Draconic culture was built upon the Thousand Flights of Argonnessen. This region, which has the longest history and is as tradition-bound as the Light of Siberys, boasts lairs and lore reaching back to before the Age of Demons. It’s also the heart of the religion of Thir, the ancestral home of the greatest draconic lines, and the dominant force in the Conclave and its politics.

The dragons of the Thousand are divided into extended families called flights, and each rules its own territory. With very few exceptions, status is determined by a combination of age and the value of a dragon’s hoard. The eldest living member of a flight serves as its leader and assigns duties, decides who speaks for the flight at the Conclave, and makes decisions on all other such matters. Each flight is self-sufficient, except for occasional trade, and must remain so or else slowly die off.

To weed out the weak and teach young dragons the realities of the world, all dragons of the Thousand must spend fifty years either dwelling in the Vast or serving in the Light of Siberys. The most favored nondragons are retainers for a particular dragon or flight, as their ancestors have been for generations, while others are serfs laboring on behalf of their wyrm overlords. In some particularly hidebound domains, nondragons are unwelcome and executed on sight.

The Thousand Flights represents traditional dragon culture—one of power, greed, and arrogance, but also of ancient knowledge and even older pride.


The Thousand Flights of Argonnessen—more commonly called the Thousand—is the heart of the dragon homeland. The great wyrms of the Thousand inhabit lairs hewn in the Age of Demons, and the cries of soaring dragons fill the air. Dragons have lived here for hundreds of thousands of years; the territory is replete with monuments to wise wyrms and legendary prophets, shrines to the deities of Thir, and wondrous locations created by the greatest flames of the forge. Crafted through pure magic by colossal artisans, these edifices tower over the landscape. Flying across the Thousand is a breathtaking experience, but one few nondragons ever experience; intruders find scant welcome in the land of the Thousand.

Industry

Some dragons of the Thousand trade with the dominion lords of the Vast, bartering for servants or treasures produced in that land. Flames of the forge wander the land, using their skills as architects, artificers, and engineers in exchange for treasures or useful information. Beyond this, the dragons are self-sufficient and self-involved; few real industries exist within the Thousand.

Life and Society

The dragons of the Thousand are organized into extended family groups known as flights. Each flight controls a large domain within the Thousand. Every adult dragon has her own lair, which she shares with her mate and children. Some flights spread out across their domain, with miles between lairs. Others prefer to live in close proximity. These flights use epic-level magic to draw vast pillars of volcanic rock up from the earth, and then carve tunnels into these massive monoliths; a single pillar can be over a mile in height, serving as a home for up to a dozen dragons.

The flights of the Thousand are segregated by color. Many flights are surrounded by neighbors of the same color, creating patchwork patterns across the land. Most dragons of the Thousand prefer the company of their own kind. A few flights still cling to the antichromatic philosophies of Ourenilach, and some tension arises between white dragons and other flights, largely based around the argument that the less intelligent whites are little better than wyverns. Although this can result in heated debate, violence between dragons is rare. Formal duels or staged battles are accepted by some flights as a way of settling disputes, but most insist that members go to the Vast if they intend to do battle. Crimes between dragons are handled by the servants of Lendys, the Dragon God of Justice

Government and Politics

With a few exceptions, flights are ruled by the oldest dragon of the line. The clan might debate important issues, but the eldest has the final say. He decides who represents the flight in the Conclave of Argonnessen, and who guards the great treasures of the flight. He appoints the servant of Lendys, who investigates and punishes crimes committed by or against members of the flight; if necessary, a servant of Lendys can call upon the Eyes of Chronepsis for assistance. Beneath the elder, status within a flight is based on age and hoard.

The Conclave of Argonnessen is based in the Thousand. Dragons who speak in the Conclave are treated with great respect, regardless of their rank within a flight.

Nondragons of the Thousand

Most nondragons in the Thousand are retainers attached to a particular flight of dragons. Some have served their flight for generations; others are recent acquisitions brought over from the Vast. Nondragon retainers perform tasks that are difficult or demeaning for dragons, and are often called upon to entertain their masters. As a result, most retainers are trained in some form of the Perform skill.

Many dragons dislike the presence of nondragons. Some of these dragons use constructs as retainers, typically favoring iron golems. Others feel that nondragons have no place in Argonnessen, and any such creature who crosses the domain of such a dragon is killed on sight. Nondragons have no rights in the Thousand. Killing a nondragon bearing the mark of a friendly flight is an insult to the owner, but many dragons consider the life of a single lesser creature to be trivial and pay this no mind

Adventure Seeds

The Thousand is a dangerous place for adventurers. Nondragons are often killed on sight, and the area has the highest concentration of dragons in Argonnessen. Of course, lots of dragons means lots of treasure . . . although stealing from a dragon of the Thousand likely incurs the wrath of the entire flight.

Seed of Vvaraak: After a deadly adventure, the PCs acquire a large golden seed, said to be one of the last treasures Vvaraak gave to the Gatekeepers. The seed radiates an overpowering aura of universal magic, but it will not bloom. A prophet tells them that the plant grows only if nourished with a handful of soil from the base of the Face of Eberron. Can the adventurers acquire this potent soil? And what will spring from the Seed of Vvaraak?

Looming Threat: The adventurers’ patron—a dragonmarked house, the King’s Citadel, or a similar organization—believes that the dragons of Argonnessen are preparing to launch a devastating attack. The PCs must penetrate the Great Aerie and eavesdrop on the next session of the Conclave. If the rumor is true, are they bold enough to speak for Khorvaire and prevent devastation?

Environment

The Thousand is an enormous territory, filled with shrines, monuments, and magical locations. The land is studded with dragons’ lairs, and a dragon is almost always visible in the sky.