Dragons and Destiny

There weren’t always dragons in the Valley.

But things are typically at peace until makind gets involved, aren’t they? It had been around 9 years since the Great Retribution. Gramps told me the story many times, for I was too young when it happened to form memories of my own. Begrudgingly at first, for after the story ended, Grief would visit the house and linger for a while. But due to my petulance and the comforting hand of Time, he now tells the story so that we may always remember them and our purpose: to protect and rectify. Waiting for dinner to cool, he begins the tale that I have come to memorize: “A lost brother’s greed, a pointless betrayal, and swift retribution founded in magic is why you find us this way. The townspeople lost more than they could ever imagine and more would be lost if wrongs were not remedied.”

9 years ago

Deger was currently sailing unknown waters in search of new land to begin his new purpose. Ambitious to a villainous degree, and after many years of being in the shadows, he devised a plan to render the King useless and overtake the throne. Out of some semblance of brotherly love, Deger could not go as far as to kill his brother outright, but give him a concoction that would paralyze his every sense, incapacitating him. However, the ingredients those types of concoctions require are deviant enough in nature to awaken the guardsmen’s suspicions and uncover Deger’s plot. In all other cases, the sentencing would immediately be death; no jury or trial necessary. However, the King could not compound the hurt of his brother’s betrayal with grief over sentencing his younger brother to death. He had promised their father that he would take care of Deger after their father succumbed to his illness. Yet, it seems somewhere he had failed. Secondly, how could he look Mother in the eye after being her youngest son’s executioner? He decreed that Deger and his supporters have been deemed enemies of the Crown, and banned them from the land to never be able to return. A ship and a month’s worth of rations would be provided only at the behest of their dear mother.

“Holst, dearest brother, I am sorry! I regret my actions, please I was misguided-”

Knowing there was no truth to his words, King Holst dismissed them with a wave of his hand and no more words were spoken. No more was needed to be said, they were no longer brothers, but familiar strangers with unfinished business. Most saw it as a sign of great mercy, some saw it as a sign of great weakness, and Deger saw it as a sign of great disrespect. Banishing him from the home he knew, Deger vowed that he would return and this time, he would not be removed so easily. No longer would he live in the shadows of his brother, his purpose renewed and his vision focused. Persevere and rebuild, that is what they will do and once he was powerful enough, he would return and destroy everything that his brother held dear. He would establish his own legacy by creating the greatest kingdom the land had ever seen and seeking revenge on the land he once called home.

As they sailed aimlessly for weeks, rations were short and tempers were shorter. Loyalty tends to wane quickly in the face of struggle and whispers of an impending uprising soon reached Deger’s ears. He knew he needed to find a destination, and soon. With his life on the line, it was as if Luck sympathized with Deger’s situation, for the following sunrise brought distant sights of mountainous land. Thank the Gods, known and unknown! Regardless of how distant they appeared, it renewed everyone’s hope for the foreseeable future. The vast improvement in mood seemed to have a visceral effect on everything around it, for even the wind seemed inspired to fill the sails more forcefully as if it intended on getting them to their destination as swiftly as possible.

As the ship sailed closer to shore, they soon noticed that they were not the only ones waiting for their arrival. Dark silhouettes of various sizes stood on the beach, watching…waiting. Unsure of what to expect, Deger did an unnatural thing and put himself at risk to meet the figures on the beach. He instructed his followers that if things were to go wrong, they were to immediately depart and seek refuge elsewhere. Uncomfortable with the plan, but unwilling to volunteer themselves, his followers remained on the ship and watched from afar, waiting to see how the events would play out.

Deger tentatively approached the people and as he got closer, he recognized the distinct features of the Ellefolk, magical creatures who typically lived in reclusive areas, undisturbed. They must have spotted the ship on the horizon and came to see what, or who, was coming to their home. Deger was uncertain on how to proceed, for his knowledge mainly consisted of folklore and myths sullied by human biases. The Ellefolk had been described as everything from helpful to cunning to malicious. Yet, the one consistent theme amongst all tales was that they were great possessors of magic. The Ellefolk seemed friendly enough, definitely curious, but did not seem to harbor ill intent. Deger approached them and informed the Ellefolk of their troubles, intentionally leaving out the details that reflected poorly on him and his company. The leader, King Eilstin Alric, sympathized and welcomed Deger and the humans to find refuge there. The island was only inhabited by the Ellefolk and they mainly remained in the deepest center of the forest where the source of their magic was the strongest. Eilstin made sure to sternly warn everyone that the area was sacred and thus off limits to humans. A simple rule to respect, one would think.

The Ellefolk helped the humans find their home in a large, cleared space at the bottom of the mountainside, not too far from the shore. Its location made it ideal for not only transportation, but the soil’s many nutrients allowed for vegetables and fruits to grow abundantly. With the Ellefolk’s guidance and magical interference, the humans quickly reached a place of contentment where life was good and hunger was no longer a constant companion. The town was thriving and the townspeople were happy. It soon became apparent that the humans were established enough that the Ellefolk were no longer needed and they could return to their homes and their lives. Eilstin communicated this to Deger and though Deger had all of the appearances of accepting, the constant ambition in his heart could not let this be. He knew the Ellefolk had more magic than what they were sharing and he desired to harness that power to create his great kingdom for the sake of revenge. Not one to learn from his failures, Deger once again plotted to take what was not his. He and a few of his men would follow the Ellefolk into the deepest parts of the forest and find the source of their magic with the hopes of stealing it.

