The Blue Dragon's Purpose

There weren’t always dragons in the valley of Locanth, located just beyond the western border of the Kilaren Empire. For millennia it has been a sanctuary for beings with nowhere else safe to go. It is now home to members of dozens of different races, many of whom are the last that remains of their kind. Some of the inhabitants – dark (Drow) elves, lycanthropes, fae, and others – came to escape or avoid persecution. There are many in the world outside the valley who believe the often-nightmarish tales told about them; tales that have little to no basis in truth, but are believed by the ignorant and spread by the ignorant, hateful, and corrupt.

Other races came to the valley instead because they’ve no home to return to. Dryads whose forests were destroyed and who were fortunate enough to survive that destruction (few do). Lizardfolk whose swamps and marshes had been filled to create land suitable to be inhabited by ‘civilized’ peoples. Still others belonging to both groups – goblins and orcs, medusae, among others – came to make what life they could in the sanctuary offered here. While many of the races who had come to call the valley home have resided here for thousands of years, the appearance of the first dragon was a surprise to all. Everyone knows that dragons are nearly immortal, and no sane, intelligent creature would dare intrude into a dragon’s territory. And yet, that very thing has happened. Some misconceptions survive even here, in a place that prides itself on being a haven from them.

Marliss was here the day that the first dragon appeared, emerald wings blotting out the sun. Many residents with no natural immunity to magical dragonfear panicked, through no fault of their own, when the young green dragon landed in a forest clearing outside of the edge of the town; it took several hours and a week’s worth of ‘cure fear’ spells to get everything back to rights. Though Marliss was not herself on the council responsible for maintaining the peace and security in the valley, the council’s business is conducted transparently in public view, and so it quickly became general knowledge how Drachenalptraumaustodlichemgift came to seek refuge here. It seems the Kilaren Emperor has grown bold, and is no longer content to seethe quietly about those he considers a blight; as a result Toxus, as the young green came to be known, found himself assaulted by an entire legion of the Empire’s knights, trained as dragonslayers. Barely escaping with his life, he fled to a place where he was certain the Empire would not go.

Toxus was not the only dragon to flee the Empire for the peace of the valley; within the span of a year, a total of four dragons were forced to evacuate as their homes were destroyed, and some of their mates murdered as well. ShiningMane, a silver wyrm who crashed into the woods and did little else than weep for a week, had been forced to watch as her mate was slaughtered, her nest destroyed, and her eggs crushed by the Empire’s knights before they turned on her. Pieces of several of the knights who had thought her subdued were still clinging to her talons when she arrived, and there they remained until she found the strength to compose herself and remove the viscera. In addition to the green and silver dragons, a blue and an ancient crystal dragon have come to take shelter in the valley as well. Rumors abounded that still other dragons who were able to escape the Emperor's purge fled the continent altogether, seeking safe haven far from lands controlled by someone with both too much hate, and too much power.

After each arrival there was, naturally, an adjustment period while the existing inhabitants learned to accept the new, and the new arrivals came to terms with their own circumstances. Of the four dragons Toxus took the longest to adapt, eventually isolating himself in an unclaimed portion of the forested area of the valley, while Azure, the blue, was almost entirely at his ease within a day, adopting a human form and claiming an unused residence in the village proper. Meanwhile ShiningMane and the crystal, who adopted the not subtle human-friendly name ‘Crystal,’ moved into vacant caverns in the sheer cliff faces at the northern end of the valley.

The dragons who came seeking shelter knew that the Emperor would not pursue them here. The guardians who have dedicated themselves to protecting the sanctity of the valley, led by a council of druids and grey-robed wizards, oversee the safety of the valley and those who reside there. While they do allow others to reside here that are not themselves in need of sanctuary, it is done so under the stipulation that they commit to maintaining the peace and safety that is paramount here. As a result, a fair-sized town of refugees and those committed to ensuring their peace has sprung up near the center of the valley which offers many of the amenities of a small city, where residents can shop or trade for necessities at the mercantile, or drop in at the tavern for a draught. Jewlers, smiths, farriers, and a respectable library can be found here as well. Trade with the outside world is limited, of course; the Kilaren Emperor would rather eliminate the valley and exterminate all its inhabitants, but, failing that, he has forbidden trade with the valley on pain of death. Fortunately, the independent town of Jenosh to the west is a great deal more tolerant, openly trading with the valley’s residents for the things that they are unable to find or produce themselves.

