The Truth About Dragons

There weren’t always dragons in the Valley. They came there seeking refuge from the great purge. The truth is that most dragons prefer the cool air and grand vistas of the mountains. For more centuries than the current generations could recall dragon kind had dwelt among the highest and most treacherous peeks of the world. Only the most carefree of their kind had dwelt in what might be considered close proximity to the inhabitants of the world and even they preferred to be in deep caves and far-flung hills so as to avoid encountering the dragon hunters. The practitioners of that ghastly profession had all but disappeared before a cool and most hospitable autumn some five years ago when a moment of chance changed everything. A family of blacks had been enjoying themselves in the far distant hills of Thallenia and were taking a well-earned nap when a group of traveling warriors had stumbled upon the sleeping foursome. It was an initial shock as the black dragon is a particularly large creature. They are formidable beings and most intimidating at first sight. The truth, however, much like all dragons, is that they are good-natured, studious and lovers of nature and their fellow beings. Having lived for exceedingly long periods of time they are learned and devoted observers of the world at large. Even with that they were concerned about various humanoid species with humans and orcs being of particular interest. It wasn’t all of them mind you but many of them had a penchant for harming others and disregarding the rights of myriad species on the planet. The dragons simply couldn’t understand it.

All of that aside, as the unsuspecting family slept the warriors brought swift and violent death upon the two adult dragons and then shifted their attention to the young brother and sister who were startled awake by the roars of their parent’s demise. While the young female was not yet capable of expelling acid from the glands in her throat the young male was more than capable of defending his sister and himself and he did. Startled and half asleep the young black flared his wings, leapt into the sky, reared back, and sprayed the party of murderers with a potent acid that immediately began melting the skin from their bodies. Two of the warriors who had been standing back a bit with bows didn’t even consider raising them and were lucky enough to have departed at a sprint with little more than some splash damage from the acid. It would later cost one of them his left arm and the other lost his hair and his right ear. It was of no moment to the people that the young black dragon was merely defending his family the result of this misadventure was an outcry from the people of Thallenia followed by spreading calls for vengeance from kingdom after kingdom as the people decided that this simply wasn’t acceptable. The result of this hysteria was a blood lust for all of dragon kind which fostered a new market for all things dragon related. The people across Thallenia began to profit from dragon scale armor, weapons made from dragon teeth, dragon claws and more than a few concoctions and so-called potions made from dragon organs, dragon blood and any other dragon material you could imagine. It cannot be ignored that in the hysteria that followed the dragons were forced to defend themselves as they could and that meant a rather high casualty rate amongst the dragon hunters which accounted for the high premium on dragon parts over and above the already insane price due to supply and demand. For this reason and to stop the carnage the dragons fled the mountains, the caves, the hills and surrendered their freedom for safety. They came from all over the continent to the Valley. It was here that the king of dragons hoped to find peace and refuge for his kind. It was the perfect refuge for the dragons and the king knew why. The humans and the other creatures were unaware, but the Valley was a place of ancient magic. It was a potent and simple magic known only to the dragons and implemented for protection. Its function was to render those who entered the Valley calm and peaceable. It was surprising that nobody had questioned it over the years, but it seemed they had simply accepted the fact that the Valley was a place of peace and tranquility. No war came to the Valley and no warrior or thug could ply their trade in that sacred place.

The Valley folk were terrified when the dragons first appeared near their homes because they had heard the stories of the malevolent beasts from the trade routes. They sought shelter in the caves and caverns at the edges of the Valley in the hopes of protecting themselves and their families. They were sure this wouldn’t be enough but panic got the better of them. They huddled in their caves and waited for what they were sure would be a painful and grisly end to their lives. As they waited for the end to come the dragons held a grand assembly at the West end of the Valley. They discussed this matter in the presence of the dragon king and his queen. As no human could pronounce a dragon name in their common tongue the dragons utilized ancient human words as a form of translation. In the case of the king and queen they used the actual ancient words for their color which would be easy for the humans to pronounce and recall. The king was the mightiest of all the dragons. He was unmatched in both physical strength and magical power; a resplendent gold dragon that was twice the size of the any other dragon species. There was only one gold dragon at this time in all the world. There were never more than two golden dragons in existence and the other would not be born until the end was near for the current king. That time was yet many years away. The same was not true of the king’s wife who was a silver dragon. The silver dragons are exceedingly beautiful and possessed of both a brilliant mind and a powerful elemental magic. This made the silver dragons the only ones who could wield fire, lightning, ice, and magma. The acid belonged only to the blacks who were especially suited to the brutal and caustic nature of the poisonous liquid. The king’s name was Geldar which translated to “golden” and his queen was Selistar which meant “silver”. Their guard was comprised of the mighty, fire breathing warriors of red and the swift and cunning lightning bringers of blue. These were led by the king’s chief advisor and champion Dracus Povelus which was remarkable in more than one way. Dracus was an enormous black who was respected by every dragon that met him. His strength was legendary and so was his patience. He was unique in that he carried two names which was not traditional for dragons but his served a purpose. His name translated loosely to Dragon of Pain. While one would think that this was a moniker of warning for those who might challenge him It was not. It was a description for the immense, suffering he had endured at the hands of an orc tribe that captured him as a young hatchling. He had been freed by Selistar and her family but not before he had been tortured with hot irons and cruel weapons as the orcs sought to discover the weakest points in the dragon’s scale armor. Dracus had steadfastly refused, however, to take revenge on the pitiful creatures opting instead to forgive them. The tribe, though not emblematic of all orcs, had taken this to heart and become a protective clan defending dragons and fighting any who would do them harm. All-in-all it was a remarkable transformation for the orcs and a badge of honor for Dracus. The king had eventually rewarded his adherence to the code of the dragon and made him his chief advisor. It was many years later in a confrontation with a party of dragon hunters that Dracus had become the king’s champion when he defeated the erstwhile warriors and sent them scurrying home with nothing more than his wits and a well-aimed tail whip that had likely broken any number of bones but left the fools alive to tell the story. All of these gathered in the Valley and discussed how they would go about winning the trust and friendship of the Valley folk. Many wise and loyal members of the flight offered their advice regarding gifts and offers of assistance. It was Verigas, a young female relation of the king who brought everyone to agreement with her suggestion. “Why do we not simply speak with our new neighbors and assure them that we mean them no harm. These people are not warriors, and the Valley has not known war or anger. This is nothing more than respecting their natural existence and asking that they share this beautiful space with us. I believe bribes are not necessary. There will be plenty of room for assistance and beneficence later after we have established a firm foundation for our friendship”. The grand assembly cheered this idea and the king and queen smiled as they gave it their approval. As a reward they gave Verigas the honor of approaching the humans and greeting them in the name of Geldar, Selistar and all the members of the flight. The king pronounced his decree for all. “Your proposal is worthy of the code young Verigas. We entrust this task to you in honor of your wise counsel. Go now and make the flight proud.” Verigas bowed her head and spoke in response. “I am honored my king and I accept this great responsibility with a joyful heart, the strength of my ancestors and the support of my wing”. With that she turned swiftly, took two steps and launched herself into the air to carry out her mission. The flight roared their approval for this decision and for the fine young dragon that had been chosen to represent them to the Valley folk.

