Far before known history, Dragons ruled the world of Lariande, wild and free. They dominated over all other creatures, and where kings of their domains, be it the frozen wastelands of the north, or the volcanos of the Isles.
And then the humans came, conquering everything they came across, expanding their empire as they spread across the land and sea. The humans found the dragons to be dangerous and cruel, and so it was determined that the dragons would be destroyed. Nests where ransacked, whole clans obliterated.
The lords and Kings of the human realm became more power hungry as they conquered, always finding new methods to prove their power over their subjects. But simply enslaving and forcing labor upon their people was far too tame. And so the Colosseum was created, pitting man against man, a lord’s honor resting on the sword of his strongest slaves and warriors, and this was acceptable to the great Kings, as it brought money and amusement to them.
And then dragon eggs started to hatch at the hands of men, those who stole them from their nests. The hatchlings and humans who they first lay eyes on developed an incredible bond, a connection of mind and soul. Imprinting.
The kings saw this as a threat, their power threatened by these lowly slaves that suddenly have all the might of a dragon, and so they began pitting dragon riders against each other, promising honor and wealth to the winner.
New pain was found in these battles, dragons tearing each other to pieces in defense of the humans they bonded to. Men perishing at the death of their partner, either from wounds, or from grief in its purest form.
This pleased the great Kings, especially the High King Leopald, who ruled over all those that commanded the people, and they enjoyed themselves in watching this new found torture.

None lasted long in these Dragon wars, as they began to be called. In the quest to gain power and prestige, lords lost sons and daughters, whole villages became emptied. All for a few pieces of gold, a new title. And the Great kings sat back in their gluttonous enjoyment, watching their subjects starve and destroy each other in a helpless quest to gain a few more acres of land, another bag of gold.

Reference Sheet
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Characters
High King Leopold
Lesser kings of realms