Ciaran and the Mystery of Mt. Croghan

There weren't always dragons in the Valley, and the Valley wasn’t always a verdant wonder. Instead, the Valley was once filled with lava from the bowels of Mt. Croghan. Mt. Croghan had been the home of dwarves as long as memories and stories had existed. They had of course mined the volcano and surrounding mountains since the beginning of their time there.

Thus, the question was what had made Mt. Croghan finally erupt? Had the dwarves found something they shouldn’t have? Or had they mined too deep and set off the majestic hill? Trying to get that story out of a dwarf would practically take a wizard.

Present day in the Valley, questions still abound. Dwarves are a stubborn lot. However, some answers appeared naturally. The lava seemed to have some sort of magical property, as the valley had flourished since the eruption, attracting elves to the quickly growing trees.

More disturbing was the aforementioned appearance of dragons. Were they friend or foe? What exactly grew in the Valley that the dragons found edible? Surely it wasn't dwarf or elf?

***

Ciaran stumbled through the dense forest on the western edge of the Valley. Ciaran wasn’t technically afraid of dragons. He considered himself weary of dragons. This forest, Croghan Wood, was his cover from dragons. If he was being quite honest, he was also hoping for a supper invitation from the elves. The elves of Croghan Wood were quite skilled with cooking and knew the best herbs and vegetables of their home trees, but it was elfin venison stew that any person or dwarf would love.

Ciaran was unsure if he was a person or a dwarf. Ideally he was a very short wizard, but with no magical abilities showing themselves, Ciaran simply went by Ciaran. Long orphaned and raised by men and women, Ciaran was unique, or quirky, or simply gifted with something different than most men or women, or dwarf for that matter. Upon hearing the story of Mt. Croghan’s eruption, Ciaran decided to enter the Valley and seek the answers to the many questions he had heard over the years.

An arrow whizzed over Ciaran’s right shoulder. Upon striking the tree in front of Ciaran, a piece of parchment unrolled from the arrow. Ciaran deftly caught it as his stomach growled. It read, “Outsider, please place a cloth over your eyes if you desire an elfin meal. Please also be prepared to answer questions about your trespass in Croghan Wood.”

Trespass, humph! Ciaran was too hungry to ask the elves how they had retained sole ownership over the fastest growing forest in the world. He fastened a cloth behind his ears and over his eyes as his stomach growled one last time. His shoulders were roughly grabbed, and before he knew it, his eyes were uncovered in the treetops. The magical trees' beauty was second only to the view from their top branches. Looking south to his former home, Ciaran saw the Valley stretch on. Turning north, he saw Mt. Croghan, which looked breathtaking in the earliest part of sunset.

“Sir, before we give you a morsel, what is your name and business in Croghan Wood?”

Ciaran looked at the fair elf in front of him. He had heard of their beauty, but this being his first elf sighting, he may have been in a trance had it not been for his hunger pains. “My name is Ciaran. I seek answers to the eruption of Mt. Croghan. I hoped for an audience with your leaders before meeting a delegation of dwarves in the mountain itself.”

“Why does an outsider like you, wearing human clothing, care about the origin of an eruption in the Valley that is not even your home?”

“I think my own origin story is tied directly to the changes in the Valley, and I can only hope that my origin story is answered by elves and dwarves without research into dragons. No disrespect, but can we continue this conversation over a nice stew?”