Humanity (hue-man-it-tee)

Summary

The second oldest species on Veltrona, the arrival of humanity proved a world-changing event for dragonkind. Having ruled the conceivable world alone since time immemorial, the dragons were befuddled by these strange, scale-less creatures that so vaguely looked dragonoid, but not. It isn't clear where humans came from, how, or even why: they simply appeared, as if out of thin air. Such a thing isn't unheard of–manifested existences are conceivably well-known.   That an entire, largely similar, species manifested across the world is what has ever maddened the dragons. Eventually, most simply disregarded caring about where or how humanity emerged. They had arrived, all the same, and Veltrona was already changing from their presence.   So ended the First Dawn, the time in which dragons ruled alone, and began the Second Dawn. Those familiar with the matter regard it as an 'age of chaos', as humanity challenged everything it came into contact with. The old rules, understandings, and nuanced intrigue that dragons refined so much didn't survive contact with humanity.   Draconic societies at large, after all, emphasized their own safety and long-term prosperity. To see other, presumably intelligent, forms of life commit such utterly insane and often suicidal actions horrified them deeply. Worse, humans reproductive ease meant their numbers, in a handful of centuries, rose to comically absurd heights. It aggravated the Relentless Herds and Packs, whom dragons had formed a comfortable, eternal stalemate against. So it was as the Relentless surged out of control, humanity suffered the most.   That suffering engendered innovation, and a ruthless willingness to push against the world that sought their eradication. Most of the Second Dawn, as far back in history as it is, remains shrouded in mystery. Few humans who achieved immortality remain of the time period, and what dragons lived then are reluctant to speak of it. It would be the end of the Second Dawn that would draw the most interesting details.   After humanity emerged, various monsterkind species began to emerge as well. Given their proximity to being humanoid, it seemed some force drove them to converge on the idea of 'humanity'. The Great Convergence theory is the most popularly understood idea regarding this matter, but even that is not totally certain. The truth of it may, like the rest of the Second Dawn, be buried in time.   A calamitous event, conspicuously absent in historical record and archeological evidence, is widely known to have marked the proper end of the Second Dawn, and the beginning of the Third Dawn–the 'age of monsters'. Thus followed the Wild Times, a period of strife, birth, and downfall of many nations on Veltrona. The out-of-control Relentless ravaged the world, thus birthing the Forsaken en-masse, who only added to the carnage. Most, if not all, ancient civilizations met their end in this time, and humanity was no different.   By the end of the Wild Times, numerous different sapient species dotted Veltrona. The Relentless and Forsaken alike were eventually cut down, paving the way for civilization as a whole to return. The humans of the Third Dawn found themselves surrounded by other peoples, strangers in an even stranger world. It beget their curiosity, and either friendship or rivalry. So it is, humanity fully fractured into many separate identities, never to unify as they had long ago.   As a whole, the history of humanity from here really does depend on which region is examined. However, one last notable event concerns the emergence of the Imperium, and its disastrous effects on the world.   Imperious, who ever sought ultimate foes to defeat, blugeoned many dragons into subservience to her. They built in her name a mighty empire, one to fuel her conquests and reach across Veltrona. These 'imperial dragons' held no love for each other, less so for other species. Conquest and mass enslaving became their norm, and humanity suffered gravely beneath their tyrannical rule. And humans, ever willing to overcome their hardships, turned its determination upon the Imperium.   Rebellious to a fault and constantly trying to tear down imperial rule, humanity plagued the Imperium throughout its lifetime. Aided by the oppressed monsters, like the baarham, urni, and helunae, many friendships were forged in resisting to the bitter end. It would be the rising of one human, Aerintor, whom brought about the end of the Imperium itself.   A legendary fighter in her own right, Aerintor's might drew Imperious' attention. They came to clash in a mighty rebellion Aerintor herself started, two frighteningly titanic powers that sundered Veltrona with every blow they traded. Eventually no one remained in their brawl, driven away or killed, but the aftershocks were felt all across the land. Then, strangely, they stopped–Aerintor and Imperious had both vanished. A curious inspection by both sides never found their bodies, but they were not people to simply 'go quietly'.   Still, with Imperious' fearsome malaise over the world gone, the Imperium itself imploded within hours. Oppressed dragons joined everyone else in rebellion, and so the imperial loyalists were mostly torn asunder. The finale of the Imperium would be forever marked by the destruction of the World Gate. It caused an explosion so powerful it annihilated half of Lophern, the southwestern corner of Aerthen, most of northern Dorvar and Etzli Cuauhtla, and plunged the world into nearly two centuries of sunless darkness from dust-choked skies.   It can easily be said that humanity is, and perhaps always will be, at the center of so many chaotic changes. Whether good or bad depends on who is involved and why, but where others may seek out their own interests, humans might interfere because they 'feel' they must. For better or worse, it has made them heroines and villains alike.