Aratus Valley

Spring. Kina Village. Year 4046.

There weren't always dragons in the valley; at least, not year round. The sprawling meadowed valley between Mount Aratus and the western peak of Duftin's range had only ever hosted the dragons for the duration of the spring nesting season for thousands of years. The dragons no longer remember those times, and with each day spent destroying the valley and all that surrounds it, they know not that they drain their own life force as well as ours. It will not just be the dragons driven to extinction by this madness, rather, the entire world will cease to exist if this madness overcomes them completely. The knowledge I posses and wish to share with you is sacred knowledge that only we the Kina people hold, but I know it must be share in order to save us. Though you do not understand the importance of preserving the lives of the dragons, I urge you to graciously accept my invitation to receive this knowledge, or to meet your certain doom, young warrior.

We, whom our village call "the younger", know dragons as fearful beasts who travel alone and only to satiate their greed, just as you do. However, each spring solstice a ceremony is held, and the Kina village elders bestow sacred knowledge upon the chosen younger who are to come of age that year. When the time is right, we are gifted the truth; the truth about our people, and the truth about the dragons. The younger learn about our people, what our roles will be as we age, and the importance of preserving our culture. The elders share songs and stories of the peaceful and joyous springs our ancestors once shared with the dragons; some of the elders having experienced these springs for themselves. We learn we were once the keepers of the dragons and their magic.

Spring time in the Aratus Valley was a time of peace and celebration. The dragons were kin to not just one another, but to my people as well. The dragons remembered our people each new year and would come bearing gifts in exchange for our hospitality: treasures from distant lands, new foods and seeds to sow in the villages, even visitors who could heal our sick. Our people would tend to the mothers warming their nests, ensuring their comfort and replenishment after a year of travel. Our shaman would watch for the emergence of the new hatchlings and bestow our strongest enchantments and protective spells upon each one, in hopes that each one would grow to return to Aratus Valley each year. Once the last hatchling had emerged from their shell, the dragons would go on roaming for the rest of the year, hardly leaving a trace. The valley would burst into fragrant bloom, providing bountiful harvest through the summer and autumn. The winters were calm and beautiful in the meadow, as if the blanket of snow each year was gently draped by mother earth herself.

Deep beneath the meadow in Aratus Valley is the secret that our people kept for the safety of the dragons, until now. The disturbance of this secret is what has destroyed the spring nesting season and drained the magic from the mountains and from my people. It is the reason why the dragons have become monsters. It is the very thing that will kill us all if you do not answer my call, young warrior. I risk exile from my village and my family to send you this script, but I cannot stand by while ours elders hoard the knowledge that could save us. Please, travel by horseback to Aratus Valley at once. I will await your arrival. I must show you what lies beneath the meadow.