Metallic Dragon Lords

Thus, it was only the Redeemer left, the youngest among the Dragon Lords. He regretted much of what he did, which had led to the Giants walking down a fanatical path in their faith and to overzealous colonization attempts that often resulted in disaster (as Zolzrum’s did). What was more regrettable, however, is that he abandoned them only a few years before Selene’s Fury, a tragedy he has since blamed himself for. If he were there, he could have at least saved more people, if not everyone. Some say it is for this reason that he remains around the temple the Giants built for him and his father: grief, rather than belief. To him, the whole land around it is a graveyard of the first people who welcomed him in.  

The Other Dragon Lords

One must question, of course, what the other Dragon Lords were doing, to generally avoid the affairs of the Giants. All of this should be taken with a grain of salt, as no one was around to witness these events, and these are either stories told by the Dragon Lords themselves or legends made up by poets of later ages.   Cano (at the time known as Cano the Greater) was on an important duty: Chromatic Watch. He’d observe the comings and goings of the Chromatic Dragon Lords and try to prevent them from causing chaos (particularly Zome, Lord of Red, and Fraeton the Usurper). Reoma kept to his own domain, as did Meghorranth (who at the time was surrounded in her ocean by only fish and salt water), and Nammat had no qualms with the Giants. His true enemies during this period were Jarrur, Lord of the Dark, and Inrilyth the Hushed, who lived near to The Giant Kingdom. Inrilyth detested the Giants and sought to freeze over their realm (a feat that one can say she did, as the largest population of giants that remains today live in her frozen land of Moroza). The battles between Cano and Inrilyth were that of legend, even to the ancient Giants.   Xeildrom the Jealous, meanwhile, made a pilgrimage to all of the Heavens, which were at the time not places for the Souls of the dead but, instead, merely seats of power for the Gods. He befriended the Gods, but those friendships never lasted, as his jealousy would get the better of him. The only Goddesses he ended up maintaining a friendship with were Selene, the Jealous Goddess (who found a kinship with the wandering Dragon), Fortuna the Goddess of Travel, and Nyx the Goddess of Shadow. As for Gods, only Janus and Erra put up with the eternally upset creature. Due to this journey, Xeildrom was rarely seen on the surface of Totania, and it is said his scales still have the pattern of the stars burned into them. It is for this reason he is otherwise known as the Serpent of the Stars.   Brunnir the Brave, not yet on guard duty for the Valley of Creation, is said to have trained on the edge of Hell, facing down the hordes of Chernobog’s Demonic forces (perhaps even the Demon Lords themselves) with nothing but his fists and his willpower. He only left this post when Satanael set up his own defenses and Phrixus called for Brunnir again on the surface.   Tamrig the Unpredictable would travel the world causing explosions. This is not an exageration, as he was pioneering alchemy, he would find new ways to make the world blow up (only in minor ways, that is, though he may have found some ways to cause completel global armageddon). The Giants began calling him a walking apocalypse, as any sighting of him would result in an unpredictable amount of deaths, and no one could ever be certain what he’d look like, save for the reflection of fire and explosions in his shifting scales.   Urved the Voiceless was, in those days, traveling the world with Tavet the Friendly. They would meet up with Giant colonists, settle down for a century or so, and then leave again when Tavet grew bored. Urved was overshadowed by his outgoing brother, which eventually drew a wedge between the two, as Urved hated how people flocked to Tavet and often ignored him. They never speak much anymore.  

The Treacherous Life of a Dragon Lord

Betrayal has marked the lives of many of the Dragon Lords, of course most notably Cano the Treacherous, who betrayed even his own siblings. Before we get into this major betrayal, let us delve into smaller events of treason and the Dragon Lords.   Another major example of the treachery surrounding the Dragon Lords is the tale of Urved the Voiceless and the Devil known as Communication. Communication wielded Mind Magic, and was the only one capable of understanding Urved, helping him to finally connect with his siblings and the rest of the world. This is the only time in recorded history, aside from stories of his creation, that Urved was of major historical note. He supposedly founded a kingdom which has since been called “Utopia” that welcomed in people from all over the world, protected them from other Dragon Lords like Zome, and even is said to have learned things that even Kath had not, at the time, understood. They were the perfect pair.   The issues came about when, slowly but surely, Communication began twisting Urved’s words for his own gain. At first it was small things or out of earshot of the Dragon Lord, but it began piling up as Communication realized Urved could not speak out to contradict him. Communication took full power, ruling with an iron fist. When Urved tried to push back against him with nonverbal methods of communication, Communication convinced the city he was trying to overthrow their utopia, and all of the citizens rose up to kill Urved. In his grief and rage, Urved swallowed Communication and burned down his city, isolating himself away from all other people, afraid that everyone else would betray him like Communication did. There are many questions as to the validity of this legend, as little archeological evidence of “Utopia” exists and there is also not much evidence of Urved himself.   In a similar act of betrayal, there is a record of Tavet the Friendly’s attempted interference in the first war between the Dwarves and Elves.   He met with Queen Meiriris Nerifir and Captain Commander Tavzion Mossense of the Elves first, in the form of an Elf. He claimed the Dwarves were willing to meet for peace if the Elves were, and Meiriris agreed to hear them out.   He then met with the Dwarven King Vonron, in the form of a Dwarf of course, and informed him that Meiriris was willing to work towards making a deal of peace if he would meet with her. Vonron was hesitant to trust the tricky Elves who had outwitted a God, but he was willing to test the waters.   Both monarchs met at the border of their nations, with a large force of their army behind them, and their most trusted commanders at their sides. Tavet found himself in a strange position: if he took the form of a Dwarf for the meeting, the Elves would distrust him. If he took the form of an Elf, the Dwarves would hate him. So he instead took the form of a third party in the war: a Draconian.   He tried to explain that he, alongside the two people who were secretly him, were a group working to make peace, and that now they could make that deal and cease this foolish war. Vonron and Meiriris met for the third time in this meeting, but this was the first time they stood together and agreed on one thing.

