Slayer Dragons
Officially known as the Order of Slayer Dragons or the Order of the Slayer Dragons, they are ten battling sorcerers who are the ceremonial leaders of the Alliance. The Slayer Dragons are based out of Stormwind Keep in Arindell, and have strong ties to the Atayan people.
The Slayer Dragons are based around the concepts of Truth, Liberty, and Justice, and their primary role in the world is stop others from ruling by magic.
Power
Each Slayer Dragon carries a mystical power that was created by Draco when the order was founded in A.Y. 10. It increases their magical abilities and makes them stronger and more capable in combat. The power can also be used in several spells that are unique to the Slayer Dragons.
Each member of the order is described as carrying "a portion" of the power, divided equally between them. This portion must be passed on before death, or it will be lost. Over the course of the Ages, the power has shrank as many Slayer Dragons died in combat, unable to pass on their portion.
This is why Slayer Dragons always operate in teams of two. If one falls, he can pass his power to the other, who can then pass it to a new Slayer Dragon. In rare cases, dieing Slayer Dragons have passed their power to bystanders in order to preserve it.
Kenneth Winter was the first Slayer Dragon to die in combat and be unable to pass on his power.
Regalia
Each Slayer Dragon choses a combination of two colors that is unique among their group of ten. These are used in the making of their garb or regalia, and helps them to identify each other on the battlefield. The regalia is made specially for each Slayer Dragon by the Craftsmen.
Trials
The Trials are a series of tests that must be completed before a potential trainee can become a Slayer Dragon. They are highly ritualistic and symbolic in nature, and typically allow for only one new Slayer Dragon to be annointed per year.
Becoming a Slayer Dragon can start as early as the age of 10. The youngest Slayer Dragon in history was Kenneth Winter, annointed during the Ages#The Golden Age, who completed the trials at 17. Officially, the training process and trials take 3 years to complete but previous experience factors largely into how quickly one may complete the training. Kenneth, the youngest Slayer Dragon ever annointed, recieved special dispensation to begin his training at 9, and completed The Trials at 17. Enus the Abhorrent, the oldest Slayer Dragon ever annointed, began training at the age of 20 and was not annointed until the age of 55, spending a total of 35 years to complete The Trials. Hunter Jusenkyou holds the record for the fastest completion, finishing The Trials in just 2 years. However, as a Gudersnipe School graduate, he was given special recognition and allowed to skip the bulk of the training.
History
According to the S.D.C. System and tradition, the Order began in B.G.A. 6, when Uther, first Pendragon of Slayer Dragons took up the sword, Sword Excalibur, thus officially making him their leader. However, as of that date, he was the only Slayer Dragon.
Between B.G.A. 6 and A.Y. 10, Uther would gather the first generation of Slayer Dragons. They were caleld simply The Ten, a name which would endure throughout history to represent the original ten Slayer Dragons.
A.Y. 10 would be marked as the founding year of the Alliance, and also the year the Order of Slayer Dragons was created. Uther had already gathered his Ten, but they were still known simply as The Ten by that time. Draco, the great dragon, who would do more to shape the Alliance than anyone else, was responsible for the name. He bestowed upon Uther the title of Pendragon, and created the unique Slayer Dragon power that would help the order to complete their task.
In A.Y. 190, Pendragon Jayce Spearlock created the Slayer Dragon Count to establish a unified chronology of the Slayer Dragons. The A.Y. System would not be formalized until over 900 years later, and the Alliance had not unified calendar. S.D.C. years count forwards from B.G.A. 6 as the year 0.
From A.Y. 1298 until A.Y. 1898, the Slayer Dragons went through what would later be known as the Golden Age of the Slayer Dragons, which itself took place entirely inside Uther's Golden Age.
The Order of Slayer Dragons would exist for nearly 6,000 years, throughout all six Ages of the Alliance. Near the end of the Sixth Age, six Slayer Dragons would die in a single day, marking the begining of the end for the order.
Political Age
An era famous for the political apointment of Slayer Dragons. Began in roughly A.Y. 2440 and lasted until the mid Third Age.
Though the order maintained itself, and there were never more than ten true Slayer Dragons, the political title created at times as many as 1000. The era still stands as a stark contrast to the Golden Age of the Slayer Dragons
Golden Age
Lasting from A.Y. 1298-1898, the so-called 'Golden Age of the Slayer Dragons' was a time where, for 600 years, the Slayer Dragons were free to practice their intended purpose.
It was during this era that most of the rituals and doctrine of the modern Slayer Dragons were formed. The Trials were created during this time and though the tests continued to evolve, the basic tenants of the Slayer Dragons perfected during this era continued to be practiced for the next 5,000 years.
The Golden Age of the Slayer Dragons began as a result of the political withdrawal of the Slayer Dragons started by Aden Searlin over 250 years earlier. The collapse of Earth Sphere Unified Nations removed what little political power they originally had, and rather than attempt to reclaim it, they settled on practicing their trade: maintining the peace and protecting the world of life from evil.
Death and Burial
Very few Slayer Dragons retire, though it is not unheard of. Most will remain a part of the Order until death. The Slayer Dragon power must be passed to another, so older Slayer Dragons will remain a part of the order until they can carry out this last act.
Begining with Uther in the Golden Age and ending with Raul Kem in the Fifth Age, every Slayer Dragon was layed to rest in the Valley of Sleeping Dragons, in elaborate tombs made by the Craftsmen.
Kem was the last to recieve this treatment, and all later dragons would be burned in Ash Pits in Arindell.
