Eating the Sun

Written by George Sanders

In a time lost to history it is said that a dragon launched an assault on the sun. It flew high into the sky casting a long shadow on the ground as it reached for the sun. Naysayers of the myth say the dragon's scales would melt if it got close to the sun. Whenever archeological sites find dragon remains there is alway conjection about whether that was the dragon that ate the sun.
The myth is known throughout the South but few believed it to be true in the modern age. Several solar eclipses are noted in the range of the estimated age of the myth. In the Wildlands of the North though, the story is taken as history.
The Sogut believed it was the Silver Dragon that ate the sun to gain enough power to destroy the Kingdom of Many Arrows. Their descriptions say that shadows around all things grew dark and the border became crisp. Then the sky went dark for an hour until an immense explosion threw dirt and rubble a mile into that air.
Lightning erupted across the forest and fires spread for weeks. Entire cities of the Kingdom of Many Arrows were turned to ash. They describe this as having occured during the time of their grandparents' grandparents. The sun returned to the sky after loaning it's power to the silver dragon, but it was weakened. Crops would not grow for several years and the Sogut adopted a nomadic/hunter-gathering lifestyle.
It is suspected by scholars in the South that a volcanic eruption triggered the downfall of the kingdom and a closely timed eclipse added to the awe of the civilization ending event. In addition to the loss of solar energy, magical energy drained from the Wildlands and some of the South. Churches dedicated to the Sun also fell upon hard times as their ability to heal became limited to herbal remedies. The grandness of the Sun cathedrals never fully recovered.
The Church of the Sun limped along until the Church of the Silver Dragon was founded ten years ago in Etonia by Sodath Edwards. He had been a member of the clergy in the Church of the Sun, but his sermons on community, equality, and stewardship did not connect with nobles and other clergy. A series of miracles in the church in Etonia changed that and many of the remaining clergy of the Church of the Sun adopted Edwards teachings. Many began preaching about the sacrifice and stewardship of the Silver Dragon.