The Elder Dragons

Tremble! Tremble world and fulfill your destiny. Die to my breath and under my foot!

The Fire

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The five Elder Dragons are champions of the chaos. They are most likely the most powerful, mightiest creatures of Alendia. Each Elder Dragon represents a different 'element' and is said to be the source of the associated magic.

Classification

Not many things are known about the Elder Dragons, but the myths about their origin are quite similar and the impact on the world of Alendia is unmistakable. It is said, that all dragons rose from the Mahlstrom in eastern Durarin after the chaos retreated from Alendia. There are five different Elder Dragons:

1. The Fire. A red aggressive type of dragon flew to the west, leaving chaos and mayhem in Durarin until it arrived in Ephea. The humans expelled The Fire in 5002 b. BF and the dragon retreated to the northeast and haven't been seen again. The location of The Fire is unclear.
2. The Ice. A blue dragon, also flying to the west and arriving in Durarin. Some myths tell about Fire and Ice fighting battles against each other until the Ice eventually retreated to the north, settling in the snowy mountain range of Ephea. In 13239 b. BF, the giants imprisoned The Ice in the Mountain of Dragons. The dragon too powerful to be killed therefore rests in the lonely mountain, waiting for its liberation.
3. The Decay. A green dragon, settling right in Durarin, close to the Mahlstrom. Due to a large number of elves and the power of The Mother, the elves imprisoned The Decay in 15117 b. BF in northern Durarin. It was the first dragon to be imprisoned in Alendia and elves believe that The Decay can manipulate visions and dreams, which is why they prefer to meditate instead of sleep.
4. The Undead. A black dragon, flying to the south. The Undead did not appear in the myths and legends about the Elder Dragons initially because it left no hints behind after flying south. It settled outside of the New World on an Island beyond Gnoz. In 4057 b BF, the ninth holy expedition of the Human Empire discovered The Undead far in the south, realizing it is the source of the onslaught on the coasts of Tiakis. In 437 b. BF, the fourteenth holy expedition slays The Undead. It is the first time an Elder Dragon dying. With the death of the Undead, the source of necromancy magic is weakened by a lot, just like the chaos energy corrupting the southern lands.
5. The Crystal. A purple dragon, flying to the southwest. The Crystal hasn't been seen after it left the continent of Durarin. However, there are hints and marks of it, crystals growing and spreading over the surface of the mountain ranges in Tiakis. It is said, that the Dragonborn are creations of the crystals, although the dragonborns themselves deny that accusation. The location of The Crystal is unknown. Many people believe it to be even dead.

These five Elder Dragons created smaller "elemental" dragons to ensure their power. For example the Thunder, the Mountain, or the Wood-Dragon. These creations were much smaller than the Elder Dragons and their power wasn't even comparable to those of the Elders. It is said that all other dragons are either descendants of the Elders or their creations.

Appearance

Just like normal dragons, the Elder Dragons can change their shape. This allows them to assume the perfect appearance for different situations. However, there was a limit to their power and appearance. They can assume the most powerful shape is a classical dragon-like shape with wings, four legs, and scales all over their body. It is said they measure thousands of feet in length, being able to darken an entire city in its shadow.

History

For a detailed timeline about the elder dragons, check out [WIP].
Most Elder Dragons share only the origin. Due to the split, every dragon has its own history, which will be summarized in this section.

