The Dragon
No, the Dragon as it was, is not at all like the Dragon Lords of nowadays *coughs and mumbles ‘bless their names'* It is more powerful, more grand, more majestic and more.... Hmm... No records still exist that tell of its appearance. It is only known that each of its Nine Off-springs has taken at least one defining physical trait from the Dragon. I will get to the Nine Off-spring in a minute. Now where was I? Ah yes, Lord of all Waters and the lifeforms inhabiting within it was, the domain granted to it by the Creators, just as the Sky is granted to the Phoenix and the Land to the Chi Ling.
~ Master Mage Zhang educating his apprentice on the Dragon
The Tale
It is not clear what was the exact circumstance leading up to it but it came to be that all of the First passed on from this world. In particular, the Dragon and the Phoenix were believed to have died, with their essences forever shattered and scattered around the realm that we mortals now call home.
The essence of the Dragon was said to have shattered into 9 pieces exactly. There is much debate about whether these pieces actively seek out compatible life forms to bond to or whether they are swallowed by creatures on a coincidental basis. Nevertheless, the end result is that nine 'off-springs' of the Dragon have come into existence.
The Nine Off-Springs
The Nine Off-Springs, as they have become known as, are massive creatures, looming over the tallest of mountains then. The Nine each have its own territories and usually roam within it. However, periodically, fights erupt between them. It was conjectured that if any of the Nine devoured one of their siblings, it would become stronger from absorbing more of the essence of the Dragon.
Below is a brief description of what is known about each of the Nine:
*Au Chao- Ancestor of the Dragon Lords, Au Chao has the head of a camel, horns of a deer, eyes of a rabbit, a long serpentine body covered with scales of a carp and four claws ending in five toes. It also sports a beard on its face and a pearl under its chin, which contains the essence of its power. It has the ability to fly despite having no wings. The Dragon Lords inherited almost all of the outlooks from Au Chao except that only a select few (always the most powerful among them) have five toes on their claws, the remaining only have four toes on each claw. (Refer to the following link for a typical depiction of what Au Chao and the Dragon Lords would look like: http://library.thinkquest.org/07aug/00193/introduction.html). The wisest and most powerful of the Nine, Au Chao is believed to be the only one that was alive and had remained visible in the mortal realm after the Great Flood.Also referred to as the First Dragon Lord by the populace, Au Chao had taken over the responsibility of overseeing rainfall from the Dragon.
*Au was adopted as the surname of all Dragon Lords, Chao is the Shou term for 'tide'
Wen Bao- In appearance, Wen Bao is a scaled tiger with sharp protrusions running along the middle of its back, a jagged tail like the teeth of a saw and is supported on three legs instead of four. In particular, it has only one leg at the back that is situated in the middle of its torso. It was believed that a fight between it and Nuan Luo had resulted in both their deaths and that their spines became the tallest mountain range that exists today.
Nuan Luo- A brown bear with a pig's snout and two long tusks protruding out of its mouth, it is believed to have perished together with Wen Bao.
Qu Chi- A water serpent covered with fish scales who has a mermaid's tail, it is believed to have been slew by Fu Xi for causing the Great Flood together with Xie Tse.
Xie Tse- An eel-like creature with a long pointed horn curving downwards that sticks out of her forehead and two pairs of strong claws that allow Xie Tse to live on land as well. However, Xie Tse prefers a watery habitat. Being the fickle one, she migrates around water bodies and thus periodic fights erupt between her and Qu Chi who has made a permanent home at the Yellow River. After the Great Flood caused by a particularly severe conflict between the two, Fu Xi slew Qu Chi and severely wounded Xie Tse. It was said the blood of Xie Tse had sapped into a tributary off the Yellow River and the waters there have ever after taken on a tint resembling red corals. Some said that Xie Tse had departed from the mortal realm. Others said that during the fight, Xie Tse had saved herself by sinking deep within its watery abode and has never dared to make an appearance to mortals again.
Tsang Yu- A creature with a rabbit's upper body that ends with trim and muscular horse legs and with ears that is membranous rather than being of flesh. It was believed that Tsang Yu, Zhi Pao, Su Mang and Qiu Kang had each gone to stake out different realms for themselves after the death of Wen Bao and Nuan Luo to prevent mutual destructions between the Nine. There are, however, rumors of a portal left open between the mortal realm and wherever the cunning Tsang Yu now resides in.
Zhi Pao- Zhi Pao has the head of the Platpus (the mammal with a duck's bill) that is connected seamlessly with a goat's body and ends with a long, serpentine tail. It is believed to be now inhabiting another realm.
Su Mang- An ape-like creature with a rooster tail and claws, Su Mang also sports a mane of sharp quills (much like a porcupine) down the back of its head. Despite its formidable look, it was the most timid of the Nine and was the first to flee to another realm upon the death of its two siblings. Likening someone to Su Mang has become a common taunt/goad among the populace, particularly when the target is of strong physical build.
Qiu Kang- It has the head of pangolin (aka anteater) but sporting whiskers and an upright body supported on a pair of crane's legs. Qiu Kang was never seen again after the death of Wen Bao and Nuan Luo.