With the arrival of Toxus, ShiningMane, Crystal, and Azure in the valley, each stirred things up for a time, but life settled back into its normal rhythms in short order, a fact that was facilitated by most of the dragons’ prevailing desire for solitude. When Azure moved into the vacant home next to her own Marliss did not immediately realize who he was, though it did not take her long to discern the truth of the stranger with the arresting sapphire eyes. Coming from her own dwelling a few days after the blue’s arrival, she deftly sidestepped as a tall, lithe human nearly collided with her as he sauntered down the street with his eyes cast skyward.

“Begging your pardon?” she proclaimed, moving her hand to gently take hold of his arm. Startled, his attention snapped from the mostly clear skies above to the diminutive woman before him. The briefest flash of some emotion between surprise, wariness, and suspicion defined his features before he settled on curiosity.

“My apologies,” he uttered, moving back a step, “but I was distracted. I do hope I haven’t troubled you?” His voice was a rich tenor, with a peculiar undertone that she could only think to describe as ‘static.’

“Not at all,” she returned, grateful that he had stepped back to allow her to look up at him at a more natural angle as they conversed. “I’ve not seen you before, you must be newly arrived? You may call me Marliss.”

“Charmed.” he replied simply, bowing slightly, with the hint of a grin lighting at the corner of his mouth and a peculiar emphasis on the word. Marliss’ eyes widened momentarily in surprise before she was able to school her features back to cordial neutrality. ‘Does he know what I am?’ she wondered as she looked more closely at the newcomer. He was – or appeared to be – human, and was quite tall, towering over her by a foot or more. He carried no obvious weapons or armor, but there was a clear confidence in his posture that felt appropriate. “You may in turn call me...” he paused a moment, appearing contemplative, “Azure.” The knowing grin did not relent as he spoke; in truth, it seemed if anything to deepen.

Sudden comprehension dawned as Marliss realized who he must be. “A pleasure... Azure. You arrived... three days ago, if I’m not mistaken?”

“You have deduced correctly,” he responded, knowing grin still firmly affixed. “It appears that you, at least, possess the legendary cunning attributed to your kind.”

Knowing his identity buffered her some from the surprise, but it was still moderately unsettling to have her identity so easily guessed out. “And you the perceptiveness of your own,” she returned, unable to hide a trace of amusement from her own husky voice despite the slight presence of her unease.

“It seems we are to be neighbors, at least for a time. I expect to be here myself for the near future, at least, thanks to the Emperor’s malice,” Azure stated, a flash of some darker emotion scuttling across his features briefly before he continued as before. “I understand that there is a tavern here in the village; would you permit me the opportunity to get to know you?”

“I do not generally like to go where people gather, Azure,” she responded. “I cannot ‘turn off’ my charms, and do not wish to exert them on the other residents here. You may, however, walk with me if you wish,” she offered with a smile.

“I would like that,” his accompanying smile showed elongated canine teeth that might be unusual if he were indeed the human he appeared to be.

Marliss led Azure out to the docks on the southern end of the town; at this time of the day most of the people who had reason to be here would be out fishing on the lake, making it easier to avoid getting too close to anyone. They chatted, making small talk as they strolled along the wharf that ran the entire length where the town bordered the lake. Six wooden piers stretched out into the water at regular intervals, all vacant except for a dozen or so smaller rowboats docked intermittently. They soon reached the end of the marina, the lake terminating abruptly at the edge of the hardwood forest that dominated the southeast quarter of the valley. The street that defined the outer perimeter of the town turned north here, with towering sinterwood and oak trees dominating the landscape to their right as they continued walking.

“How did you know what I am?” Marliss asked suddenly, her pace unaltered. “I do not make significant efforts to obscure my identity here, but at the same time I do not prefer to make it exceedingly obvious.”

