Guardians
Dragons
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When the Sphere was created, many of the gods were concerned that the will and cunning of mortals could eventually lead them to a point where created could challenge the creators, just as the Celestials once did the Elder Gods. To prevent this from happening, the gods appointed their most powerful generals to watch over the progress of Man and insure mortals never reached such a place. These guardians became known to the first Men as Dragons, great and terrible beings of immense power and glory.
Each Dragon interprets their divine charge differently. Some believe that Man must be sabotaged and kept in ignorance or ruthlessly brought to heel. Others hols that elevating and educating the mortal mind is the key to peace and prosperity. The Dragons spend as much time striving against one another as they do watching over the affairs of Men, each convinced of the rightness of their way and the error of other Dragons. There were over a hundred True Dragons in the First Era. When Man learned of the Mystery at the dawn of the Golden Age, they fled to the far corners of the world in fear or were captured, their essence drained to power mortal technology. And when heaven called for aid during the Dark Age, many Dragons left their worlds to fight on the gods’ behalf and were slain. Now, 1000 years into the Fourth Epoch, only seven True Dragons remain.
Avantaris, the Unbowed
Truest good, purest of heart, Avantaris is the father of the White Dragons. He and his kind believe that Man must be elevated to the greatest level of enlightenment in order to understand his role in the Cosmic Machine. Only through this degree of understanding can Mankind advance without endangering himself or the world around him. To this end, Avantaris lends power to the just and bestows his great knowledge upon those who prove their readiness to receive it by the strength of their character. |
Dragons were created to watch over the progress of Man and ensure he never attained the power to overthrow the gods. Each species of Dragon interprets this charge differently.
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Balsumai, the Dreamer
The mother of Blue Dragons is a strange and secretive being closely tied to the Unworld and the beings that dwell therein. She is a keeper of many secrets and a weaver of dreams revered by those who study The Mystery. Indeed, Balsumai is both concerned and intrigued by Mankind’s study of the arcane. She thwarts the efforts of the curious, sewing lies and misinformation to keep Man from Mysteries he can scarcely understand. Few can be sure whether the matriarch of the Blue Dragons is truly mad or simply understands the universe on a level matched by no other.
The mother of Blue Dragons is a strange and secretive being closely tied to the Unworld and the beings that dwell therein. She is a keeper of many secrets and a weaver of dreams revered by those who study The Mystery. Indeed, Balsumai is both concerned and intrigued by Mankind’s study of the arcane. She thwarts the efforts of the curious, sewing lies and misinformation to keep Man from Mysteries he can scarcely understand. Few can be sure whether the matriarch of the Blue Dragons is truly mad or simply understands the universe on a level matched by no other.
Galgyra, the World Eater
Mad, violent, terrible…Galgyra dwells in a deep black pit, slumbering in darkness beneath the ground. His stirrings cause earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. His children, the Brown Dragons, act out his mad desires to destroy life and consume all. Most powerful of all the dragons, his mind was shattered during the Second Era when a cabal of mages attempted to shackle him within an artifact of impossible power. Their failure led to the World Eater’s retreat into the bowels of the earth, the breaking of his mind, and his sworn oath to one day awaken and devour all the realms of Men.
Mad, violent, terrible…Galgyra dwells in a deep black pit, slumbering in darkness beneath the ground. His stirrings cause earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. His children, the Brown Dragons, act out his mad desires to destroy life and consume all. Most powerful of all the dragons, his mind was shattered during the Second Era when a cabal of mages attempted to shackle him within an artifact of impossible power. Their failure led to the World Eater’s retreat into the bowels of the earth, the breaking of his mind, and his sworn oath to one day awaken and devour all the realms of Men.
Kalimaste, the Burning One
Though well-loved by Mortals, Kalimaste is a fiery and temperamental being guided by her passions. She is an advocate for Man’s freedom, believing that mortal’s unbridled passions will prevent them from ever challenging the heights of the gods. She inspires love, fear, and awe in her followers and her chosen priests are always women. The Red Dragons are her children, beings of blazing emotion, full of fire, glory, and drama equally celebrated and feared in the mythology of Mankind
Though well-loved by Mortals, Kalimaste is a fiery and temperamental being guided by her passions. She is an advocate for Man’s freedom, believing that mortal’s unbridled passions will prevent them from ever challenging the heights of the gods. She inspires love, fear, and awe in her followers and her chosen priests are always women. The Red Dragons are her children, beings of blazing emotion, full of fire, glory, and drama equally celebrated and feared in the mythology of Mankind
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Through the ages, True Dragons have created generations of lesser dragons to do their bidding. These dragons bear their creator's likeness, ambitions, and outlook but each successive generation has less of the true draconic power.
