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The Draconian Chronicles
The Gates of Hell

The emergence of demons forbade a dark time for the world of Therion. The populace that inhabited this world would not be prepared for what was to come. Ten Demons came forth, as if from the very womb of Therion, from a portal hidden on Mount Dragonmount. What was the cause of this portal? How did it get there? These were questions that were to be asked later by those currently oblivious to the situation, the multitudes of races that made up the people of Therion.

Tearik Del'A'Mort led a group of adventurers to Dragonmount, where Tearik took up the Spirit Tear and attacked Cain. Cain was trying to lay waste to all threats, kill the other gods, and assume control of the world. This was something that had to be stopped, and by who better than the recently discovered Tearik, last king of the Draconians. There was a battle in which Cain was destroyed by the might of the Spirit Tear in the hands of the last remaining Draconian king.

After the battle, Tearik Del'A'Mort and company made ready to leave Dragonmount, their goals accomplished. However something strange happened, a portal opened up, and demons burst forth. Quickly they engaged the company in combat. The Greater Demon among the ranks attacked Tearik and wrested the Spirit Tear from his hands tossing it into the portal. Thus the Spirit Tear was lost to the mortal realm, and Tearik was knocked unconscious. His guards quickly moved to defend him and told the adventurers to flee, with Tearik. Their king must survive, and see to it that this threat be eliminated.

So the adventurers made haste for Drakar-Tyrith, upon arriving the King immediately set about messaging the other races of Therion, warning them of what had happened. The other races scoffed at this warning and called Tearik a fool. However a week after the missives were sent Mount Dragonmount suddenly disappeared from the horizon. Rumors were abound, were there truly demons at Dragonmount? How did the gigantic mountain suddenly disappear. Shortly after Cain's defeat there were earthquakes, and after one quake that shook the world, Dragonmount was swallowed into Therion.

Men were sent to investigate, however none returned, everyone lay in fear night after night. Did Tearik speak of the truth? Had demons truly come unto the mortal realm? They hoped against hope that the disappearance of Dragonmount had something to do with the fall of Cain. Fear spread throughout the lands quickly, fear of the unknown. Tearik sent missives out again, telling the other races of Therion to be on full alert, some of them were ignored, maybe Tearik was baiting some sort of trap. Maybe it was his men that were killing those who approached Dragonmount.

People hoped that the death of Cain did this to Therion, however these hopes were dashed when a dwarven city fell under attack nearly three months after the disappearance of Dragonmount. Hundreds of Demons poured into it and slaughtered man, woman and child. There was only one that survived the attack on Ker'Tarok. A man with a tan bronze skin, inhuman eyes, and shiny metallic bronze hair. He towered above the average man at 6'6", he didn't look it however he was stronger than any normal man. The draconians knew of this one, Dax Bloodstone. Son of Ilia Abrekiir, a bronze dragon who had taken akin to humans, and her human lover Destin Bloodstone.

If anyone were to survive the slaughter that day it would be him, he had dealt the killing blow to a few of the lesser demons, but without the help of the dwarves of Ker'Tarok even he would have fallen. His attire consisted of a mage's robe, a mage that wielded the sword and ax, together in a unique fighting style all his own. His story however was for another day. He quickly made his way to the Dwarven King Rurik Walgrim. He was watched suspiciously as he approached the king. After speaking of what happened to the city of Ker'Tarok Rurik sent Dax to Tearik, and he also sent missives out to the other races. Demons truly were upon them, the stout dwarven warriors of Ker'Tarok were no match for these foul, accursed beings.

Dax made his way to Drakar-Tyrith, and reported what news he had to Tearik, surely there would be more carnage, this was only the beginning. In the three month period there had been a council of leaders from all walks of life. Leaders from Illian, Aragoth, and Kamd'Olm. This council had come to no decisions, calling Tearik a liar, claiming that it was the death of Cain that caused Dragonmount to disappear. The people were not going to be unified anytime soon. Then Dax Bloodstone arrived, his robes torn, his hands and face bloodied, and with him the head of a Demon, no lesser demon, a demon. He tossed the huge head onto the middle of the council table just after barging in.

There was a silence as the leaders stared upon the head of the demon, they paid little mind to the one who had brought it in. Staring in awe there was minutes of silence. Tearik spoke up, "The demons are upon us," this broke the ice and everyone starting calling out and yelling. Disorder had hit the council, Dax struggled back to his feet, the fight with the demon had taken much out of him. Before them the head dissipated, and some of the council thought this might be some foul trick of magick. They quickly accused Dax of trickery, but were silenced by Tearik. Pulling a scroll from under his cloak he handed it to the dwarven representative.

The dwarf stood from his chair, "this is indeed the seal of my lord, he would not lie to us. We must return to our lands, Ker'Tarok has been destroyed." Tearik then explained that when a demon falls in battle it's body dissapates shortly afterwards. He explained that he used his magic to keep it from doing so, but as he nearly fell unconcious the spell waned and the head dissipated. Tearik had Dax cared for and discussed with the council where to press on from there.

