The Dread Mage of Darkwood

Introduction

Man looked at the bone, or bones. Head as large as Man stands, and filled with teeth, sharp teeth, like those of the hunting cat, but long as his forearm. What could this have been, what did this large scull belong too, and these rib bones high as a tree is tall. Man laid down beside one rib bone, longer than Man and one tribes man. There was nothing on this Earth that Man knew to be so big. Man had never seen any manor of creature with such great bones—especially the skull with its teeth larger than many arrowheads. Whatever it was, it was a hunting beast, its teeth not blunt like most animals that eat the plants, fruit, berries, and nuts—things man eats too. Man might eat the fruits and nuts and berries, but man hunts meat. Man is like the bear—the bear eats not just meat, but berries, fruits, and nuts (Bear also steals from Man). No, whatever this was, was massive. Whatever this was could have eaten Man with one swallow, maybe all of Man's tribe. Man could only wonder what this was.

           For hundreds of thousands of years, mankind would wonder what these bones were—and not just the predatory, but the non-predatory too—where they came from, and what kind of animal was so big. Things this big swam the oceans, but did not walk this Earth. At least not anymore. Not that mankind has ever seen, but this has not stopped mankind from wondering, from imagining and creating stories and legends to answer the mysteries of this world that Man has no answer for.

           Over time mankind has dreamed up beasts that swallow boats and spew fire. To the West, one of these creatures is great, with wild horns and the jaws of a crocodile, it towers over and burns villages, and sometimes has wings and can fly the skies. To the East, this same beast is twisty like a snake, has fur and scales, an ornate horned head, and no wings, but can still fly—it lives in the water and the skies. This beast of the East and West, is wise, mysterious, and magical—and sometimes cruel (like Man can be).

           Many versions of this animal have been dreamed up among many cultures throughout the Earth.

           This particular beast, is the dragon.

           But has Man really seen a dragon, even if mankind thinks they have.

Map

Dromadae ('Droe-meh-day'), standard reference Dromae ('Droe-may') – large highly intelligent raptoids, ancient ancestor of birds, lived on Earth before humans evolved. First animal to fully conceptualize itself and develop culture. Is not naturally occurring, was fashioned by The Mother as her eyes, ears, and hands in the physical world, can run, fly, and swim. Is feathered and has six instead of four limbs. Stands on its hind limbs with two hyperextended great claws, dexterous forelimbs, large expansive winged secondary forelimbs, and a long tail with a wide spread of feathers. Were gifted with elemental abilities by The Mother (soul of the planet).

Seven species:

-                Aerthen 'A-er-then' (earth) – can rip up the ground and create tremors (earthquakes). Secondary ability: can 'hide in plain sight', blend into its surroundings.

-                Azaer 'Ah-zare' (water) – manipulates water, can pull moisture from the air, wisp a storm into being. Secondary ability: most linguistic, can un-decipher linguistics.

-                Fyore 'Fi-yore' (fire) – wields explosive fire, can bring fire into existence anywhere. Secondary ability:

-                Ohsydaeyen 'Oh-si-day-en' (molten rock) – extinct – wielded the power of the planet's core. Could melt rock into magma and induce volcanic eruptions. Secondary power: most altruistic, could sense aura and emotion. (ancient enemy of the Sylvearn)

-                Skyae 'Sky' (wind) – Most plentiful. Can stir the winds, such as turn a tornado across the land. Secondary ability:

-                Sylvaern 'Sill-vurn' (lightning) – most dangerous and rare. Can control all electrical elements, can suck the living energy out of living things. Secondary ability: power to heal injury, cannot dispel illness. (ancient enemy of the Ohsydaeyen)

-                Vynter 'Vin-ter' (winter) – has power over all frozen elements, can bring about freezing temperatures. Secondary ability: