If we ever published a book with an Obsidiman, or if I referred to Simon Andrews from Missions as a T'Skrang, FASA could sue us for infringement, and likely would have to because of the way certain copyright laws work. Heck, despite Simon being an obviuos reference to a T'Skrang, even then we were careful to make sure he looks a little different than the traditional T'Skrang. And he's simply a Changeling now.

A long time ago, during the Scourge of Fourth Age, the dragons of the Western Continent decided to use BLood Magic to fight the Horrors and Corruption. Some dragons used Blood Magic to regenerate the land and regrow the rainforest. Other dragons taught Blood Magic to metahumans to field an army against the Horrors. The former warned the metahumans weren't wise enough to handle such power. The later replied that knowledge was to disappear with their short-lived existence, while the Blood Magic could be tainting the earth and water forever. Each side soon accused the other of being manipulated by the Horrors. The argument turned into a quarrel, the quarrel turned into a fight, and the fight turned into a war between dragons. Even the Loremaster of the Council of the Western Continent, who should have been a voice of reason, took a side, forgetting his duties and banning all those who opposed his views as outcasts.

Across the oceans, other dragons in the rest of the world were well aware of the war between their brethren. The dragon Moutainshadow had succeeded Vasdenjas as the Loremaster of the Council of Barsaive. The Loremaster of the Council of Cathay came to him. If even the Loremaster was failing, the Council of the Western Continent was no more, he told him (though, from his point of view, it was the Eastern Continent). It now was the duty of the other Loremasters to replace him to uphold peace and the laws of the dragons.
The Council concurred Mountainshadow was to go to the Western Continent along with the Loremaster of Cathay. Mountainshadow's brother Icewing was to come with him. As they were the sons of All-Wing, the most respected dragon of her generation, and they had proved many times they were the fiercest enemies of the Horrors, both sides of the conflict ought to listen to them.

Heading west, the dragons went through the dark forest of Vasgothia. They found the Loremaster of the Council of Vasgothia, and asked him/her to join their quest. But the old dragon was about to die, having waited for a long time for a worthy heir to arise. After his death, a Rite of Succession was to be held, and the winner to become the new Loremaster of the Council of Vasgothia.
Among the dragons of Vasgothia, the strongest contenders in the Rite of Succession were Lofwyr and Nightmaster and both had made clear they wouldn't join the Loremaster of Barsaive and Cathay in their quest. Angered by their disdain, Icewing decided to compete. As the Rite began, Icewing easily vanquished a handful of dragons. But Lofwyr saw the hidden ally that fought with him was not a mere spirit, but the spirit of a dead dragon, Icewing's deceased mate Yuichotol, somehow attached to the world of the living. Lofwyr's magic almost destroyed Yuichotol spirit, fragmenting it into dozens of fragment. Icewing immediately turned on Lofwyr. It was a harsh fight, and both dragons were severely wounded and exhausted. Nightmaster, who only had to fight weaker foes so far, was reaching for victory. But Mountainshadow unexpectedly stepped in. He took Nightmaster by surprise and overpowered him, claiming victory in the Rite and the title of Loremaster of the Council of Vasgothia.
Nightmaster challenged Mountainshadow claim: one dragon couldn't be the Loremaster of two councils he said. But the Loremaster of the Council of Cathay upholds there weren't any law of the dragons who opposed that, even if it never ever happened. A majority of dragons of the Council of Vasgothia, including Lofwyr, accepted the outcome of the Rite of Succession, and recognized Mountainshadow as their new Loremaster. One of them, the dragon Hestaby, also choose to follow them on their mission.

Mountainshadow, Icewing and the Loremaster of Cathay, followed by Hestaby, finally reached the Western Continent (by that point, having traveled half the world from east to west, the Loremaster of Cathay would have probably agreed to call it the Western Continent). The war was still raging. The Deserts and Mountains belonged to the teachers, the Plains and Forests to the growers. They settled on the frontline, in the place the Great Plains and the Rocky Mountains meet, the Front Range
First, Mountainshadow and Icewing gathered the spirits of the land. The war could end he said, and he was asking for their help. The spirits were reluctant to come, because they were divided as the lands were. Icewing vowed there would be never ever be a fight in the place they would gather.
Mountainshadow and Hestaby the gathered the metahumans. Few came, but they listened to her request for help.
Finally, Mountainshadow and the Loremaster of Cathay gathered the dragons. The Loremaster of Cathay had brought from the East a stone called the Jewel of Memory, who allowed him to search into the past what each had done. And so they unmasked which of the dragons were the tools of the Horrors, among them the Loremaster of the West.
In the battle that ensued, the Loremaster of the West killed the Loremaster of Cathay, before Mountainshadow killed the Loremaster of the West. Only when the dust would settle, would the surviving dragons realize the law of the dragons made Mountainshadow the only Loremaster of Cathay, Barsaive, Vasgothia and the West.
But the battle wasn't over yet. The great dragon Llao fled to the west, to his lair atop Mount Mazama. Icewing pursued him. Llao saw in him the love he had lost. He told Icewing he could led him to those who mastered the secret of resurrection. All he needed was a sacrifice to open the way. Icewing listened to him, and did has he said. He killed Llao, ripping his heart and throwing his head cut into Crater Lake. With the heart, he was able to open a gate to a distant plane of existence. But it was a trap, and as Llao planned, the gate closed, trapping Icewing out of our world.

