The Kingdom of Iscalrith
Not much is known about the icy homelands of the Draegoni. Few adventurers dare to venture into such harsh conditions, unprotected by Draegoni blood or magic. And the Draegoni that do leave their mystical caves are reluctant to speak of them. Usually, of the other races, only those desperate to leave the civilizations they were born into dare to live in close proximity to the most reclusive of all the races. The small armed settlements of igloos in the icy tundra of Iscalrith were built by human criminals and political refugees, seeking asylum from the vengeful Legions of the Idal Empire and the Clan-Chiefs of Zirakinbar.
However, beneath the hardscrabble environment in which these destitute beings survive lies a world of wondrous glory. Travellers who have been granted access to the Ice Caverns of Iscalrith speak of crystal-lit passageways, reflecting a thousand facets of light, homes marvelously decorated and warmed by carefully-contained fire magics, awe-inspiring laboratories reeking of magical residues where the mages of the Draegoni conduct their craft, and the Grand Library of the Draegoni, which is rumoured to contain every book that has ever been written in the world.
After participating in the War of the Gods a few millennia ago, the surviving Draegoni vowed that they would not take part in any more wars, and instead locked themselves up in their icy fortresses to protect their long-lived selves, and devoted themselves to the study of the cosmos and the principles of magic. Individual Draegoni young may at times seek to venture out into the mainstream civilizations of Irilion, but by and large they eventually tire of it and return to their solitude in the ice. There was only one instance where a sizable contingent of Draegoni warriors emerged from the caverns – when the Empire of Idal was overrun by the undead. Establishing a fortress of caves in Betha, they systematically cleared the area of the decaying monsters before retreating back to the icy south and shutting the doors behind them. To this day, no one has ever fathomed their reasons for doing so.
It was Perrilin the Gnomish explorer who was recorded as the first non-Draegoni to have ever gained access to the Kingdom of Iscalrith, by virtue of his heroic deed in saving the life of the young Princess Zzanthia. Befriended by the Princess, he was granted a special dispensation to spend the rest of his life within the Kingdom and it was his writings on Draegoni culture, published surreptitiously, that gave us the first insights into this noble race of scholars. Ever since then, there have only been a handful of people who have been allowed into the Kingdom, most of them ambassadors from the Idal Empire.
However, it appears that a new age is dawning upon us. Under their young ruler, Queen Pilaxith, the Draegoni have been actively seeking out new contacts in the world, and have even begun forming small villages and colonies on the surface. It is speculated that they had been aware of the dangers of Mortos’ curse, and had decided to join in the effort en masse to eradicate its effects. Others believe that this is the first step in a diabolical plot to invade the rest of Irilion and establish Draegoni dominance over society. Whatever the reason behind their motive may be, the borders of the Kingdom are about to be opened, and a race that has been locked away for nearly four millennia is about to enter our world.
Polonius VII,
Court Historian to Her Imperial Majesty, Empress Hyanithe IX.
