At the beginning of civilization, a dragon laid an egg and charged the first
people with protecting it. Without any magic and only primitive technology, the
people humbly obliged. The egg kept thespeople warm through the winters, cool
during the summers, and kept the darkness and beasts at bay through those long, dark nights.
Years passed and the egg dithe dragon return.
In this time, people began growing stronger culture.
Decades passed and the egg did not hatch nor the dragon return.
In this time, people began developing more advanced tools and domesticating animals.
Generations passed still the egg did not hatch nor the dragon return.
In this time, people began experimenting with alchemy and developing metallurgy.
The egg was revered as a gift from the gods, giving warmth to the early peoples
and protection from the unknown. Even other dragons seemed to respect the egg.
A temple was built around it and a sect was appointed to watch over it and await
the dragon's return - the Sect of the Dragon.
But people began to doubt.
"What if the egg never hatches?"
"What if the dragon died?"
Then, people saw other dragons perform grand feats of magic and the magical
beasts achieve tasks impossible with their technology.
Then, they began to wonder.
"What if we can learn magic with the egg?"
"What if the Sect of the Dragon is keeping magic away from us?"
So, a plan was hatched: steal the egg under cover of night. No one had ever thought
the egg would be in danger, least of all from people, so the Sect of the Dragon's
vigil was relaxed and the egg stolen.
The Sect of the Dragon put out a call to search for the egg.
The search went on for centuries. In this time, people discovered how to perform
magic and magic in people flourished as the egg changed hands from thieves to
scholars to priests to warriors to artists to archers to wildmen. The rumors and
speculations were right about one thing at least: it held the key to learning magic.
From the hands of thieves, the egg passed to scholars.
Through meticulous study of the egg's properties and comparing notes on the world
and magical beasts, wizards taught themselves arcane spells studied, recorded,
and collected in grand tomes of magic.
Generations spent near the egg sparked magic in the blood and souls of sorcerers
who would draw on this source to perform astounding feats of arcane magic and
later pass on their arcane birthright to their bloodlines.
From the hands of wizards and sorcerers, the egg passed to priests.
Prayers made near the egg reached the ears of old gods long slumbering or in the
mysterious planes who began to wake and take interest in their new worshippers
and blessed their clerics with divine powers.
From the hands of clerics, the egg passed to warriors.
Deeds of warriors who took on the mantle of enforcing divine justice reached the
egg and from it, the attention of righteous gods who named these warriors
paladins and rewarded them with divine magic.
From the hands of paladins, the egg passed to artists.
Carefully listening to the vibrations and sounds of the egg, bards learned to
replicate arcane notes and music with many varied forms of art to command the
arcane magic around them.
From the hands of bards, the egg passed to archers.
Masters of the bow, these rangers honed their skill, paying heed to the
intricacies of the egg and its effects on their targets, adopting its
predatory arcane influence.
From the hands of ranger, the egg passed to wildmen.
Already close to nature and familiar with the wild, these druids cared for this
egg like all other eggs from animals and magical beasts alike and from the
sounds of this egg, developed a secret language capable of wielding power over
nature.
And from the wildmen, the egg disappeared.