The History of Kambria

Dragon Thrones is set in the dystopian world of Kambria, a world ruled by an all-powerful Golden Dragon: King Kry’sos, Almighty and Beneficent, Creator of the Ascension and the Dragon Thrones, Bringer of the Tranquility, Granter of Wishes and the Last Dragon God of Kambria!

Eleven Elder Dragon gods came to this world searching for Essence, a flowing source of magic found in Kambria. Ten of the Dragons seized Kingdoms in Kambria for themselves, influencing or forcing the inhabitants to fight in their name. However, the eleventh dragon, the Golden One, never took control of a Kingdom, and he stood alone, “helping” the other Elder Dragons with his advice and magic. Eventually, through his clandestine manipulation, the Golden Dragon propelled the other Elder Dragons to war against one another. This resulted in the Elder Dragons slaying each other one by one, ending with the Golden Dragon’s dominion over Kambria.

Upon an Elder Dragon’s death, the Golden Dragon took their carcass, removed all of its Essence, and used the lifeless monstrosity to forge a Dragon Throne –  a magical seat of power that communes with the mighty Kingdom High Rulers who sit upon it. Within the Dragon Thrones, the spirits of the Elder Dragons live on, encapsulated as a magical artifact controlled by one central master throne: the Golden Dragon Throne. 

A Dragon Throne was offered to the rulers of each of the great Kingdoms of Kambria – a gift of near-unlimited magical power that would ensure their control over their people. All the High Rulers had to do in return was swear fealty and bend the knee to the Golden Dragon for eternity. Each Kingdom quickly fell into line, and a new era of prosperity throughout Kambria was proclaimed! 

The Ascension

In one of his first decrees as ruler of Kambria, the Golden Dragon banned all warfare between Kingdoms, except in the Ascension – a once-per-generation contest where all Kingdoms must compete in a great war and other games to show which Kingdom is the greatest and earn the favor of the Golden Dragon King. The victorious Kingdom gives its High Ruler a chance for immortality and near god-like power through ascension into the Golden Dragon’s court, the Golden Court. Additionally, a victory in the Ascension guarantees that the Kingdom will be the most prosperous throughout the next generation of peace, called the Tranquility. 

The Tranquility (the time between Ascensions) allows the Kingdoms to rebuild, repopulate, and prepare for the next games of The Ascension. Adventures in Dragon Thrones take place either during the Tranquility or the Ascension, and each period changes how characters adventure in the world of Kambria. 

The History of Kambria

Every generation during the summer Apex Solstice, when the sun is brightest and the days the longest, the High Rulers of a magical realm called Kambria send their finest armies, champion warriors, and gifted mages, along with their most cunning diplomats, skilled tradespeople, and talented artists, to the citadel of the Golden Dragon for a grandiose and bloody competition called the Ascension. 

The Ascension was created as a means of control and a lesson to all of Kambria’s Kingdoms – that the Kingdom of the Golden Dragon shall always reign supreme because it knows what is best for Kambria. Through the Ascension, the Kingdom of the Golden Dragon maintains order over all other Kingdoms, and by this competition, the Kingdoms keep favor with the Golden Dragon King. The Ascension is called every generation when the Golden Dragon King believes there is enough Essence in the realm to support the vast amount of magic it requires. The Ascension games last for one summer, with the victorious Kingdom earning the most favor from the Golden Dragon King and his Golden Court. That Kingdom receives the title “Top House,” and its High Ruler ascends to the Golden Court, where they live an eternally privileged existence while exerting their influence over the realm.

Kambria is a stunning landscape and a peaceful place, a utopia in many ways, a realm where rival civilizations follow the order of the Dragon King that “No war or armed conflict shall ever be sanctioned in the years in between each Ascension!” This makes Kambria a continent of imagination and ingenuity. However, all of Kambria knows what awaits: a competition of unsurpassed magnitude that tests each Kingdom in every way conceivable. With much of its history lost in the Great Elder Dragon Wars, Kambria is a continent that celebrates “Peace through Ascension.”

