. She had chosen her timing well as both Lord Merntor and Lord Inferken were far away raiding the coastal villages.

She used a forbidden artifact on Lord Novak. She stabbed his heart with the artifact, The Unmaker's Thorn. a spear charged with ravenous spirit. The Spear corrupted his soul and made him go insane. She sent him on a warpath, slaughtering everyone in his way. It took most of the matrons and Lord Espern himself to put an end to his rampage. Though many fledgling lost their lives in defense, Lord Espern was finally able to kill his brother, before he too was overrun by the knights.

The Inquisitor used Lord Novak's rampage as an opening to strike the Emperor himself. She found him in his human form and quickly killed him before he could transform.

When the twins returned, they found their nest silent and filled with corpses. Their Emperor dead, eggs shattered, women killed. At the heart of their nest, they saw the Argent, standing over the beaten and broken Lord Espern.

Lord Merntor rushed the Argent before the machine could kill his brother. The dragon and the machine fought each other in battle over the skies of Ember Field. He soon realized that he would never be able to overcome the machine. For every attack Lord Merntor managed to inflict, the Argent returned in kind. He realized in horror that the longer the battle raged, the more stronger the machine became.

The Argent was powered by pure light, every damage he managed to inflict would be repaired instantly. He ripped it's hands apart only for it to fly back to its body and reattach itself. He burnt it's wings, only for it to shine brighter. Meanwhile, his own injuries kept piling up. His body could not heal as fast as the Argent. He was outmatched.

Lord Inferken on the other hand managed to rally the remaining fledgling and Matrons in a last ditch effort to defend the nest. He put up a valiant effort, even freeing Lord Espern from his bondage. When it seemed like there was hope for the dragons yet, the Inquisitor sprung her trap. The entire nest imploded. Explosive charges were set up all over the place and triggered at the same time. The nest caved in causing panic and disorder amidst the dragons, killing scores of them in the process.

She used the chaos to slip in and use the Thorn again, this time on Lord Inferken. But unlike his brother, he was not caught off guard, he managed to notice her and step out of the way at the last moment. Rather than piercing his heart, the Thorn embedded itself on his arm.

Lord Inferken was stronger than his brother Novak. He knew that if he too lost his mind, there was no hope for the dragons. So before the artifact completely consumed him, he ripped his own arm off his body and collapsed.

Lord Espern, seeing the last hope for survival fall, made a decision that will change the course of history. He used the chaos, just as Inquisitor Raphel, to transform back into his human form and slipped away.

Lord Merntor's duel finally ended when he made a fatal mistake. In a valiant effort he tried to break the Argent core, but the machine predicted his moves. It danced away at the last moment and used the dragon's own momentum to slice one of his wings clean off. Lord Merntor fell from the skies in a blaze of glory.

Lord Espern, instead of fleeing to safety, made a beeline straight for the capital of the Inquisition. Just before the break of dawn he reached the City of Everdeen. The City Watch was not expecting a dragon and the garrison was undermanned. He took his retribution on the innocent people of Everdeen. He managed to set half the city on fire before he was shot down and slayed. This became to be known as the greatest disaster to befall the City. Everdeen lost more than 70 percent of its populace that night, almost exclusively commoners. The nobles had retreated into their bunkers at the first mention of danger. Everdeen will never be the same again.

When the sun dawned, it dawned over what was once a thriving nest. Every dragon except Lord Inferken was dead. He was captured and bound by black chains to be taken to the Dungeons of the Inquisition.

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Lord Inferken suffered the worst fate of them all. He was taken to the Inquisition's Dungeons under Blackfell Keep. He was tortured and experimented upon by the so called 'Scholars' of the Inquisition. Records even show that he was vivisected several times. He was a prisoner for nearly 20 years, until the fateful encounter.

The Rogue Warlock Menna was captured near Blackfell Keep and was taken to the dungeons. There she met the broken dragon and made a pact with him. Lord Inferken promised to be her familiar, if she managed to break them both out of the dungeon.

True to his word, when they did manage to break out, he swore fealty to her as a familiar and took the name 'Kennan'. He would later play an important part in Menna's rise to power.

But that is a whole other story on its own.

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