It wasn't so long ago that I knew little to nothing about this world outside my tribe's territory. Still, I learned more and more about the different species that have grown into positions of dominance in the stead of the ancient giants as I traveled. They squabble and bring arms to simple discussions as if they could accentuate their arguments by beheading one another. Such silly little beasts, that hunt down my kin and those like us just because of the power within our bloodline. But I digress, my past is another tale, so to speak. Instead, let me share the knowledge I've earned so far during my travels, the stories of the three young races, and the ancient blood that still stirs in the world.

~~\//\\//\\/~~

Long ago, after the reign of the dragons, the world was left open and fresh. Life blossomed and the earth bloomed with many species of plants and animals, and the cycle began again. Predators stalked prey which fed on the bounty of the land, and all was well as nothing interrupted the balance of nature. The two continents were as strange to one another as to the kingdoms below the tides, and many forms of life grew across the world. And as with everything, when life flourishes it gets bored, and creates something new to watch and ponder.

The first new creation was the children of the forest, the Elves. The race started as a very curious people of small stature, their lives bonded with trees as they stretched from seedlings to giant forests. These first generation of Elves became known as Dryads, and were appointed by need to become the guardians of the world's woods and trees. Yet, as the race reproduced, their offspring changed slightly with each generation. Eventually male Dryads became a thing of distant memory as more and more children were born as the Elves who now call themselves High Elves. For this reason, it's believed Dryads are a mythical breed by modern scholars, and even the High Elves won't recognize their humble origins.

From High Elves were born many other races of their species, as many different breeds are there are facets of nature. In the rolling plains are the thundering hooves of elf-borne Centaur, the waves are home to merfolk and sirens. All the beings of the world that have taken to some aspect of nature as the foundation for their lives are descendants of Elves through some tangled genealogy. And their position as the eldest race was all but assured until the rumbling of mountains signaled the entrance of life's next amusement.

From the depths of the rock of sturdy mountains, the Dwarven race had finally dug their way to the surface world. Short, sturdy, industrious beings, the Dwarves had developed a deep rooted society that perpetuated all through their kind. To ask any of those first explorers about the length of their species' existence, they'd swear that Dwarves were as old as the rock itself. In fact, the eldest of the Dwarven race are said to be made of stone, with blood of molten rock moving in their veins, deep in the core of the world to hold both continents above the fiery heart.

With the new people came a deep xenophobia among the High Elves, who believed themselves lords of all the world. The first meetings between the dirty, dust-belching, ale-guzzling Dwarves and the vain, ever-living, world-weary Elves was far from a civil affair. The Elves that knew everything about the surface of the world and its flora and fauna urged the Dwarves to return to their mountains and leave the upper world in their hands. The Dwarves, full of the strength born of digging homes for their entire race out of the bowels of the world, were angered by the audacity and arrogance of these new, tall creatures. It was only a matter of time that a couple generations of expansion caused tensions between the stubborn races that escalated into full out war. Elves, with their legions of magical beasts and innate knowledge of the world and its power tried and failed to push back the steady phalanx of the Dwarves, who wore armour and weapons of metal which the Elves had never seen.

Decades continued as the western continent was ravaged by war, from the snowy peaks to the jungles of the middle lands. As the two races fought themselves into a bloodied stalemate, refugees soon looked to the water, scouts reporting new lands to the east free of conflict. In the following years, new settlements were formed on the shores of the new land, and the third and youngest species was discovered -- Humans. These new people welcomed the Elves and Dwarves, although they had no means to communicate.

The short lived humans seemed endless in number as they set to learning from the elder races, and once they had learned the elemental language, all three began growing together. Both the Elves and the Dwarves, worn out from the war on the other continent, found something to admire in the curious, adaptable, solitary Humans. The Humans acted as a buffer, easing racial tensions enough that the elder people could live amongst each other. This was specifically difficult for the Elves, many of whom were alive even before the Dwarves entered the surface world.

Messages of peace, and of a new ally, reached the other continent as both sides of the war were exhausted. An unsteady truce was met as the leaders of both sides moved to the Eastern continent to examine this for themselves. Time went on, and the two elder races accepted some drawn borders and trade agreements, including the Humans within their contracts as the youthful race picked up their habits. From the Dwarves they gained knowledge of metal refinement and blacksmithing, and from the Elves they learned to hunt as if part animal while acknowledging the magic of the world.

Both races were surprised at the rate Humans progressed over the initial generations after contact, but they also saw warning signs as well. With the introduction of money came greed, with weapons came swifter murders against unwitting victims, and in seeing the grand castles of the other races came clear-cutting for building supplies. Humans grew so fast, and soon pressed boundaries as their population boomed. It wasn't long before the ancients awoke from their slumber, life itself regretting its playful indiscretions.

The ancients, the dragons that once ruled the world before the Dragon War that forced many into confinement while the rest chose to slumber. These dragons represented five of the six clans, as the last had all but been abolished after the war. The awoken ancients looked across the world for the source of stress, to see humans committing acts that by far denied the better judgment of many wiser races. Sadly, the ancients decided to walk among the humans, to stir conflicts that would cause the race to battle within itself, wars and famine culling their population every time it got out of hand. This action, it seemed, had unexpected side effects among the ancients.

As they lived as humans, amongst them, some found themselves attracted to the fairer members of the species. This attraction eventually led to love, and to offspring. The half breeds from these unions were divided into two classifications, split based on the blessing offered by their draconic parent. The first were the Dragoner, born with the blood and body of Dragons, with the ability to change their shape into different draconic forms unlocked as they mature. The second were the Dragoon, born with the spirits and hearts of Dragons, with the ability to call on the overwhelming power and intelligence of the Ancients.

