2Dragon-Trees: An Introduction
In the beginning of Rhea, there were naught but fire gremlins, roaming the freshly formed earth in search of pools of molten lava; for Rhea at the time was nothing more than liquid rock, constantly changing, constantly morphing within the earth's core. Fire gremlins abounded, spewed fully formed from the hottest parts on the surface.
But then, Rhea's creators, the mother and daughter pair Calliope and Euridice, calmed the surface of Rhea with rain. It rained for two decades. Euridice took care of the fiery gremlins, whom she had always somewhat fancied, pushing them deep into the ground, far into the core, where they frolicked with their kin. Calliope made sure the rain cooled off the whole of Rhea, and then, she abruptly stopped it. The rain flowed into basins, the largest of which was the Aphro Ocean.
Calliope then made the ground arable. Then she and her daughter grew things, grasses and shrubs, flowers and cacti, weeds and vines, and, most importantly, trees.
They grew beautiful trees, trees that reminded them of their original planet. For, you see, Euridice had been born on our Earth, and Calliope had decided that she could not raise her daughter on a planet most vile.
The trees were some of the only things both had truly loved on Earth. Wide oaks, tall sycamores, flowering dogwood…they were a heritage that Calliope was not willing to give up.
After growing the most beautiful and most cared for trees straight from memory, Euridice came up with an idea for new creatures for Rhea.
Dragon-Trees! she yelled, and her mother chuckled in remembrance.
When Euridice was still young, she had wanted her mother to read a book on dragons every night before bed. Euridice had always adored dragons, and her love for them was infectious. One day, Calliope had suggested that dragons, fire-breathers that they were, lived in old, sturdy trees, which is why they lived so long. Laughingly, Euridice agreed completely, crying out the name Dragon-Trees with delight.
Dragon-Trees. Better than another set of humans by far! said Calliope, and set to making them.
She set aside seven of her most favorite trees, Trees of Life, and they were thus:
Oak—Traditional Dragon—Green
Sycamore—Wyvern—Red
Cherry Tree—Oriental Dragon—White
Pine—Forest Dragon—Brown/Bronze
Dogwood—Desert Dragon—Yellow/Orange
Beech—Water Dragon—Blue/Purple
Rowan—Mountain Dragon—Gold
She imbued the dead wood in their centers with life, as well as three drops of blood from her fingertip, pricked with a silver needle. Then she breathed onto these trees, having them transform into their true forms, their draconian selves.
These dragons lived in peace for centuries, cared for by their creators, engendering their own dragons, doing what dragons do best. During this time, called Ancient Lives, for at the time a Dragon-Tree's lifetime was infinite and endless, everything was in harmony with the dragons, and the dragons quite liked their world and creators, who constantly watched over them.
The trouble seemed to start when their creators decided to make more creatures to fill the world run by dragons. They created things that were only found in Earth mythology, things like Merpeople and Wee Folk and Minotaurs. They made a whole list of things, like Sirens, Nymphs, Griffins, Sphinxes, Inukami, something entirely original, a sort of cross between Merpeople and Zephyrs, called Mari-Aries (singular form, Mari-Airy), and finally, cats. Lots and lots of cats, which lived off of mice, also introduced to the planet.
The Dragon-Trees disliked these creatures, these beings that compared to them had day-long lifespans, and were constantly changing, growing, giving birth, and migrating everywhere. The Sphinxes and Griffins took up residence in the desert, the Wee Folk and Minotaurs the mountains, the Merpeople, Nymphs, and Sirens the oceans, rivers, and lakes, and the Inukami, Mari-Aries, and cats took up all the rest. The Dragon-Trees felt pressed for space. Even the fire gremlins were emerging from their homes deep within Rhea to frolic under the stars on hot, humid summer nights. Animosity stirred among the creatures. Lifespans among the dragons shortened due to stress
Then, there sprang from the woodwork seven Dragon-Trees, rotten to the core.
Calliope first recognized these creatures for what they were, but she kept them, knowing in all her wisdom that good cannot exist without evil.
These dragons ran amok, destroying the homes and habitats of Rhea's creatures and even their own kin. Euridice wanted them destroyed as well, but Calliope put a warning hand on her shoulder.
Life without strife is pointless. Let them live, for we shall pass judgment on them.
And so they did. Calliope summoned them before her in sacred council. She judged them thus, and granted them with a mixed curse and blessing.
The dragons in question would have an eternal lifespan, however they could never have offspring or rest from their destruction. She christened them after the seven deadly sins, and solidified their tumultuous personalities. They would be forced to act in such a manner until kingdom come, if it ever did. Unless…
Unless all of their kind, all who are Lustful, all who are Gluttonous, Wrathful, Prideful, Envious, Greedy, Sloth…unless all of them are repentant or destroyed.
Weary of a life of destruction, they have undertaken this adventure. This task. The agents of sin themselves are out to slay the sinful.
DRAGON-TREES