Paldegora: The 3rd Apocalypse - The Great Dragon War & The Golden Age
So it was that Phi and Naa heard the cries of their children and called upon Sahn to join with them in parley and to cry out together so that Ahn would hear them and would set the world back to right and rid Paldegora of this invasion of Dragons. But Sahn only laughed and would hear none of it. For many of his Darklings now served The Five and spread all over the world and grew in great numbers and he gleefully relished the torture and cruelty they dealt to Phi and Nara's children. So Sahn boasted of this and marveled at how easily this new race of Men could be corrupted and brought under his sway, and so refused any part of Phi and Naa's plan to call to Ahn for help.
So Phi and Naa went before the Five Dragons themselves and demanded they release their children, leave Paldegora and return from whence they came. But the Five only laughed and mocked them. For they held no power over them. And they bade them leave for they had better use of their time than to hear the whining of impotent Gods, and nothing they could do or say would ever change the world back to as it had been and they would never leave. This angered both Phi and Naa and in parting spoke to them all and vowed that change would come and their time of the end would soon be at hand. To this, they all laughed.
Phi and Naa then went to the Three Dragons of Preservation. What passed between them is not known and no tale was ever told of it, but something it seemed had been agreed to by all.
Soon after the Gods took rein over this new power of magic and provide it to their devoted follower followers. Sahn as well corrupted many and stole the secrets of magic, encouraging his followers to perform and learn the darkest forms of its art to bring forth more fear and death into the world. Phi encouraged the use of this magic for doing good in the world. Naa embraced and encouraged her followers to use its power to alter and preserve nature. It was then that the first mages, clerics & druids begin to appear throughout the realms. However, nothing it seemed could cause the Five to release their vile grip on power.
Then something strange and wonderful happened. From the depths of Paldegora, the Dwarves discovered a diamond of such brilliance and purity that it burned with its own light. The Dwarves then named it The Heart of the Dragon and offered it as a gift to the Aeliophilon. Taking the gift the Three soon discover the awesome power that rested within the stone. Such power it held that even the Dragons themselves fear it and then taking their own council the Three hid it from all.
Sahn soon discovered its existence and so he went and warned the five of what their sisters held in secret. Alarmed, the Five hearing of this then went forth and confronted their sisters and demanded they be shown the diamond or for it be brought forth and destroyed before them. The Aeliophilon refused outright saying its keeping was theirs and theirs alone and it would remain hidden and safe for all time. This angered the Five and they vowed to then have it themselves or destroy it by any means. So it was that war came between the dragons themselves.
The Great War of The Dragons raged for over five hundred years. It was also at this time the Dragon spawn appeared and their battles would rage in the air above Paldegora. Thick with fell beasts never seen before, along with Wyverns and Drakes, each would battle one another across skies of all the realms. Armies of Darklings then poured forth from holes and caves and battled Elves and Dwarves and Men. Blood and fire, sorrow and death became all that was known to the people of Paldegora.
Then the bitter end finally drew near and all was truly lost for the forces of good and the Aeliophilon. Surrounded and desperate the last of their armies stood in defiance before a horde of Darklings, the Five Dragons of Destruction, and their fell army of evil spawn.
As that last long night finally came to an end and the red dawn broke upon the smoke-filled field that was to host the last great battle.. nothing happened.
Amazed and shocked the forces of the Aeliophilon cried aloud. Before them still was the fell horde, yet it had broken and turned and was leaving, fleeing quickly from the field. Cheers rose and they ran to tell the Aeliophilon of the miracle they witnessed and the change in the winds of fortune that had unfolded before them, but the Three Dragons of Preservation could not be found, nor were The Five Dragons of Destruction ever seen again.
The Dragon Emperors had vanished and Paldegora was again free…
Since that day the Dragon spawn diminished and the fell creatures they brought forth went into hiding. The races of Elves, Dwarves, Gnomes, and Men flourished with magic and technology and spread to all of the continents of Paldegora. Two thousand years have passed and many of these things were forgotten and lost.
But many of the wise and learned still worry, scry and pray. For it seems to some that if the Dragons were truly destroyed and gone, then magic itself should have disappeared along with them. A disturbing prophecy has also emerged from those days. No one knows from where or whom. It haunts the minds of many and their long days are now spent in watchfulness and dread.
“When the daughter of ignorance comes forth to sing, Then days be shortened and violence will spring. The echos of the past will unite again as one, Then dragons foretold from light shall they come.”