The night Deger sought to betray the Ellefolk was the night that nature betrayed the humans. Ignorant of how pure magic works, Deger did not realize that it acts as a beacon for good intentions…and malicious ones. As soon as his desire for power overtook his intention of integrity, Eilstin was made aware of Deger’s true motives and planned accordingly. Deger and his men did not make it far into the forest where they met Eilstin and the Ellefolk waiting for them. Caught in the act and unable to deny the truth, Deger demanded that Eilstin helped him create his legacy and threatened to burn the forest down if Eilstin did not comply. Foolish demands, but desperate people do foolish things in times of despair. However, Eilstin did not consider desperation and foolishness as valid enough excuses to overlook the threat that Deger had now become. Summoning the pure magic of the forest and calling on the High Spirits to restore balance to the evil of the humans’ presences. Eilstin began to shine like the moon as if the light was coming from within him and when he spoke, the words sounded unlike him as if he was possessed by something unknown…something powerful. In that ethereal voice, the following words were spoken:

Lost ones

You sought more than you needed

After receiving more than you deserved

Now you will pay the price

For disrespecting the sacredness preserved

One simple rule broken

For one man’s greed and ambition

You successfully poisoned a few men

Through this pointless act of sedition

Now you will have your treasure

But at exactly what cost?

Now return to your home and discover

Exactly what you lost

Ending the oration was a blinding flash of white light and the perturbing disappearance of the Ellefolk. Not a trace remained of the Ellefolk’s presence other than the unsettling feeling that Deger and his men were still being watched by shadows in the darkness. They hurried back and told the townspeople that they were to receive their treasure, but decided to not disclose the entirety of Eilstin’s warning. Its vague nature made it difficult for Deger to understand its true meaning and it seemed that nothing had been gained or lost thus far.

He was awakened in the morning by the excited murmurs of the townspeople. The morning air had an energy, a life to it that quickly transferred to Deger as he hurried out of his house to see what was going on. He observed that mostly everyone was gathered at the rear of the town, looking at something at the bottom of the mountainside. As he approached, he saw what held everyone’s interest. There was a cave-like opening that was not there before. Deger tentatively approached the opening with a few men by his side, confident it was the prophesied treasure, but uncertain about what else may reside in that cave. What awaited them was a glorious expanse of gold and gems, dunes created completely of diamonds, and more treasure than anyone could spend in several lifetimes. The men could not believe their eyes and soon rushed to pocket as much treasure as their clothes would allow. Deger slowly walked around in astonishment, mindlessly wondering at the miraculous change of fortune. However, blood-curdling cries from the women interrupted his reverie. They quickly evolved into animalistic, feral growls and the fearful screams of men made Deger and his men drop their treasure and rush back into town. The scene before them was unbelievable. All of the women in town were evolving into these large, serpentine creatures with wings. The townsmen were confused and terrified:

“What black magic was this?!”

“Who's responsible for this devilry?!”

“What’s happening to my wife?!”

The scene quickly brought Eilstin’s warning to Deger’s mind. “Now you will have your treasure, but at exactly what cost?” He could not disclose the truth to the townsmen about why their wives and daughters are now these beasts. He wasn’t sure what to say, but the men were fortunately distracted by the events at hand. The maiden-monsters were fully transformed, no longer cognizant of their humanity and having no memory of who they were. The creatures roared at the frozen spectators and rushed into the cave with the treasure, instinctively inclined to guard the gold from the unworthy, even including the townsmen the treasure was supposedly for. Every attempt to enter was met with vicious attacks from the maidens and the townsmen could not kill their own mothers, wives, and daughters, even if they were no longer human.

It took several years for the full weight of the consequences to be felt by Deger and the town. The women’s absence placed such a strain on the town as day to day tasks became extremely difficult. And unable to reach the treasure, the town’s progress slowed down gradually until it eventually became stagnant. But the townsmen faced a new threat when the first ship arrived. A foreign King who heard rumors of great treasure protected by fierce dragons. He gathered 100 of his strongest men and ventured out in search of this treasure; his travels landed him here at this small town. Deger, desperate to protect the secret of the women and his treasure, lied and told the foreign King that no dragons resided there. Deger told them of false rumors that the treasure was to be found on an island on the edge of the earth and to locate the island one must go south until one could not travel any further. Deger’s shabby appearance and the decrepit town was enough to convince the visitor that there was no treasure here. Fortunately for the townsmen, the foreign King and his crew sailed off with false hopes and false directions.

But their relief was short-lived, for Deger realized that the foreign King was one of many to come. As the rumors of great treasure travel the seas, more men would come in an attempt to slay the dragons and claim the treasure. Breaking the curse and restoring the women back to their natural form would fix the situation. But until the curse is broken, the townsmen must prevent the women from falling to the many blades seeking their lives. And out of this newly discovered conflict, our true and sole purpose was born : protect and rectify.