She could see the impish grin in his eye from the corner of her own, as he reached up and took hold of an object that had been sitting, out of her line of sight, on the top of his head. He handed her a pair of spectacles with thin silver frames and lenses that appeared to be made of hair-thin slices of ruby. Taking his cue, she placed them over her own eyes and was only somewhat startled when she looked upon Azure and could see, superimposed over the human form he now wore, the outline of his true form, over a hundred feet of reptilian splendor from snout to tail tip. Tipping the frames up, then back down, the translucent image disappeared and reappeared, before she removed them and handed the Eyes of Seeing back to him.

“I suppose that means you are able to see the forms that I am not presently wearing in addition to the one that I am when you look upon me?”

“Quite right,” he replied, replacing the spectacles on top of his head such that the frames were obscured within his hair. “These are one of the few things that I was able to save from my hoard when the Emperor’s slayers burst into my home,” he continued dejectedly. “It seems I trusted the wrong person, someone I thought to be my friend, but who instead reported me to the Empire. Apparently, the promise of a portion of my treasure was too great a temptation to resist.” He was quiet a moment, seeming to reflect on the events that led him to the point where he had to seek refuge here. Marliss continued walking along with him in silence, not wanting to intrude on his introspection. After a time, his demeanor brightened again. “Are you one of those, like myself, who was similarly chased out from your home, or did you come here for another reason?” he began, then stopped up short and after a second’s consideration backpedaled awkwardly, “actually, I suppose it was rude of me to ask, you need not answer that, and please forgive my brashness.” His hand reached up, long blue-lacquered fingernails scratching at his chin in embarrassment.

“No need for forgiveness Azure,” she assured him, stopping with him and reaching out to rest her hand on his arm reassuringly. “I am here by choice rather than necessity. Though the Emperor would no doubt rather see me perish, most of the time I am able to avoid unwanted attention from such as he,” she explained. “Most often the troubles I find come from men who become enraged to discover I am no prostitute, or the wives who rage when their husbands are caught up in my aura.” She shook her head in remembered disappointment. “It is rare for common villagers to carry magical or silver weapons, and so I am rarely endangered by such, but it is typically much easier for me to move on than to deal with the trouble. As a result, I do not generally settle anywhere for any significant length of time.” Azure listened attentively as she spoke; eventually she drew her hand back and they resumed their stroll. “If I can be said to have a home, it is here. I am able to avoid people when I wish, and the ones I come to know and like either resist my charms naturally,” she gave a brief nod in Azure’s direction, “or I can create an omamori to gift that protects against them.” The blue dragon nodded in understanding, and they continued walking a time in silence.

Eventually they reached the northern edge of the town. The forest to their right swiftly thinned, to be replaced by a huge expanse of grassland and farms opening up ahead of them. In the distance to the east, the sheer cliff walls at the edge of the valley could easily be seen looming over the plains. It continued mostly straight to the north along the grassland, on to where hills had formed nestled into the cleft far to the north where the west valley wall intersected it at the base of the Elo-Ulath volcano. Here the perimeter road turned to the west, outlining the border between the grass and farmland now to their right, and the town still on their left. The buildings they could see in this part of the town were dominated by grain silos and warehouses, where the food produced on the farms was stored after harvesting.

“Marliss!” A shout from their left drew their attention, coming from over the buildings, and both she and Azure looked over to identify the source. Clearly under the effects of a flight spell, a half-elf woman wearing grey wool breeches and a simple white silk blouse was hovering some thirty feet above the ground and descending quickly towards them. She landed smoothly on the road a few feet away and closed the remaining distance at a run. She wore an expression that clearly signaled some sort of trouble.

“Allorah, what is it?” Marliss queried as she approached.

“The eastern pass!” she exclaimed between breaths. “The Emperor’s men are advancing on the town! It may be another probe, but they are armed and do not appear to want to parley!”

Marliss set off toward the east at a dead run, shouting over her shoulder as she sprinted away, “Come along if you wish to help, Azure! Otherwise, be cautious, and stay safe! Allorah, fetch Essalyss, and remember to avert your eyes!”