A Commentary on the Rise and Fall of the Naigamok
As with all great civilizations, the Temec Empire is no more. The corruption of the leadership and the greed of the populace has brought about a terrible state of affairs. The blood of the dragon has grown thin and the mob now rules.
I pen this in haste with the hope that the Naigamok will not be forgotten nor remembered only for the crimes they have been accused of by the fearmongers who now lead the people against us. Also, perhaps future generations will learn from our mistakes and save themselves from a similar fate.
It began a thousand years ago when all the people of the dry continent of Temec were of one kind and all possessed the power of magic. They lived in relative peace, bothering no one because they were content in their simple ways. They were left alone in turn because no conqueror dared cross such a powerful people. All others feared and envied their freedom and security.
Though they never threatened or harmed anyone who had not wronged them first, everyone hated them. The animosity grew as time passed and their enemies built great armies and plotted to overwhelm us with shear force of numbers.,
"Why do the Temec have more freedom and power than us?" asked these foreigners. "Why should we fear such simple and backwards people? Their way of life is outdated and they stand in the way of progress."
They promised our land to the greedy and swayed the weak with lies about equality. At last the negative sentiment grew so great that the people of Temec were forced to act. They informed their enemies in no uncertain terms of the terrible consequences that would ensue should they be attacked again. They would not stop with simple defense any longer; if they were not left alone, they would no longer be content to leave others alone.
As human nature dictates, the warning was not needed. The hoards came and the Temec fought back. They decimated the opposition, but their numbers were small. They exhausted their stores of the kakos bean, the plant that allowed them to use their magic. Forced to retreat into the dry mountains of the desert, they took refuge in the deep caverns beneath the Dragon's Teeth.
Exhausted, the small percentage of the population who had escaped were changed. The survivors were no longer simple farmers and herders. A thirst to avenge the unprovoked slaughter of their people burned in their hearts like cold fire. It is said that the savage emotions they emanated so strongly are what called the dragons.
Whatever the cause, the dragons came and everything changed.
The survivors were swarmed by the monsters. Scratched and bitten by the dragons, they thought they would soon succumb to the poison injected by the dragons' bites. However, their bodies, so saturated with kakos that their eyes had darkened to black, made them resistant to the powerful venom. Legend says that only the strongest survived, that the soft of heart could not abide the savage influence of the dragons. The details matter little compared to the results. Somehow, when it was all over, the dragons bonded with the last of the people of Temec. Physically, they were marked by a pattern of scales. Mentally, their core natures were amplified, causing a dramatic increase in their magic. But most important to history, they did not require the intake of Kakos to fuel their magic.
Thus restored and rearmed, these few returned to the surface and wreaked havoc on the invaders. In short order, the enemy forces were either dead, captured, or running for their lives. They took back their home, but true to their word, they did not stop this time.
With newfound power, they began advancing beyond their borders. Within a generation, the Temec went from a peaceful isolationist group of farmers and herders to an unstoppable force that had conquered half the world.
Thus, the great Temec Empire was born.
The original survivors became the first of the Naigamok, the dragon clan, the most powerful magical bloodline in the history of man.
Despite their power, they did not rule by force. They oversaw the empire in such a way that the people prospered and were allowed more freedom than any other civilization in history. The Naigamok kept the peace when the need arose and staved off any foolish enough to threaten their country.
This Golden age continued virtually uninterrupted for almost a millennia.
At last came a time when the people of the empire had forgotten these past events and began to see the Naigamok as oppressors. Soon, the Naigamok had retreated to their home among the Dragon's Teeth Mountains. They gave the people full control of the empire and in return wished only to be left alone as had their ancestors so long ago.
I was but a boy then, now I wait for my end. The Naigamok are all but gone now. A few of us still remain, fighting the wolves at the door, but our fate is clear. Those we protected for so long will kill us all if they can.
I pray that somehow the blood of the dragon clan will survive. This faint hope is why I write this. This manuscript, along with copies of the most important and revealing scrolls I can gather, will be hidden and sealed away in such fashion that only a true-blooded dragon mage of the Naigamok may find it.
To the one who reads these words, know that you are heir to a proud and powerful lineage. The blood of the Naigamok runs thick in your veins. Use the power wisely, but remember our fate and never allow anyone to take from you what is yours.
Remember my name, the line of royalty from which you inherit your power. Remember me and my soul will be at peace. Remember your name. Long live the great house of Alamok!
Penned, on this the third day of the second moon, in the one thousand and eleventh year of the empire by the crown prince of the Naigamok and the great house of Alamok, last of the brugven,
Lord Davian Barnet Alamok III