A month had come and passed, nothing, not one report of any demonic activity. It was too quiet, what was going on? Soon enough their answer was found, Kamd'Olm the pride of the dwarves a city with 500,000 was invaded. 80,000 demons pressed the attack, a massive force one never before seen. A bloody battle ensued, the stout dwarves were made short work of. The huge horn on the side of the mountain was blasted, signaling retreat. Never before had they had to signal a retreat from Kamd'Olm, the dwarves almost could not believe it. In disarray the dwarves made their way from their capitol fleeing to Drakar Tyrith.

Only half of the dwarves had made it, and their hearts laid heavy as none of the dwarves from any of the other cities had arrived yet. No missives, nothing, it was as if they never even existed. The dwarven king Rurik Walgrim had stayed behind with a small army of dwarves to cover the retreat of his people. He had not been heard from either. Tearik heard of their plight and welcomed them into the city.

Tearik needed to find the dwarven king, hopefully alive, if the dwarves were to be at their best in battle. Alive or dead would spark the fight in them, however the fear of him dead did nothing to help them. So he sent the man he saw capable of finding Rurik Walgrim, the half-dragon, Dax Bloodstone. Tearik sent 10 of his best men with Dax, a small group would be able to move faster than a small army. Dax accepted this, he was still in search of his father, however there would be no world to search if the demons were about.

Dax departed in search of Walgrim, at this time another attack had come. It had been a few weeks since the dwarves' stronghold was shattered, and they were drove from their home. This time they attacked Aragoth, a force of 70,000 demons, this time they were lead by the more capable Baeloths, the greater demons. The battle shook the ground itself, the dark skies lit up during the battle with a great white light. No one could tell what this was, but with it vanished several hundred demons.

Several more people claim to have seen divine figures fighting off large hoards of demons are various pivotal battles across the globe. Some fanatics believe that the gods themselves are helping the mortals, while still others believe that seraphs have come to join the fray. These were disregarded as mad ravings of lunatics who had gone over the edge from facing demons up close. During the battle at Aragoth a flight of bronze dragons arrived at about the time Dax Bloodstone arrived with Rurik Walgrim. They had seen the demons fly overhead and quickly moved to follow them.

Dax had called out to the brethren of his mother to come and help against the demons, they had answered the call. The horde of demons were pressed back with the help of the dragons, the dwarves, and the near one million troops from Aragoth. The losses were massive, Dragons and demons that had fought in the sky and met their end fell to the earth decimating even more troops of Aragoth. All in all nearly 400,000 men had fallen in Aragoth, several dragons, and most of what had remained of Rurik's men.

Shortly after this battle Dax and Rurik made their way to Drakar Tyrith, only 200 dwarves in tow. However large shouts of joy had arisen from the dwarves holed up within the capitol city of the Draconians. A new fire lit in the pits of their stomachs. A new want to face this threat to Therion. Refugees from all races quickly made their way to Aragoth and Drakir Tyrith. Battles emerged all over Therion, demons tore into the lands of the draconians, humans, elves, goblins, gnomes, halflings, orcs, and all other walks of life. Many sought refuge in Aragoth, but the city was already full as is, so they were sent to Drakir Tyrith.

Now as it stands there are only two remaining bastions of hope in the world. Drakir Tyrith, and Aragoth. Despite the plight of Therion the races still quarreled amongst themselves, goblins and orcs pillaged the homes of the native inhabitants of Aragoth and Drakir Tyrith. A civil war was on the verge of breaking, Tearik wouldn't stand for this. He had men go amongst the goblins and orcs and find ones capable of bringing the others under rule. The nature of their society was tyranny, rule by the strong.

Stout orcs were found and promised a wealthy amount of gold to bring these foul creatures under control and to stop the pillaging of Tearik's people. Gladly they accepted and soon enough the plan had worked for the most part. Few of the races of Therion had ever gotten along, and who would expect them too, even now as the world was on the brink of destruction. More battles had taken place however and soon enough they became unified, even if they did not care for one another they banded together in common interest. The time for killing one another would come later, after the demons had been banished from the mortal realm, from Therion.

Four great beings have awoken to Therion's call, indeed the very earth itself cried out in agony. These four beings were the High Lord's of the dragons. Each resided in their own corner of the world. Red, Blue, Green, and Black High Lords. Rumors are abound of a Gold and Silver High Lord emerging, but it is not yet a fact. The bronze dragons are known to have no high lord, and are much more willing to work with the weaker beings of Therion. These dragon High Lords would have nothing to do with the other races, for they believed that there was little they could do. This was apparent as it required the help of the bronze dragons to fend off an assault on the greatest city known to Therion, Aragoth. One million men could not even hold off the demons.