The war was over. The dragons wrongly thought the servants of the Horrors had been all defeated. Hualpa, the leader of the growers, returned into the rainforest in the south. Mountainshadow established a lair in the place they gathered spirits, metahumans and dragons. Hestaby set her lair on Mount Shasta, to keep on eye on Llao's lair. And the dragons fell asleep, the Fourth Age ended.

But the spirit of Yuichotol had survived in Vasgothia. Despite the distance, she had heard when Icewing called for the spirits to join him in the Front Range. She couldn't travel there though, only follow the men and women, slowly moving west, crossing the ocean, to reach the Front Range. But her beloved wasn't there. And she waited for his return.

Not to mention Ghostwalker in Denver.

You'd almost think that tensions were ratching up or something.

Oh wait!



(Edited because I can't read.)

But wasn't Mountinshadow mentor to Dunkelzahn?

I need to correct my notes then.
And was Lofwyr Loremaster before he got the Jewel from the will or became after he got it? Don't have the books now to check it.

Ghostwalker: HOLD!
Lofwyr: For what reaons to you interrupt the rites of this Council, Doll-Maker?
Ghostwalker: Because the rites are not in order, Gold-Master. This Council should not even be convened, nor have you any right to open it.
Lofwyr: Strange words, considering you called this Council yourself. Why do so if you claim not to recognize its validity?
Ghostwalker: It seemed the simplest way to gather us together for what had to be done, considering the unprecedented circumstances.
Lofwyr: Then perhaps you should permit the Council to continue, so we may learn your reasons for calling it.
Ghostwalker: There is no Council. Nor can there be, until the Loremaster is chosen.
Lofwyr: The choice has been made.
Ghostwalker: Not in accordance to our customs and traditions. Unless you claim to have arranged the events that led to the Loremaster's end?
Lofwyr: I make no such claim.
Ghostwalker: Then you have no claim to the title and role of Loremaster.
Lofwyr: I have the Jewel of Memory. It was given to me...
Ghostwalker: Given! Not won. Not attained by right. Awarded by random chance.
Celedyr: Hardly random, Doll-Maker. Far-Scholar clearly chose quite deliberately to give the Jewel to Gold-Master, for reasons he did not see fit to reveal to us. Do you, of all of us, question his judgement.
Ghostwalker: I do, Stone-Diver. Though I honor and respect my brother's memory, I must question this most flagrant violation of our ways, just as I must question why it has been allowed to stand. From all that I have seen and heard since my return, I can only assume the reason is a lack of courage.

Among the dragons of a given region there is chosen one who is known as the Loremaster. This is the dragon who ensures that proper Ritual and tradition is adhered to at dragon gatherings, and is also the dragon responsible for recording the history of the dragons of his region, and for ensuring that our history is maintained even after his death.

What it leaves in question is whether the horrors were called here by Dragons using Ritual Magic in an attempt to hold onto their power, which is something I have strongly suspected for a long time due to various tidbits in a number of ED books mostly.

Of particular note was that in the Earthdawn period, there was a Great for every ten lessers or so, while today, there's a Great for every hundred or so.

Or a lot of lessers hatched and are currently still alive rather than having been killed off by other means.

Do tell more! Can you make a summary of these tidbits or point me to the books in question?

I will look through my ED books when I have time. It may take a while, the references are strewn about, and I will try to avoid anything that comes across as IE propaganda. Most of the stuff I am thinking about is related by Vasdenjas in the ED Dragons book. Some of it is under the individual Great Dragon entries. Some of it is even in the myths of the setting.

I've read ovet the other forums that dragons are, in fact, related to horrors. That's something entirely new to me. Can you enlighten me on the issue?

I've read ovet the other forums that dragons are, in fact, related to horrors. That's something entirely new to me. Can you enlighten me on the issue?

IIRC, the first dragon, who made all the others, was a horror who didn't like all that horror stuff.