Dragon Rider
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The Dragon Riders (Shur'tugal in the Ancient Language) were a coalition of elves and dragons formed at the end of Du Fyrn Skulblaka to form peace between the elves and dragons. Humans joined later within the spell that bounded the elves and dragons that created the Dragon Riders, nearly two thousand years later. The role of the Riders became more than protecting the peace of Elves and Dragons, for soon after their responsibility became maintaining peace and order throughout the land of Alagaësia, and were respected and honored by the people they served. There were both male and female Riders[1], all of whom were able to use magic.
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[edit] History
[edit] Du Fyrn Skulblaka
Before the coming of humans, Urgals, Elves, and the Ra Zac to Alagaësia, the dwarves freely roamed the land, establishing glorious kingdoms. Along with the dwarves, Alagaësia was home to many other creatures, including Dragons.
Nearly a hundred years later, the elves came to Alagaësia from across the sea. From the first, there was arguments between the elves and the dragons. The arguments soon escalated when a foolish young elf hunted and killed a dragon, thinking of it as mere game. Outraged by what happened, the dragons banded together and declared war on the elves, beginning a long and brutal battle.
Over time, the conditions of the war did not improve, but worsened, due to the lack of commitment of understanding between the elves and the dragons. This problem was solved when an elf named Eragon found an abandoned white dragon egg and raised the creature, naming it Bid'Daum.
Once Eragon's dragon grew large enough to carry him the pair began traveling all over Alagaësia, creating love and peace between the two races. They convinced both the elves and the dragons to form an coalition to unite the two races; for written words meant nothing to a dragon. The dragons and the elves both benefited from the bond: the dragons gained the ability to speak through telepathy and the elves became immortal, thus the Dragon Riders were born.
[edit] The Riders' Duty
Because of how useful Eragon I and Bid'Daum proved to be, the dragons began giving the elves two or three eggs a year, and the baby dragons chose to hatch for the elf (or, later, human) most suited to them. The purpose of this exchange was to keep peace between the different races, and ensure a way of communication. The Dragon Riders duty, in the beginning, was to keep the peace between the Elves and Dragons. Their duty soon expanded into keeping peace between two races into all the races and government in Alagaesia. Order and Tranquility prospered in Alagaesia, as the Rider Council took control of the land. Cities were built, peace treaties were forged between nations, and small conflicts were dealt with. Though not mentioned but many could perceive that the Dragon Riders position of power eventually led to their downfall.
[edit] The Fall
Driven mad by the loss of his dragon from a surprised attack of urgals, a young Dragon Rider named Galbatorix, seeked help from the Dragon Rider Council in Vroengard. He demanded the Council to give him another dragon but the Council realized that his mind was unstable and had gone mad from the loss of his dragon. Galbatorix blamed the Riders for the death of his dragon and planned to destroy them all for soon he believed that Riders became old, fat, and corrupt. Galbatorix found an ally in a sympathetic Rider, and taught him - using dark techniques learned from a Shade - to murder an Elder. Afterward, he turned on his ally and killed him. He then fled into the wild, biding his time. After a time, he met a young Rider named Morzan, and convinced him to join his cause, teaching him dark techniques "that should never be revealed". Morzan left open the gate to Iliria, enabling Galbatorix to sneak in and steal Shruikan, a black dragon hatchling, killing the original Rider in the process. Utilizing his dark arts he was able to twist Shruikan mind and make him to obey him and to believe that he is his Rider.
He and Morzan, along with twelve other corrupt Riders called the Forsworn, known by the elves as Wyrdfell, caught the Dragon Riders on unawares and overthrew them, bringing an end to the peace they had established in Alagaësia. Galbatorix personally beheaded Vrael, head of the Riders. He also killed the rightful king of the Brodring Kingdom (King Angrenost) and took the title for himself, establishing the Empire.
[edit] The Thirteen Forsworn
The Thirteen Forsworn (also known as Wyrdfell) were a group created by Galbatorix that helped him destroy the Dragon Riders. They were corrupt and power-hungry Dragon Riders that were led by Morzan, the head of the Forsworn.
[edit] The Riderless Period
Only sixteen Dragon Riders escaped the downfall. Obviously, the first was King Galbatorix, although his first dragon was dead; thirteen of the Forsworn; Brom, who helped found the Varden, a rebel organization; and Oromis, who remained with the elves, waiting until a new Rider would emerge.
Brom and his friend, a scholar named Jeod, eventually formed a plan to steal the last three dragon eggs in existence, which had been taken by Galbatorix. The mission was somehow foiled, and their thief returned with only a single, blue dragon egg.
After this, Brom remained incognito, living in disguise as a storyteller in the small village of Carvahall; Jeod went to Teirm and established himself in the merchant business. The egg they had recovered was carried between the Varden in Farthen Dûr and the elves in Ellesméra by an elf named Arya, in the hopes that the dragon would choose either an elf or a human for which to bond.