Another race stirred as the demons had come about, a race hidden deep within the bowels of Therion as well, a race some might consider demons all on their own. The drow, they had made plans to invade the surface of Therion for some time now, however upon reaching the surface they ran into something they had not expected, demons. They had surfaced near Dragonmount, and had caught a glimpse of what had actually happened to the mountain before they were pushed back into the earth. Making their way through the underdark they resurfaced near Drakir Tyrith.

It was in the middle of the battle when the Dark Elves were spotted, mid day and the skies hardly shown any light upon Therion. Covered by dark, menacing clouds. A group of 50,000 demons had pressed against Drakir Tyrith, but were quickly fended off, especially as the drow emerged and immediately set about attacking the demons as well. All of the races of Therion were indeed coming together. After the battle the drow sought council with the last remaining king of the Draconians. Their request was seen to, and soon they convened. The drow pledged to work with the other races of Therion to see that the demons were abolished, for they were "a threat to their plans," as the drow put it. No one trusted these dark sinister beings, but all the help they could get was appreciated.

Messages are sent between the two last bastions of freedom via an incredibly dangerous trail that can be made on horseback. Needless to say, being a messenger is no easy task, as demons are literally crawling all over the land, especially the land between the two cities. Drakar Tyrith has been almost sealed off from the outside by a large landslide that covered the hole in the side of the mountain range, leaving only one large crack leading from the outside into the city. This crack is heavily manned by powerful mages and warriors at all times.

The messenger is Dax Bloodstone, as he is the only one known that is capable of traversing the path on his own. He had proven himself many times in the past year, it was a wonder that they had not heard of him before hand. The draconians had, but many others hadn't. The half-dragon had many rumors about him, a being strong enough to face the trail all on his own was worthy of praise. He had bested a sal`tegaih in single combat, a feat that even a dragon was hard pressed to pull on it's own.

After learning of what had truly happened to Dragonmount, Dax was sent to deliver a message to Aragoth. This message detailed what the drow had relayed to Tearik Del'A'Mort about the large mountain. There was a portal there, and more demons emerged every day. They couldn't just sit by and wait to be attacked, eventually they would be overwhelmed, it was now time to act. They had to find some way to strike out against the demons, some way to close the portal. Dax was capable of making the trail on his own, however Rurik chose to ride with him, as did one of the drow leaders. Rurik did not want to see this man fail, and the drow had yet to secure a treaty with Aragoth. Surely with Dax Bloodstone and Rurik Walgrim the drow Tyvim S'har would be able to move about the city without fear of being attacked.

The drow had no true friends on Therion and were feared by all, Rurik was uncomfortable riding with a drow, however he knew it was necessary. The drow did help them after all, and now he would repay that debt by helping keep S'har alive en route to Aragoth. Two lesser demons had attacked the trio along the trail, however they were easily dispatched. None of the others that were spotted bothered with the three. Rurik did notice something odd however, he had seen it before. When he had fought demons alongside Dax Bloodstone before, they hardly paid him any mind, it was as if there was something about him that kept him from being attacked. This man, Dax, one of little words, only a few times he had spoken. His eyes did most of the talking, along with his actions. His eyes... inhuman, not elven, not dwarven, nor drow. Eyes of a dragon, a great beast, and that Dax was.

Soon enough the message had been delivered and a treaty atwixt Aragoth and the Underdark had been made. The leadership of Aragoth had their doubts however if a dwarven king had spoken for them, and this newfound hero of sorts, then they could accept it. With haste the trio made their way back to Drakir Tyrith, this time a sal`tegaih attacked the trio, this was no cakewalk. Thankfully it wasn't a Baeloth, however it was still great enough to do some real damage. Rurik had taken a claw to the chest and knocked off his steed, the warpony attacked the demon preventing it from dealing a killing blow to the dwarf. The S'har pulled out her crossbow and quickly bolted the demon's eyes. This did little to prevent it from attacking them. However Dax quickly set about assaulting the demon, it wasn't until after a few blows that it paid Dax any mind at all. The dwarf lord stood to his feet pulling his ax he gripped the haft and charged the foul creature.

Quickly reloading her crossbow S'har pelted the thing some more, hitting vital areas. The demon whipped out at her with his tail, knocking her to the ground, and backhanded Rurik sending him flying. Then it pounced on Dax and there was a slight pause in the fighting. The demon sniffed and spoke something that the dwarf had no clue, the drow understood it somewhat. Dax however understood every word of it. "You have the blood of demons within you!?" It cocked it's head to the side, Dax brought up a leg and with his strength catapulted the demon off of him. Rolling back he stood to his own feet, bracing himself for a charge. However this was not the case, the demon ran. What had caused it to flee? S'har eyed this strange man in front of her, this half-breed.

These events were relayed to Tearik, Dax told him what the demon had said. The draconian king couldn't understand it, Dax had the blood of a demon within him, there was more to this one than he had imagined. Regardless, he was a boon to the forces of Therion, and had done nothing but help him and many, many others. A hero found in a time of need, one of many that had shown themselves. Surely he would be pivotal in the future as well as those who saved Tearik from the Baeloth that had attacked him. Therion needed more like them, heroes.

