Dragons Illean Ashdar Ord Rakkir Seven Scythes Gods Links
The First World was a place of lizard folk & troglodyte empires ruled by dragon kings and half dragon tyrants and warlords. The dragons of this world craved power and worship as much as gold. Those days are long gone and now it is an ancient planet with a fading sun, its red light at high noon no brighter than twilight in ours and almost all plant life is extinct and various giant fungi and molds grow in profusion wherever any surface water remains as well as beneath the surface. The surface is covered in the ruins of past civilizations and the air is unbreathable to most races 100' above sea level.
The dragons of the surface lost dominance as the sun faded to illithids who have subjugated the remenants of the surviving races to serve under their lash. Having had time to breed the perfect slaves the illithids have made the gorgs, bred mainly for labor, a mix of goblin races, orcs and a touch of ogre for strength and flavor, as well as the dran, a mix of drow and human bred for intelligence and taste. The gorgs in turn raise kobolds(the other red meat) as a food source and to maintain the otyugh pits and tend the dire rat warrens (the other other red meat). The dran serve as craftsmen, officers and the favored dish of the illithid nobility. The aboleths are allied with the illithids and enjoy their position as historians, advisors and inquisitors since they get a steady diet of suspected rebels, sages, and captured enemies.
Most dragons fled creating gates to other worlds, some taking loyal minions with them, others leaving their faithful behind to start anew. Once a world was found they sealed the gates behind them, if not suitable to their needs they built another gate and traveled on. A few dragons stayed behind and the craftiest and most hate filled sacrificed their troglodyte minions and half dragon children making pacts with diabolical powers.
Long ago the Dragon Gates on the First World were sealed or destroyed but the myths are still the favorite among the dran and the dwarf children. The two most common myths are that one of the good dragons will return and lead them through to freedom on a new world and about a hero that discovered the secret of opening the gates.
Outside the tendrils of the illithid empire the darkness holds things yet fouler, the evilest dragons bound their half-breed offspring and had them slain by ghouls or worse and on themselves performed the rites to become liches. Others sacrificed all their followers in gigantic rituals opening gates to fiendish regions and bred with fiends raising hordes of diabolic offspring to fight in their ancient struggle against the illithid empire. A few dragons also lead rebel dran and dwarves on raids on illithid outposts and ambush illithid hunting parties. Less than a dozen ancient brown and blue dragons dwell in low desert valleys on the surface amidst vast ruined cities.
The few dwarves left live in small family bands and are constantly on the move, the ruins of their once great underground realms are now the private hunting preserves of illithid nobles. The fungus swamps of the surface are home to various psionic beasts, trolls and foul aberrations.
One of the Dragon Gates leads to a world called Illean, another leads to the lizard folk and orc ruled world Ashdar.
A third and fourth gate lead to the world of Ord Rakkir and a world called Seven Scythes.
A partially converted list of Gods for D20, some of which you can use for each Dragon Gate World.
A few ideas about Dragons.
See the World Dragon and my Links page
If you would like a Dragon Gate to link to your world or want to help flesh this world out or have any comments or questions join my egroup
I'm also working on a GURPS world, which might just be converted to D20 for another Dragon Gate World, if you would like to check it out, I'm still working on a name but for now I'm calling it
GURPS fantasy world number 12