The Dragon Nesting Grounds

The Dragon Nesting Grounds is a landmark in Landorya. Hidden among the most inaccessible volcanic peaks and heat-scorched plateaus of Drakon, the Dragon Nesting Grounds are the sacred heart of THE DRAKONIANS' bond with dragonkind, a… It is commonly linked to THE DRAKONIANS. Geography: The nesting grounds occupy broad, thermally active plateaus and sheltered volcanic calderas across the peaks of Drakon, their rock surfaces… Climate: The nesting grounds bask in intense, dry volcanic heat, ideal for incubating dragon eggs. Ash drifts and updrafts of su…

The nesting grounds occupy broad, thermally active plateaus and sheltered volcanic calderas across the peaks of Drakon, their rock surfaces warmed from below by magma chambers. Enormous nests of fused volcanic stone and bone mark the resting places of some of Landorya's most powerful creatures.

The nesting grounds bask in intense, dry volcanic heat, ideal for incubating dragon eggs. Ash drifts and updrafts of superheated air make aerial approach treacherous for any but dragons and their Drakonian riders.

The bond between THE DRAKONIANS and dragons is believed to have been forged at these very grounds in the mythological age, when the first Drakonians swore an oath of mutual protection with dragonkind upon the volcanic stone. The Drakonians' fierce territorial behavior, a source of conflict with the Aeriels and Sylvan Elves, is in large part driven by their absolute commitment to safeguarding these grounds from outside interference. The grounds are the source of the Drakonians' greatest military strength, as dragons raised here are bonded to Drakonian riders from birth.

It is whispered among the Drakonians that the First Oath was not merely spoken but burned, that the founding patriarch pressed his bare hand against molten volcanic stone, and where his blood met magma, the rock cooled into the shape of a dragon's scale the size of a shield. This relic, called the Scalestone, is said to still lie at the heart of the oldest caldera, radiating a warmth that no natural geology can explain. Some elder riders claim that when a bonded dragon dies far from the grounds, the Scalestone dims for a full cycle of the ash-moon. Others warn that any outsider who looks upon it is cursed to hear the roar of dragons in their sleep until madness takes them.

Life at the Nesting Grounds is governed by strict ritual and martial vigilance in equal measure, Drakonian wardens rotate in silent watches around the caldera rims, their presence as much ceremonial as defensive, honoring the oath sworn by their ancestors. Hatchling bonding ceremonies are among the most solemn events in Drakonian culture: when a clutch of eggs begins to tremble, candidate riders are brought to kneel on the warm volcanic stone, and the first hatchling to approach seals a bond that lasts a lifetime. The tending of nests is considered sacred labor, with attendants carefully reinforcing the fused bone-and-stone structures with fresh volcanic material and ensuring the thermal vents beneath each clutch remain unobstructed. Even the preparation and delivery of feed, massive quantities of char-roasted game hauled up the scorched mountain paths, is performed according to rites passed down through generations, lest the dragons perceive any disrespect in their care.