The dragon hegemons were ten pairs of powerful dragons, all the direct descendants of the divine monsters, Echidna and Typhon. Each pair had a different relationship and a different color. In the early years of Cimmeria the dragons feared Sadroston‘s power, but after the great hero died, they felt free to act.
The twenty dragons met at the Draconic Convocation. They agreed to conquer all of Cimmeria and split the provinces of the realm among themselves. They were the strongest beings in the Olympians’ new creation, so they saw themselves as the most deserving of control. Each pair of dragons would rule a region of Cimmeria and could do what they saw fit with the land and people of that region. The dragons took wing and set about subjugating the different people of Cimmeria. Within two years the whole of Cimmeria was under draconic control.
The Olympians did nothing to help their mortal subjects. The new turn of events amused them. They watched, curious what would happen next to this new world of dragons and mortals.
The dragons ruled Cimmeria for seven cruel decades. They declared a new set of laws in effect throughout the land. These laws set up dragons and their progeny as the aristocracy of Cimmeria with all others being second-class citizens. Mortals were forbidden from forming large armed groups without approval from their dragon lord. Mortal labor was used to construct grand palaces and monuments. The dragons inbred with their subjects and in many cases, the local wildlife. Draconic half-breeds became relatively common.
The mortals couldn’t endure the tyrannical rule forever. Tentineh and Shratalanda arranged a rebellion with the other Heroes of the Dragon War. They used a powerful ritual developed by Tentineh to bind the dragon hegemons in colored magical Orbs. These Orbs of Dragonkind gave their bearer the ability to command dragons of the corresponding color. The Heroes of the Dragon War used the Orbs to end the dragons’ rule over Cimmeria.
Tentineh still feared that the Orbs could be broken and that the dragon hegemons could return. To prevent this, he tied each of the Heroes of the Dragon War to one of the Orbs. Each of the Heroes entered a timeless slumber. If the Orbs were ever broken the Heroes would be awakened to defeat the dragons once more. So far three Orbs have broken and three Heroes have returned. Tracy revived when the Blue Orb was destroyed, Danar revived when the Red Orb was destroyed, and Gorwinua revived when the White Orb was destroyed. Tracy failed in her fight against Bavastatner, but Danar and Gorwinua had much more success in reimprisoning all the escaped dragons.
The history of the dragons in Cimmeria is not unified. Each of the ten pairs ruled a different area of Cimmeria and experienced different events during their rule.
Red: Invernix and Sartoria
Invernix and Sartoria were a mated pair with Invernix as husband and Sartoria as wife. They ruled in the Northern Terror Mountains around Horror Peak. Invernix was slightly stronger and took a more active role in managing the red dragon realm. He even got involved in the activities of other dragon hegemons if he felt they were insufficiently managing their dominions.
Invernix suspected the black dragons of working with the bronze dragons to take some of his territory. He investigated the swamp of the black dragons and found a bronze dragon prince, Danar of Sheerzen, attempting to civilize the swamp. Invernix entered the marsh and began burning settlements to provoke Danar or the black dragons. Kovan’rorshac and Pithwatolzar were extraordinarily apathetic towards Invernix’s actions, but the same was not true of Danar. The prince allied with an enemy of his, Eathirilu to attack Invernix. The attack failed. Seeing what a headache Danar could be, Invernix forced the mortal to swear an oath to return to Sheerzen, hoping he would be a headache for Rilopenaril and Langudina.
Invernix and Sartoria’s actions during the Dragon War were impactful, but unremarkable in the grander scheme. They lasted until the end of the war and led their children in the final push east. Sartoria was imprisoned within the Red Dragon Orb and Invernix was set to guard her. Tentineh placed the Orb in Greshendale to protect it and power his city. Danar entered stasis to return when the Orb was broken.
The red dragon pair were released during the Second Alliance War by Amalius. The psion thought the red dragons were unfairly imprisoned, so he orchestrated their release. The pair returned to their old home in the Terror Mountains to try and rebuild their kingdom. Danar was revived as well, but he dealt with the dragovinian menace first. After the Second Alliance War concluded, Danar returned with Hektor, Tagenadi, King Mero III, and Alabaster to kill both Invernix and Sartoria. He gave the heads to King Mero III of Mars’ Oasis to safeguard them and prevent a second revival.
