Part One: History & Setting
Since the arrival of The Council, Agondar has become a land (called The Realm by locals) populated with a variety of newly introduced species. Not all are "from the heavens", so to speak. Some are Hellspawn, fugitives on the run.
Most attempt to live at peace, going their separate ways – live and let live. To spark violence is to attract the watchful eye of The Office of the Supreme Dragon Lord, who dole out the law according to Xanthias. And it is this same Xanthias who brought all of this to Zo'ras and The Realm of Agondar.
THE OLD GODS
Zo'ras was once the playground of celestials, aliens who used the planet for nothing more than their games. If they were aware of the ancient natives they had little care for their existence. Only when they started erecting temples in their names did they turn an eye to them.
Some celestials learned to care for their worshippers and they educated them. Others used them for sport in contests against monstrosities, beasts, and cursed maidens.
The celestials became gods and for a time they enjoyed it. But there were massive beasts created by an unknown magic by an unknown god they had not noticed. The Unknown God created Sacred Mother, the first dragon, and she sired a brood of hatchlings who grew to roam over land and sea, and as their population grew they took to the sky.
With the rise of the dragons the gods became the Old Gods. Dragonkind overthrew the gods as the ruling class. The Old Gods occasionally banded together to either usurp the Dragon Lords through subterfuge or declare outright war. When the Dragon Lords turned on one another and Aralla united them all under her dominion the gods became bored and sought other distractions.
It is unclear at the moment if the Old Gods have the attention of Lord Xanthias. Since long before The Great War they have been quiet. If they care or not is not known. Since worship of the Old Gods is forbidden no cults exist that could tell us. There have been rare sightings here and there. Maybe just rumors. But one thing is certain. When a god wants to be seen they will show themselves.
THE AGE OF DRAGONS
And so, the Unknown God had created dragonkind and left them to flourish in Agondar. Why they overthrew the Old Gods was their own business. Scholars have speculated that dragons by nature are extremely possessive. They may have viewed the Old Gods as competitors.
With the Old Gods gone, their temples destroyed by dragonkind, the people of the Realm turned to the dragons. In time they became regarded as sacred and were themselves worshiped as gods.
Perhaps another side effect of a dragon's nature to protect what it sees as its own possession is its need to do so as a solitary ruler. This nature was cause enough for dragons to compete with one another for lordship over all of Agondar. And there was war!
THE GREAT WAR AGAINST XANTHIAS
During the Age of Dragons, Xanthias and his brother Harrandor studied abroad at several colleges of magic, each mastering a variety of spellcasting schools. Not much is known of either of the mages. Anything that would have been recorded of their lives was destroyed when Xanthias became Supreme Dragon Lord and outlawed the distribution of books of magic. What can be reasonably surmised is that a rift occurred between the brothers over the ancient Spear of Majesty. With it Xanthias was able to master control over dragons and bend them to his will. And at will Xanthias began to destroy dragons.
After Xanthias was seated as Supreme Dragon Lord his violence did not end. He systematically wiped out all targets he saw as potential threats to his rule, including allies. As for the dragons who remained throughout all of Agondar, Xanthias dispatched hunting parties, and in less than ten years all of dragonkind were under his control.
MAGIC
Magic is outlawed and monitored by the Office of the Supreme Dragon Lord, should it be discovered. With strictures in place and no colleges, those wishing to master any form of magic must seek out a mage artist to have spells tattooed on their flesh. An unfortunate side effect on society has been the rise in profits on the black market for magical items, scrolls, potions, etc.. Particularly valuable is the skin of magic users. Mage hunters have been ruthless and problematic, and it seems little is being done by local authorities to capture and convict perpetrators.
RELIGION
The only official state church is the Order of Xanthias. Worshippers are directed to observe all holidays reserved for the Supreme Dragon Lord. Its official philosophical world-view is one of complete neutrality, and its theocratic practice is complete surrender to the church.
Mystery religions and Old God cults sometimes make attempts at resurgence. The Order of Xanthias does not tolerate their existence and will react with authorized prejudice.
Under the rule of Xanthias education has improved and the basic needs of people have been met. Starvation and plague are a thing of the past. Crime rates and piracy are at an all-time low. In general, people are content. Long live the Supreme Dragon Lord!
THE ELOHIM
The Council is a collective of five delegations of species ruled over by the Unnamed God. The one species familiar to Agondar, the Pleiadians, are not very informative of Council business. Those who do talk tell us that the name of the Unnamed God is a sacred word, and others have said it is more a matter of security. Officials in power doubt these are legitimate claims and have made efforts to restrict the comings and goings of the Pleiadians. Yet because of their natural abilities of invisibility at will they come and go as they please. In any case, the god’s identity remains a secret.
It is possible, and likely, that there are more than just the Pleiadians from the Council here on Zo’ras, probably located on other continents outside the Realm of Agondar. For the most part they keep to themselves. They may be secretive but they can be sociable. As such, what little information they have given us about the Council they say is irrefutable.
Sometime before the Annunaki the five delegations, made up of more than just five planets (no info on how many has been given), came together for reasons of mutual safety. Over the millennia they have stepped in as protectors of any number of species, having first observed that species over an extended period of their development.
The Anunaki are believed to have in some way been associated with the Elohim (their word for council), and for that reason the Council did not interfere with their activities when the Old Gods were creating the "Hu ''. When the new species became the dominant population on Zo'ras and they were threatened with extermination the Council was splintered with indecision.
Some delegates believed in complete intervention. To do so would mean the total destruction of The Anunnaki. Others warned against any intervention. It was an Anunnaki problem and they should be left to deal with it. Ultimately the only course of action was taken by the Unnamed God, who had already created the Sacred Mother, which proved the best course. But there was another course some had advocated for.
A special weapon had been created, designated Shachath (modern Anglo, 'Destroyer'), which had only been used for purposes of clearing planets of all biological organic life. The details of the weapon's engineering and power source are not known to us. Suffice it to say that if The Council fears it we too should count ourselves blessed it was never used.
The Official position on the Council from the Office of the Supreme Dragon Lord appears to be one of ambiguity, as Lord Xanthias has himself never issued a statement.