Indeed, the Dragon King believes he knows what is best for Kambria, and the Ascension is the way:

• The way to keep the peace.

• The way to better the realm.

• The way that you must follow. 

The Prehistory 

Kambria was once a continent under the dominion of ten god-like entities known as the Elder Dragons. They arrived out of nowhere as if they were descending gods. They were powerful and seductive Dragon Lords, lured to Kambria by its intense, naturally occurring magic: ley lines throughout the atmosphere referred to as "Essence." Before their arrival, Kambria’s elves and fae had warned against the abuse of Kambria's magic, but its allure became overwhelming to the continent’s humans. Their overuse of magic created streams of magical scents that drifted far from Kambria, extending to distant reaches of the multiverse and seeping into an unnamed realm, one of many portals to other domains. In one uncharted area, dragons tasted the slightest hint of Kambria's magic, which they found intoxicating. The dragons slowly traced the magic and eventually reached Kambria, claiming this world for their own. And thus, the Age of the Dragon began. 

Essence permeates all within the realm; it is the reason for life, beauty, and innovation. To avoid conflict among one another, ten of the Elder Dragons agreed to divide Kambria evenly, each taking their vast swath of land and sea, with their sources of Essence stored within Kambria's great Places of Power. The Elder Dragons had a gem or metal identifier from their home dragon realm that signified their physiology and power. There was soon the Sapphire Dragon in the north, the Ruby Dragon South, the Platinum Dragon to the east, the Emerald Dragon in the West, and so forth. So long as the Elder Dragons did not overstep their domain into that of another dragon, their rule would remain absolute and in a mutual stalemate. 

Soon, the Elder Dragons forced themselves upon the native peoples of Kambria. They ruled as idols of worship. The humans, elves, dwarves, and fae that had lived in Kambria long before the dragons were forced to compromise their ways of life. Over time, the Elder Dragons implemented their own rule, replacing traditional customs with new cultures in their likenesses and names. Some Elder Dragons came to be beloved, others not so much.

A few Elder Dragons had no native peoples in the lands they ruled, so they created a race of demi-rulers: the half-dragon and half-human overlords called High Draconians. The High Draconians took on the likeness of their Elder Dragon creator and were devoted followers. As the High Draconians built their civilizations on lands, their Elder Dragons continued to feast on Essence and live like gods. 

For generations, the Elder Dragons consumed Essence. However, when the flow of Essence began to run dry, tension replaced calm, conflict replaced peace, and strife replaced prosperity. 

Was it overconsumption of Essence by the Elder Dragons? Or perhaps a higher power grew tired of watching the Dragons feed like pigs upon this world. Either way, the lack of Essence caused the Elder Dragons to attack one another. Thus began the Great Dragon War.

When Essence dried up and magic became scarce, the Elder Dragons became instant rivals. Neighboring Kingdoms began raiding locales near Places of Power in each other's territories where Essence was sporadically appearing, resulting in a terrible conflict pitting each Elder Dragon and its Kingdom against the other. 

High Draconians slew High Draconians, and humans battled humans. Even elves, dwarves, and fae were asked to take up arms. Unlike humans, they all saw no purpose in this terrible war. The feeling throughout Kambria was that the entire realm was approaching the start of the Age of Darkness. 

The warfare between the dragons was total in scope; they would not relent with their armies of High Draconian and humans. Soon, entire Kingdoms were leveled, with their Elder Dragons slain by rival Elder Dragons. These dragons who once feasted off Essence began to feast off one another. The cycle of fire and blood continued until just one Elder Dragon remained, the self-proclaimed "Dragon of Destiny," who outlasted all of his kind to become the sole master of all Kambria. The destined Dragon was not surprising to many; after all, this Dragon was extraordinary, the rarest and most powerful of all dragons – a Golden Dragon. 