Now one year after the fall of Cain, the forces of Therion were unified to fight for a common cause, coming together to save their world. What was to happen next? No one knew, however it was imperitive that somehow the demons be forced back and the portal shut. This was the beginning of a new chapter in the history books of Therion, The Emergence.
Here's a brief description of Drakar Tyrith.

Being unable to speak, I seldom felt the need to express myself or my opinion, but I must say that, when I finally stood in front of the mountain the held the entrance to Drakar Tyrith, the destination of my journey, I struggled to find words to describe what I felt at the moment.

Strictly speaking though, amazement became a permanent thing in my mind when I caught a glimpse of the mountain range known as The Teeth that spread across the northern part of Therion. Even though I have read about the mountains and the Draconian city more times than I could remember, I had never been able to imagine the sheer size of the mountains and until now I still have problems absorbing what I saw, even though it was a few days earlier when I first saw it.

Now, standing on the bottom steps of the stone path leading up to the external part of the great city and looking up at the fortification, I began to understand why people started flocking to Drakar Tyrith after the demons began appearing. Seven great circular walls made of large boulder-like rocks stood approximately 300 feet apart starting from a few hundred feet up Durathain, the westernmost mountain of the range, as the first line of defense. Each of the walls were some 20 to 30 feet wide and 80 feet high, with quite a number of watchtowers and beacons situated where the guards could most probably get a good view of the surroundings. Apart from the occasional cliffs that were probably as unbreachable as the walls, the way up Durathain to Drakar Tyrith was well surrounded and well guarded.

Stopping just after I passed the seventh wall to rest and catch my breath, I looked at the caves around. The books have informed me that some of these caves served as tunnels to the inside of Drakar Tyrith while others are traps. Even though I heard whispers of thoughts about the caves that helped me know which will most likely lead me inside the city correctly, I felt unsure and decided to move higher up the mountain. Thus I resumed my way up the path I took and the caves slowly moved away from my sight, after I stepped past a wall, which was smaller in comparison to the seven before, but looked as sturdy and strong.

The dome-like structure of the buildings that first greeted my eyes informed me that I have reached the military outposts, and the forts and towers around confirmed it for me. The armors and weapons that accompanied the people, draconians or non-draconians alike, and their serious expressions told me that the long tradition of the area being occupied by military personnel was still in place. Thoughts laced with curiosity and suspicions flowed from the minds of those glancing at me and I quickly made my way up to the external residential area of Drakar Tyrith to distance myself from the uncomfortable feeling developing in myself. I never liked being an object of attention.

I have always thought that one of the strangest thing about this mountain, Durathain, that I am currently standing on is how a piece of it seems to be cut out neatly. Three quarters of a mile up the mountain and flat land greets you, as right through the middle, what was supposed to make up the cone-like slopes up the summit was sliced away by half. Simply put, the side of Durathain that faced west has a clipped off area at the top, a quarter mile down from the summit. And this area was the external residential area that I was in a hurry to go to, in escape from the military people's minds.

In my hurry, my mind did not see it fit to remind me that the area I was approaching was also inhabited by the military, some one-third of the army in fact. My belated realization did not, however, raised any discomfit in me as I was too busy staring at the architecture before me. Despite obvious strengthening to the building for equally obvious purposes, I felt I was looking at a fortified city and hardly felt that I was standing on a mountain, except the fact that my breathing was slightly more difficult and the temperature was lower than that of the ground.

Since I started travelling to find Drakar Tyrith, I have visited a couple of cities and none of them seemed more like a city than this in front of me. As I walked through the streets in some sort of wonderment, I noticed that the place really is a city in its own rights. By the time I reached the gate that serves as the most obvious entrance to the city inside of Durathain, I have seen more shops and people than I have during my past year. That, was a lot.

I advanced down a rather wide stairways that was pretty straight and not very steep and could not help but thought of how years and past activity seem to be etched into the steps. My observation extended upon the ledge I soon ended up stopping on and the railings by the side that my hands tentatively reached out to touch. Then I remember, after my momentary business with thoughts, that I now stood inside one of the three large hollowed mountains that made up Drakar Tyrith, one of the largest cities of Therion.

My mouth dropped open in a soundless gasp and my thoughts fled me promptly when I lifted my head and took in the sight with widened eyes. The first thoughts that made themselves known was how my imagination did no justice whatsoever to the real thing, and that no minds come ever possibly picture the scene from mere descriptions and be good at it. Even though there was no amount of words that the view could be put into, my urge to describe was far too strong.

