User:The Beard/Stories/Coming of the Dragons

The Coming of the Dragons was an event in the year 6258 CE which preceded the Fall of Empires. On the fifth day of the fifth moon, five dragons arrived in the world. Four settled at the four corners of the world, while the other took up residence near the Mouth of Lamoth. From their posts, they systematically destroyed and attacked the surrounding land, including the inhabitants and buildings, which led to the Fall of Empires six (or seven) years later.

Versions
Foretold by the Serdian religious leader Muka'mador and by the Armidian emperor Durán millenia before it happened, the Coming signalled the end of the First Age and the beginning of a newer epoch. Different versions of this tale abound: the Arkanrosian ballad The Picopri says that, on the night before the Coming, the evil sorcerer Bala-ru and his apprentice Mordin, so fed up and jealous of the world and its people, summoned five Dragons of Doom from the Underworld to do their bidding and destroy all the great empires of the world. The Armidian epic U Fangós Armidin, on the other hand, says that a great eruption took place on Unicorn Island, which opened the gates of the Underworld and let the dragons escape. The Serdians meanwhile believe that Muka'mador, desperate to vanquish his enemies, called down five shooting stars from the sky; these became the winged reptilians in the myth. The Serdian version somehow neglects the fact that although their prophet was the one who supposedly controlled the dragons, his people were the most affected.

From the Coming to the Fall
What is widely accepted is that five Dragons of Doom (named Belniu, Sa'athma, Zwingha, Ulminior, and Tarkin) came from the Underworld. Each settled in a corner of the world: Belniu in the mountains of Greater Gallorum, Zwingha in Little Gallorum, Ulminior in the plains near Arkanros, Sa'athma in Ebue Eguae, and Tarkin in the Mouth of Lamoth.

Each of the dragons attacked one or two kingdoms each until they became the rulers of their land. This lasted for six years and resulted in the fall of the Meriavinclan Kingdom, the Serdian Empire, the rule of the Licid Family in Arkanros, the Karabalan monarchy, the Geugavian republic, and the Galician State. The Armidian Republic was greatly weakened by this assault, but was strong enough to withstand this and many more tests of endurance. The Silkskin Unicorns of Unicorn Island and their guardians, the Tenders, likewise withstood the dragons' flames by retreating into the many diamond caves in their island. However, the military power of every significant world power, as well as their economies and cultures, was severely weakened to the point where the nations retreated into the mountains whence they came, and the whole world relapsed into an Age of Myth.

The Dragons remained at their posts for several millennia, torching any person foolish enough to approach them, until they were eventually killed by the great heroes of the Second Age. Their master, Bala-ru, led an attack on the Kingdom of Men (Arkanros) and was killed, but would resurface in the Third Age to exterminate all humans and sentient beings, enslave all the others, and become supreme ruler of the world.

Mythical Sources

 * The Picopri - Arkanros
 * U Fangós Armidin - Armidia
 * Sa'ind Appendix - Serdia
 * Chronickles of Mythe - Karabala