Much of what transpired during the Dragon Wars is lost to history. Yet, the legend states the Golden Dragon was victorious because of his magical gift: the rarest of dragon powers, the power of Benefaction. This power allows him to give others gifts of whatever they desired. Benefaction is a powerful ability that can be used for nearly any purpose, lawful or devious. When people want something, it may or may not suit them. Thus, the Golden Dragon could manipulate rivals by giving them what was best not necessarily for them but for HIM.

Through Benefaction, the Golden Dragon could emulate the intoxicating taste of Kambria's Essence and gain temporary Elder Dragon allies, paying them what they truly desired. This pseudo Essence brought unsuspecting Elder Dragons together under his rule, if only for one battle, long enough to help him defeat the others one at a time. If his ally died or was defeated, it was just as good as if his ally defeated his target. One by one, he would pit Dragon against Dragon until only one remained – the Platinum Elder Dragon. 

The Golden Dragon was prepared for this challenge by the youngest of the Elder Dragons. He had trained the Platinum Elder Dragon from his youth and taught him to fight the remaining Dragons in a final battle. But he also afflicted his protégé with a mighty weakness. And in a showdown, the Golden Dragon of Destiny struck down the Platinum Dragon in a grand display of Essence and power. Tragically, the Platinum Dragon trusted his former mentor, which proved to be his demise. The Golden Dragon, the last of his kind, now the last Elder in Kambria, immediately seized control and brought about a new world order. With the ten other dragons destroyed, the Essence of Kambria could return slowly. But that was never the Golden Dragon's genuine desire. He desired Power, Control, and Order above all. The Golden Dragon was indeed unique; he was the one Dragon that had no need or real hunger for Essence nor needs for earthly devices. Instead, this Dragon always saw himself as the one divine being destined to be the living god of Kambria and instill balance over the known world. 

After his victory, he created a Golden Citadel for his Kingdom of the Golden Dragon. He established the Golden Court within his Kingdom, consisting of high-ranking High Draconians, Elves, and Humans who had secretly sided with him during the Dragon Wars. They swore to the Golden Dragon, creating the first Golden Court. 

The Golden Dragon then gave the rest of the Kingdoms of Kambria a year to pledge an oath of devotion to him:

"May your Kingdom pledge your oath to me, and I shall, in return, hold your Kingdom in my high favor. Your Kingdom can begin to return to your own old ways, the customs, and gods your people once worshiped before the Elder Dragons arrived. I eliminated the dragons so this moment could be. Those Kingdoms that oppose the Golden Court will be proclaimed traitors in an unlawful rebellion. Those who want to bring war back to our realm, far too soon after I ended all wars, shall be punished. However, those Kingdoms that are allied with the Golden Court or who swear allegiance to me now shall, in return, receive the grandest of gifts, something that can make the desires of your High Rulers come to life: a gift of great power that will keep you and your people safe under your ruler's reign."

The Golden Age

The Dragon King kept true to his word. After the Kingdoms pledged eternal devotion to him, the Golden Dragon King once again made it lawful for these Kingdoms to look back to their history and revive the “old ways” of their ancient ancestors. The Dragon King proclaimed that a new age had begun, the Golden Age, and to commemorate this great revival of Kambria, the Dragon King gifted each of the great Kingdoms a seat fitting for a King or Queen: a unique Dragon Throne crafted of the magics and bodies of the defeated Elder Dragons of old, with the power to channel their ancestor’s draconic gifts. The thrones came with a price: Each was magically tethered to the Golden Dragon’s own Dragon Throne. From then on, through each Dragon Throne, it is as if the Dragon King himself pierced the heart of each ruler with a feeling of joyful enchantment that could not be matched, not even by Essence itself.

Then the Dragon King sought the advice of the most outstanding scholars, alchemists, and scientists in Kambria about rebuilding the realm. These scholars advised the Dragon King that with their calculations, it would take a generation, roughly twenty to thirty years, to restore all of Kambria to full strength. “So it be said, so it be written, so shall it be done!” said the Dragon King. Reconstruction of Kambria then began with wonderous designs employing technology and architecture never seen before. 