From the ledge I stood on, to the side were the mountain walls that were infinite high to my sight and decorated with countless protruding edges of different heights on which mansions, large houses belonging to the people who are rich, stood proudly and privately. Much much higher, at somewhere I perceived to be the topmost of the mountain, there was a huge hole and a couple of smaller ones that allowed entrance to the light from the sun, ingeniously illuminating the interior of Durathain. As if that was not enough, there were large quartz and clear crystals that seem natural but polished, lodged in the walls and reflecting any wayward beams of light. The overall effect had the place as bright as anywhere outside of the mountain and probably as warm, for I saw vegetation brightening the place with their gentle green touch.

Several seemingly irregularly placed pillars that reached to the ceiling were all that kept the top of the mountain from collapsing in on itself and among them, the three which were closer to the center than the others were the largest in size. And around these three, were the numerous blocks of tall buildings constructed very closely together. The entire structure made of polished stone, from what I read, consisted mainly of houses built beside and above each other. It again, seemed to form another city by itself and this one was much larger and taller than any previous cities I have seen, including that on the flat area outside of Durathain, for it went as high and large as it seem architecturely possible. In fact, this construction, conveniently referred to as 'the Pillar', went near enough to the mountain walls that bridges spanned out to connect with the natural balconies on which the mansions stood, bridges much like the one before me.

As I strolled across the link way, my eyes wandered about, taking in everything with respectful sort of awe. The level I had came into, one of the ten common area level where shops were located, was busting with activity. Probably because this particular level was the one that most visitors will stepped foot on first before they were redirected to places where they wanted to go. I wandered about almost aimlessly and even though the thoughts from the many minds around had meshed together as a faint buzzing at the back of my head, I lingered on around in the Pillar, fascinated more than ever about the place.

Looking up I wondered briefly about levels above. As the level I stood was the fourth common area level, it meant that there were more than 200 level rising up and near another 200 below. I wondered about the staircases and bridges and steps and I wondered about the total population of the pillar. 1.7 million, my memory supplied helpfully, not including the 700,000 military men. And most of the non-draconian population lived here in the Pillar and in the mansions around. I wondered fleetingly about the elves, and my flighty thoughts started to focus back on the purpose of my journey. Thus I walked on, with a hint of regret hanging in my mind.

I made my way down to the nearest common area level that would lead me to the second mountain, Mordethain. My thoughts were much quieter and less excited but there still lurked the anticipation of seeing with one's eyes how Mordethain's interior was like. I was not disappointed. Although the mountain walls were fairly similar, except that now on the ledges there are more tall buildings than mansions, the part Drakar Tyrith built inside Mordethain was still different and amazing in its own way.

Instead of another of the Pillar, the center area held a large hole of about 200 feet wide with nothing on it at all. I have known that the large void was there for the miners to get down into the pit that was said to be expanding downwards due to the mining operation, thus I was not too surprised when my eyes estimated the drop down, but still, the bottom was frightfully low and the mere thought of being sent plunging down made my scalp numb.

In absence of large central pillars, there were more pillars in Mordethain than in Durathain and each of the pillars was a scaled down version of Durathain's Pillar. Not as wide but as tall, the pillars reminded me sharply of the intricately sculptured columns I saw from books, and the effect was further enhanced by spiral staircases that ran around the tall supports. In simpler words, they were absolutely beautiful as they stood as dignified as mini-cities built on and in the pillars could. And the people of Drakar Tyrith had simply named these pillars the Stands, as they did for the Pillar.

To save time of travelling from one place to another, a complicated-looking bridge network was put together to connect the Stands and the ledges together. However, it was not as tedious as it appeared to be, for there was order amidst what looks like a mess. Like for the Pillar, there are common area levels for the Stands and from these levels branches out the overpasses that are made of either thick sturdy rope and wood or stone. And as surprising as it sounds, no bridge of Mordethain has not been walked on for at least once a week. The constructors knew not the word 'waste'.

I loitered no longer than I needed to and pressed on towards the third mountain, Sandelthain, which was most important of all Drakar Tyrith, saved only for the defense outside Durathain. Sandelthain was where the Council Hall and the homes of the important figures were located. Sandelthain was where Vanz Reima and the elves whose names gave me flashes of my memories were residing. Sandelthain was the last destination of my journey.

As I strode on, I reached out with my mind to call for Iadore. That white hawk had wanted to feel the cold winds near the mountains and had promised to come to me when I call. I needed his presence to help calm my nerves and my mind, for he was more of a friend, a confidante than a mere companion. Sure enough, I heard his piercing cry moments after I sent my thoughts to him and moments later, his snowy figure have descended from the sky in a graceful dive. I extended my hand out, and he swipe down to gently perch on it. I smiled, glad to feel his weight, his presence. And I moved forth.

Mordethain was less hollowed out than the other two mountains but the mountain walls were more or less similar. Buildings around on the ground were fairly similar to that on the flat area outside of Durathain, short of the fortification and much larger in size. In the dead center of the mountain though, the Council Hall of Drakar Tyrith was built into a massive pillar of approximately 700 feet across in diameter and soared up nearly as high as the summit. It was monumental and contained the very essence of Drakar Tyrith in it, and it was one building a person will never ever be able to forget. The unexpected large crowd and activity did nothing to diminish the grandness of the Council Hall, nor its solemnness.