Blue: Bavastatner and Renvesharhialisv
Bavastatner and Renvesharhialisv were husband and wife. They ruled over the Shacklack Desert during the draconic occupation of Cimmeria. During the Dragon War, the blue dragon couple trained their children to fight on the front lines. Their dragon flight was one of the most difficult for Dragon War Heroes to defeat. They shared the fate of the other dragons when they were sealed by the Dragon Orbs. Bavastatner acted as the guardian of the Blue Orb until it was broken during the githyanki invasion of the Material Plane. Bavastatner reestablished his rule over the Shacklack Desert, reigning until his death at the hands of Amalius Halkias.
Black: Kovan’rorshac and Pithwatolzar
Kovan’rorshac and Pithwatolzar were two brothers with Kovan’rorshac as the elder. They ruled in the swamp that would come to be know as Danar’s Marsh. The two brothers were especially apathetic towards the administration of their realm. As long as they controlled all the wealth of the swamp, little else mattered to them. As a result, the people of Danar’s Marsh were relatively free during the draconic hegemony over Cimmeria and few black dragon hybrid children were sired by the patriarch brothers.
Kovan’rorshac and Pithwatolzar were one of the first to be imprisoned during the Dragon War. Pithwatolzar was bound within the Black Dragon Orb while Kovan’rorshac was set to guard it. The Orb was then used to control the black dragons to fight on the side of the Dragon War Heroes. After the war Tentineh placed the Orb in Greshendale to protect it and power his city. Cecilia entered stasis to return when the Orb was broken.
The Orb remained at Greshendale until the city’s fall during the Second Alliance War. After the crash the Black Orb was retrieved by the Xorians and stored in the Museum of Power. Kovan’rorshac joined the defenders of the Museum, but not as a living dragon. Blendegad drained his blood and Kovan’rorshac rose again as a vampiric black dragon.
Kovan’rorshac fought on Xoria’s side during the Battle of Nox. He was defeated by Barakah, but as a vampire he could not be killed easily. After the Second Alliance War Kovan’rorshac and the Black Dragon Orb were moved to Mars’ Oasis for storage and protection. Kovan’rorshac remains an undead beast, scheming for when he can be released from his prison.
Green: Cordax and Hashterainon
Cordax and Hashterainon were sisters with Cordax being the elder. They ruled in the Dry Woods which would later be known as Bigby’s Forest. They killed the elven queen, Rarventataa, during their initial attack to claim the Dry Woods. While in control Cordax and Hashterainon never shied away from using their subjects to get what they wanted. They set up a hierarchy to ensure loyalty of their mortal slaves. This system served them well during the Dragon War, but still failed against the might of the Dragon War Heroes.
The green dragon hegemons played their subjects against each other. The Elves of the Dry Woods split into two factions. A group of druidic Naturalists allied themselves with the dragons, viewing them as the pinnacle of the natural order. The other group named themselves the Patriots and wished to subvert and overthrow the dragons. These two groups bickered and skirmished for decades until full fledged war broke out during the Dragon War.
As the Dragon War began, the Naturalists were led by Eathirilu and the Patriots were led by Bigby. A back and forth took place within the Dry Woods while Cordax and Hashterainon assisted the other dragon hegemons. Eathirilu got the upper hand when he captured Bigby and the Copper Orb of Dragonkind. Eathirilu pressed his advantage by assaulting Phoenix. His plan failed as prior to his capture Bigby had used the Copper Dragon Orb to warn the fellow Heroes of the Dragon War.
Cordax and Hashterainon joined the final eastward assault of the Dragon War. They led their army along with Eathirilu and the unseelie fey, Davonisi. The devastation of the raid drove Eathirilu away from their cause. In the final battle Cordax and Hashterainon were defeated. Hashterainon was sealed within the Green Dragon Orb and Cordax was set to guard her. After the war Tentineh placed the Orb in Greshendale to protect it and power his city. Bigby entered stasis to return when the Orb was broken.
The Orb remained at Greshendale until the city’s fall during the Second Alliance War. After the crash the Green Orb was retrieved by the Xorians and stored in the Museum of Power. Cordax joined the defenders of the Museum, but not as a living dragon. Blendegad drained her blood and Cordax rose again as a vampiric green dragon.
Cordax fought on Xoria’s side during the Battle of Nox. She battled Hercules and Hermes to a standstill. After the Second Alliance War Cordax and the Green Dragon Orb were moved to Mars’ Oasis for storage and protection. Cordax remains an undead beast, scheming for when she can be released from her prison.