As this was, neither of the halfbreeds fit in among human culture. Those that couldn't hide their gifts were either treated as outcasts or demons, so they often leave their homes and travel to search for somewhere that would accept them. Eventually, the five Ancients looked down upon their brood's offspring and took pity, offering salvation in the form of an oasis for Dragonblooded of all breeds. Except for the sons and daughters of the sixth Ancient. The five clans of Dragonblooded soon formed a culture that suited their abilities. Dragoons became politicians and scholars while Dragoners became military personnel and labourers. The Dragoners didn't mind working harder, as the Dragoons were benevolent and rewarded their labour justly.

Again, it was thus for everyone besides the sons and daughters of the sixth Ancient. The Moon Dragons, exiled after the Dragon Wars, almost 'extinct' due to mass imprisonment after the fighting ended. They were cruel, manipulative, gluttonous, and jealous. If there were demons in the old world, they were the Moon Dragons. The few remainders of the clan had seen the actions of the other Ancients, and sneered at their arrogance, guiding mankind away from self destruction and creating two new races out of love for their 'pet humans'. Thus was born the Dragoners and Dragoons of the Moon clan; born not of love, but of loathing for both men and dragons, and the threat of a new War began.

~~\//\\//\\/~~

In the generations passed since the birth of the exiled clan's offspring, the world has begun another series of changes. However, life itself seems to resent and disown these changes, wanting no part in the current state of the world. Even during the height of mankind's ignorance, and even during the war of the West, the world was always tolerant of the growing races. But now the world levies drought and pestilence, trying to thin out the numbers of the races, or maybe just drawing blood to remove some poison.

The elemental races have completely severed ties on the western continent, either side of the Dread Scar seems to be a separate world of its own. The dwarves in the southern mountains and rocky gulches, and the elves in the high north of rolling plains and lush forests. These isolationist feelings stir up reminders of the old vendetta, the first war of the new age. Racial tensions stir unbidden, regardless of the constant separations, as whispers echo between the trees or in fresh dug mines.

However, on the eastern continent, things are not nearly so subtle nor long lived. The Human kingdoms are divided into five nations, each developing their own identity and customs. This was part of the plan orchestrated by the five ancients to keep the human population under control; knowing how hard it is for five separate viewpoints to coexist. However these kingdoms have settled into a pattern of stagnation, instead of the original renewing pattern that was planned. Wars have become fought through resources and words, forcing the common people to suffer needlessly for the ease of their leaders.

The first kingdom was the first to be contacted by the elemental races, and is often seen as the most culturally diverse, with many elves and dwarves settling and even spawning halfbreeds. However, below the surface of all the good will among the races, there is a culture of distrust and envy. Crossbreeds are treated as second rate citizens, as many were sired out of spite. Humans want the longevity of the elemental races, while Dwarves are sick of their fumbling, stubby bodies, and Elves sour about their beautiful frailty. The bitter circle of wanting what the other has begets rises in burglary and adultery, and the nation is on the edge of civil war.

Going further East, fewer of the other races are found, and much fewer crossbreeds. The second kingdom is mostly human in population, which opens doors to all sorts of other corruptions. Once the peak example of pure human culture, this nation has become obsessed with excess. Opulence and corpulence are commonplace, even among the poor and destitute. Once you've seen a pig wearing a monocle, you know things are pretty batty. This consumption of life's less simple pleasures has had its effect on the nation, their nobles have become bloated and catty. The current king is unwed and heir-less, a lump of a man who spends most of his day drinking and cavorting with women who only eye his throne.

The people of the third kingdom were once the most industrious among all nations, being the mecca for agriculture and production. Their exports let them live comfortable lives as the soil was pure and welcoming. However, in recent years, the people have come to resent their nobles and work only as forced. Serfdom and slavery has become commonplace, and now people are exported nearly as often as loads of fruit. The slave trade is quickly becoming the nation's strongest industry, and every common man fears the slavers more than the lazy nobles.

One of their largest customers for the flesh trade is the fourth kingdom, a land both beautiful and exotic. Once labeled the land of dreams, the fourth kingdom is almost as lush as the Elven lands. But as tourism from other nations decreased, so did the regard of nation's people for general decency. Now the only thing drawing people from other nations is the open debauchery of the kingdom. Sex slaves forced into working in brothels, along side free women trying to scrape together money for their clutch of bastard children. Rape and betrayal are common, and the dark alleys of the kingdom are often overflowing with the sounds of panting moans.

The last of the human nations is far on the other side of the continent, the dark lands near the Coast of Ash. Volcanic activity under the waters has always made this land harsh and severe, but its hardy people have managed to scratch out a living for centuries. Far from the influence of the Elemental nations, the humans of the fifth kingdom have become bitter at the cozy lives they see the other nations living. A deep rage bubbles in the dark lands, and the rumbling of thunder off the coast sounds like the laughter of some evil being. Trouble brews here, and now a frightening majority of able bodied people are being drafted into the nation's military.

~~\//\\//\\/~~

Yes, the resurgence of the ancient grudge, a hatred that festered between the clans of Dragons. However, in this age where Dragons are exiled from the mainlands, or hunted as terrifying beasts, the war could not be fought directly. The Dark Lord, ancient of the once noble Moon Clan, has created his rooks and bishops and plans to move the hearts of humans as his pawns. His malady has become a sickness; spreading and infecting the new world and altering the lives of its denizens. This is what I fight against, what my thankless work contains, cutting out the weeds and disposing of rotten eggs. Who am I? You'll find out, if you dare read on.