In addition to the Dragon Thrones, the Golden Dragon King gifted each Kingdom a large sum of resources to rebuild, with those who took the Oath of the Golden Court receiving commensurately more. He called this the Rule of Favor. Shortly after rebuilding began, the Dragon King announced a competition that would prove which Kingdom was the best in the realm. The competition would be called the Ascension!

During the years of respite and rebuilding, all war and fighting between Kingdoms would be unsanctioned and illegal, with enormous consequences if any Kingdom transgressed. The great peace imposed upon the realm was called “the Tranquility.” The Tranquility was enforced by the Golden Court’s Justices, who could act as judge and jury in the field if the law and order of the Tranquility were disobeyed. The Tranquility would last as long as the Golden Dragon wished, and any Kingdom that took up arms against another would be immediately punished and pushed to the bottom of the Dragon King’s favor. The Golden Court would keep all the Kingdoms satisfied during peaceful times as long as they paid their fair share of resources back to the Dragon King and gave their absolute loyalty at all times. They would always be allowed their own rule, laws, culture, religions, and customs as long as they didn’t conflict with the rule of the Golden Dragon.

Each Kingdom in Kambria was unique in some way, possessing resources that were found only in their lands. The Kingdoms would give most of these resources to the Dragon King in exchange for favor, peace, and the use of their Dragon Throne. The ruling classes of the Kingdoms would place nothing over the ownership of their Dragon Throne, not even the needs of their people: the Dragon Thrones were everything. It was said that “one beam, no matter how strong, cannot support an entire Kingdom on its own, unless it is a Dragon Throne.”

Once the Tranquility expired, the Ascension would begin, an epic competition of games, trials, and war engulfing all of Kambria. Participation was mandatory, as commanded by the Dragon King and the High Rulers of Kambria through the power of their Dragon Thrones. The Ascension would pit Kingdom versus Kingdom in an all-out global contest, with the victors obtaining the highest Kingdom Rank in the Rule of Favor of the Golden Court. The highest Kingdoms are called the honorable “Favored,” and the lower-ranked are the shameful “Disfavored.” To be the Favored Kingdom meant an easier rebuild and more prosperity during the Tranquility. To be a Disfavored Kingdom meant a long and painful generation of rebuilding to try again in the next Ascension. 

The victorious High Ruler from the top Favored Kingdom would then ascend to the Golden Court and become one of the esteemed members of the Kingdom of the Golden Dragon. They would forever be viewed as Champions of their Kingdom and ascend at a grand ceremony and celebration at the end of the games. 

Once ascended, members of the Golden Court would then sponsor Kingdoms in future games, bestowing upon their chosen Kingdoms specialized resources and influence: a small gift of Benefaction extended to them by the Golden Dragon, allowing them to sway the odds of the competition. A sponsor whose Kingdom was victorious in the Ascension would rise in influence and prominence within the Golden Court. It is said in the Golden Court, “Guessing is cheap, but guessing wrong can be expensive.”

Out in the field, the Ascension tests every aspect of a Kingdom – its skills in battle, diplomacy, trade, and artistry – as the Golden Dragon King is wise and knows wars are won in many different ways. However, there is a sinister element to the Ascension. One of the main objectives of the games is to be the Kingdom that captures the most Dragon Thrones, making the competition the polar opposite of the Tranquility. During the Ascension, treachery is paramount, and Kambria is bloodsoaked. 

Viewed from the perspective of the Golden Dragon, the Ascension is a means to balance life and power in Kambria, and it is also a lesson that the Golden Dragon’s authority shall never be challenged. In exchange, the Dragon Thrones will remain to enchant and empower the High Rulers of the Kingdoms of Kambria, and the realm will always be rebuilt together, ever more fantastic than it was before, as this is the promise of the Golden Dragon King. The King has never broken a promise.

