Njardr

Njardr, known as the Horned One and as the Nvordrak, is the last surviving dragon of the Nvordrakkar brood, a servant of the god Hafrjal, and a deity for the Qualla merfolk of the Drowned Reach. He made his home in Njardheim within the Qyani Empire, but has been missing for a century since he left for a mysterious expedition to Rakshar.

Early History
Njardr was born a storm dragon of Solthris during the time of the Godswar. He swore his service to the Storm God, Hafrjal, and became a lieutenant in his army. During the war, a great World Serpent was created by opposing forces with the intention to destroy all dragons and devour the world. Hafrjal called to himself many powerful dragons, including Njardr, and blessed them with his power, creaing the Nvordrakkar, or "Horned Dragons".

With the power of Hafrjal, the Nvordrakkar defeated the world serpent and banished him to an extradimensional plane, bound by five seals forming a circle around a nexus of power. However, even with their blessing, the Nvordrakkar were not able to resist the Dragonfall, and fell into madness, tearing at each other until only Njardr survived, fleeing into Hafrjal's realm beyond Solthris to escape the effects of the mysterious assault.

For centuries after the war between the gods ended with the Godspact, Njardr, now the last of the Nvordrakkar, kept watch over the magical seals upon the Serpent, ensuring no mortal would ever break them and unleash its terror upon Solthris. However, as time slowly passed, Njardr watched the mortal civilizations and loathed at the state of the world, at its lack of true magic and knowledge. He came to believe that none would ever possess the power to unleash the seals even if they so desired, and so Njardr returned to the plane of his master, Hafrjal, placing a spell to warn him if the seals were ever in danger.

Creation of the Qualla
Millennia later, in the growing civilization of Xaxalin, the humans of the land of Arteanu built their capital atop the central nexus of power of the Serpent's seals, noticing the nexus of ley-lines in the region. During the war that fell Xaxalin twelve hundred years ago, the human king of Arteanu sought to gather energy from these seals, causing damage to the nexus of protection. Njardr recognized the danger to the seals, and sought to reach them in time to stop the humans' foolishness, but arrived only too late, realizing his misjudgement of mortal magic. The human king unwittingly unleashed the power within the seals in a destructive blast that turned Arteanu to dust and sent the sea rushing in to fill the void.

In that Cataclysm, Njardr expended his considerable power by placing a great spell upon the mortal inhabitants of the land, that would soon be drowned. Their form was changed, their physiology adapted to allow for life beneath the waves. They grew gills and other appendages, and were permitted to breathe both water and air. Njardr did not do this out of mercy; he did it because he would need servants to repair the seals and guard them, for the world now had the potential to unleash the Serpent. The merfolk would call their mission of repairing and guarding the seals as the Edict of Storms, living by it.

As the dust of the Cataclysm faded, Njardr came to the locations of the five outer seals. There he rose mountains, and called forth storm and sea dragons from around the world to worship him and his god, Hafrjal. They would act as his most elite servants and guardians, and he in turn would grant them vast lairs and protection. These places would become the Dragonroosts, and in the central Seal, where once the capital of Arteanu stood, the greatest dragonroost was named Njardheim.

Recent History
Until recently, Njardr lived amongst dragons and merfolk in his lair, overseeing the repair of the seals and blessing the worthiest of his servants with power. However, only a century ago, the Nvordrak himself went on an expedition with an objective known only to himself and his closest advisors to the land of Rakshar, where he disappeared under mysterious circumstances. None know where Njardr has gone, or if he will ever return. In the wake of his disappearance, the Zathani Qualla have launched ever-bolder raids upon the kingdoms of the Naquassi, and the Dragonroosts fall into desrepair...