Stepping across the town square, if it could be called one, I went straight towards the Council Hall, knowing that it would be the best place to find who I sought. So intent was I that for once, I was only half-aware of the eyes on me. I supposed it must not be an everyday sight to see a thoroughly covered woman with a pure white hawk. The half of my mind that was dimly taking in my surroundings alerted me to the slight magical residue somewhere in front of me on the street and my curiosity led me to take a good glance at it. It was a teleportation rune, and was recently activated and used. I frowned and decided to walk around it, afraid of activating it by accident. Teleporting myself away from where I travelled for a year to arrived in before I reached my purpose was definitely not an option. Besides, I did not miss the bloodstains on the ground. Who, except the previous user, knows what dangerous place the rune was keyed to.

Slowing down on the steps of the Hall, I gathered my thoughts and prayed silently to Silvos, hoping that my telepathic call can reach the elf wizard Vanz Reima. Then, I threw my praying thoughts outwards along with a mental image of the Hall entrance, hoping that the elf was telepathically strong enough to hear me. If not, I'll have to convince Iadore to play mail pigeon for me. I smiled at the thought. My proud hawk friend would be reluctant but he would do it, after much coaxing. And he prayed, in his own way, that Vanz Reima could reply to my call within five minutes for if not, he would feel like one big embarrassment to the hawks.

War... Every race is destined to be destroyed by war, that is how it has always been, and that is how it will always be. So is the case with the races of Therion. Constant war plagues the land, constant war has plagued the land since any who lived there can remember. Of course, don't take this to mean that no one has tried to live peaceful lives, for that is not the case. Many villages, towns, entire countries have tried to live peacefully at one time or another... Not a good idea. Any time a group of people tried to live a normal, peaceful life in the land of Therion, it resulted in death, lots of death. However, there is a chance for peace. There is a way to end the war, the struggle, and all of the death. There is the Spirt Tear. A legendary runeblade, it is said that whoever holds the Spirit Tear has the power to change the land, and end the pain and suffering. The Spirit Tear is said to be located at the top of the highest peaks of the Dragonmount, a gigantic mountain towards the Northern end of the world. The Dragonmount is shrouded in mystery, as none have every gone there.. and returned to tell the tale.

The main races in the world are as follows:

The Draconians: The Draconians consider themselves the rulers of the world, and they have a good reason for their claims. Standing an average 6'7, and weighing roughly 240 lbs, the half-dragons are a proud lot. There body, arms, legs and head are covered in scales. They usually walk hunched over a bit, and that brings their height down to 6'0. Draconians are humanoid at first appearance, with arms, legs, and a the usual physique of a human. Except for the head. The head is slightly serpantine, longer than the average human head, complete with fangs and reptilian eyes. Some Draconians have horns, some have a ridge of spikes running along their head, and some have no horns or spikes. Draconians also have wings, although only a select few can actually use them to fly, while the majority of Draconians can only glide with their wings. Draconians also have long, prehensile tails, which can either be used as a stinging whip, or a heavy club, depending on each Draconians particular tail. Some tails are heavy and strong, where others are light, muscle-bound and bladed at the tip. They can speak common, or dragonese at birth, and can learn additional languages like anyone else. They have the same mental powers as humans, so Role-Play them accordingly. Draconians have a natural access to magic, an ability only the elves share. Draconians hardly ever go anywhere alone, as they are the most hated race in all the lands, and will probably be targeted by groups of humans, who they have a mutually hateful relationship with. So you will rarely see a Draconian out and about by themselves, they usually travel in twos or threes. Draconians also share their much larger cousin's ability to shape-change, but only into a human form, possibly because of their connection with the humans.

The Humans: Humans in Therion are your average medieval humans. Courageous, strong, and, in this particular setting, mostly angry and bloodthirsty, due to the ongoing war. The average human stands 5'10, weighing in at about 170 lbs. The human prescence in Therion is roughly the fourth most powerful race in the land.

The Elves: The elves are a tall, beutiful, magically endowed race. Your average elf is roughly 6'2, weighing in at around 130 lbs, rarely ever weighing more than 160. Elves are much stronger than one would guess at first sight, and their speed is nearly supernatural. Even though elves seem to have every advantage over humans in terms of strength, speed, and magical power, humans are still on a par with the elves due to their pure, emotional zeal and rock-hard determination. Elves are the only race, besides the Draconians, who have a natural access to magic, without relying on a god / faith for their spells. Elves tend to live in the forest of Lotheria, on the main continent.

