Dragons

In the earliest days of the world, large serpents slithered in harmony with creation, weaving through rivers, coiling around trees, and basking in the sunlight. Though they were not mighty, they were clever and cunning, often outwitting larger creatures to survive. The Divine watched them with the same love He bore for all creation, and the serpents were content.

But contentment turned to ambition when the devils, creatures of malice and deception, sought to corrupt creation for their own gain. The devils whispered to the serpents, promising them a path to godlike power. They spoke of The Weave , the intricate lattice of magic that underpinned reality, forbidden by the Divine to mortal hands. The devils claimed that if the serpents bound themselves to the Weave, they could ascend, becoming mighty and eternal like the Divine Himself.

The devils proposed a deal: they would teach the serpents how to bind themselves to the Weave in exchange for a share of the power. The serpents, their hearts swayed by ambition and pride, accepted.

Deception and the Binding

The serpents attempted to bind themselves to the Weave, but they lacked the strength and understanding to do so. True to their words, the devils told the serpents that it was the humanoid species which could open the way to the Weave, due to them being made special by the Divine. So the serpents approached the first Perla, Dwarves, Humans, and Eladrin, speaking in silken lies. The serpents told these fledgling species that the Weave was not forbidden but a gift from the Divine, a tool meant to elevate them.

The humanoids, trusting the serpents, bound themselves to the Weave, becoming the first spellcasters and gaining the powers of miracles. The serpents’ deception bore fruit: through the humanoids’ connection to the Weave, the serpents gained access to its deepest currents, unlocking incredible arcane power.

With this power, the serpents grew vast and terrible, their bodies swelling with magic. They believed themselves invincible, rivaling even the Divine in their hubris. But their lies had consequences, and the Divine’s judgment was swift.

The Divine's Punishment

The Divine, grieved by the serpents’ betrayal and the harm they had wrought, decreed that they would be forever severed from Him. Their deceit had led others astray, and their lust for power had corrupted their once-innocent nature. As punishment, the Divine transformed them into dragons—grotesque, monstrous creatures that embodied their greed and ambition. Their sleek forms twisted into hulking, scaled horrors, their once-gentle voices became roars of wrath, and their newfound power came with an eternal curse. They would be destined for eternal torment, forever separated from the Divine and unable to find peace. They would war with the humanoids, the very beings they had deceived, and would be defeated by their seed.

The Devils’ Victory

While the dragons writhed in their cursed forms, the devils came to collect their due. The deal the serpents had made was immutable, and the devils now had access to the vast fonts of magic the dragons had unlocked. Worse still, the devils were immune to the dragons’ retaliation, having outmaneuvered them in their schemes. The devils grew even more powerful, using the magic harvested from the dragons to further their own agendas in the mortal realm and beyond. This betrayal deepened the dragons’ hatred, but their anger could not undo what had been done.

The Unending War

Since their transformation, dragons have harbored an undying hatred for the humanoids who now bear the Divine’s favor and for the devils who tricked them. They strike at settlements on land and sea, their attacks fueled by rage and envy. Dragons come in many forms—winged terrors of the skies, serpentine leviathans of the deep, and burrowing horrors beneath the earth. Yet no matter how many humanoid cities they burn or fleets they sink, they are destined to lose in the end, as the Divine decreed.

Dragons have also turned on one another, their greed and pride preventing any semblance of unity. They hoard treasures and arcane artifacts, each dragon vying to outdo the others in power and splendor.

Some scholars believe that dragons, in their twisted hearts, still feel the sting of what they lost. Their relentless fury and destruction, they argue, are not just acts of malice but cries of anguish from creatures who can never return to the light they abandoned.