The Northern Flight
"When we first heard that the king Semberethes had fallen and a great scaled beast now sat upon his throne, we thought that a bard's fantasy had somehow come to be recorded as news. It was not until months later that we realized it was true, that the dragon of legend had landed upon Mount Aktar and now ruled all that it surveyed. Our assembly, and others like ours, debated what to do. Many wanted to wage war on the dragon, not because Semberethes was owed our aid but because we feared what it might do next. Others reasoned that we were here, and the dragon was over there, so let us wait and see. Some fancied themselves as heroes and went out anyway. The assemblies voted to wait and see, and the dragon never did come for us. The price of many metals rose, and we had to go to the Kilthians. Life went on, and there is still a dragon on Mount Aktar."
In the 442nd Year of the Prophet, four great dragons flew over Kraken's Domain and landed upon four mountains in the northern continent. Each claimed for themselves a dominion among the realms of folk, driving away the previous inhabitants of where they had landed, wreaking havoc. The black dragon Havarang flew the shortest distance, landing on the southern slopes of the Wenglas, Havarang waged war on the lizardfolk who lived in the wetlands there. The bronze dragon Inkrimane flew to Mount Aktar and broke the Thaner realms, while the red dragon Kirinkar flew the furthest east, claiming dominion over tribes of herders in the western Kysh. The white dragon Thatavor flew far north, breaking the power of the Taronian princes and claiming Mount Rhysk for his own.
Each of the dragons arrived with a horde of scaled minions, shaped in their own image. These dragonthralls have been the foot soldiers of the draconic invasion, with each dragon having their own minions that seem to obey their dragon's will absolutely.
All four dragons have routed their opposition where they have landed, though none have attempted to truly challenge the greatest empires of the known world. The lizardfolk of Karida proved unable to fight off Havarang, and the Thaner of the Children of Aktar fared little better, with both Agbith and Deim't being reduced within a year. The Agbithan Crusaders continue to fight against Inkrimane, but her rule over the mountains remains absolute.
Little has been heard of Kirinkar or the people under his dominion, though it is likely that the nomadic peoples in that land fled quickly. Landing in an isolated, far-off corner of the world, Kirinkar the red dragon has had less influence on world affairs than the other three. Thatavor the great white dragon fought the Kilthians and Exodites for over 60 years before disappearing under mysterious circumstances, demonstrating to the world that perhaps the dragons are not entirely invincible and immortal, though none know what killed him in the end. His son Avorikat continues to rule in Taron, though he has ceased attacking his neighbors and has begun to trade with Exodus and Kilth instead.
With the exception of Avorikat, son of Thatavor, the dragons have prosecuted unceasing war against their neighbors and refused to acknowledge any earthly rulers beside themselves.
Reactions
The dragons' arrival was greeted with dread. The people of the continent knew nothing about the lands south of Kraken's Domain whence the dragons had flown from, and some were concerned that perhaps more dragons might arrive. Some of the Beirhamin even thought that the dragon queen of Mount Aktar was Tenrisi from their legend, and traveled to the mountain to serve her.
Once the dragons landed and it became apparent that their ambitions were mostly restricted to their immediate surroundings, the people who were fortunate enough to not have a dragon land of them collectively breathed a sigh of relief and continued on as they always had. Though fighting has continued on the edges of dragon territory, no global crusade against the dragons has materialized.
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