The Dwarves: The dwarves are a tough lot, anyone will tell you this. Small, stout, and powerfully built, although their stubby legs can move them along at a surprising pace, usually to the dismay of someone who thought they could easily outrun one of the bearded folk. Dwarves are the strongest of the races, and only a few Draconians can match their brute muscle. Dwarves love to build things, and in this particular RP, there are steam devices, but no projectile weapons such as muskets, or guns of any kind, no cannons, no firearms. An example of a dwarvish steam invention would be a vehicle of some sort, and usually they are far more untrustworthy than the standard mode of transportation, a horse. Dwarves love melee combat, and, since they posess no magic, (although a dwarven wizard having found a god they like is possible, although very rare,) are usually very good at what they do. Dwarves love to wade straight into the midst of battle, hapilly swinging away against impossible odds. Usually a very honorable folk, they won't back down even if confronted with impossible odds.

Drow (dark) Elves: Drow are the underwold version of elves, with ebon skin and white hair. Their eyes glow red with the telltale sign of infravision, like dwarves, they are able to see up to 500 feet in the spectrum of heat. Dark elves are masters of nighttime combat, and the sun hurts their sensative eyes. They are masters of assassination, poison, and deception. They only posess a few bits of innate magic, most notably the ability to make a globe of darkness, and the power of leviation. Other than that, any other magic they may have is provided to them by Lolth, the patron goddess of chaos and poison. Other than these few traits that make them better than their surface cousins, they are practically identical. I will only warn everyone once: Dark elves are among the most feared races in Therion, and are subject to an unbelievable amount of fear and prejudice, only play as a Drow if you can correctly RP the fact that you are hated and feared, and will most likely be killed in a back alley if you do not watch yourself. Also, being Drow has its disadvantages, such as the fact that they cannot go out in daylight. These can mostly be reserved as npc's unless you make a very descriptive character sheet, explaining why you are a dark elf.

Dragons: Before I describe the dragons, I want to point out that they are not available as a player character unless, you want to play as a baby dragon, which would roughly be equivalent to a Draconian. Dragons are gigantic, majestic creatures, posessing the most powerful of innate magics, and abilities. They can change shape at will, fly, breathe any variety of powerful things out of their huge mouths, and are usually 9' long, (not including the 7' tail) as a baby, and can grow up to 340' (not including the 250' tail.) Dragons hides are nearly inpenatrable, covered by a layer of diamond-hard scales, which almost no weapon can penetrate. However, their undersides, their bellies are only covered by a rubbery layer of flesh. Dragons have the best assets of any race, and are revered as gods by some cultures. A word of warning: if you do choose a baby dragon as a player character, your innate magic is limited to a breath weapon of fire, ice, lightning, or poison gas, and the ability to transform into one of the other races indefinately. (dragons can choose when they want the shape-changing ability to begin and end.) There is a dragon overlord in charge of each continent, and these are the most powerful and feared creatures around.

As you can guess by the name, The Draconian Chronicles, the story will focus on the Draconians, as this story chronicles their last years as one of the prominent races, and catalogs their fall from the position as the most powerful race in Therion. This story is about the Draconians power-hungry quest to get to the Spirit Tear, and use it to further their control over anything and everything. Feel free to make up towns, cities, and people as you like, just make sure you do not control any npc's that I deem important. If you are a wizard/mage and are not an elf or draconian, please choose a god, due to the fact that only elves and draconians are able to naturally use magic, whereas humans and dwarves must recieve their spells from praying to their god daily.

The gods are as follows, please pick the one according to your alignment and personality:

Thon: Thon is the god of the forge, and forged all of the god's weapons for them, from Cain's massive ebony sword to Mystra's slender diamond scepter. His form is that of a gigantic dwarf, roughly 18 feet tall, and almost as wide. He is usually a kind and gentle god, unless angered, when he can prove to be your worst enemy in a battle. He is considered the patron god of the dwarves, and some dwarvish blacksmiths sing praises to him as they pound metal into weapons in their forges. Thon also posesses spells that can improve ones attack, defense, and make your mind immune to mental or magical assaults.

Haphastus: Haphastus is the god of war, and resembles a half-dwarf, being slightly shorter than your average human, yet taller than the average dwarf. He has a vicious lust for battle that can never be sated, and it is rumored that even if he is killed in combat he will be reborn within 48 hours at the site of his death, although he doesn't always reappear in the same spot that he died in. Haphastus is the master of all weapons, close combat or ranged, and is usually the chosen god of warriors and barbarians.

Silvos, lord of the woods: Silvos is the eldest of all the gods, the most wise, and the only one to have a constant, tangible, physical form. In the forest of Lorathar, on the border between the Draconian kingdom and a large human town, resides Silvos, in the form of a massive tree. From looking at it, you couldn't tell what kind of tree it is, it appears to be no known tree, while at the same time, resembling every possible type of tree. The tree stands nearly three miles tall, and thus the trees around it benefit from it, the tallest ones being nearly half the height of Silvos himself. Silvos doesn't speak through words, or even telepathy, but through empathy, radiating his feelings so clearly that he doesn't need words to communicate. Most would think that all the evil beings of the world would have tried to destroy Silvos by now, as he is the only god with a tangible form, and is also the sworn enemy of anything evil, however, all attacks, (which come about once every hundred years or so) against the great tree are repelled easily, for there is no weapon in creation that can bring down the behemoth, (short of some of Mystra's and Io's joint spells) so there is really no point in trying to destroy Silvos. Silvos is a gentle god, a god of order and peace, and is regarded as the protector of all goodly folk. All druidic magicks stem from the tree, and it is said those who live around it shall prosper and live a long (extraordinarily long) and healthy life, being under the protection of the god of nature.

