The Golden Dragon King governs Kambria, a dystopian world where Kingdoms are constantly in a cycle of renewal and destruction. The past has permanently impacted all the Kingdoms, which were seized by Elder Dragons who shaped them into their own likeness. The world is divided into two generations: the Ascension, a year-long tournament pitting kingdoms against each other in brutal combat, and the Tranquility, a time when inter-kingdom warfare is prohibited. Kingdoms that succeeded in the Ascension had an early advantage in rebuilding, as the Golden Dragon King bestowed boons upon them. Each Kingdom has had several Ascensions over millennia, putting them all in a strong position to prosper again.

The Golden King uses the Ascension to distract the people from his reign and disputes within the Kingdom. He can fulfill the greatest wishes of people through the power of Beneficence, supported by the Golden Court. The High Ruler of the victorious Kingdom may ascend to the Golden Court at the end of the Ascension, joining previous victorious High Rulers and becoming eternal. The Golden Dragon King ranks the Golden Court members, who constantly plot ways to outbid one another for the Golden Dragon King's favor. They use their Beneficence power to sway the Ascension's outcome in their favor, and the Golden King favors those who make extremely shrewd or creative use of their gift.

Dragon Thrones is set in the dystopian world of Kambria, where eleven Elder Dragon gods came to search for Essence, a flowing source of magic found in Kambria. After an Elder Dragon's death, the Golden Dragon took their carcass, removed 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. A Dragon Throne was offered to the rulers of each great Kingdom, ensuring their control over their people.

The Ascension

As Kambrian ruler, the Golden Dragon banned warfare between kingdoms except during the Ascension contest. This once-per-generation contest allows all Kingdoms to compete in great wars and games to show their dominance and gain favor from the Golden Dragon King. A victory in the Ascension guarantees a prosperous Kingdom during the next generation of peace, called the Tranquility. The Tranquility allows Kingdoms to rebuild, repopulate, and prepare for future games of The Ascension. Adventures in Dragon Thrones occur during either the Tranquility or the Ascension, modifying characters' adventures in 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 is a powerful competition system in Kambria, ensuring the Kingdom of the Golden Dragon reigns supreme and maintains order over all other Kingdoms. The Ascension games last for one summer, with the victorious Kingdom earning the most favor from the Golden Dragon King and his Golden Court. The High Ruler ascends to the Golden Court, where they live an eternally privileged existence while exerting their influence over the realm. Kambria is a peaceful and utopian realm where rival civilizations follow the Dragon King's order that no war or armed conflict shall be sanctioned in the years between each Ascension. However, Kambria is prepared for an unmatched competition that tests each Kingdom in every possible way. Despite much of its history lost in the Great Elder Dragon Wars, Kambria celebrates "Peace through Ascension" as a means of control and learning.

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 as descending gods and were powerful and seductive Dragon Lords, lured to Kambria by its intense, naturally occurring magic, known as "Essence." Before their arrival, Kambria's elves and fae 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. 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.

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. As 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.

The Elder Dragons forced themselves upon the native peoples of Kambria, ruling as idols of worship. 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 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, but when the flow of Essence began to run dry, tension replaced calm, conflict replaced peace, and strife replaced prosperity. The lack of Essence caused the Elder Dragons to attack one another, leading to the Great Dragon War. 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.

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 Golden Dragon of Destiny was victorious because of his magical gift, the rarest of dragon powers, the power of Benefaction. This power allowed him to give others gifts of whatever they desired, allowing him to manipulate rivals by giving them what was best for himself. The Golden Dragon of Destiny struck down the Platinum Elder Dragon in a grand display of Essence and power. Still, the Platinum Dragon tragically trusted his former mentor, which proved to be his demise. The Golden Dragon immediately seized control and brought about a new world order. He desired Power, Control, and Order above all, and he created a Golden Citadel for his Kingdom of the Golden Dragon.

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

After the Kingdoms pledged eternal devotion to him, the Dragon King made it lawful for them to look back to their history and revive the "old ways" of their ancient ancestors. He proclaimed the Golden Age and gifted each great Kingdom 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. Each throne came with a price: each was magically tethered to the Golden Dragon's own Dragon Throne.

The Dragon King sought the advice of the most outstanding scholars, alchemists, and scientists in Kambria about rebuilding the realm. They advised that it would take a generation, roughly twenty to thirty years, to restore all of Kambria to full strength. The reconstruction of Kambria began with wonderous designs employing technology and architecture never seen before. In addition to the Dragon Thrones, the Dragon King gifted each Kingdom a large sum of resources to rebuild, with those who took the Oath of the Golden Court receiving commensurate more. He called this the Rule of Favor. Shortly after rebuilding began, the Dragon King announced a competition to prove which Kingdom was the best in the realm.

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 Golden Court's Justices enforced the Tranquility, 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.

Each Kingdom in Kambria was unique in some way, possessing resources found only in their lands. The ruling classes of 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 Dragon Thrones were everything, and one beam, no matter how strong, could not support an entire Kingdom on its own unless it was a Dragon Throne.

Once the Tranquility expired, the Ascension began, an epic competition of games, trials, and war engulfing all of Kambria. Participation was mandatory, and the victorious High Ruler from the top Favored Kingdom would ascend to the Golden Court and become one of the esteemed members of the Kingdom of the Golden Dragon. Members of the Golden Court would sponsor Kingdoms in future games, bestowing upon their chosen Kingdoms specialized resources and influence. A sponsor whose Kingdom was victorious in the Ascension would rise in influence and prominence within the Golden Court.

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.

The Realm of Kambria

The History of Kambria