The Era of Scorched Earth

Eldra and her dragonhorde tried to burn down the Great Forest in Eren. This campaign of terror changed both Eren and the dragons forever when Eriden, the Earth Guardian, faced them and shot down their entire campaign of conquest.

It was once said long ago that if the sky could dream, it would dream of dragons, and so it did. One of the first beings born to the realm, dragons have always been both feared and respected. It is a conversation that often breaks out in a quarrel when describing where the first dragons came from, be it from the realm of air, with their powerful wings lifting them to the skies, or from the realm of fire for their ferocious lungs of flame. The world is unsure of their origins, for they all know that dragons come in all shapes and sizes, each representing a powerful historical creature born to the realm. But to say the species had grown an ego would be an understatement. After centuries of awe from the smaller beings around them, dragons began to see themselves as celestial creatures and quickly fell into a power-crazed hunger no other could match. They lay waste to all those who spoke ill of them, sparing nothing in their rage, and razed entire kingdoms to ash if they so chose, stealing every wonder for themselves as it was their right, was it not? And all of this under one supreme ruler, Eldra, the first dragon, who had done nothing but lead her species into unrivaled glory through fire and blood. The realm was at the mercy of the beasts until they reached Eren, the land of earth. Eldra was destined to set fire to the great forest of the region for no reason other than to watch a great fire burn, only halting her attack upon the sighting of a rather peculiar spirit, Eriden. The spirit stood its ground, showing no fear at the sight of dragons, and only looked on at the beasts with disappointment clear in its eyes. Eldra approached, shaking the ground as she landed before the spirit, her dark wings splitting the air. And it was only then that the spirit spoke, though not with its mouth, for it had none, but directly into Eldra's mind.

“If you do not change your ways of this greed and anger, your kin will fall and your legacy forgotten”

Eldra would scoff at the spirit, only mildly amused at the idea of this thing opposing her. But Eriden offered one final warning before shifting into a tree before the dragon queen's eyes.

“Destroy this forest, and the fire will consume you. Bring no harm, and you will be glorious”

It did not take long for Eldra to set her kin to the forest, tall, luscious trees like none have ever seen-- immediately falling to ruin, centuries and centuries of growth gone in an instant, the forest turning black as charcoal. Satisfied with her flame, her kin would venture into the burning wood, settling in what is now known as Jade Valley. They found their nest in the wedge of the mountainside and reaped their winnings from the land of Eren-- But her kin were unsatisfied with the flames. One by one, they quickly began to turn on one another, horns clashing against horns, fangs against flesh, and flame against kin. Now coupled with the scorched earth were the various bodies of blind rage against one another, the reason unknown. It was as if the beasts lost their minds… just as the spirit had warned. At first, Eldra was furious, her own rage only growing stronger as her followers tore at one another, some even attacking her. She would cry out, demanding obedience and order, but would be granted none. After many futile attempts at corralling her kin, Eldra took off, soaring for the location where she last saw the spirit, once again landing before it, causing the ground to shake. But it was just a tree. The only one left in all of Eren, completely untouched by flames. Eldra narrowed her gaze and parted her jaws, the hottest fire heaving from her lungs. Her onslaught lasted several moments until there was no fire left in her lungs, and yet when the smoke dissipated, the tree remained untouched. Eldra demanded Eriden to reveal itself but was met with silence, and in the distance, the cries of bloodshed of her kin could be heard. The legacy of dragons crumbled before Eldra's eyes, a chapter lost to history after each dragon fell until only a handful were left. Then, for the first time, the eldest dragon would beg. Not for an instance in her lifetime had the dragon queen ever asked for anything, until now, to save her kin. It is said that decades passed before the spirit complied, leaving all but a fistful of dragons to ruin before appearing before Eldra again. This time, Ediren took the form of a dragon, its body woven by tree roots and its wings, which are intricate branches. Ediren was much bigger than Eldra in size and looked down on the dragon with no emotion. Eriden once again entered Eldra's mind, their voice hoarse.

“Why do you beg?”

Eldra looked upon the tree spirit, the loss of her kin heavy in her mind. “They’re gone. They’re all gone.” There was silence for a moment before Eldra spoke again. “Can you bring them back?” Eriden's body rumbled, their wings shaking, leaves falling to the ground.

“They can never come back”

A sapling began to grow where the leaves fell from Eriden's wings, and on it was a budding cluster of red flowers. Ember Root.

“You shall take this and feed it to your people every day. It will serve as a reminder of your mistakes and remedy your rage. Should you cease consumption, the flames will consume you once more.”

Eldra could simply nod, the weight of the loss could never be eased, for the dragons had suffered immensely, but she would take the root to heal what was left, in the hopes of rising once again. Eldra learned through her losses in that era, and it is said that while Eriden had once gifted the dragons Ember Root, they had also gifted them wisdom.