[Dragon Earth]The Three Ladies Return

[mythusmage]

Making an Impact on the Goddess of Love

It was an ordinary rock as asteroids go. larger than most, smaller than some. A rough and irregular chunck of rock and metal. Its main claim to fame was the orbit it took; a highly eliptical one tha brought it inside the orbit of Dragon Earth, and thus allowed it to come very close to the planet on great occasion.

Dragon astronomers of the Late Cretaceous learned that one orbit could bring it into contact with Dragon Earth. A contact, an impact, that would have destructive consequences. At best it would mean the extinction of the dinosaurs. At worst it meant the extinction of the dragons.

Either way it was bad news. So the dragons started to work on a solution. After centuries of discussion, disagreement, and a few feuds, it was decided to have the asteroid crash into another planet instead. A couple more decades of talk and the decision was made to have the asteroid impact Venus.

Having made their choice the dragons devised a casting that would give the asteroid a little nudge. But then another controversy arose. The initial nudge was a small one, and meant the asteroid would've impacted Venus about 60 million years ago. In that time somethng else, Jupiter's gravity for instance, could take it off-course. Possibly causing the asteroid to miss Venus altogether. So it was decided to nudge the body so hit Venus 65 million years ago. 5 million years earlier than initially planned.

This it did. But at such a speed it nearly tore the planet it half, and tore off the Venerian atmosphere. Giving the people of Dragon Earth the Earth sized airless orb they know today as the morning star.

Coming up: The Dragons in Peril

 

[mythusmage]

The Dragons in Peril

Even with disaster averted the dragons had a hard time. The world was changing, and old species died out under the new pressures. By 60 million years ago there were only three dinosaur groups left, the dromaesaurids the hadrodaurids, and the sauropods. All other niches once occupied by dinosaurs were no inhabited by mammals.

The dragons themselves changed with the new conditions. They grew yet smaller, most species coming in at less than a ton in weight. Their numbers declined as well, both in individuals, and in species and genera. It soon became apparent to the survivors that something had to be done, or the order faced extinction.

A few experiments at keeping things as they were soon showed the dragons that that was not a viable plan. After a mere millennium or two they came to the conclusion that their order was doomed, and their was nothing to be done about it. So they set about tidying up after themselves, and preparing for the end.

Which never came. The old dinosaur era dragons died out, to be replaced by species adapted to life hunting a much cannier prey.

These new dragons saw the end of the multitubuculates with the rising of the rodents. They watched the hadrosaurs lose their great banks of teeth in favor of a single constantly growing row adapted to the new grasses, their crests becoming shields and sporting horns. looking very much like the ceratopsians of old. And they observed other mammalian groups arise. First the rhinos and the first, primitive pigs. Then other groups

They saw the creodonts drive the andrewsarchids into extinction, only to fall before the true carnivores. And all through this the dragons grew in number and in size. Again multi-tonned predators ruled Dragon Earth.

And the world went on. Continents changed position, mountains arose and old ocean currents were blocked or diverted. Dragon Earth's orbit and axial inclination changed. As did the output of the Sun.

3 million years ago it all came crashing down up them

Next: Forged in a Frozen Crucible.

 

[mythusmage]

Forged in a Frozen Crucible

The Ice Ages ended many a line, dinosaur, mammal, bird, even reptile and amphibian. Adapted to the relatively benign environment of the pre-Ice Age Dragon Earth, many life forms could not adjust, and so died out. But the worst hit were the dragons.

They had evolved in a mild climate, and the changes that came with the Ice Ages came too quickly to allow for their adaptation. Except for one species.

At the same time the hominids were beginning to wander the African plains, and modern cattle were appearing in the grasslands of the Old World, a small, insignificant, greyish dragon was struggling to survive.

It weighed only a few hundred pounds. It was weak compared to the dragons that had gone before, but it possessed an adaptability, a hardiness they had lacked. And it was sly and cunning in a way they could scarce dream of.

From this relatively small animal would come all species of dragon known on Dragon Earth.

But now we must turn from the dragon's story and take up the tale of Man, and all His species as found on Dragon Earth.

Coming to a thread near you: The rise of Man (and Other Sophonts)

 

[mythusmage]

Thread to continue when new server is up.