“The Dragon oversteps. Aim your arrows on him and I will do the same… no Dwarven blood need spill today if no Elven blood does. Are we in agreement?”

— Meiriris Nerifir

Vonron nodded, and gave the order to his soldiers. Both armies aimed their arrows on Tavet, firing and filling him with an unfathomable amount of arrows, enough to kill a Giant. Tavet was, however, no Giant, and no matter how many arrows were fired into him, he would not die.   Stories differ as to who gave in first (Was it the Dwarves, who were not as skilled as the Elves in the art of archery, making a mistake or knowing they would fail if this were to escalate or continue? Or was it the Elves, making a calculated play alongside their betrayal of Tavet?), but someone fired an arrow past Tavet to the opposing army, and over the supposed corpse of the Friendly Dragon Lord, the war began again. His peace talks only escalated the war and put the monarchs on the frontlines, and the only way he was able to get the forces to retreat was to turn back into his Dragon Lord form to frighten them. This only convinced the Elves further that he was an enemy, as they had experience with the Green Dragon Lord Fraeton the Usurper, who was constantly plotting against them. Not knowing about Tavet, they thought him to be a pawn or ally of Fraeton, and swore vengeance for the lives lost due to his plan.   Tavet is said to still be officially banned from Camor for this. The Dwarves don’t have such an official law since the government has changed a great deal since then, but most Dwarves do not openly welcome him because of his interference in this old war. Despite seeking friendliness and peace, Tavet accidentally made an enemy of two of the largest nations in the world, and for this he often tries to stay away from making peace in wartorn nations, despite wanting peace above all else.   Then, there is Cano the Treacherous himself, who is the most famous traitor in history (at the very least he is in contention with Tesla Stronglung and his betrayal of Amukk’s United Holy Front, Tobor Tuldad’s betrayal of the Draconian people during the Draco-Elvish War, and Arazion Nerifir’s assassination of his sister and her family). What caused the great Dragon Lord to betray his siblings and creator?   One can never know the true reasoning of a Dragon Lord, nor the extent of which events may affect them.   However, we do know a few different stories that may have contributed to the betrayal. The first concerns the rise of Cano, at the time known as Cano the Greater, for he was seen as second only to the great Kath. Cano was pleased with this position, as he knew there was yet still room for him to grow, and he was constantly working to improve himself. He wanted to be like Kath, and Kath promised his brother that he would happily help him improve in any way. He laid out the steps Cano would need to take, teaching him nearly everything he knew.   When Phrixus found that Satanael was seeking to meddle in the affairs of Totania again, he asked Kath to do something, but Kath said that Cano was ready to deal with it now, and wanted to give his brother the opportunity to face a great threat now that he’d grown so strong. While in Hell, after defeating armies of Devils and infernal beasts, Cano finally faced down Satanael. But the God of Hell had no desire to fight the Dragon Lord. Instead, he began appealing to Cano’s desire to improve, saying that it is a shame that Phrixus doesn’t consider Cano to be his greatest son, at the very least equal to Kath.

“I see what you are capable of, dear boy, and it far exceeds the likes of that golden goose. He was the prototype, but gold is soft… there are few metals that can rival the toughness of iron. Why allow yourself to remain in his shadow? I know Kath, I’ve known him since he hatched. He sent you here only because he’s lazy, not because he believed in you. He wanted you, the second fiddle, to do his dirty work for him. Why obey? You have the power to speak for yourself, to act as you please. I can grant you more… power beyond your wildest dreams. All we’d need to do is make a deal.”

— Satanael

  Cano denied Satanael, but he did not fight him either. The Dragon Lord retreated to the surface, telling tales of his victory, and thus was sent on another mission to stop the Blue Dragon Lord Meghorranth the Cunning. But Meghorranth had not lured him there to fight her, he was there to face Helle. Helle faked losing to Cano to boost his confidence, then revealed a greater power that she had, and told Cano that it could be his if he wanted it. She showed him the endless mounds of treasure that she had, and promised that to him as well.   Cano saw through this, saying:

“You are aligned with Satanael, I’ve known this already, and so you both seek the same thing. You seek to turn me against my creator, but I will not listen. I know already I am greater than Kath, I know already I ought to be Phrixus’s favorite and have the largest treasure hoard in the world, but I know I have no right to fight against my father. He created me, it is his decision what I ought to do and who I ought to be.”

