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Scholars tell us that dragons are all but gone from the world.  That long ago, after the dwarves died out, a cult of Estherian zealots found enchained dragons—which the dwarves had once used as a source of magic—and in a twisted sort of worship, fed them tainted Ember, turning the dragons mad with corruption.  When these maddened dragons inevitably became too dangerous to keep, the Estherians slaughtered them, leaving only the revenants now known as Spectral Dragons.

Until the turmoil in the town of Torchlight, most would indeed call the dragons endangered, if not outright extinct.  Certainly until that point, no one had seen a living dragon for years—or at least no one who lived to tell the tale.

Since the fall of Ordrak however, more than one Vanquisher has reported strange, twisted dragons lurking in the Morgrunn Mountains and Estherian Range.

When attacked, these dragons would defend themselves with both martial skill and powerful magic, before slipping from combat though enchanted portals.  When spoken to, these dragons would respond briefly in the common tongue, then leave abruptly to unknown business.

Given the region and timing of these creatures' appearance, some scholars have suggested that these dragons may be searching for Ordrak's remains—though to what purpose most hesitate to guess.

Given the evident similarity between these dragons' abilities and the power of alchemy, Vanquisher reports have come to call these dragons "Emberdrakes"—and at present, Empire authority considers them a neutral, rather than hostile, force.  Whether they manage to prove otherwise, only time will tell.

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     – On Emberdrakes, unknown author