Old Law

General

The Old Law was first a loose summary of rules under which social coexistence was regulated for all Dragons in Áváhé, and later the quasi-constitution of the Old Empire. The Old Law was also called "Imperii Draconi" - "the Law of Dragons" - and became the eponym for the Old Empire.

History

Original Purpose

The Old Law was created by the first Dragons to arrive in Áváhé and developed primarily in the context of the refugee experience. Having escaped from another universe that was collapsing, the Dragons subsequently felt a great need to find a new, safe home. Therefore, it was deemed appropriate to subject all dragons who wished to participate in this task to a code. This was mainly about moral and practical issues, such as the distribution of hunting grounds or the regulation of claims to rulership.

Reassessment after the first Dragon Wars

It was only in the course of the first Dragon Wars that the Old Law became truly relevant. Until that time, it had been primarily a rather non-binding set of rules to which one voluntarily submitted, which went hand in hand with the proud self-image of many Dragons. However, after the fighting, the Old Ones sought to prevent their homeland from being destroyed by wars in the future, so they urged the Dragons to better regulate their conflicts and enforce those same regulations.

As a consequence, the Old Law was changed by an assembly of Dragons and Old Ones. This was the first time that members of another species subordinated themselves to the Old Law. Afterwards, the Dragon Clans - considered by the Old Ones as the reason for the war - were formally dissolved and the seizure of territories was entrusted to the individual Dragons, with no Dragon being allowed to take possession of more land than it could defend itself.