The Golden Court

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“Ascension for Tranquility, Tranquility for Ascension” 

“May the Favor be with You” 

“Children of the Golden Dragon King”

Name: The Golden Court or “the Benefactors”

Dragon: The Golden Dragon, Kry’sos, the Granter of Wishes, the Divine Dragon of Destiny

High Ruler: The Golden Dragon King, High King Kry’sos, the Golden Dragon of Benefaction, rules the Golden Citadel in his human form.

Court: The Golden Court is a circle of demigods under the paternal rule of the Golden Dragon King himself. Each member lives eternally within a tower of a castle that reflects their home kingdom. The Golden Dragon King issues various challenges, quests, and trials for the Golden Court within the Tranquility to keep the members’ powers sharp and attuned, rewarding them with bountiful Essence and favor. The court members with the highest favor before the Ascension are rewarded with the chance to participate as Kingdom House Sponsors during that year’s games. During the Tranquility, if any Kingdom acts contrary to the laws, wishes, and desires of the Golden Dragon King (for example, by waging war), then a Golden Court member from that Kingdom is tasked with “correcting” the situation by imposing penalties – including reducing the Kingdom’s favor in the next Ascension. Aside from that duty, Golden Court members are expected to not interact with the mortal world and instead remain detached, in their boundless power, within the Golden Citadel. Rumors circulate, however, about Court members sneaking away occasionally to mingle and secretly interfere with Kambrian mortals. The Golden Dragon King will often simply ignore it if it's a minor transgression. 

Military: The Golden Dragon King maintains an army of indestructible Golden Sentinels who resemble giant Golden High Draconians without free will or individuality, led by Clerics of Beneficence, who enforce the “Golden Rules” of the Golden Dragon King. Legend has it that the Golden Dragon King, the Golden Court, and his Sentinels defend Kambria against threats from other realms. This serves as reassurance to the Kingdoms that the Golden Dragon King will protect Kambria as long as the Kingdoms continue to pledge their everlasting loyalty to him. 

Golden Citadel Factions: 

• Protectors. These court members are chosen to protect and defend the people of Kambria, even from themselves. They often get involved in the affairs of mortals. The Golden Hand and the Sentinels are part of this faction. 

• Watchers. Watchers are members of the court who are chosen to observe but do not interfere in the lives of mortals unless there is gross misconduct or a violation of the Tranquility. The Shadow and their intelligence-gathering network are part of this faction. 

• Superiors. These are members of the court who, in their own minds at least, have risen above the cares of the mortal world. They focus on pursuing their interests, whether in the arts, music, or creating ever-more-impressive explosive devices. 

• Hedonists. This faction comprises court members who have completely given themselves over to a life of pleasure and luxury. They care for the mortal world, but only insofar as it can provide them pleasure or entertainment. 

Citadel: The Golden Citadel is genuinely an otherworldly location, floating above the realm of Kambria. To protect his power and magic, the Golden Dragon designed the Golden Citadel with magical mirrors left by the Ancients so that no being, Golden Court member or otherwise, can injure or slay another within its confines. The Golden Citadel has 11 immense castles with many spire-topped towers, each castle reflecting a different Kingdom’s vision of heaven. The central and largest castle, belonging to the Golden Dragon King, is said to be made of pure and indestructible gold. Within the castles, the Golden Court sustains and exhibits its fullest might and influence while playing its demigod games.

Resources: Benefaction, favor, gold, and an assortment of other rare and wondrous gifts 

Politics: Admittance into the Golden Court through ascending is eternal and irrevocable. The members of the Golden Court who are chosen to participate in an Ascension regard it as the highest possible honor. In each Ascension, they strive to become the Golden Hand – the top member of the Golden Court – by sponsoring the Kingdom that prevails, having the High Ruler of the victorious Kingdom ascend to the Golden Court, and accruing more favor than the current Hand holds. The Golden Hand is the chief assistant to the Golden Dragon King. 

Races: Any race that has ascended

Colors: Gold, black, white