Chapter 1: On Approach

''Dragon War, The —Popular name for the low-level raiding conflict between the Green Death Nest and the Viking settlements of the Hebrides islands; specifically in reference to Berk, in the Inner Hebrides, ranging from circa 750 Common Era until 16 September, 1040 Common Era (Julian reckoning). While just one of many human-dragon conflicts in recorded history, The Dragon War is commonly referred to as the singular and eponymous conflict due to its resolution—specifically, the taming and subsequent domestication of dragons by the Norse of Berk, with the resulting impact on history. ''

Cross-references: Berk (Island); Green Death (Dragon); Haddock, Astrid, I; Haddock, Hiccup Horrendous, III; Haddock, Stoick, I…

—Encyclopedia Norlandia, 7th Edition, 1642, Edinburgh, Scotland

Chapter Overview
Trader Johann and his crew travel to Berk to trade for dragon-parts, and discover things have changed a lot from their last visit.

Synopsis
Trader Johann and his crew were making their way to Berk. Sailor Beorn explains to a new salt that they travel to Berk to trade for dragon-parts and make a huge profit selling those dragon-parts elsewhere. They suddenly see a massive horde of dragons and prepare their defences for an imminent attack, only to discover Hiccup riding one of the dragons and casually greet them, shocking them.

Upon landing on Berk proper, the crew discover that the Hooligan tribe has tamed dragons and are treating them as if they were ordinary pets and not dangerous beasts the way nearly everywhere else does. Sailor Beorn quickly realises the riches the tribe and Johann's crew could gain. In the Mead Hall, Stoick gives Johann the brief story of what happened.

Knowing that Johann will have upset customers due to the supply of dragon-parts getting skewed, Stoick gifts one of the Green Death's surviving scales as a gesture of goodwill to the redefined relationship between the Hooligans and Johann.

Humans

 * Hiccup clan Haddock (First appearance)
 * Sailor Johann (first appearance)
 * Astrid clan Hofferson (First appearance)
 * Snotlout clan Jorgenson (First appearance)
 * Sailor Beorn (First appearance)
 * Fishlegs clan Ingerman (First appearance)
 * Stoick the Vast (First appearance)
 * Gobber the Belch (First appearance)

Dragons

 * Toothless (First appearance)
 * Stormfly (First appearance)
 * Hookfang (First appearance)

Setup:

 * Several of the Green Death's massive scales survived its destruction. Payoff in Chapter 4.
 * The epigraph mentions that the Berkian-Green Death Nest conflict was just one of many in recorded history. Payoff in Chapter 82.

Epigraph Tie-In

 * The epigraph mentions that Berk's domestication of dragons resulted in a massive impact on history. The chapter shows the beginning of that impact with the first outsiders to to arrive since the domestication reacting to all the changes.

Links to the Chapter
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