Estes rose as the first Dragon Slayer, wielding the ring as his weapon. His martial skill, discipline, and the ring’s power made him a nightmare to dragonkind. Wherever he walked, dragon clans burned, drowned, shattered, or vanished under his hand.

The Sovereigns could not ignore him. For the first time in their immortal reign, they united against a single mortal.

Veythar, the Ember Crown sought the ring for himself. If he could claim it, he would become not just king of dragons — but emperor of all reality.
Thalyssra, the Abyssal Coil whispered that Estes must be drowned beneath eternity, his ring lost to the ocean’s depths.
Nyxara, the Void Empress schemed to corrupt Estes instead, twisting him into a servant bound to her shadow.
Zeydran, the Storm Tyrant saw Estes only as sport, attacking him for the thrill of the hunt.
Korrath, the Stoneheart Immortal followed Veythar without question, vowing to be the shield against Estes’ wrath.

⚖️ The Balance of Power

The war lasted centuries. Estes could never kill the Sovereigns outright, for their immortality was tied to the Draconis Expanse itself. Likewise, the Sovereigns could not slay him, for the ring shielded him with power beyond their reckoning.

Instead, battle after battle shaped Nova Prime itself:

Seas boiled where Estes struck Thalyssra.
Storms raged for decades where Zeydran clashed with him.
Mountains split where Korrath faced him head-on.
Forests turned to ash wherever Veythar descended to battle.

Mortals rallied to Estes, forming the first unified kingdoms. His legend became hope, a torch against the endless night of dragon rule.

🕳️ The Fall of Saint Estes

But legends cannot last forever.

The Sovereigns realized that they could not kill Estes so long as the ring was his. So Nyxara devised a plan: instead of slaying him, they would seal him.

The Sovereigns combined their powers:

Veythar’s fire to forge the prison.
Thalyssra’s waters to drown its entrance.
Zeydran’s storm to shroud it.
Korrath’s stone to entomb it.
Nyxara’s shadow to bind his soul.

Together, they banished Estes into the Draconis Expanse, sealing him for all time. But before he was lost, Estes cast the Ring back into the mortal world, where he believed another champion would one day rise.

⛓️ The Sovereigns’ Curse

Yet the sealing came at a cost.

To bind Estes, the Sovereigns were forced to chain themselves to the Draconis Expanse as well. If any of them were to leave for the mortal realm, the seal would weaken — and Estes would be freed.

Thus the Sovereigns rule from afar, their shadows stretching into Nova Prime through mortal agents, cults, and whispers.

Veythar burns with rage, convinced the ring must be reclaimed to cement his final dominion.
Thalyssra waits patiently, knowing water wears even stone away.
Nyxara weaves her webs, seeking to corrupt whoever next wields the ring.
Zeydran hungers for the chaos of open war.
Korrath stands watch, the unbreakable sentinel of dragonkind.

The Legacy of the Ring

The Ring of the Eternal Flame is now more than a weapon. It is a beacon.

To mortals, it represents freedom from oppression.
To dragons, it represents the greatest threat to their dominion.
To Veythar, it is destiny — his crown incomplete without it.

Should a new champion wield it, the War of Dragons may begin anew.

The Modern Legacy of Saint Estes

⚔️ The Ring of Saint Estes

Origin: Forged with wizardry and Estes’ martial spirit, the ring was meant as a weapon against dragons in their realm, binding their essence when struck. It can only be wielded by someone “free of moral constraints,” because mercy and hesitation dull its power.
Problem: The ring is both humanity’s greatest defense and greatest liability. If it falls into dragon hands, it could undo the seals that keep the strongest Sovereigns bound and give Veythar the Ember Crown dominion over both realms.
Wizard’s Last Stand: After sealing Estes and trapping the Sovereigns, the last wizards foresaw the danger of mortals misusing the ring. They enchanted the site of its resting place with layers of protective wards, camouflaged in plain sight within future HavenReach territory.

🏛 Saint Estes Boy’s Home

Built on the last stronghold of wizardry in HavenReach.
Wizards, with their dying breath, seeded the land with enchantments that warp dragon perception, making them see the Home as nothing more than an irrelevant mundane place.
The reflective windows aren’t just eerie—they act as magical mirrors of deflection, preventing dragon shapeshifters from peering inside.
The dungeon’s painting of Saint Estes is a magical recording—sometimes its eyes glow faintly, watching, warning.

🎭 Modern Lore Dynamics

Government’s View: Just another boy’s home in a cyber-tech district, valued more for keeping troubled youths off the streets than anything magical. No one realizes it’s the lynchpin of humanity’s survival.
Daemos Industries & Orion Syndicates: Neither fully know what lies beneath. Rumors of a “powerful relic” circulate, and both factions occasionally test the wards with hired mercenaries. None ever return.

🥊 Lance Topper & The Wards

Lance Topper knows exactly what lies beneath. He’s not just protecting troubled kids—he’s the last guardian of the dungeon. His failure to wear the ring proves he can only be the watcher, not the wielder.
The Hazing Ritual: The wards all know the secret. When new kids arrive, they’re eventually dared to try the ring. It never works, but it becomes a symbolic rite of passage.
- Those who try and fail are both teased and respected: “Saint Estes judged you.”
- Secretly, Lance worries one day, someone will succeed.

🔑 Key Wards’ Lore Roles

Zex Pain: The survivor—his Arkos war trauma makes him spiritually scarred. His simmering rage edges him closer to being “free of moral constraint,” making him one of the most likely future candidates.
Goten Namaki: His bitterness at being unwanted and fear of aging out hardens his spirit. He may mask it with playfulness, but inside he’s a storm—the ring might call to him.
Hermoine Peppermint: She doesn’t fit the typical profile, but her protective, selfless nature may ironically bar her. Still, her intelligence could make her the strategist in a dungeon run.
Palasis Whitman: The quiet loner who reads the most about Saint Estes’ war and the dragons. Knowledgeable enough to piece together truths even Lance doesn’t know. His independence and streak of rebellion might put him at odds with Lance but closer to the ring’s requirements.

🐉 Modern Dragon Agenda

Veythar, the Ember Crown: Wants the ring more than anything. His seal weakens slightly each century, and if the ring is used recklessly, it might crack his bindings.
Nyxara, Shadow Coil: The most likely to manipulate humans into unwittingly helping retrieve the ring. Whispers among the wards could be her influence.
Thalyssra, Frost Widow: Spreads cults that revere dragons, teaching that “the ring is mankind’s theft from the true gods.”
Zeydran, Storm Maw: His chaos cultists in HavenReach dream of storming the Boy’s Home, though none succeed.
Korrath, Stonefang: Serves as Veythar’s jailor. His presence alone ensures Estes remains sealed—should he fall, so too would the prison.

⚡ Story Hooks / Quests

The First Success: One of the Wards—or Lance himself—might finally be able to wear the ring. The hazing joke suddenly becomes prophecy.
Dragon Cultists: An Orion-backed black market auction claims to have a “fragment of Saint Estes’ Ring.” It’s fake, but enough to draw dragon attention to the New Haven City.
Lance’s Sacrifice: Eventually, Lance will need to stand against a Sovereign or dragon cultists. His arc isn’t about wielding the ring—it’s about proving the guardian role is just as vital.

The Dragon Wars