For centuries, dragons were the undisputed lords of Calibran. Their scales were better than any mundane armor, and their teeth and fangs were more than a match for swords or spears. Dragons' wings gave them mastery of the air, and their adepts' grasp of magic was unsurpassed.
They believed that the world was forged from the breath of a Dragon God, made for their pleasure and given over into their care. The lesser races were their servants and their playthings.
Eventually those 'lesser races' gained enough understanding and knowledge that they could pose a threat to the dragons' supremacy. The magic the noble elves commanded was a match to that of the dragons, and they killed Criidath the Reckless, an old and battle hardened dragon. Dwarves made steel that could cut through the scales of a dragon. and Ymfanath the Rapacious died beneath their axes. Minotaurs proved braver than the dragons, goblins cleverer, and humans more numerous. The rule of the dragons teetered on the brink of collapse.
Some dragons thought they should guide and teach the others in their role as caretakers. Others were jealous of their powers and privileges. These slaughtered and destroyed, hoping to break the other races and keep them from growing stronger. The dragon's magic allowed them to create a new race, the saurians, to replace the other races as soldiers and servants, and these lizard men wreaked havoc on the battlefield.
Eventually the most savage and powerful of the dragons were defeated at the Battle of Farsalon by an alliance of all the other races of Calibran. The dragons retreated to their sanctuary in the far south, the mountain ranges known as the Horns. Dragons are rarely seen now, and the saurians have faded in memory, becoming little more than legends.
Dragons are naturally fractious and independent, and are not naturally given to being guided or surrendering their will to others'. It is in their nature to respect power and wisdom, however. The oldest, most experienced, and most powerful dragons are able to influence their fellows, and work together to set the race as a whole on one path. This informal group is known as the High Council.