White: Shivara and Tikanile
Shivara and Tikanile were a wife and husband pair that ruled over the Western Terror Mountains of Cimmeria. The two were active in spreading draconic influence and their own bloodline across their dominion and beyond. They organized a mutually beneficial alliance with King Aeëtes of Colchis. They defiled the line of Sadroston with their own blood and placed their offspring on the throne of Nox. The refined cruelty of Shivara and Tikanile led to the Heroes of the Dragon War targeting them first. They were bound by the White Dragon Orb at the war’s start.
During the draconic hegemony Shivara and Tikanile coronated one of Sadroston’s weakest children, Tachydorn, as King of Nox. The stronger of Sadroston’s remaining descendants were taken back to the white dragons’ lair at Doom Peak. The white dragons changed their forms and raped their captives to produce human-dragon crossbreeds. They were raised by Shivara and Tikanile. Their draconic parents taught them magic, combat, and an icy hatred for their human ancestry. After they reached maturity the white dragon children of Shivara and Tikanile were sent back to Nox to act as viceroys for the draconic couple.
The pair were imprisoned by the creation of the White Dragon Orb at the start of the Dragon War. Tentineh trapped Tikanile within the Orb and set Shivara as his guard. King Aeëtes took over as the leader of the white dragon flight for the remainder of the Dragon War. Unfortunately for him, the White Dragon Orb’s dominating power caused the white dragons to fight on the side of the Heroes of the Dragon War as often as they fought for the dragons’ side. After the war Tentineh placed the Orb in Greshendale to protect it and power his city. Gorwinua entered stasis to return when the Orb was broken.
The Orb remained at Greshendale until the city’s fall during the Second Alliance War. After the crash the White Orb was retrieved by the Xorians and stored in the Museum of Power. Shivara joined the defenders of the Museum, but not as a living dragon. Blendegad drained her blood and Shivara rose again as a vampiric white dragon.
Shivara fought on Xoria’s side during the Battle of Nox. She was defeated by Barakah, but as a vampire she could not be killed easily. The White Orb was taken from the Museum of Power by the Second Alliance. Danar destroyed the Orb and killed Tikanile when he was freed. Danar did this to revive his old friend, Gorwinua. Her voice was needed in a ritual to restore Zeus to full health. Gorwinua returned and did what was needed to end the dragovinian threat. After that she disappeared rather than resume her vigil. The bodies of Shivara and Tikanile were moved to Mars’ Oasis for storage and protection. There they stay, impaled and tortured so that they may never rise to dominate the mortal races again.
Gold: Agohimano and Hontalawi
Agohimano was the older brother of his sister Hontalawi. They ruled the Caspian Sea, its coast, and its islands. During the initial draconic occupation of Cimmeria, the gold dragon pair slew the elvish queen Ktihania. While they controlled the Caspian they sought to amass wealth and to do good with the lightest of touches so that their people would not be reliant on them.
Agohimano and Hontalawi’s actions during the Dragon War were impactful, but unremarkable in the grander scheme. They lasted until the end of the war and led their children in the final push east. Hontalawi was imprisoned within the Gold Dragon Orb and Agohimano was set to guard her. To house the Orb, Toffoun and Jovy built a dungeon at an unknown location within the Terror Mountains. While many dwarven nobles were involved in the dungeon’s construction, none of them ever revealed a single clue about the dungeon’s location or its defenses. All took the secret to their graves. Jovy entered stasis to return when the Orb was broken.
Silver: Jimarohzaj and Falron
Jimarohzaj and Falron were twin sister and twin brother hegemons of the silver dragons. They ruled in the Eastern Terror Mountains of Cimmeria. During the draconic occupation of Cimmeria the pair interbred with the different humanoid races and many half-dragon offspring populated their dominion. The twins were affectionate towards their humanoid and dragon children and encouraged them to work together. The humanoids often rode on the backs of their full-blooded cousins.
This familial partnership proved immensely useful during the Dragon War. The silver dragon flight’s synergistic combat style challenged the Dragon War Heroes at every turn. The flight was led by Jimarohzaj and the mysterious Dragon Rider with a winged helmet. The raids of the silver dragon flight were so devastating that many civil authorities considering surrendering and ending their support of the Dragon War Heroes. Tentineh organized a response and the Heroes managed to surprise the silver dragon twins. Falron was imprisoned in the Silver Dragon Orb and Jimarohzaj was set to guard him. The Dragon Rider escaped into the Dominarie Mountains and was never found.
