Fantasy
Scales of lament
There weren’t always dragons in the valley. When Redmond was just a child the Nine had awoken to reclaim ancient hunting territory. To the dragon's surprise, inhabitants of meager intelligence had inherited the land in their thousand-year absence and the valley just so happened to be under the claim of Dalabrac. Humanities scaled, winged myth and legend however were, very much real and were now competing with every other forsaken whim of natural and unnatural being across the land. Tensions and frictions ensued, soon conflicts with the local regents and petitions from farmers missing livestock lead to royal bounties. Brutes and assassins alike tried their blade at the throat of many of the Nine only to find themselves a quick meal or simply dust. For man, it would seem the creatures lived not only immensely long lives in comparison but that they were also impervious to their tools. From the perspective of the Nine, humanity was but an annoyance, a fly buzzing in the ear and while they possessed the power to lay waste to the lands, topple kings and raze armies they preferred, mostly, to be left alone to their own preening and fancy. In prior awakenings the Nine had struck bargains with one another to satiate their material desires; cooperation led to plenty and they longed for the days of old. Their hoards were certainly their pride and in this new era it suited them well to allow these creatures to go about their short lives, for in observation the Dragons had seen their mastery over nature Hearding and breading, planning and preserving. They found great joy in the delights of ornate precious stone and metal conjured into wonderous goods! They gleaned and shined in the sunlight and brought joy and wonder to the Nine and their subjugates. It was this admiration that led Dalabrac to petition his brethren in pursuit of treaty, curious as to what a few hundred years may do for the scurrying insects if left to their own devices. Seeing little choice, tenuous treaties were made by man, King Ladaran welcomed Dalabrac to the valley striking several conditions for the kingdom in exchange for what the King considered meager tribute. Dalabrac never having had to think about the number of cattle he was to need nor much about the passage of time in general, accepted with little negotiation. Aside from Royal celebrations, Dalabrac was to remain outside the Kingdom and to hunt away from the immediacy of the valley. To the Dragon this sounded ideal as he thought little of the company of humans and preferred to admire their craftsmanship away from them. While the territories of the Nine were vast, many remained remote and away from the touch of man. As such the peoples primarily ruled themselves, leveraging their relationship with the Nine for defense or deterrent against enemy siege. For some the emergence of Dragons was a wonder, for others a curse that had washed over the land. Years had passed in the uneasy treaty and commitments had been kept but animosity had grown among the kingdom. Crop failure and drought had crippled farmers and tribute to such a creature seemed frivolous in comparison to the plight of starving loyal subjects of King Ladaran. In the hard years that passed the uprising grew not just against Dalabrac but against dragon kind. Unfaltering, King Ladaran had spread his armies across his kingdom to quell tensions but over the years he had grown more vicious in his actions, a dark influence evident in his malice.
By Bart Brommeland4 years ago in Fiction
Awakening
Chapter 1 Awakening There weren’t always dragons in the Valley. Rhein could almost hear his father, Thom’s voice whispering to him. Rhein stood on the very spot at Dragon’s Bluff where he last saw his father. The captivated look on his father's face as he described how ferocious and unrelenting the winged reptile-like beasts were, haunted him. Thom took Rhein by the hand and led him closer to the edge of the bluff. Rhein stood staring in amazement at the majestic creatures, he guessed about twenty were flying around in the distance. One specific dragon grasped his attention and would not release it. Its brilliant golden scales reflected the sun in every direction, creating a marvelous light show with every flap of its fleshy wings. Rhein remembered thinking how many meals he would be able to provide for he and his father with just a single golden scale. In concert with the thought, the dragon turned its head in their direction, seemingly noticing them—
By Chris Rios4 years ago in Fiction
Shadows in the Smoke
There weren't always dragons in the valley. Once, not so long ago, the valley was lush and green, and teeming with wildlife. The people who lived in the woodlands that surrounded it would go to the river there to fish, snare rabbits, or to hunt the giant elk. Lukas remembered his father coming home with a stringer full of trout and stories of his mighty struggles to bring them in, and his mother would fry a few of them on the fire for dinner, and hang the rest up the chimney to smoke. Lukas had dreamed of the day, soon, when he would be old enough to go along and catch his own fish.
By Pete Gustavson4 years ago in Fiction
Dragon Lords
CHAPTER 1 Sacrifice and Hope There weren’t always dragons in the Valley. They were believed to be created by an uncontrollable amount of dark magic, in the dark lands of Tenebris. Although their exact origins remain unknown, the dragons evolved into powerful and dangerous monsters. Once their resources were depleted and their appetite for power insatiable, they vacated Tenebris and attacked the nearest kingdom of Aeris. It was a large kingdom nestled in a beautiful valley, and the unexpected attack took hundreds of lives. The neighboring kingdoms of Dryadalis and Saxum came to the aid of Aeris by the thousands. Although they fought valiantly and heroically, sheer numbers alone could not ward off the beasts.
By Gaven Wood4 years ago in Fiction
Soulless
Soulless There weren’t always dragons in the valley. Once you could cross the desert with only the threat of bandits or hunger and thirst dogging your steps. My parents often spoke of this time. A time when herds of elephants, gazelle and giraffe populated the plains. When the Gazi wild horses were one of the most valuable commodities of the land, and the wealthy landowners from the coastal cities made regular excursions into the desert to try their hand at capturing one. A time when fire and death was the last thing on a person's mind in the Serengazi. But, the year I was born, the year of the dragon, everything changed.
By Cayla Stone4 years ago in Fiction
Aspen Murik and the Runes of Erelon
There weren’t always dragons in the valley. Aspen Murik knew the legends well. A dragon had not been born in centuries, none beyond the Second Reckoning. It started purely as rumours around the valley, members of the outer villages painted tall tales of people passing through who had seen unknowable destruction.
By Peter Ellis4 years ago in Fiction
Valley under Fire
There weren’t always dragons in the Valley. Holbert removed his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose as the sunlight he was using for reading disappeared behind hewn, limestones cliffs. The cliffs rising either side of the train tracks was lined by large firs, plunging the carriage into a daylight darkness. With decent reading light gone, Holbert sighed and threw Emotional biochemistry in western dragons back into the table . He pulled out a cigarette and lighter from his vest pocket and lit up, taking a few quick puffs. The click-clack of the tracks ran underneath his feet, vibrating through Holbert’s body and making him realise how tense his shoulders were. He pushed his shoulders back into the cushioned seat, placed his glasses on and looked at the papers splayed across the booth’s table.
By Sean Selleck4 years ago in Fiction
Dragon Valley
There weren’t always dragons in the valley. In fact, it used to be quite a peaceful, quiet little valley, before they came. It used to be called Peace Valley, home to Peace City, but now it is only known as Dragon Valley, the one place on the continent of Paloma, formerly known as Europe, that everybody knows about but nobody wants to end up in, much less go of their own free will. If you ever find yourself heading downhill towards the ten thousand kilometers of land in between the Everlasting Mountains and the Forgotten Mountains with the River of Infinity behind you, you are in big trouble.
By Evangeline4 years ago in Fiction
