Arcane even before the Ascension, the Cadeir remain a secret organization. Originally composed primarily of witches, wizards and enchanters, the group wielded great indirect power over the nine kingdoms. Many viewed its influence as a necessary evil. Overtly the body claimed to act only in the best interests of humanity, but many of its number practiced black arts. Witches whispered in to the ears of strong men who would lose all resolve. Cherished sons and daughters lost in battle could be restored to life, but then carried a terrible debt to the Cadeir. Common folk would often call debts impossible to pay “a Cadeir’s Price.” Bargains with the wizards were seldom what one expected.
After the Ascension the Cadeir organized the first real resistance to the dragons. Indeed, they were the only organized force to bring down more than one. But the dragons learned quickly the limits of their magic and attacked in force. The Cadeir’s mountain fortress was razed to ash. Its members hunted and declared outlaws. The practice of all magic by humankind was forbidden—punishable by death or worse.
After the fall of the kingdoms the Cadeir continued to oppose the dragons. The once austere body now lives only underground. Still, they remain powerful with vast spy networks. The dragons try to root them out at every opportunity, but new cells always pop up. The Cadeir has for centuries tracked the heraldry of the old Kings (and two Great Queens) through the ages. Most of these heirs are ignorant of their heritage. The Cadeir go to extravagant ends to protect these individuals until they themselves have children. These families appear to be unusually lucky in life, unaware they may be surrounded by Cadeir handlers. One day the Cadeir hope to restore the noble lines. The dragon lords can never be completely destroyed, but hope remains that humans can establish some free lands. Few truly know what is left of the noble lines or even of the Cadeir sorcerers. Even those that guard the heirs do not know what line they guard. Legend and myth shroud the original purposes. The mission is passed down from guardian to guardian only by word of mouth. Always the tale is the same, “a time will come… a champion will appear… a herald will be revealed… the time of men will return… guard the noble lines.” The more educated populace views the Cadeir as a cheery fairy tale. When “followers” are discovered there is never a connection between groups leading the dragon lords and their vassals to believe the organization is broken and leaderless. Organized resistance against any of the alliances hasn’t been seen in a 1000 years. The Cadeir are lost and their mission a failure… so it would seem, yet hope remains that someday the leaders will reveal themselves and bring about the new age of peace and freedom.
Dragons exhibit a range of temperaments and charisma similar to humans. Some rule through fear and cruelty while others appear to genuinely like humans. Indeed the most successful alliance, The Unity, has maintained the noble monarchy of the land it claims. The royal family has no official power, but is well treated and, at least, appears to be highly influential to the Dragon King, Zamir, High Command of The Unity. Officially, King Daven is chief advisor of human affairs and high general of the human army in service to The Unity. Regardless of the titles and wealth retained by the royal family, the concerns of dragons rule the day. Human considerations are always secondary. Many villages have starved so that dragons may feed. Dragons may kill or hunt anything, including humans, unless they are the property of another dragon. Even then the issue is between the dragons to settle for damage to property. The chains of slavery are in many cases very light, but they are chains none the less.
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