The Silver Dragon Orb was stored at Greshendale. Tentineh entered stasis to return when the Orb was broken. The Orb remained at Greshendale until the city’s fall during the Second Alliance War. Talon the Cerebremancer of Greshendale retrieved the Silver Orb and used it in his resistance movement against the dragovinians. After the Second Alliance War concluded he helped construct a new containment facility in Mars’ Oasis for the Orbs.
Bronze: Rilopenaril and Langudina
Rilopenaril was the twin brother of his twin sister Langudina. Together they ruled Apollo’s Plains during the draconic occupation of Cimmeria. Rilopenaril grew to regret his actions and worked with Shratalanda to end the dragon cousins’ tyranny. He fought on the side of the mortals during the Dragon War. While he insisted on being bound to the Bronze Orb of Dragonkind, he retained much of his own autonomy. Rilopenaril removed himself from politics after the war, but continues to visit his descendants in Sheerzen.
When Rilopenaril and Langudina first took over Apollo’s Plains they tried to work with their subjects to improve the land. Rilopenaril and Langudina’s taxes were minimal compared to their cousins. The only exceptions were mithral, adamantine, and lead, which were taxed at enormous percentages, all but denying those metals to the common inhabitant of Apollo’s Plains. The dragon twins used their power to provide patronage for adventurers that aided the bronze dragons’ subjects on a personal level. Most notable of these groups were the Bronze Chords who gained notice by eliminating a tribe of half-white dragon ogres.
Rilopenaril tasked the Bronze Chords with gathering all the people of Apollo’s Plains in one central location, the sacred Hill of Apollo where the draconic pair made their lair. He wished to make an announcement to his subjects. Langudina was oddly absent when Rilopenaril gave this task to the Bronze Chords. After many years they completed their task. The Bronze Chords traveled the length and breadth of Apollo’s Plains and slew many beasts and monsters to ensure safe travel for the weaker subjects of the bronze dragons. All the people of the Plains packed up their belongings as directed and migrated to Apollo’s Hill.
Rilopenaril announced that they would no longer live separately. They would live together in a new home of his design. Rilopenaril intoned a divine spell and a magnificent structure rose from the crown of Apollo’s Hill. The stone castle rose a thousand feet into the air reinforced by adamantine and lead. All those present were invited to inhabit the castle or return to their villages as they wished. Rilopenaril named the Bronze Chords the leaders of the new community.
Rilopenaril and Langudina temporarily took mortal forms to mate with the Bronze Chords and some of their existing children. Through this act, the Bronze Chords’ bloodlines were infused with draconic power. In time the Bronze Chords died as mortals do. Some of the deaths were natural, but others raised suspicions. First, Jeffery died of a minor illness in his old age. Second, Brelfagar was slain by a wild boar while hunting alone. Third, Sunrise died in a potion-making accident. After Sunrise’s death Rilopenaril accused Langudina of assassinating the mortals in their charge. The argument escalated and came to no resolution. To prevent the disagreement from turning to violence, Rilopenaril left Apollo’s Hill for a few years.
Langudina ruled in Rilopenaril’s absence. The very next year, Shoree died in childbirth. The last of the Bronze Chords had passed on. Langudina decreed that the group’s successors would be decided by an arcane gauntlet of duels. Each descendant of the Bronze Chords would duel each other until only two remained, a male and a female. The two would be wed and would rule as king and queen over the city. The people of Sheerzen protested in outrage, but one spout of dragon flame from Langudina’s snout quieted their dissent. The tournament took place in Rilopenaril’s absence without his consent. The winners, King Batard and Queen Challah, ascended to the thrones. Both were children of Rilopenaril.
Rilopenaril returned to Sheerzen. He was horrified at what his sister had done in his absence. They argued once more. Rilopenaril insisted that her actions were immoral. Langudina insisted that mortals existed only to be played with for the amusement of their draconic betters. Her actions were only the result of the age-old maxim, “Might makes right.” Frustrated with her actions, Rilopenaril retired to the cave beneath Apollo’s Hill to sulk. Shratalanda came to him in the cave and they secretly planned an end to the draconic rule of Cimmeria.