Mystra: The goddess of magic, she is generally good-tempered, but aloof, and uncaring as to the problems of "little people" (anything that is not a god or multi-dimensional being) She is generally neutral, and provides defensive and offensive spells.

Cain: The god of the underworld, Cain specializes in dark magics, such as poisoning, paralyzing, and hiding in shadows. Cain is a sadistic fellow, who will not hesitate to cause pain for pleasure.

Io: The god of dragons, Io is a gentle, caring creature for the most part, and loves mortals, and helping them out. Io provides crafty magicks for the most part, ones that help a slippery mage get out of sticky situations. He also provides, (along with Mystra) most of the highest level spells for powerful wizards and mages.

Ill'Samar: Ill'Samar is a trickster, who specializes in magicks that will practically reverse the situation at hand, for instance turning the hunted into the hunter, he is generally mean and uncaring, and doesn't take well to the company of others.

Mephastis: Mephastis is a great, dark dragon, and he controls time. He is the patron god of wizards and mages who delve into the mysterious region of time-magic, and he is perfectly neutral, not even having a real personality of his own. He generally just sits in his mountain home, above the clouds, and watches all the hourglasses dictating the lives of mortals slowly filter away.

Beginning story,

World's End

Cain, the god of death and the underworld, obtained the Spirit Tear, a legendary runeblade of extreme power. He killed the wizard Dramar almost instantly, who sent the rest of his group to safety at the last instant, sacrificing himself in the process. They landed at the base of Dragonmount, and thus were safe from the ensuing chaos that occured shortly thereafter. Cain slammed the Spirit Tear into the ground at his feet, and sent a bolt of massive energy down into the center of the earth, where it erupted into 2,000 identical bolts, which then rocketed back up through the earth, shattering every continent into several pieces. Untold millions died with that spell. That exhausted Cain for several weeks, and he spent that time recuperating in the abyss. When he had gathered his strength back again, he began testing what his new sword could do. He attempted to kill off the other gods and give himself supreme power, but they had all gotten wise and gone off into hiding following the cataclysmic blast Cain had made. He couldn't find any of them, but no matter, for none of them could kill him now that he had the sword.

Upon being used, the Spirit Tear had started to wake up, but hadn't fully awakened engough to stop Cain from casting his first spell. You see, the sword is a sentient artifact, and it generally cannot be used by an evil being, but it had been asleep for 10,000 years, and was groggy at the time of Cain grabbing it. The next time Cain tried to use it, he found that he had to exert an enormous ammount of willpower to get it to cast simple spells. The sword was resisting him, and there was nothing he could do about it. Cain later learned that he could in fact use the sword's full power, but it would take him many years to find a method to get around it's powerful wards, the ones that prevented evil beings from using it. 2 years have passed since that time.

The world is pretty much in ruin, the continents have all been destroyed, broken down into no less than 20 large islands each. Now, instead of the 5 main continents of Therion, there are almost 100 small land masses. There is only one large land mass left, and that is Illian, where Dragonmount sticks out of the ground like a sore thumb, stretching up to touch the clouds. However, it is no longer a normal mountain. Cain has made it his stronghold, and his evil touch has darkened it to the point of being nearly black rock, the peak glowing a molten red. The shrine of the Spirit Tear is still on top of the mountain, but it is now surrounded by a lake of lava.

Cain now practically rules the world, and everyone is made to worship him. The other gods are all too scared to challenge him, they do not know he can't wield the Spirit Tear yet. This chapter focuses on the character's desperate quest to stop Cain before it is too late and the entire world is destroyed.

If you want to submit a character, go right ahead, but you have to do one hell of a job and impress out of me.

This is to show what you have done since Cain went psycho and ruined the world. Please make it lengthy.

Name:
Race:
Height/weight:
Hair:
Eyes:
Age:
Gender:
Class: // think d&d, ranger, warrior, barbarian, bard, wizard, etc.
Weapons: // don't go overboard here
Identifying marks: // ie. scars, ugly as hell, etc.
Background:
What is this character goal in this RP: // this is to get background information on your character, explain whythey are here, what their ultimate goal is, this is to define your character, flesh it out a bit
What has this character done for the past 3 years?: // 2 since Cain took power, 1 since he died and the demons appeared

LilEdit: Please do not post more than one message at a time. You posted four times in a row; please read both forum rules and RP board rules before continuing posting.

||I'll probably join. Should post my bio tomorrow.||