The Four Dragons of Ziranos

Ziranos is the god of the stars and our dreams. He brings the moon across the sky and makes the constellations sparkle bright. But while Yinar can take the form of a familiar Great Stag, Ziranos has four dragon companions. Two on his shoulders and two in his hands. Cartographers, navigators and mariners all praise the four dragons for their blessing to survive while braving treacherous waters... One can still find plenty of charms, mementos, statues and other effigies in the shapes of the four dragons, there are even some carved into the sides of buildings and sometimes even children dress up as little dragons in the festivals during the year. However, as the gods continued to uphold their greatness the dragons did not. There was one recorded incident of a traveler who sighted a dragon and that same sighting was confirmed from a watchtower guard. He was working miles away at the time. But as years passed the sightings were less and less. No one has found any dragon remains. There was a suspected den but there was not enough evidence to prove it belonged to a dragon. There are a few other places, like the peaks of the Atholas Mountains that could hold multiple dragons' dens but, the cliffs are too treacherous to climb.

Summary

The God Ziranos of the sky has four companions.

1. Yggsvir, the Dragon of the North
2. Perynor, the Dragon of the East
3. Rok, the Dragon of the West
4. Zabal, the Dragon of the South

A merchant traveled far in his wagon, pulled by two of his fittest mules. A cow walked along side him with a bell trying to keep up with the speed of the wheels. "Hurry up now!" he huffed and spit a wad of old chew. Snapping the reins a good few times got the mules spurred but they didn't move too much faster. He was hauling a lot of weight - he should've invested in the ponies instead. Sure the mules were good for hauling for long distances but not at a fast pace! He tried not to panic and wiped the sweat from his brow...he was certain of what he'd seen. A wide shadow covered the entire ground around him, it had suddenly gone cold. A gust of wind nearly blew his wagon to it's side and a thunderous growl echoed from the clouds above. Just as quickly as it'd came...it was gone. The Town of Ebelisse, was just about a mile away, he could see it in the distance. He was surprised no one was scrambling around and running for their lives! Where were the archers!? Why weren't the towers manned with flaming catapults!? "Dragon!" he yelled at the top of his lungs, "Dragon! Go, you brainless animals!" he screamed, relentlessly whipping the mules until they began to buck and whine and kick. He was certain that monster was after his cow! The few guards who stood at the town gates watched curiously as this suspicious man came careening towards them, screaming like a maniac. Dragon? Those didn't exist anymore. He must've been another crazed fanatic who believed in the impossible.
Once he came close enough to the gates the guards were able to contain his mules and slow his cart. The merchant came tumbling down from his bench gasping for air, heart racing. "A dragon! There was a dragon! It dove for my cow! You must alert your commander! You must alert the Imperial City! Hurry! Man the towers!" he raved. Citizens near enough to hear the man's screams became weary and began to whisper. "Calm down!" One of the guards replied and took the man into custody for questioning. While they confiscated his animals and belongings they took him to the local guardhouse, where the jails were found. "Why were you speeding so wildly like that down the road? Your mules are in pain and you could've run someone over!"
"I'm sorry sir!" the merchant plead, "but there was a dragon! You must believe me! He is still around I know it! It's going to kill us all with it's icy breath!"
The man was placed in jail overnight because he was endangering his animals and possible pedestrians and guards. They would let him go if he could pay a fee but during that night his wagon had been robbed. Without any money the man was unable to pay his fees and was forced to work for his freedom. Rumors spread about his dragon sighting and eventually reached ears in Jedes. A group of bishops traveled to free the man and hear his story of the dragon. However once they arrived, there was an argument over whether or not the church had the right to free a prisoner based on religious grounds. The debate escalated to violence and nearly caused a civil war.
No one was ever able to lay eyes on the dragon and eventually it was just a story told many different ways.

Historical Basis

The four dragons are definitely a part of the fourteen gods but aren't counted as gods themselves, just an extension of the god they are attached to. Just like Aunlin'Zath and his twin serpents, Mortemus and Vardaniil. While they look and behave like separate beings, they are only an extension of consciousnesses stemming from Aunlin himself. So there is no question that the dragons are a part of the Vulsrian culture and religion; but their modern existence is not possible, according to the scholars. The general public, which is majorly religious believes in Ziranos and all of his creations; only a few small and concentrated groups openly express their belief of modern dragons. But the sighting was so popular that the road between Ebelisse was renamed, "Dragon Shadow Road".

Spread

Once word of the imprisoned witness reached Jedes it did not take long for the entirety of Vulsria to hear about the possible sighting of a dragon. Though by the time it reached the top of the north, the account had warped into many different tales. There was a written record of the registration of the prisoner merchant, but those details were kept hidden by the bishops who seized the jail.

Variations & Mutation

Over years of retelling, the story became quite the popular fireside tale.

"All I could hear was the sound of the wind and thunder, cracking through the atmosphere. It was as though a volcano had erupted. Thick clouds, like smoke began to move as though they were being blown across the sky by a powerful scream. All that we could see was obfuscated in darkness and bright, blue strands of deadly lightning edged across a strange surface that slightly broke through the cloudy barrier. Then, as if night had suddenly fallen, a terrifying scream shattered the skies. "Dragon!" Almost as soon as the words left his mouth, we could see the clouds breaking apart from the sheer power of the monster’s wings. I stared up into the clouds examining the monster...as I did, I could feel the electricity in the air, I could feel its energy when it spread his wings one more time, giving itself an unfathomable thrust...before it disappeared back into the clouds we looked into each other’s eyes...they were like chasms...deep and blue."

Cultural Reception

The vulsrian people love the lore of the dragons. Other cultures have tales of dragons as well but Vulsria boasts being the homeland of dragons of old.