The Decay

The Decay was the only Elder Dragon settling in Durarin, right at its origin. Durarin was a very forested continent, providing lots of nature and plants due to the presence of The Mother and her elves. The Decay used the power of nature to assert its own power and manifested a place to settle close enough to the Mahltstrom, absorbing even more power of chaos. The dragon quickly drained the life from plants around it, realizing how quickly it weakens the elves living around that area. Due to the massive decay and withering of a place that was considered sacred by elves, they engaged in war with the Elder Dragon. Soon enough the Decay realized that it can infiltrate the dreams of elves, corrupting them with false promises, resulting in chaos and mayhem in the elven military camps. With the help of the fey, the elves eventually find a way to cut sleep and dreams, using a trance-like meditation to rest and escape the corruption of the Decay. However, the Decay got enough time with that maneuver and created its own champions. Ancient green dragons, terrorizing the lands of Durarin. But the power of elves increased and eventually, they defeated The Decay in the final battle of Durarin in 15117 b. BF. Yet the creature was too mighty to be killed and instead, the elves created a magical prison below the ground of eastern Durarin and sealed the Decay. The prison is one of Alendia's most safe and secret places, yet the existence and corruption of the Decay still exist.

Fire and Ice

For a detailed timeline about the war of Ice and Fire, check out [WIP].
The Fire and the Ice both flew to the west and eventually arrived in Ephea. Besides some giants in the mountain range, the continent was empty from sentient life around this time. Both dragons being creatures of chaos didn't find the consent of coexistence, resulting in a conflict between each other. Fire and Ice created their own champions, blue and red dragons, and other creatures to fight for them. Not much is known about the procedure, but it is said the war kept going over thousands of years, eventually resulting in the Fire being victorious over the Ice. The Ice was forced to retreat to the north, settling in the mountain ranges. But the giants happened to live in this place and since a coexistence between the Ice and the giants was impossible, it resulted in yet another war. Just like the elves in Durarin, the Giants defeated the Ice, realizing it was too powerful to kill, so they sealed it in the Mountain of Dragons, a lonely magical mountain far up in the north of Ephea.
The Fire claimed the open lands of Ephea. It is said that the first contesters were some elves, trying to settle the continent of Ephea. However, it's more likely, that these elves lived hidden and defensive, unable to take on the indomitable power of the Fire. With the appearance of humans in Ephea in 9819 b. BF, the real enemies of the fire were born. They actively fought the Elder Dragon, trying to expand further to the north, and defended their lands with a unit called "The Iron Line." In 5002 b. BF, the humans expulsed the Fire from Ephea. It is said, that it fled to the northeast, but hasn't been seen again since.

The Death

Not much is known about the Death. It flew straight to the south, not bothering with its brothers or the elves at all. It is unclear if it landed in Lusitania or completely skipped that continent as well. Instead, it settled far in the south, outside of the New World on the southern islands around Gnoz. Many creatures believe, that the Death fought another mighty creature there and eventually defeated it. Claiming these southern islands, it started to build up a whole empire of undead creatures. These creatures started to conquer more territory especially underwater until they eventually started to assault the coasts of Tiakis and Lusitania. The Elder Dragon was uncontested for thousands and tens of thousands of years. It was discovered by the ninth holy expedition of the Empire in 4057 b. BF, resulting in a raging war. In 537 b. BF the Death was defeated by the fourteenth holy expedition, and for the first time, an Elder Dragon was not just imprisoned but outright killed. With the death of the Death, its power and influence disappeared, weakening the undead activity and the necromancy magic by a lot.

The Crystal

Almost nothing is known about the Crystal. It flew to the southwest and probably settled in Tiakis. People assume so because the mountain ranges of Tiakis often show hints of veins of crystals on top or inside the rock. Additionally different gem dragons like amethyst, emerald, and obsidian dragons have been spotted around Tiakis. Around the time of the crystal arriving in Tiakis, it is said, that the Dragonborn entered the world of Alendia. This often leads to the questionable conclusion, that Dragonborn are creations of the Crystal, an opinion neglected by most of the dragonborn. The Crystal has never been seen by a mortal creature or at least no one ever talked about discovering it. The opinions about this Elder Dragon differ by a lot. Some say it is dead, defeated by another mighty creature, maybe by one of the elder dragons in Ephea. Some say it is alive and hiding in Tiakis as the secret king of all dragonborn, preparing for its destructive return. Some say it's living peacefully beyond the mortals, assuming an inconspicuous shape and others say it left Tiakis and the New World, lingering somewhere far far away from civilization.