(This was actually posted in May, I have no idea why it’s not listed as such)

A second lore post for my Legend of Spyro fanon, requested by a good friend of mine who is also a Patron for me. Patrons get lore. Hot and spicy lore. I wanted to post this sooner, and I’ve got other backburner’d posts to work on, but college is still eating my time. Well that and Camp NaNoWriMo didn’t help, either.

Also: Never let me name anything. Never let me steal from name generators, either.

Obidian is the most ancient Fire Dragon settlement, and if Fire Dragon myths are to be believed, the most ancient Dragon city in general. It’s nestled within a still active volcano dubbed Mount Elderath (the name a possible corruption of “Elder’s Wrath”, as the temperamental volcano is associated with a good many disasters believed to be related to the Great Ancestor of Fire, Solus, who is also believed to be in eternal slumber within the volcano’s magma). Mount Elderath itself is at the center of Fire Dragon territory, in the lands called the Ashen Expanse.

Because only Fire Dragons can look at a giant mountain of explosive, fiery death and think “Holy crap, this is it, fellas. This is our capital now.”

However, either by powerful magic on the part of the ancient Fire Dragons or a gift from the Great Ancestor of Fire herself, Mount Elderath has not erupted in many millennia and despite constant activity, shows no signs of doing so again. Lava flows freely, there’s enough steam to power the city’s technology, and the surrounding area is rich in resources and Spirit Gems.

There are several areas that make up the city of Obidian. Buildings and pathways are carved into the sides of the massive mountain, the caverns are filled mostly with mines and homes and businesses for the miners with a railway, and finally, the crown jewel of Obidian rests above Mount Elderath’s gaping maw. Obidian’s core settlement/crown jewel is made up of steel and mithril, held above the lava by a truly massive Spirit Gem nicknamed Solus’ Heart. It houses the palace of the Fire Dragon leader and the city’s Fire Temple, Dojo, and Grotto, with the rest of the buildings there being homes and businesses.

The Palace of the Eternal Flame is tall and imposing, forged of iron and of a special mithril infused with the power of Fire. It’s numerous spires snake up towards the sky like jagged rocks. It’s one of the oldest buildings in the city still standing, but one wouldn’t know it as each Fire Dragon monarch modified or restored it in ways too numerous to count. While the overall aesthetic has been preserved, the metal has been reinforced and the palace retrofitted with new steam technology.

In the center of the core settlement is a statue of Solus, standing tall and proud as the first Fire Dragon. Her head points not at the palace, but at the temple. The Fire Temple, more formally known as the Obsidian Temple, is carved entirely out of its namesake substance on top of a mithril frame. Inside it is the dojo for training Fire Dragons, and the grotto where the city keeps most of its eggs under the care of the Elders. It also contains a sacrificial altar to Solus that hasn’t been used since the Light Dragons joined together and Fire Dragons decided maybe sacrificing other Dragons who weren’t Fire Dragons wasn’t a great thing at all.

Many great Elders of the Fire Dragons were born, raised, and trained inside the Obidian Temple, with a great many going on to become Guardians when the Guardianship was formed.

The Obidian style of Fire teachings has considerably less flair than others, valuing overwhelming power over everything else. Inspired by the mountain they lived upon, the Fire Dragons of Obidian developed techniques such as the Fire Bomb and where the devastating Fire Firy known as Ishlandur’s Final Stand was mastered after the battle that saw its first use and claimed the life of Dragon Knight Ishlandur.

Obidian is the main backbone of the Fire Dragons’ weapons and armour production. The vast majority of their materials are mined there, and following the formation of the Light Dragon alliance, it’s not uncommon to find weapons and armour made for other Dragon species using the metals mined in Obidian.

Starting in the brief Golden Age of peace between the Light Dragons and Dark Dragons before Malefor’s war on Dragonkind, the role of the Fire Dragon monarch is greatly reduced. They still govern the Fire Dragons, but they answer to the Warfang monarchy ultimately, with the monarchs of Warfang free to meddle in their domestic affairs and demand whatever the monarch of the day decides is necessary.

Not every Fire Dragon monarch has been pleased with this, but barring a few quickly quelled rebellions, nothing has come of it. By the time of Malefor’s betrayal, such matters are no longer a priority.

Following the war with Malefor, the Fire Dragon population and cities are so devastated that Obidian is one of the few cities untouched by the war. It remains a stronghold, a beacon of hope and a bastion of Fire Dragon culture.