The Great Dragon Hunt

"Dragon slayers? You are nothing more than children playing with toys, angry that you have been punished for your misbehaviour!"

Last words of Gravvil the Great, ancient white dragon.

The Great Dragon Hunt was a concerted effort by the Baronies of Everflame and the Ironheart Kingdom to rid Tilen of dragons, many of whom had caused significant problems in Eight Shields, Neverwinter, and the cities of Lightarm. It took place from 1652 ANG to 1684 ANG.   Buildup   Dragons, especially White, Green, and Grey ones, had been causing trouble in the south of the Ironheart Kingdom and the north of the Dwarven Kingdoms for centuries, but the problem was exacerbated by a series of cold winters in the Ironheart Kingdom and the formalisation of borders between Gildmire, Lightarm, Forge's Eye, and Duerga.   Due to the reclusiveness and secrecy of most metallic dragons, very few were known, and most in Tilendrel believed that all dragons were evil, some no more than beasts. Dragonborn were similarly rare enough that none could act as spokesperson for the metallic dragons.   When Pirun Sunderstorm rose to the rank of Head Baron of Everflame in 1650 ANG, he immediately put forward a motion to cut down the population of dragons in Everflame, as well as using his dwarven husband's connection to the royal family of the Ironheart Kingdom to propose an alliance for such a purpose. The Ironhearts agreed, but it was only after a catastrophic attack on Faela's Gate that the Everian Council voted in favour of the motion. The Great Dragon Hunt was officially declared open on the 7th of Horizon 1652 ANG by Sunderstorm and the Ironheart King at a meeting in Forge's Eye.     Methods   The armies of both countries were mobilised to begin the work, but it quickly became obvious that only the most stupid dragons could be found and defeated by a standard army regiment. In response, King Albreght of the Ironheart Kingdom formed special 'Dragon Slayer' regiments, containing specialists in divination, illusion, and abjuration magic, as well as artificers to infuse the soldiers' weapons. Some of these regiments still exist to this day, though they are mainly used against frost giants and other large enemies. At the same time, Sunderstorm began offering bounties to adventurers who provided proof of death of any dragon to the government in Central Everflame.   Both methods proved effective, due both to the vast numbers of adventurers called upon by Everflame and the toughness of dwarven troops. The Cobra Effect was prevented thanks to the exceedingly long lifespan and growth cycle of dragons, and both countries began to see a decline in dragon attacks from approximately 1660 ANG onwards.     Controversy   Many metallic dragons, seeing their brethren being killed indiscriminately, objected to the Hunt, either directly or by stirring up dissent in human form. The governments of the involved countries, however, took this as a desperate attempt by evil dragons to save themselves, and used incidents of self-defence as evidence that metallic dragons were no better than chromatic ones. Nonetheless, pressure from the people of Everflame forced Sunderstorm to step down as Head Baron in Drethmire of 1681 ANG. He was succeeded by Horus Limpet, who put an end to the bounties three years after his election and officially declared the Hunt over on the 9th of Shinesong 1684 ANG.   To this day, the morality and necessity of the Hunt is debated by historians everywhere. Even the goodness of the metallic dragons is still not known for certain, though rare trips by spellcasters to alternate worlds in the Material Plane would seem to suggest that it was genuine.     Impact   Today, there are almost no dragons in Tilendrel, and they have been declared extinct on 3 separate occasions. There has not been a single dragon attack in over 900 years, though many dwarven and elvish communities still have legends about them.   Consequently, the number of dragonborn is also very low; almost as many come from planar travel or magical mishaps as do from dragons in Tilendrel. They are rarely seen, and often mistaken for some exotic type of lizardfolk. Many are actually thankful for this mistake, since revealing their true heritage can lead to prejudice and even lynching in some communities.   A similar initiative has been suggested to clear out the creatures in the unclaimed section of the Great Eastern Desert, though due to the divisiveness of the original Hunt and the fact that there is very little worth having in the unclaimed desert, it has been tabled for decades.