Prologue: Natural Enemies

Across the ages, Dragon and Man have witnessed an intricate coexistence. In the times of antiquity, Man lived in perpetual terror under the reign of the Great Serpents and their vile human cohorts, the Salamanders. The dragons were regarded as divine beings and the Salamanders made scores of human offerings to fill the beasts’ vast appetite for flesh. No man dared raise a blade against the fated rule of Dragon and Salamander, no matter how dark and miserable the days turned.  

But then, a lone ray of hope pierced through. A nameless man succeeded in taking a dragon with him to the afterlife; something that had previously been deemed an impossible task. The man was the first slayer and would only be remembered by his generic name Dragon Slayer (Toryu). His feat quickly entered the realm of legend. His story was sung and passed down in secret gatherings, lauded in soft voices around a dimmed fire. But deep down the hearts of men, it kindled a far grander flame.

The first Slayer ushered in a new age of dragon-slaying, when bounty hunters and guildsmen competed to hunt down the once immortal creatures. The early Dragon Slayers were called “shinobu”, from the Old World tongue meaning “to conceal”. In those times, the most common breed of dragon was the Ri-Tatu, an elusive dragon whose vision was so keen that it could detect threats from nearly thirty leagues away.

In order to conceal themselves from the eyes of the Ri-Tatu dragons, the Slayers employed the natural elements. Their various techniques were:

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wind style = fūton no jutsu (風遁)

wood style = mokuton no jutsu (木遁)

water style = suiton no jutsu (水遁)

fire style = katon no jutsu (火遁)

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Outsiders were acquainted with only one manner of Dragon Slayer; they who blended with the color of night using sappanwood dye to darken their raiment. But based on the four elements that the dragons inhabited, it was inevitable for the masters of concealment to vary their camouflage, thereby establishing their respective clans, colors, and lores. Ineluctably and rather ironically, the trophies that they hunted soon became the sigils of their houses:   

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CICONI CLAN

COLOR: White

SIGIL: Hai-Riyo the Dragon Bird

SPECIALITY: Science of the atmosphere (Ten-mon)

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GNOMUS CLAN

COLOR: Brown

SIGIL: Ōmukade the Centipede Dragon

SPECIALITY: Geography (Chi-mon)

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UNDINA CLAN  

COLOR: Blue

SIGIL: Kuma-wani the Aquatic Dragon

SPECIALITY: Water and ice arts (Sui to hyō-ren)

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VULCANUS CLAN

COLOR: Red

SIGIL: Kai-Ryu the Red Dragon

SPECIALITY: Fire and incendiaries tactics (Kayaku-jutsu)

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But all the will of man combined was yet to parallel the might of the nine-headed Dragon God, Kuzuryū Daimyōjin. Thus, in this world thrown gravely out of balance by an omnipotent apex predator, the gods of men chose to intervene. They sent down heaven’s wrath in the shape of the cleansing fire of Tenrai no Kasai; a ball of rock that spanned two leagues and was capable of expunging all manner of life on Pan-Terra, save the smallest, the meekest and the hardiest. 

All the Great Serpents were obliterated into extinction by the Fire from Heaven. Legend also tells of the colossal hand of the Supreme Lord of Heaven, Ame-no-Minakanushi, reaching down from the skies and wringing all nine necks of the Dragon God. Afterwards, when all the dust and smoke cleared, nothing remained but a single dragon egg. Imprisoned in the egg was the Dragon God, forever trapped within a shell made of pure Adamantine, the toughest and rarest mineral.

But in the heart of every man burns a fierce desire to seize more power than what is permitted. The same tragic story holds for the Egg of the Dragon God. More than any territory, metal, or relic, the beast held captive by the egg promises domination of all the other clans. Much blood has been shed to guard it, and countless lives have been lost in adventures to claim it for one’s own.