"What you know about dragons is most likely false," said Makan. "Dragons have existed nearly as long as there has been a world to live in. We saw many extinctions... and even caused one. But dragons have come a long way since then. You see, when Man was young, and the Dragons already old, the wisest of our race took pity on humans. So they gave Man gifts-- the gift of language, the gift of farming. Man could build tools and shelters, but this helped them to flourish.

"But it was our last gift that was our undoing," Makan continued. "It was given by accident: fire. With fire in hand, Man could burn forests and villages, and make metal weapons. Although dragons' have long memories, humans do not. Within a hundred generations we were considered to be no more than dumb beasts here in the West; in the Far West and the East, we are still revered. But because dragons reproduce at a slower rate than humans, we could not replenish our population as fast as humans."