The Great Western Mountains, which separate the Steppe and the civilised lands of Rhaedwyn, are the home to the Fortress-Temples of the Dragon-Kings, beings of ages so vast and ancient, that none alive knows of them, and no one has yet dared ask it of the Dragons themselves.
The Dragons, as best understood by the rest of Rhaedwyn, are five, each nested in its own palace that is both a temple to them, and a fortress of unimaginable defensiveness.
The Eldest, Mukunturagi
Mukunturagi, the Eldest and the Firstborn of the dragons, it is said its name derives from their ancient tongue for their word of root, or origin, for he is the origin of dragon-kind. They occupy the oldest and tallest of the fortresses, through the Trade Pass, the largest of the passes from the mountains into the Steppe, and it is considered the chief of the five.
It is said that its size, when uncoiled, can rival that of one of the great capitals of Rhaedwyn, and that once, deep in the Age of Magic, it left its home to visit Lavellor, and it blotted out the sun across the entire city.
The Second-born, Duinarsalgun
The second of the five is the cunning Duinarsalgun, its name said to be derived from the word for mountains, for they are the only one that held their pass, called the Trudek Pass, against the invading orcs at the inception of the Age of Shadows.
It is said that, during those dark days, its breath did not burn the flesh of the orcs and their horses, but rotted it, giving way to the skeleton underneath, and killing them, as if a thousand years had passed in but an instant.
The Third-born, Fulgiyantargun
The Watcher of the Mountains, called Fulgiyantargun, whose name derives from their ancient language meaning hawk, is the one who oversees the main fortress of the chain, and the one deepest in the east, where the feet of the mountains meet the plains of Rhaedwyn. It is the most active and smallest of the five, and the only one seen in recent memory, with accounts from the days of Autokratorissa Diotaras of Waternaken some two centuries ago, of the dragon leaving its nest.
The Fourth-born, Alindurkejin
The Dragon-King of Gold, Alindurkejin, is the richest of all, and as the title suggests, the one who sits in the busiest of the trading passes from Rhaedwyn to the Great Steppe. It is said by some scholars in Sobsia and in Tanir that in the Fortress-Temple of Alindurkejin, called the Gilded Keep, there is more gold than in all of the vaults and lands of Rhaedwyn, a hundredfold, stored in large underground vaults.
The Youngest, Šanggūteliarun
The youngest, the last born, and the wisest of the five is Šanggūteliarun, whose name echoes the ancient word of spirit. It is they who first came up with the Ritual of Solelichesis during the dark days of the Orcish Invasion. They are also the most reclusive. In their fortress of Thalmura Pass, it is said that even the air feels wrong, too charged with magic. It is the most often avoided and commonly associated with bad luck, so much so the saying ‘Cross old Thalmura and watch your purse grow poorer’ is commonly recited by the few merchants brave enough to trade with the orcs.