The Dragons of Verdan

'God created man in his image'.  I'm likely paraphrasing, but thats a common statement made by people of faith here on Earth.  On Verdan, the statement is 'The gods created elves and men in their image'.  The difference of course is that on Verdan there are many gods that are recognized and worshipped.  Although, Mermis is given credit for creating the dominant species of elves, men and dragons.  So there you have it.  Elves and men are said to resemble the gods.

So why dragons?  Why create so many species with two arms, two legs, a torso and a head?  You not only have elves and men, but there are dwarves, halflings, goblins, giants, trogloydytes, vampires, ogres, faeries, skeraka, minotaurs and all manner of creatures that could be said to resemble the gods.  So why dragons?  Unfortunately, I need to refer you to the Verdan Chronicles for that answer.  There is an answer, but it's not fully told until you get to Volume 10:  Whisper in the Universe.  Trust me, it's a fun adventure getting there.

However, in the meantime I plan to spend the rest of this blog introducing you to the dragons of Verdan as they are presented in the earlier volumes.  Let me start with their history.  As stated, Mermis is said to have created three dominant species.  To each he decreed that they shall have dominion over the land for an Age and that after three Ages, the fourth Age would bring peace to all his species.  And to the dragons he gave dominion over Verdan first.  This was known as The First Age of Mermis.

During the First Age, elves and men were little more than wandering nomads or scattered small tribes.  They were hunters and gatherers.  Among them lived the dragons, powerful beasts with immense strength and wondrous breath weapons.  But the dragons mostly watched men and elves with curious eyes.  For weren't they all children of Mermis?  Game was plentiful on both land and in the sea, so there was plenty for all to eat.

And then The First Age came to an end.  The rains came and immense floods covered most of the land.  Many animals perished and for the first time dragons went hungry.  But elves and men were more industrious and gathered into villages and sought higher ground to survive the rain.  Of all life on Verdan, they soon became the most plentiful and eventually became easy prey to the dragons, who wanted to live.  And thus began the first war amongst Mermis' creations.

The rains eventually stopped and the water receded, but there was no going back.  Dragons continued to eat those that crossed their path.  Elves and men formed larger groups for protection and thus were born cities and castle walls.  And in the Northern Mountains men and elves used those with magic to create a singular warrior known as The Dragonslayer.  Dragonslayers not only defended villages and cities, but hunted the dragons.  Dragonslayers were invariably men (or women) and the last known dragonslayer was the most powerful of all.  But she eventually turned on the elves and unforseen alliances were made to destroy her.  You will find her story as well if you read The Verdan Chronicles.

And so, by the time we reach the end of the Third Age, the existence of dragons is scarce.  The first dragon you meet is an old and powerful fire dragon known as Fernol.  He is known to associate with men for his personal gain, for he has developed a sense of greed over the years and enjoys depriving men of their riches.  He forms an unlikely partnership with a wizard known as Troconin and in the abandoned caves and fortress at Mount Bardoom they make their home.  That is until Terek crosses their path, but again, that is a tale found in the series.

Suffice it to say that Fernol casts an imposing image and at one point was found to be a worthy mate of Phaedra, oldest of all the dragons at the end of the Third Age.  And as a new age of magic is born, so too is the fuel that allows dragons to lay eggs.  It is from Fernol's seeds and Phaedra's eggs that a new powerful generation of dragons is born.  The fate of most of them is lost to history, save one, who will play a pivotal role later in the series.  Read the books. 

I will say that dragons in Verdan all carry the genetic material necessary to form any other dragon.  Thus, a red fire dragon, like Fernol, can mate with any other dragon and their offspring can grow into any other type of dragon.  The types of dragons possible seem to only be limited by imagination.  In the series, you will be introduced to fire dragons that breathe fire, frost dragons that breathe an icy breath, wailing dragons whose breath contains a high sonic pitch, sea dragons that can fly into the air and breathe bolts of lightning, invisible dragons that breathe a cloud of gas that turns objects invisible, stone dragons that breathe a torrent of small stones and several other types.

So that brings us once again back to the question of "Why dragons?".  Again, I don't want to spoil the series, but will say that the importance of dragons predates Verdan and their role is of cosmic importance to the gods.  That should be enough to tell you that small encounters and events that seem ordinary enough will eventually take you on a journey that expands across the universe.  Let the whispers begin.