This is a post about dragons.
Isha'at, King of Dragons and Old God of Fire, is a dragon so great and powerful that he could easily swallow up entire planets. His wingspan alone stretches so far that it could cover the entire Demon World in its shadow. And it's these facts about his incredible size that pushed the gods to bestow upon the race of dragons the ability to take on a human form. Dragons would later go on to teach this talent to other races of creatures, but it's all because Isha'at is so damn big that they just couldn't handle him being that size.
Beneath the Dragon King, there stand four Dragon Lords who serve him: Mourwena Nightwing, Drak'an Starfang, Y'trin Sunward, and Ardor Sacredfire. Each of them filled a different role, for both their king and their society, and each of them lived during the First Circle, and were brought to the new Circle at Isha'at's behest. The alternative was oblivion, so they really owe him their lives; And they show it through their loyalty. Or, well... Most of them do.
Mourwena Nightwing, the Maven Lord, is lauded as the most beautiful of the dragons, with hair like starlight and skin as dark as dusk, and eyes that shine like the light of the moon. She breathes black fire, and falls upon her enemies in suffocating darkness, which all earned her the name she wears: Nightwing. Dragons are not born with a last name - in fact, like many demons, they pay little attention to familial ties, and dragonlings are usually handed off to a dragonmother to be raised - their names are earned through great feats, and bestowed upon them by their king during a great, fiery ritual. Despite her high standing in her society, Mourwena lives a life secluded from the rest of her kin, keeping to herself and devoting her days to serve the will of her king. She's something of a secretary, I suppose you could say - she handles his day-to-day duties and stands in for him to rule if he is ever needed elsewhere. She is his second in command, and he values her wisdom and advice more than anything else. Mourwena is also a powerful witch, who can cook up many potent potions and invoke all kinds of incredible spells. Though she is nowhere close to the level of any other mage the story focuses on, the fact that she is the most powerful mage among dragons is at least something worthy of note.
Though Mourwena lives for the most part separate from the rest of her race, she once yearned for the company of another, and for the warmth of love - not from any of her peers, but from a child. To love and care for a small, precious thing seemed like such a wonderful thing to her, and more than anything she wanted to know what it was like to be a mother. Though there was no romantic connection between them, it was Isha'at who helped her realize this wish - dragons are very good at separating sex from love - and together they produced one egg. But Mourwena would never see it hatched. Before the child could enter the world, the dragons went to war against the gods, and were all sealed away. The egg was hidden away in the mountains, safe and sleeping for several ages, until Karin found it and gave it the warmth it needed to hatch. The dragonling who was born that day was named Coal Sunwing - because Karin is terrible at naming things, and named the boy Coal because the egg looked like a giant lump of coal to her - and served Karin (and ironically, Isha'at) without ever meeting the mother who loved him before he even lived.
Next is Drak'an Starfang, the Warrior Lord. It is he who trained the dragons how to band together as an army, and is a formidable general who is well-versed in the arts of war. Though he has a terrible temper and his personality is abrasive and crude, he is an incredible fighter, and a fearsome foe. He earned his name because he played a part in putting the stars in the sky, contributing his flames to light the starfires. He did this because, despite his rough exterior and aggressive mannerisms, what he wants most in life is to see something beautiful. The sky, he thinks, is the most beautiful thing of all, and he was happy to help make it even prettier. When he helped create the stars, he said they reminded him of Mourwena, who he admires and openly adores for her stunning beauty. Isha'at comes in at a close second in this beauty contest.
Then there's Y'trin Sunward, the Warden Lord. She is directly in charge of overseeing the Hellfires that provide energy to the Demon World, and works closely with Isha'at to maintain its strength and manage its use. Due to her intuition and her obsessive attention to her duties, Isha'at was hardly ever needed to step in and correct them. Considering how finicky the fires can be, and how much of a problem it posed to later gods, this was an incredible achievement, and one Isha'at was very grateful for. Of all the Dragon Lords, she is most loyal to Isha'at, and worships him more fervently than anyone else.
Lastly, we have Ardor Sacredfire, the Aegis Lord. If Drak'an was the sword of the dragons, Ardor stood as the shield - both from the enemies who sought to bring down their race, and from themselves. Ardor saw to it that the laws of the king were carried out and followed by their people, and that there was peace among the violent race of the dragons. Which, considering how he ended up, is extremely ironic.
Ardor may have been in charge of keeping the peace, but when the day came in which the dragons went to war against the gods, Ardor betrayed his people, and went to serve under Shi, where he was canonized and given a new name. Before that day, he was known as Malik Oathkeeper, and is still sometimes referred to as such out of spite. Shi promised him refuge after the war, and said that the retribution against the actions of his race would not apply to him. But when the dragons were all sealed away and he stood alone as the last of his kind, the world revolted against all the immortal races, blaming them for the woes of mortals and the troubles of the world - and when Ardor was called on to face judgment and exile, Shi made no effort to save him. So he was cast away, into the endless nothingness of the Void, and there he drifted for countless years until he was driven to near madness and cursed the gods he betrayed his own people to protect. The traitor was, in the end, betrayed.
When the new Circles came around, he came along with them, and his people forgot the terrible thing he'd done - except for the King and his Lords, who all remembered his actions, from the First Circle to the end. Though Isha'at pardoned him, uninterested in pursuing a grudge from a Circle long past, the rest of the Lords never fully trusted him again. Nor does he deserve to be trusted, as he readily recognizes. But he still hopes to prove himself to his old friends, as well as his King, and is prepared to endure any trial to atone for his sins.