The History of Daelorios Island

The History of Dragons (as told by the ElderWings) and the Isle of Daelorios
After the universe had been created and the young planet called Pyrria had set quietly for some time, Shardas created us, the Dragons. The first of us, mere Hatchlings, were placed on a lonely isle in the ocean. Shardas taught them, guided them. When they were ready, they ascended to realm of immortality. Soon a new batch came to be, but they would never know the shining home of the gods. No, they were mortal. Yet hey were guided just as the young gods before them had been. And then one day, our Creator was no more; he had left our world and his own. But we still had the other gods for guidance, though they no longer visited our world. Still, we thrived and grew in numbers.

A Hatchling from the first breeding, Ilos, became our first leader. He was fair and just, but most harsh when it was needed. We decided to name our island after him, calling it Daelorios. Just how this is name was at all similar is beyond me. Perhaps he had some sort of surname. It seemed Ilos was destined for this leadership role, for he held a power no other Dragon would for a long time to come. By all accounts, Ilos was a perfectly normal Dragon, yet while his siblings and parents perished, Ilos remained as if immune to Time. But we did not dwell on such puzzling things, not when we had a society to build. In honor of our teachers, we built a palace in the center of our island. A most challenging task, giving a lake resided there. But the gods didn't seem to care for this grand place, so we inhabited it ourselves. We did, however, commission a temple for them. Ilos was made a king, though he never cared for such a title. Of course, he was not quick to give it up, either. While Ilos created rules for us all, the rest of us tended to our families and passed the day as we saw fit. Aside from gatherings, we rarely interacted outside our family groups.

Time passed, as it always does, and after a millennia we were greeted by a new Race. Humans. They came from the mainland on small wooden structures. We both were surprised to see the other, mostly because we were so different. These creatures were bipedal and very small, only as big as the smallest of we Dragons. And they seemed to have no natural way to defend themselves; instead, they created their weapons. We welcomed these Humans with open paws and made a place for them. They built their dens and settled in at a remarkable pace. Apparently, being so small had its advantages. Soon, there were as many Humans as there were of us, but we coexisted in peace. The Humans built their own palace in, far larger than the one we had built. While ours was built solely for us, the Humans' was constructed with both Races in mind. But a Human was made master of this palace. A mutualistic relationship began between us and that is where our troubles began. Another millennia went by; Ilos passed near its end.

The Humans were thriving... a little too much for out comfort, for they started coming onto our territory. We allowed them there, of course, for visits. But to remain there... it was dangerous for them. Not all we Dragons were small, after all, and we didn't wish to crush our friends. But as their territory became overcrowded, we had no choice. We also found that Humans had a darker side which was surfacing more and more. They began taking advantage of our hospitality. And some of us would exact some small but clear revenge. A few centuries of this evolved into war. The war itself lasted half a millennia. The Humans, for all their talents in weaponry, were inferior. But we did not claim victory without loss ourselves. The war's end came with the death of our leader, Nyetai. We lost our desire to fight and denounced our breaths, for all the destruction they caused. But it was clear to all, the Humans had lost this battle. We exiled them from our island and they returned to the mainland. A few Dragons left with them, for they believed the Humans deserved a chance at redemption and didn't wish them banished. Others left too, not in sympathy, but wisdom. Our island was never meant to house two species and it was only a matter of time before we met the same inevitable fate of overcrowding. And so the migration began.

The Birth of the Tribes
I was one of the few who stayed behind. Daelorios was the only home I had known, and not being an adventurous Dragon, I had no intention of leaving it. My brother Vernicus did leave, however, and I did not see him again. But knowing my love for keeping records, he left me an account of life on the mainland. It did not take long for the migrators to discover the mainland was very different from the island they had called home. This massive continent was home to many climates. Volcanoes, freezing mountains, harsh desert and thick forests could all be found here. Even though we had all lived in only one climate all our lives, we could adapt to the harshest ones with ease. Soon, everyone had chosen a climate they liked the most and made their dens there. Still, some preferred moderate climate they were used to. Two millennia saw those Dragons who had settled in specific area evolving to them. Those who enjoyed the sea, lost all other traits except those which allowed for a life underwater. Those who preferred the intense heat of volcanoes or the brutal cold of frozen wastelands, adapted solely to those places. Once, we all embraced the night in our eyes, but now only one group had this trait. The same could be said of having feathers, scales that could change color, and lordship over the earth beneath our paws. Now, there were eight distinct species of Dragon.

