The Land of Baelorn

The First Dragon

Baelorn is a land that was once ruled by dragons. The first of which was Bael, the great black dragon who ruled over all. It is said that Bael was born of fire and the blood of the last of the gods, but no one can be certain. What is known is that from his shed scales the first dragons were born. That generation contained the Blue, Green, Yellow, Black, White, Gold, Bronze, Iron, and Silver dragons, who would each claim corners of the land as their own. At the time, all living things had no choice but to bow before the dragons. Over the centuries, more and more dragons were born; most were children of the original ten, but some still spawned from Bael, and these were gifted with strange abilities. The Sage could control life, the Void commanded death, and the Red could rewrite the world at a word and a whim through magic. In his thousands of years of living, Bael grew and grew, eventually becoming so large that his wings could not flap without creating storms, and his breath could melt mountains. He became a calamity, bringing death and ruin to the entire world, returning to his homeland only to rest in a massive field at the center of the continent. His children, led by The Red, were unable to make him see reason, and after hearing the pleas of their subjects, chose to rise against him. With the aid of their subjects, the children of Bael struck down their father. Leading the charge was The Red and his human companion; together with magic and might, they killed Bael. Bael's body crashed to the ground, covering the entire continent, transforming the land. His corpse was transformed into many landmarks that stand today. The Great Lake Bael is in the center, with its skull just below, creating the Black Horn Hills. To the east, the Forest of Spines sprouted from the remains of his neck. The Northern Spire Mountains sprout from where the spines on his back fell, the Southern Tail Peninsula juts out unnaturally from the southwestern edge of the land, and ends with the active volcano Melod. The Western Scale Arcapelagos follow the path of his final descent and are connected to the great lake through the River Grimm. The death of Bael rewrote the laws of the world, and all the energy trapped within him was released, carrying with it pure magic that flowed into the earth below, filling crystals with power, and infusing living things with traces of that power as well. His blood seeped into the earth, into caves and caverns, into swamps and other dark places. From his blood, the first monsters and abominations spawned, and so too did magical creatures like griffons and unicorns. 

The War Of Blood

For an unknown time after, there was peace. However, fear gripped the people of the world, and out of that fear, schemes and methods for killing the dragons were developed. It is uncertain when, but The Red was eventually slain by his companion, who became the first human to consume the blood of a dragon, and the first sorcerer, the one above all others, The Immortal. He taught others to use the power as well, struck down the other dragons, and eventually, everyone knew that it was the blood of dragons that could free mortals from the hand of death. Dragon’s blood became the most valuable thing in the world. They were hunted to the last. The Elves used the blood of dragons to enchant their forest, the Dwarves to ensure their forges never dimmed, but humans found many uses for their supply. Nobles and Wizards fought over every drop for the promise of eternity. When the blood was abundant, it was used flippantly to create powerful magical items, everlasting enchantments, rune portals, and thousands of other magical things. However, when the last dragon fell and the supply became limited, kingdoms arose around those with the greatest stockpiles. The greatest of these was the Eternal Empire ruled by the Immortal with a vast store of blood.

The Immortal

With his empire and magical prowess, the Immortal controlled the entire land of Baelorn. Like the dragons before him, he reigned with absolute power, granting immortality to those who served him well. During his reign, the common language was invented, the Long Road was built, the first order of griffon knights was created, and the first Griffon Postal Service was established. But like all tyrants, the people grew weary of his hand, and through schemes and great betrayals, he was deposed, and his entire family was slaughtered. Many believed the Immortal had perished. The Empire he built crumbled soon after from infighting and squabbles. It was during this time that the Elves chose to banish all other species from their lands and used the last stocks of their dragon’s blood to cast a massive protection spell, limiting entry to specific bridges. The Immortal’s deeds have become greatly obscured due to the destruction of many records during the chaos after his removal. To this end, some still worship him and revere his legacy and others fear and hate him for crimes no one remembers.

A New Era

Five hundred years after the destruction of the Eternal Empire, the Gryphon Empire has arisen to prominence. The Gryphon Empire holds tremendous power, controlling the best access route to the Aegean Sea, as well as the Great Lake of Bael, and boasts a powerful army. The city of Rooste, built in the Black Horn Hills, has taken control of the surrounding regions, controls the largest of the postal services, and has secured a significant portion of The Long Road. Segmented into 13 provinces stretching from the central region to the southern coast. The McDarron Family has ruled the Gryphon Empire for 3 generations and rose to power after rescuing a broken and battered Immortal while he fled from his betrayers. It is well known that after he was rescued, he provided technology, advice, and information to allow the McDarrons to rapidly advance their territory. It is also a matter of record that The Immortal led his personal army of Dragonscale Paladins to recover his lost stores of dragon blood by draining those that drank it or recovering secret stashes looted by his enemies. As for his foes, the extent of his vengeance is unknown, but the visage of The Immortal and his Paladins ruthlessly destroying his enemies still adorns many shrines built by his worshippers. In the modern day, the Immortal lives within the Red Tower at the center of Rooste, providing information and advice to many nations, but with an oath to defend his current homeland.