Ambient sounds courtesy of tosha73 and EminYILDIRIM
Greetings to those below. I am Death, though I much prefer you call me Azrael. I have avoided discussing the dragons in any great detail since the beginning of our journey together. But today, I can avoid it no longer. You see, something has . . . happened. History has begun to repeat itself, and since when has that ever been a good thing?
So, then, I believe it is my duty as your narrator to provide you with some insight into this fearsome people, or else what happened with my brother may happen again. I don’t want you stumbling into this, because very soon, the world is going to change. A lot of people are going to die, and I’d rather you were not among them. Ah, but where to begin?
The Draconum People
by Artie_Navarre from Pixabay
he basics, I suppose. Yes, we’ll begin there. Well, then, I must immediately correct a supposition you no doubt have made with a question: Are dragons animals, or are they people?
If you said animal, you are wrong.
Certainly in various tales from the land of elsewhere where you all hail from, a dragon may indeed be considered an animal, creature, or beast. But in the world of Orosta, they absolutely are not. To suggest otherwise is an excellent way to get yourself killed, by the way.
No, in the world of Orosta, the dragons are considered a fellow people alongside the humans, the Sithuwaye elves, the Zurrinaih elves, the jeenta, the undine, and so on. Yes they resemble giant lizards; yes they walk on four legs; yes they have massive sweeping wings, teeth, and a tail that can fell trees, but since when did walking on two legs and having human or elven-like features determine personhood? It is ill-advised to judge something on looks alone.
The Colors
by 13smok from Pixabay
las, the dragons themselves are guilty of this in one respect. Dragon society is organized by scale color, and whatever scale color you happen to have dictates where you fall on draconum’s hierarchy of power. So then, the hierarchy is as follows, listed from most powerful to least powerful:
- Red
- Gold
- Black
- White
- Blue
- Green
- Brown
Red dragons are considered the most powerful due to their fire breath that is so hot, it has all the destructive force of a volcano.
The other colors do not breathe fire at all. In fact, each color has a different breath type. I did debate how much to reveal to you about this, and I’ve decided I’d rather not spoil the surprise. That said, I will at least tell you one. As the red dragons breathe fire, the white dragons rather obviously breathe a cone of frozen air. However, it gets interesting when you consider the power of this. You see, in dragon society, they must do something extraordinary in order to earn their epithet, and Lightstahg the Bloodless earned his a few centuries ago by making his frozen breath so biting, it shattered the blood in some poor Lesser’s veins.
Lessers
by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay
h, yes, I knew this would come up sooner or later. The term Lesser is used by dragons to describe anyone who is not a dragon. It is not meant to be insulting per say. More so it is an observation of fact. Because when you, as a dragon, are un-killable, indestructible, wield the power of a thousand suns, possess the wisdom of fifteen thousand years, and can speak truthfully when you say, “I remember the dawn of the world because I was there,” well . . . it is rather hard to complete with that, isn’t it?
The term Lesser, then, is used as a practical reminder for both parties. It is a reminder for non-dragons to never forget who and what a dragon is. It is unwise to take such beings for granted. So, too, is it a reminder for dragons to never forget the tiny ones scrambling underfoot lest they trample them without care. Wasn’t it said somewhere that with great power comes great . . . oh dear, I’ve forgotten the rest. It is a phase from your land of elsewhere, those below, so forgive me for not remembering. I don’t visit there nearly as often.
But yes, you are right. Lesser could be a rather loaded word. The best I can offer you is this: Listen to the dragon’s tone of voice to understand whether to be insulted or not. If the dragon merely uses it in casual conversation just as you would use the word flower, or human, or . . . dolphin, then rest assured the dragon does not mean anything by it, and it is merely a cultural thing. But, if the dragon snarls in your face, sneers, “Lesser,” and then laughs, then yes, you may indeed have cause to get your feathers ruffled. Not that you could do anything about it, of course, but there you go.
Why could you not do anything about it? Oh. Oh no, my dear, put the sword down. There are no brave knights slaying dragons in the world of Orosta. You might as well take that sword and swing it against a mountain for all the good it would do you.
Listen to me now, and believe me when I say, it is impossible to kill a dragon. No, no, none of your clever little theories, those below. What if I tried this or that? But, but, but what do you mean “impossible?” I mean exactly what I said. Many people have tried what you are no doubt scheming now, but do you know where all those people are? Dead. I am Death. I would know. Because they certainly Provoked the dragon when they tried testing one of their little strategies.