Rilopenarial and Shratalanda manipulated many of the Heroes of the Dragon War to put them on the path to rebellion. Rilopenaril was especially involved in Danar’s upbringing to give him the skills he would need to fight against the dragon overlords. When Danar was king Rilopenaril advised him. After a few years, Rilopenaril informed his descendant of the plan he had concocted with Shratalanda to end draconic tyranny over the land forever. Danar embraced the idea and began training the people of Sheerzen so that they would be ready for the coming war.
The bronze dragon flight largely sided with Langudina once the Dragon War broke out. Rilopenaril continued to assist the mortals as he could while evading the other dragons’ notice. The dragon pairs were bound by the Orbs of Dragonkind one by one until only Langudina and Rilopenaril remained. Langudina fled into the Western Terror Mountains, but the Heroes of the Dragon War chased her down. Rilopenaril restrained his own sister as the Heroes bound her within the last Orb of Dragonkind. With all of the dragon patriarchs defeated, the Dragon War was over.
Danar constructed a dungeon beneath Sheezern to house the Bronze Dragon Orb. The dungeon had no entrances, only being reachable by passing through hundreds of feet of solid rock. He achieved this with the help of earth elementals which were enlisted to help build and guard the dungeon. In addition to these protectors, the draconic king enchanted many of his full-blooded dragon cousins to guard the dungeon for all time. While Danar made the dungeon, Toffoun was the Dragon War Hero who entered stasis for when the Bronze Orb broke. That way no familial feeling would prevent what must be done.
Rilopenaril is the final defense of the Bronze Dragon Orb as the other dragon hegemons are for their Orbs. He lives beneath Apollo’s Hill in magical servitude the same as the other dragon tyrants. Rilopenaril insisted that he be treated the same as them with only a few exceptions. The conditions of Rilopenaril’s bondage allow him to visit Sheerzen for the coronations, funerals, and weddings of each successive monarch. His bloodline continues and he is happy to see his descendants, if only for brief moments every few years.
Brass: Forsoman and Hazorshrakan
Forsoman was the father of his daughter Hazorshrakan. Together they ruled the Orc Lands of Cimmeria. They created many half-dragon children with the goblins in the Orc Lands, but rarely interbred with the orcs. One of their goblin children, Blackheart, was influenced by Shratalanda to provide motivation for Amalgami and Toffoun during the Dragon War. The heroic pair were forced to form an army to defeat Blackheart’s army. This mortal army earned the ire of the dragons and was one of the inciting incidents of the dragon war.
The brass dragons were one of the first to fall at the start of the Dragon War. Hazorshrakan was imprisoned within the Brass Dragon Orb and Forsoman was set as her guard. The Orb was then used to control the brass dragon to fight on the side of the Dragon War Heroes. After the war Shratalanda built a hidden dungeon deep within the Aractrashan Jungle. She placed psionic guardians and traps around the dungeon which would drive people away by trickery or by force. This dungeon housed the Brass Orb of Dragonkind. Shratalanda entered stasis to return when the Orb was broken.
Copper: Blathorwa and Thaionzao
Blathorwa was the mother of her son Thaitonzao. Together they ruled the lands between the Black River and the Great Divide. The area was sparsely populated at the time, but the copper dragons enjoyed the natural beauty of their domain.
Blathorwa and Thaitonzao fought together during the Dragon War alongside their cousins. In time they fell to an assault where the Dragon War Heroes used the Orbs of Dragonkind to control the white, black, and brass dragons. Blathorwa was imprisoned within the Copper Orb and Thaitonzao was set to guard his mother.
The Copper Orb was initially entrusted to Bigby. Unfortunately he was captured by Eathirilu during the fighting in the Dry Woods. Before he was imprisoned, Bigby used the Copper Orb to warn the other Heroes of the Dragon War that an attack was coming. With preparations in place, the Heroes were able to drive back the assault, free Bigby, and reclaim the Copper Dragon Orb.
At the conclusion of the Dragon War Amalgami designed an aquatic dungeon to safeguard the Copper Orb in the swamps of Demeter’s Garden. The entire dungeon existed in the muck and slime beneath the surface of the vast marsh. Amalgami worked with the other Heroes and incorporated elements from each of the other dungeons in the defense of his dungeon. Additionally, he protected the final chamber with a set of doors that could only be opened by a few riddles of Amalgami’s own creation. With his work complete the Lightning Knight entered stasis, only to return when the Copper Orb was broken.
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