DRAOKEN

Draoken & Dravolkin
The Drakeward Sovereignty
A Codex of Ash, Wing, and Law
“Paradise made us soft.
Fire made us worthy.”
I. Before the Ash
Long before the desert winds claimed Scorrachai, before dunes swallowed jungles and rivers dried into bone, the Draoken and Dravolkin lived in splendor.
Scorrachai was emerald then.
Dense canopies.
Crystal rivers.
Sunlit glades where scaled children raced beneath towering palms.
They were not alone.
With them soared the Vaerathyr—sleek, four-legged sky-dragons with wings stretched like vast tetradactyl sails. Their bodies were long and powerful, their heads crowned with classic draconic ridges, their scales glimmering like burnished copper beneath the sun.
Draoken rode them.
Dravolkin trained them.
Together they ruled the skies in harmony.
It was an age of comfort.
Then came the Scorch.
No warning.
No herald.
Only sky splitting light.
Jungles burned.
Waters fled.
Life retreated.
When the ash settled, Scorrachai was sand.
The Draoken and Dravolkin debated like all who survived. Was it curse? Was it gods? Was it some cosmic judgment?
None answered.
The Vaerathyr could not survive long in the new wasteland.
And so they left.
II. Exodus of Ash
Mounted upon their Vaerathyr, the survivors flew south—deep into Zakaroth.
The land was harsh, but alive. Canyons cut through stone. Jungles clung to cliffs. Rivers carved stubborn paths.
They encountered the Orkren and Zoglings first.
Territorial.
Tribal.
Unyielding.
Fights erupted.
But the Orkren and Zoglings knew their land. Their guerrilla tactics harried the newcomers, cutting supply lines, ambushing from canyon shadow.
The Draoken were pushed further south—into harsher lands still.
It was during this retreat that fate turned.
III. The Ember in the Mountain
Deep within a canyon mountain, they found a cavern vast enough to house thunder.
Inside lay a dragon.
Ancient.
Massive.
Wings scarred and folded.
Eyes molten gold.
When asked his name, he answered:
“Drolk.”
When asked if he had scorched their homeland, he replied:
“I do not burn without reason.”
He did not deny.
He did not confess.
He spoke instead of strength.
Of softness.
Of balance.
“Scorrachai coddled you.”
“Ash tests what comfort hides.”
King Kolzegrad—then only a war-leader—did not kneel.
He negotiated.
Drolk would grant protection.
He would guard their southern dominion.
He would annihilate those who dared strike his mountain.
In return:
They would build his empire.
Spread his law.
Strengthen his name.
And conquer Pentara beneath the Ember.
Thus began the Drakeward Sovereignty.
IV. The Sovereign Flame
King Kolzegrad, First of Ember, was crowned beneath Drolk’s gaze.
Deep in Zakaroth, they built Drolkarum, the Castle of Flame. A colossal fortress carved into canyon stone and reinforced with arcane metal.
Statues of Kolzegrad and Drolk towered above the city.
Monuments.
Barracks.
Mines.
War halls.
Draoken and Dravolkin worked without question.
It was not optional.
Drolk demanded greatness.
And greatness requires obedience.
At the heart of Drolkarum lies The Pit—a vertical abyss plunging into unknown depths. Said to lead to the center of Pentara. Said to connect to Drolk’s origin.
Traitors are thrown into it.
None return.
V. The Crabari Accord
Before pushing north, Drakeward required arms.
From the western coast came the Crabari—craftsmen of metal and war.
Instead of hostility, Drakeward offered minerals from their southern mines and protection from Orkren and Zogling raids.
The Crabari delivered.
Armor of Eldrin aesthetic.
Weapons balanced for carnage.
War gear worthy of conquest.
With this alliance, the Sovereignty sharpened its blade.
VI. The Subjugation of the Marauders
The Orkren and Zoglings—now called the Marauders—stood in their path.
War followed.
Drakeward discipline met tribal ferocity.
Faith in Drolk proved stronger than rage.
Victory came.
The defeated were absorbed.
Some became soldiers.
Some miners.
Some builders.
Those who defied the Ember were offered The Pit.
Few refused twice.
VII. The Four Score War
Advancing north, Drakeward met the forest-dwelling Greenward (now known as the Verdant Concord).
What followed was the Four Score War.
Eighty cycles of blood and resistance.
Greenward fought with passion—but with peasant weapons and scattered tactics.
Drakeward fought with unity.
And unity won.
The Concord was broken.
Zakaroth bent beneath the Ember.
VIII. The Mantle War
At the river dividing Rojour and Zakaroth stood a new foe:
The Rojourian .
Advanced.
Disciplined.
Arcane-equipped.
They did not recognize Drolk.
Thus they were enemies.
The conflict that followed became known as:
The War of the Shattered Horizon
It spanned scores.
Drakeward crossed westward waters, conquering rebellious Dunling, Thorobolgen, and Harvani settlements. Villages fell beneath Sovereign banners.
Then came the Mantle’s answer:
The Battlebørn.
Arcane-forged metal beings, reckless and fearless.
At first laughable.
Then dangerous.
Then evolving.
The war dragged.
IX. The Western Disruption
As Drakeward pressed north, a new threat rose from the west:
The Netherin.
Black-sailed ships.
Silent soldiers.
Unbreakable interrogation subjects.
They struck Zakaroth unexpectedly.
Their objective?
Drolkarum.
Drolk.
This was unacceptable.
Drakeward forces withdrew from Rojour to protect the Flame.
The War of the Shattered Horizon paused.
The Ember must not fall.
Captured Netherin never spoke—even under torment or threat of The Pit.
Their silence remains a mystery.
X. The Sovereign Creed
Drakeward law is simple:
“Through Ash, We Rise.”
“By Wing and Flame.”
“Under One Ember.”
They do not deny the Nine Gods.
They simply do not require them.
Drolk is present.
Drolk is tangible.
Drolk tests.
And one day, they will find the healer who restores his wings.
When that day comes—
Pentara will kneel.