— Cano the Greater

  Helle, however, answered back:

“I never ask my children to be anything but themselves. They may each call themselves superior in their own way, and they each are perfect in who they are. Zome has power to rival the Gods, Meghorranth is smarter than Mimir himself, Fraeton’s tricks are impossible to outwit, Reoma’s might is beyond the combined might of every mortal race to live on this world, Nammat’s speed is imperceptible, Jarrur’s skill with people is better than even my own, and Inrilyth’s magic is unrivaled. Would your father say the same? Or are you always to remain behind that precious, golden child? Is he not intent to move on to some new fancy soon enough anyway? Think of how readily he was willing to bless the Giants… what will be next? How long until he tires of you and your siblings? I know for a fact that he is plotting something behind your back… and only Kath is privy to it. Don’t you want to know what it is? Don’t you want a say in the way the world turns?”

— Helle

  Cano flew around, seeking to discover what Helle was talking about. He spotted Kath in the recently founded village of Bortan, among the Draconians, teaching them about Phrixus. Phrixus had started to focus on Helle’s new creations? Was Helle right? Had Phrixus grown bored of the Dragon Lords? And why bother to teach them the worship of Phrixus? Was it not enough that Phrixus had his own children? The pride that had been built up in Cano the Greater, alongside his own fear of being overtaken by these new mortal followers and his jealousy towards Kath led him to return to Helle, asking for that power and treasure, and then to Satanael, gaining an Area Devil Ability (and twisted horns to match his new infernal power). As the War of Creation raged on at the behest of Helle and her worshippers in Bortan, Cano took Kath out of the battle, fighting him over the Great Sea.   Their battle spanned much of the world, as Kath tried to appeal to his brother, but Cano would not listen. He was furious, he felt terribly betrayed, unaware or unwilling to face the fact that he was now the traitor. It is said that victory was in his reach until Kath, finally recognizing that his brother was lost, grabbed onto one of Cano’s wings and tore it out, planting it in the soil of Udai. Cano, falling to the ground, unable to remain aloft with only one wing, was then bombarded with all of the magic Kath could pull off… and then left to die. The White Dragon Lord Inrilyth the Hushed saved him, bringing him to Satanael and Helle, who healed Cano and helped him get back to the way he was before.   Cano still has only one wing, but his magic allows him to take to the skies now. The wing that was left in Udai now is the center of the rich Orcish mines in the Fields of Slaughter, being the source of a seemingly endless iron supply mined by the Orcs. Kath isolated himself in the Magic College for centuries until the arrival (and subsequent betrayal) of Kilprax Ildial because of Cano’s actions, and Cano would henceforth be known forever as Cano the Treacherous.   Speaking of Kilprax Ildial and Kath, that is the final betrayal to be detailed here. While locked away in the Magic College, feeling betrayed by his brother, Kath still desperately wanted connection and to pass on his knowledge to others. The loneliness of his youth still haunted him, and so when the Draconian known as Kilprax Ildial arrived at the Magic College, Kath welcomed him with open arms, tutoring him for a thousand years.   Kilprax then opened the Magic College to all Draconians, but during this process, he revealed his allegiance was to the Draconian people and his faith was in Helle, not Phrixus as he’d lied to Kath about. He sought to take the college for himself, and battled Kath to a standstill. Kath, betrayed again, fled the Magic College and has since then distrusted all mortals, seeking financial compensation for any aid he brings so that he can increase his treasure hoard and at least get something out of the possibility of being betrayed again.  

Biology and Abilities

The Metallic Dragon Lords, like all other Dragons, have a form of elemental breath, though it is said that each one can cycle between every natural element. Their scales are made of the metals of Totania, with each one being composed of a different metal that they were said to have burst out of, with the eggs Phrixus created being veins of those ores.   Another ability unique to the Metallic Dragon Lords is a shapeshifting power that allows them to transform into… well, anything. Most of the time they use this to blend in among other mortals, usually humanoids, though occasionally they mingle with smaller Dragons in their form or even beasts. It is believed they may even have the ability to transform into inanimate objects.   Aside from this, most of the Metallic Dragon Lords are incredibly proficient in magic, which is much of the reason for Dragons being synonymous with the very idea of magic (something that inspired Kilprax Ildial to work towards associating Draconians with magic as well).   Often, the pronoun “he” is used for the Dragon Lords, but one should take great care when saying this, for the Metallic Dragon Lords are not necessarily male, nor are they female. They exist beyond the present concept of gender, a primordial ideal of neutrality. They have the reproductive organs of both sexes, and generally answer to any form of address as long as their name is said correctly.