The FireWings, so named because of their tolerance of volcanic fire. The IceWings, who were most at home in the extreme cold. The SkyWings made their home on the sister continent to the mainland, living mostly atop some peculiar rocks that floated. The LightWings could still change their scales to different colors and harness the light of the moon and sun as weapons. The SeaWings, though they could still survive on land, made their home primarily in the ocean. The NightWings kept the night vision the  rest of the groups no longer found necessary. And the EarthWings could spew a corrosive acid from their maws. Each of these seven groups also had some mastery over an element specific to the area in which they lived, or the trait they maintained. But the eighth group, because they lived in no one climate or place, still had traits of multiple species. And they still had a varied height. It seemed logical to the seven groups, because there were so many Dragons living in one area who were alike, to form societies. Thus the Tribes were born and each had its own leader. The eighth group--though they never came together to form a Tribe and in fact preferred a life of solitude--went through a few names but eventually became known as Rogues. A rather odd name, I thought, but they didn't seem to mind. In fact, there was a sense of pride in carrying that name. The Dragons were not alone on the mainland as they had been on Daelorios. They shared the land with Dinosaurs, those dreadful Humans, and eventually Reptilians. But the Humans seemed to have learned their lesson and for the most part, left our kind alone.

Afterword
As for those of us who remained on Daelorios, life was quiet and secluded once more. Until their death, the original migrators had visited once in awhile, telling tales of the mainland. I had only been a Hatchling during those days, full of desire to explore. But I also had a fear of water and heights at the time. Imagine, a Dragon afraid of heights! I can assure you, I outgrew this fear, but not before losing a desire to join my brother on the mainland. For some reason, the mainland Dragons developed shorter lifespans and varied heights while we on Daelorios maintained our longevity and a set height (80ft). Perhaps our island held some magic left by Shardas. After all, this was the birthplace of our Race. Or maybe it was because we were still seven species in one body. Whatever the reason, this earned us the name of ElderWing. But as our kin died off, we were forgotten by the Tribes, for there was no longer anyone to relay stories between us. Even the gods had forgotten their eldest child, favoring the Tribes and semi-gods. Now there is a funny thing, semi-gods. It was only after one of those few-and-far-between visits that we realized our first leader, Ilos, had been a semi-god. But no longer were we visited by anyone. "For the best," our leader at the time--who's name I can't seem to remember--used to say. And she was right; just think what happened last time we allowed visitors to our island... Our new leader has plans to move us underground, "until the time is right to remind the world of our existence". He's a peculiar young Dragon though, I think. But then, I am one of the oldest here now, so I must seem equally strange. And that is the end of our history, or at least, the end of my telling of it.
                       
--Otaa the Scribe.

List of words and phrases used by the ElderWings and their meanings:

Birth Title: The word that best matches this is rank. There are certain occupations within the Tribe that have only one member, such as Scroll Keeper. The holders of these occupations were considered the best of those who possessed the attributes necessary to have them. For example, Scroll Keepers have an unusually long toe, a trait unique to only one family.

Tal and Kul: Both mean Tribe. Tal refers specifically to the seven tribes that descend from the ElderWing. Kul refers to any Tribe, even Reptilians or Human settlements.

R'as Tal: Rise of Tribes. Refers to the founding of the seven tribes

Star Traveler: One who leaves their home to explore the world.

Seer: A teacher

il: Applied to the end of a Title (ex., Scribeil) to show that the Dragon is learning about the Title; an Apprentice.

Mal Tok: A History Sphere. It is an object in which a Dragon can place their memories. Every Dragon has one, but it is hidden from them usually somewhere related to the species' element or sometimes a meaningful place. When one  is near the location of their Mal Tok, they will hear whispers, usually their own voice or that of a loved one who has passed (for an ElderWing, their crest will glow). A spell is needed to place memories in the orb, an ElderWing or any Dragon that has strong ties to magic can perform it. It also has other uses.

Gazer: An astronomer.

Mainlander: While it is mostly used in reference to the seven tribes, it refers to anyone not born on Daeloris Island.

Ilos: The very first leader of the ElderWings and also the first Semi-god. In honor of him, his name also came to be a word for leader and every leader since has taken the name. It is also the name of the ElderWing city, both the first and current.

Xeil: It means City of Whispers. The City of Whispers is the ruins of the very first temple built to house the first shrines of the gods. As new temples and shrines were built, Xeil became a sacred burial ground. It is said the spirits of the ElderWings buried here roam the living world, hence the name of the ruins.

Kreu: A monster; demon; spawn of the betrayer.

Qaelik: Creator (Shardas)