Arya was eventually captured by a Shade, Durza, an agent of the Empire. Before being taken, however, she managed to teleport the egg towards Carvahall, hoping that it teleport to Brom.
The egg, however, did not reach Brom. A fifteen-year-old boy named Eragon found it in the Spine and mistook it for a precious stone. He took it into the village and had it examined by one of the traders passing through, but the stone could not be identified nor its value determined.
Later, the egg hatched for Eragon, and the gedwëy ignasia was placed on his palm, initiating the rebirth of the Riders.
[edit] The New Generation
Apart from Glaedr, (the dragon of Oromis), and Shruikan, (the dragon of King Galbatorix), only three dragons remained: two hatched and one unhatched. Only one of the five remaining dragons was female, Saphira, the dragon of Eragon. The other hatched dragon was Thorn, whose rider was Murtagh. One male, green dragon remained unhatched and in Galbatorix's possession.
Galbatorix wants to establish his own order of Dragon Riders to serve him. To do so, he needs Saphira. Eragon's goal, on the other hand, was to rebuild the Riders to what they once were. The fate of the Riders hangs in the balance throughout the Rider War.
[edit] The Training of a Rider
The bond with the Riders and their dragons gives the Riders a strong and powerful ability to use magic and enhanced physical abilities. Through rigorous training, a Rider would become some of the most powerful magicians and swordmens in all of Alagaesia.
Newly bonded pairs of dragon and Rider were taken to the elvish capital of Iliria (now the humans' capital Uru'baen) where older Riders trained one or two students at a time. The training could consist of the senior dragon training the younger in aerial maneuvers (especially those used in battle), building stamina for long distance flights, increasing speed, dragon lore, and the ancient language. It is also mandatory requirement that the Rider and dragon would share their lessons. In order to do that the pair would keep their minds connected so they could listen in on each other's lessons and learn. After class, the senior Rider would test the two to ensure that both had learned each other's subject. Both the senior dragon and the senior Rider were addressed by their students as 'Master' or 'Ebrithil'.
To train a Rider to use magic, the novice was given a set of frustrating, apparently impossible tasks that could not be accomplished without the aid of magic. If a student discovered its ability before this regimen was complete, that student would be removed at once from the others and apprenticed to another elder.
The formal training of a Rider and dragon traditionally took many years, and the Dragon Riders continued to hone their skills throughout their lives. At the end of the training, the Elven smith Rhunon would forge a sword.
[edit] The Blade of a Rider
These swords were forged by the elf Rhunön, widely considered to be the best smith in Alagaësia, and were some of the best hand-crafted swords ever made. The elves' methods of forging always remained a secret. According to Arya, the elf Rhunön made all the Rider's swords. The ore that is used to forge the blade of the sword is what Rhunon called is brightsteel which is a shooting star that fell down to Alagaësia many years ago and is used by Rhunon to make the swords.
The Dragon Rider's swords were eternally sharp. The elves' custom was to have the sword's color match the color of the Rider's dragon. The Riders' swords were generally three feet long, with blades tinted to resemble the color of their dragon's scales. The swords excelled at cutting through enchantments of every kind and they were nearly immune to destructive magic.
[edit] The Bond
After the agreements of creating the Dragon Riders, a spell was cast over the dragon eggs to ensure that the baby dragons inside would only hatch when the eggs were touched by the human or elf whom they wanted to bond with. However, the instant the egg is layed the dragon infant inside is ready to hatch, but waited sometimes for years to hatch, usually in the wild this was dictated by the availablility of food. Upon hatching, the young dragon would make contact with its Rider for the first time, leaving a mark, the gedwëy ignasia ("shining palm"), on the Dragon Rider’s hand. The bond forms between the dragon and the Rider that melds their minds on a basic level, binding them for life in the most enduring friendship that can possibly exist and endowing the Dragon Rider with magic.
[edit] Ranks and titles
During the zenith of the Dragon Riders' era, a Rider achieved various titles or ranks of authority to show his specialty.
- Head Dragon Rider - the supreme authority in the order. Eragon I, Anurin, Vrael, and Eragon Bromsson were all considered Senior Dragon Riders.
- Elders - those who took new pupils (usually one or two) in order to train them to be new Dragon Riders. Oromis was an elder. The wisest of the teachers were on a council. Whoever was head of the dragon riders was the head of the council
- Riders- those that weren't teachers but had completed their apprenticeships. They usually went around the world and tried to do good and keep the land at peace until they retired.
- Apprentices - those who were taught by the elders until they passed their apprenticeships.
[edit] Trivia
- There has never been a Dwarf Dragon Rider before, although Orik was the first dwarf to ride a dragon.
