[KerfuffleMach2]

Prologue

Spoiler

Stories. Myths. Legends.

These things have been a part of human culture for as long as history has been recorded. Probably even longer than that.

They have entertained and informed, amazed and astounded. They have been passed down through generations, across continents, and through all means possible.

And almost everybody knows characters and creatures from the most common of these stories. Zeus and the Greek gods. Odin and the Norse gods. Ra and the Egyptian gods. Thunderbirds, abominable snowmen, sea serpents, mermaids, King Arthur, Saint George, witch doctors, and more.

With each of these stories, certain items seem to be repeated. Men rescuing their loved ones. Warriors destroying sources of evil. Clans waring against clans.

And there has been one kind of creature that has existed in all of the ancient cultures of these stories. From European, to Asian, to Aztec, and more, there is one creature that exists in each of the worlds of myths.

Dragons.

Every ancient culture that created these legends had some kind of creature that could be called a dragon. Many wonder why.

The easy answer would be the correct answer. Dragons exist.

Dragons have existed since before mankind. And in the early days of civilization, they lived peacefully with humans. Each merely kept to themselves.

But, during the Dark Ages, many humans started to hunt the dragons.

This was because dragons had a natural affinity to the different elements of the world. And, as such, they had many abilities tied to these elements.

Fire. Water. Ice. Wind. Nature. Earth. Lightning. Darkness.

And the humans grew to be jealous of this power. And they sought to grab this power for themselves.

Many groups formed, whose sole purpose was to obtain the power of the dragons. And they grew skilled in hunting dragons.

Near the end of the Dark Ages, only eight dragons remained. One of each element. They knew that they had to survive, and so they sought to research what means there were to hide themselves from the humans.

And the best way to hide was in plain sight.

The dragons discovered the magic necessary to change their shape. And so, they each took on human form, and hid themselves amongst those who hunted them.

Throughout the years, the dragons developed their shapeshifting abilities more, and were able to live amongst the humans.

Most humans forgot about the existence of dragons, though they lived on through myths and legends.

The dragons were able to rear young, and lived in hiding. They had found areas they could convene and take on their true forms. They continued their ancient traditions, and helped teach their young how to live amongst humans.

And in today's time, when there are more humans than ever, secrecy becomes more of an issue. Especially with dragons who are still learning to control themselves.