The Golden Arbiter

The Golden Arbiter is said to be a dragon of unparalleled power, having served the interests of order since the times before the elves sundered and split across the world. Legends say he watched over a great many kingdoms, and when all the myths are laid out it's left to suggest he was always intervening, always a stalwart champion against chaos. His origins are always left vague, every time, except to hint of a connection to the Father of Dragons. There are more than a few legends saying he is a manifestation of that god, Himself, in scales and flesh. So many stories exist it has taken minstrels and scholars an entire lifetime to gather them together, with no guarantee the whole of the record has been gathered. The majority of the stories concern around an auspicious event where the Golden Arbiter intervened or was present, such as the founding of the Rhyliss Empire or the Battle of Corvid's Cry. It should be noted official accounts of either event do not include the presence of the Golden Arbiter, nor is it officially acknowledged such intervention was done. But the stories continue regardless of what is officially said, and there are always those who repeat the tales speaking as though the official word has little weight to the truth.

To summarize the appearances of the Golden Arbiter is to note there are three categories of the tales told about him:  

• The Guide: Many myths speaking of the Golden Arbiter falling into this category have him take the role of someone giving advice, or even aid, to an individual who is intent on serving the interests of order. The most infamous of this one is the myth where the Golden Arbiter appeared before the first emperor of Rhyliss and led him to believe it was not only possible but necessary to unite the kingdoms of humanity into one unified front against the chaos of the world. This myth has a great many variations, such to consume entire volumes in a library, but it is an important example for the type of myths being told where the Golden Arbiter is a guiding presence. In these tales, he is always a supportive presence and never an active one. While he may be attributed strange and wonderful powers, or even abilities associated with divine manifestations, the Golden Arbiter is only offering guidance or inspiration - never power or riches.
• The Defender: Second to guidance, the Golden Arbiter is known for being a defender of order against chaos. Most of these tales focus on a battle where a force was losing horribly, before "wings of golden dawn" would bring aid in the last moment before failure. The most notable of these myths is one where the elven empire of Seladeri was crushed by another dragon, and the Golden Arbiter arrived to chase it away before the death and destruction was total. These myths share similar endings, and are usually concerned with events where the "Forces of Good" are routed but prevented from being completely destroyed due to the intervention of the Golden Arbiter. A few of these tales, however, end with the victory being a total reversal of fortune and the aggressors being scattered to the winds - considering the ability of dragons to breathe fire, this is sometimes said to be literal.
• The Judge: Despite the title of "Golden Arbiter" being most popular, the stories where he acts in the capacity of a judgmental presence are rare. In these myths, there is a dispute between two rulers or other forces of order, and most often there is no clear right or wrong answer to the troubles. The best form of this type of myth is one where two kings pre-Imperium laid claim to land neither had an interest in, other than to deny it to their rival. The Golden Arbiter arrived before two armies could start a war, and instead bestowed it to a shepherd who had been allowing his flock to graze there the day before. Even this particular myth has its variations, over the years, but it is very much an exemplar for the myths in which the Golden Arbiter acts as a judge and practically dares someone to defy his conclusions. These are often conflated with myths about various deities, only muddying the waters further; which myth came first? It's often hard to tell, but the cyclical popularity of the Golden Arbiter means there are ample periods in the past where someone simply replaced "The Sunfather" with "The Golden Arbiter" and few noticed.

Through all these stories being told, there are none which reference the death of the Golden Arbiter - or even any idea he could be killed. Such is the majesty of dragons to the common folk, their invulnerability is implied and left unchallenged for a staggering number of generations.

There is some historical basis for the Golden Arbiter tales, naturally, but trying to determine them is fraught with problems due to the tendency of minstrels and storytellers to alter the narrative to suit their needs. It is undeniable there are golden dragons in the world who intervene in affairs with their own interests in mind, sometimes with those interests aligning with the general idea of "law and order". There are even some who did, in fact, offer guidance or intervene in affairs where their interests were in danger. This is coupled with the angle of divinity in the stories, as the Father of Dragons has a few draconic beings in the afterlife He uses as messengers or agents of inspiration. There are events documented by the Church of Bright Wings, where these draconic envoys were sent to the world to offer guidance or intervene. However, these are relatively few of these events and many decades between them.

For as many myths exist about the Golden Arbiter, it's relatively hard these days to find anyone outside of traveling minstrels who can readily tell one of the myths. Even so, the individual in question tends to be remembered more than the stories themselves - a dragon championing the cause of order, supporting the just ruler and making sure the unjust would not triumph. This does mean variations are made if a tyrant falls, or if popular opinion turns against a particular historical ruler; it's been known to happen where minstrels quietly substitute members of a dynasty into the stories as antagonists instead of heroes, if they feel particularly vindictive.

Due to the gulf of time surrounding the myths of the Golden Arbiter, variations exist in many ways. Stories of "The Defender" might have the ones defended be practically anyone, or even a fictional character linked into the lineage of a ruler. Similarly, "The Judge" has a number of stories where the only change made would be to alter the names; scholars putting together stories would find tales where either sides would be given the righteous judgement, as often as neither side would. Finally, in stories centering on "The Guide", almost any kingdom which lasted a long enough time to be remembered would have stories spread about their ruler being chosen by the Golden Arbiter. Interestingly, scholars would note this includes tales which would be written but no longer repeated if a ruler turned out to be despotic or tyrannical.

The Golden Arbiter is one of the few subjects of myth used almost exclusively for tales told to older children, or young adults. The complexity of the tales aren't as interesting to younger heads, and older folk have a tendency to sneer at the stories as "obviously false stories". Nevertheless, the character themself is popular enough to still be used to the current day. Recent years, however, have seen attempts to root out tales of the Golden Arbiter with regards to the early years of the Rhyliss Imperium - and openly disavow them, not simply ignore their existence.