Dragons

In ages past there were giant monsters, great scaly beasts that attacked settlements, devoured whole herds of livestock and burned fields with their fiery breath. Deep in the murky past great heroes drove them out of the lands of men where they diminished over time. Their bones are occasionally found in mountains or jutting out of river banks where the beasts fell in battle.
Rumor has it great beasts live in the sweltering jungles of the Inoan Isles and Mayan Jungles that might be the lesser children of the dragons. Travelers tell stories of carnivorous lizards nearly as long as a rowboat and fast as greased lightning, capable of bursting out of ambush and running down a man on horseback. Others tell of truly fantastical animals which lurk in rivers and even shallow seas waiting to seize prey when it comes to drink at the waterside. 
The legendary beast features prominently on the coats of arms or battle standards of many noble families, most notably the ruling family of the Free City of Sel. The Fourteenth Legion in the Angalian Empire also features a rampant dragon on its standard. There is also a gemstone called The Heart of the Dragon, a multifaceted ruby nearly the size of a man's fist, which currently resides in the vaults beneath the castle of the Laird of Sel. It's brought out only on the most important state occasions, notably the coronation ceremony for the new ruler of the city due to its immense value.