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Marlynx, the Earth-Render
Marlynx is a ruthless tyrant who believes his sacred charge from the gods is to subjugate Man beneath draconic rule; only then will the gods be safe from the wretched ambition of mortals. Though he has been thwarted thus far by the efforts of other Dragons and their champions, Marlynx will never cease his endless campaign to eradicate mortal civilization. The father of Black Dragons despises life and his children work throughout creation to destroy and sabotage Man’s greatest works, giving power to tyrants, warlords, and those who would bring about complete social collapse. Sho-Shenryu, the Weaver
Sho-Shenryu holds power over time and prophecy and uses his insight to manipulate the fortunes of Men, both to keep them from the track of destructive ambition, and to further his own esoteric agenda. He is father to the Gold Dragons, beings regarded by many as a sign of good fortune. These Dragons often appear to those marked by a great destiny either to guide them on their way or to turn their path towards the fulfillment of Sho-Shenryu’s goals. Sim-San, the Halcyon
With two heads, one good and one evil, Sim-San represents the necessary balance between order and chaos, light and darkness. They are father and mother to the Grey Dragons. Sim-San believes that if Man can attain balance in his life and in his world, his ambition will never reach for the throne of the gods as his heart understands its place within a balanced universe. To this end, the Halcyon seats and unseats tyrants, brings hope and despair, kills and heals in equal measure. |
Dragonspawn
The True Dragons created lesser beings to serve their goals, and those beings created servants of their own, who then created servants and so on. Draconic power decreased in each new generation of Dragonspawn as the dragon blood was diluted, growing further from the true origins and purpose of the race. Dragonspawn bear the likeness and powers of their creators (in a severely diminished form), yet cannot be considered True Dragons.
The True Dragons created lesser beings to serve their goals, and those beings created servants of their own, who then created servants and so on. Draconic power decreased in each new generation of Dragonspawn as the dragon blood was diluted, growing further from the true origins and purpose of the race. Dragonspawn bear the likeness and powers of their creators (in a severely diminished form), yet cannot be considered True Dragons.
- Wyrms are first of the Dragons’ children, great winged beings of awesome might and glory. Those who still linger today are ancient creatures indeed, full of deep wisdom and terrible power.
- Drakes are much smaller and less powerful than the Wyrms who created them, though no less proud. Tales of Dragons and the brave heroes who challenge them are often actually tales of Drakes, the winged fire-breathers of legend.
- Wyverns are smaller and more numerous than Drakes. They differ physiologically in that their front arms and wings are one and they are incapable of breathing fire. Their intellect, while cunning, is animal in nature. Wyverns are beastlike creatures incapable of speech.
- Dragonkin share qualities of both Dragons and mortal Men. Covered in the scales and horns of a Dragon, they are bipedal creatures who speak and carry themselves as Men do. Dragonkin are the result of a Dragon's union with a mortal, inheriting Man's gift of free choice, unbound from the will of their progenitors.
Medicon
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The powerful and willful spirits who lord over creation’s untamed wilderness are known to mortals as Medicon. These beings vary wildly in power and influence, some ruling over a small woodland, wielding very little power while other mighty spirits rule mountains and command a host of other petty gods. Medicon are tied closely to the natural world, particularly to the area over which they exercise dominion. As the land they govern thrives, so does the Medicon and vice versa; the more befouled the land, the more violent, corrupted, and insane its Medicon becomes.
Medicon were created to steward worldly structures, watch over certain creatures, and keep natural phenomena in balance. While some still serve in this role, most petty gods spend their time attempting to obtain power, influence, and worship for themselves. They are proud and arrogant beings who do not understand (nor make any effort to understand) the ways and needs of mortals. A little god’s appearance is based largely on his sphere of influence; The Lord of the Fires of Ash Valley appears to be wreathed in everlasting flame, with coal-black skin and eyes like embers. The Lady of Nine Waters has the lower-half of a fish, skin cold and scaly, flowing kelp-like hair, and a voice of gentle waves. A Medicon’s power and existence are tied to the lands to which they are bound. If forced from his lands, a Medicon will lose much of his strength and perhaps even “die” as gods do, passing into shadow and memory to become a servant of Oblivion. One caveat to this restriction, however, is that a god’s influence can spread to new lands as his worship does. Thus, many Little gods are driven to stretch their reach further and further in an effort to obtain as much power, worship, and influence as possible that they might reign as the lords of creation they believe themselves to be.
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Medicon (also called Little gods) are spirits that preside over the minutia of creation like individual trees, rivers, and hills. Greater Medicon command vast courts of lesser spirits.
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Little gods who build great kingdoms do so on the backs of their servants, both mortal and immortal; Medicon enlist not only the worship of fearful mortals, but also entreat the services of other spirit beings such as capricious elementals, disembodied wraiths, and even terrifying Daemons. As his court grows, so does the power of the petty god. In recent times, their goals have always been hindered by the influence of mainstream religions that condemn the worship of Medicon. Despite this, those who live in the wild country have little choice but to submit to the rule of local gods as the consequences of angering these fickle beings can be quite severe indeed. Yet more than one Petty god has been destroyed, banished by death, sealed away, or enslaved by mortals who tired of his theocratic oppression.