No, no, poison will not work either. For goodness sake, come here and sit down before you get your head crunched. Where would you get enough of it anyway? No, no, you stop that with that manufacturing gleam in your eye. Honestly. You are a determined thing, aren’t you?
Very well, but it’s your funeral.
I’ll be waiting . . .
Provocation and Invitation
by Colleen ODell from Pixabay
nyway, as I was saying, this brings me to Draconum Law. We won’t go over all the laws today because, I admit, things become quite tangled when you start figuring between the known laws and those particular secret laws. But, the law of Provocation and Invitation I will tell you, because it is perhaps the most important law for you to know.
Invitation is the legal term used in reference to a contract between a dragon and a Lesser. Usually the contract is a request of specific services the dragon will provide in exchange for an extreme amount of kessa. These services could involve things like protection, intimidation, or the assassination of another Lesser.
Provocation is the legal term used in reference to a dragon who has been “provoked” by a Lesser. Because the dragon has been provoked, they gain the legal right to eat the provoker. Other than this, Provocation doesn’t have a clear definition, so Lessers are constantly wary when dealing with a dragon as to what counts as Provocation or not. And if you’re thinking this sounds convenient, well, that is sort of the point.
The Dragon Elders
by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay
ut, I can hear you asking, if dragons are so powerful (I see you pouting. The poison didn’t work, did it?), then why would they not just kill everyone? Well, as I already said, dragons are not animals. Just because they can doesn’t mean they want to. I could ask the same of you in regards to anthills. Just because you
could smash it and send millions of tiny lives screaming into the sun with one good kick, would you make it your mission to seek out and destroy every anthill in existence? I didn’t think so.
Add to this the fact The Elders maintain order. They form the Council of Elders, also known as the Council of Seven, where each dragon serves as a representative of their respective color, being the oldest living individual from their color’s population. The first Elders—the first dragons to ever exist—have only recently died. For the first time since the literal dawn of the world, new Elders now govern dragonkind. They are:
- Amadaster the Blood Lord
- Saqqal the Golden Prince
- Illithor the Night Serpent
- Koritāla the Winter's Witch
- Jalamzild the Sigh of the Sea
- Darthiiria the Jungle's Jewel
- Riknueth the Mud King
I do believe The Blood Lord has grown to be over 300ft long last I checked. Dragons never stop growing, you see. He is a true terror to behold. They say it was his wings that gave birth to the wind.
Alas, though, mentioning the current Elders brings me to the present day.
Dragons Today
by Jae Rue from Pixabay
es, there is that elephant in the room, isn’t there? It’s been sitting in the corner this whole time, I know.
Remember dragons lie.
These words, though spoken by me many a time, are not actually known in the world of Orosta. In fact, the dragons are so completely trusted, they could say the sky was pink, and the entire world would seek to rationalize how it might be so despite seeing the blue sky straight above their heads.
“We remember the dawn of the world because we were there.”
—So say the dragons
This, I will tell you, is
not a lie. But please understand, those below, that the other peoples are not fools for trusting the dragons. Think about it. Certainly it would be difficult to argue with a dragon—dare I say impossible?—when a dragon says anything about history at all. Because, quite frankly, they were there, and you weren’t.
So you see, it has always been like this. Except for that brief interlude in history when these three little words, this seemingly innocuous warning, was discovered in an ancient text the dragons failed to destroy. Xanāra Anastil, the late pharota of Rhyastil, was the first to learn these words. She was the first to learn what they meant. But I don’t blame her for what happened after that. How could she know the devastation those three little words would cause? How could anyone know?
So today, alas the lies have been restored. Xanāra’s revelation was buried just as she was. All the world once again spins on in ignorant bliss. But, a unicorn has begun to stir in the east, the birch trees have written a new song, and the one who tends them has started listening. The Child is no longer a child, the songs says. The bells will ring . . . soon . . . and when they do, all those dragon lies will implode. Vānima won’t be around to reset things again. Not this time.
I look forward to that day. I also dread it. As I said, a lot of people are going to die.
Until then, those below. You have been warned.
Signed your listening narrator,
Azrael the Star of Death
Book Information
To learn more, hop on over to the books page OR hop on over to the teaser and get a sneak peek of Chapter 1! For more articles like this one, have a peek at my Worldbuilding Journal and explore Orosta.
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