Archus

Summary

When the people of Talonn think of dragons, the blueprint is Archus. An ancient ruby dragon, Archus was one of the largest dragonkin to ever walk the land at nearly 500 feet long, dwarfed only by the primordial dragon Worldeater. The age of Beasts is named after him, as his machinations had almost the entirety of Talonn in his iron grip for three thousand years. This is the only known instance of Numinen naming an entire age after a single individual's actions. Archus, who was likely hatched somewhere between the beginning of Fire and mid-Flood, based his operations out of the Spine of the Worldeater, long before the founding of Estenwald. Obsessed with the supremacy of dragonkind over humanoids, he pulled together an unprecedented alliance between dragonflights and other lesser dragon-kin such as wyverns, sea-serpents, and hydras. Subjugating those who would not willingly follow, Archus ravaged the continent's humanoid population, twisting its native human and orcish populations with magic to create the first Dragonborn. Changed to be in his image, the Dragonborn were enslaved by Archus and built many grand edifices and weapons for him as laborers and footsoldiers.
Archus's reach extended past proto-Estenwald into Beré and Ester Fal, meeting resistance mainly from an alliance of humans and elves in Ester Fal and, closer to home, the native Goliaths from the Spine. Archus's decimation of the goliaths reduced a once great civilization to a very small number of survivors, their numbers never recovering even to the Dawning age. However, he was very close to invading Sarkhaan when he was attacked by a group he never suspected: the Dragonborn.
The Dragonborn, a young existence hated by both their draconic masters and their human enemies, gathered under the leadership of Drakon. Blessed by Ioun, Drakon and his successors were able to outsmart Archus in his own base of operations, killing the tyrant dragon-king and dissolving his alliances. The ensuing chaos ushered in a desperate attack by the humans of Ester Fal, invading Archus's continent, and the dragons were too disorganized to fight back efficiently on two fronts. The humans established Estenwald with an uneasy truce between themselves and the Dragonborn.
It is said that Archus made his final stand in the depths of the Spine, and that his skull is there still among the impossibly large remains of his hoard, which was so vast it took looters thousands of years to clean it out. Rumors say that the hoard is still not spent entirely, but the only ones who can find the mountain entrance now are the goliaths, who are uninterested in gold.

Historical Basis

The accounts of Archus's rule and conquest are fairly consistent. The people of the age of Beasts fought the war against Archus for over four hundred years, and dealt with its fallout for the remaining six hundred of the age. Therefore, historical accounts are prolific. Although they suffer from bias, like any account, the basic events of Archus's life are well-known.
The physical evidence of his empire still exist in ruins in Estenwald, although many ruins were intentionally destroyed by the Dragonborn or Estens. One famous landmark is the Archus of the Jut, a headless stone statue used as a draconic flight marker high in the Spine. Because of its remote location, and relatively small size (it stands at 25 feet tall), it was not destroyed in the initial purge. Archus's flying allies would presumably use it as a road marker in the skies.

Spread

The rule of Archus and the legend of the age of Beasts is well-known, and inspired many a dragon slayer across the ages. This is a large contributing factor in the dwindling number of dragons and dragon-kin in Talonn. Certain scholars are Archonians, and exclusively study the age of Beasts and dragon lore.

Cultural Reception

The fall of Archus is a national point of pride from Estens and Dragonborn alike. This sometimes leads to conflict, because both groups claim that their efforts led to his downfall in earnest. However, in the Dawning age, such conflicts are not considered very important, and Dragonborn are a familiar sight all across Talonn.

In Literature

Archus's life and the struggle against him has been retold countless times by many, many bards and poets. One particularly popular one is the "Last Flight of Archus," a drinking song that originated in Shara.

In Art

During the age of Beasts, countless idols of Archus were made by his craftsmen and laborers. Temples, colossi, statues, idols, totems, and every other kind of depiction still remain due to the sheer number produced. Many in the Dawning age are counterfeits, made to fool collectors.