In the caves at the East end of the Valley the people felt a tremble and heard a roar that they found unsettling. Some of the mothers were certain that they were about to meet their end and a handful of fathers wondered if they might not sacrifice themselves to the dragons in the hopes that their family might yet survive a while longer. These were thoughts of insecurity based in ignorance, but the Valley folk didn’t know that. All they knew were the stories from those elsewhere in the kingdom who had traveled to the Valley speaking of carnage and unspeakable horrors. The truth was that the stories were exaggerated and skewed since the tales were based on the accounts of dragon hunters who lost companions or were injured when they attacked the dragons and the dragons defended themselves from certain death. Thankfully they were about to hear the other side of the story and witness the nature of dragons first-hand. The caves that the Valley folk were hiding in were not actually in the Valley but rather they were in a canyon that headed South at the Southeast edge of the Valley and meandered through the countryside for roughly a league. The people sat huddled in groups alternately quaking and hiding their faces or crying as they awaited the certain doom that was to come. Everyone got just a bit quieter and hunkered down a little more when they heard the whoosh sound that could only be a dragon swooping down into the canyon and landing outside their cave. Even as a simple noise it seemed too big to be a normal creature and so the Valley folk had reasoned that it must be a dragon. It was the monk Elsen who first heard the voice. He didn’t hear it with his ears but with his mind. It had not occurred to the Valley folk or any of the humans or other species that dragons could talk at all. For the people of the continent the dragon was a fierce beast that was to be avoided or killed and generally the preference was that they be killed. This was generally what humans and orcs did with anything that they feared. If they had considered the possibility of speech, they would have ruled it out since the mouth of a dragon is ill suited for forming words and speaking in the manner of the humans. They had enough difficulty understanding the orcs when they weren’t fighting them. Elsen heard the voice nonetheless and he was startled. He did not know that Verigas had chosen him to speak to initially because he seemed to be the least afraid of the humans and he had a reasonable and logical mind. “Come out of your cave Elsen and do not be afraid. We mean you no harm. The stories you have heard are not true. Come, let us speak and correct the record.” Now Elsen having always been possessed of a boundless curiosity decided straight away that he had to see what this was about. Many of the folks from his town began to question him as he started for the cave entrance, but he shushed them and kept moving forward. When one small child who had been unimpressed with the entire ordeal sprang forward to follow the monk his mother snatched him up and chided him. “Oh no you don’t Clyde Hamus. You will stay right here with me young man.” The boy had been utterly downcast. “Oh mom! You never let me have any fun. There might be a dragon out there. I wanna see it!” His mother furrowed her brow and gave that tight lipped stare that mothers give and practically growled at him. “That is exactly why you are staying right here with me Clyde. I’ll not have any son of mine popping out of this cave to have his bones roasted by whatever is out there.”

As Elsen exited the cave he paused for a moment at the sight that greeted him. It would not be fair to say that Elsen was unfazed, but he was unafraid. Something told him that he was not in danger despite the enormity of the creature he was observing. The dragon he saw was a brilliant, shining silver and sitting there on its haunches, long and slender, it must have been fifteen feet tall. That of course did not include the length of the tail. The voice came again as he apprised his visitor. “Good day to you Elsen. My name is Verigas, and I have come on behalf of my kind directly from the grand assembly being held in the West of the Valley. I am here to let you know that we greet you as friends. We come here to settle in the Valley alongside you and your people.” With this statement Verigas opened her wings wide and bowed her head to the tiny five foot ten inch human before her. Elsen also bowed if somewhat timidly and then he spoke. “Good day to you Verigas. Do I call you sir or lady Verigas?” He waited for her reply. “Ah! Yes, you wouldn’t know how to tell would you. You will find that the males of our species are larger and are possessed of a squarish head. The females, such as I are generally no more than half the size of our male counterparts with more delicate and rounded or curved features to our faces. You will also note that most males have a longer snout. This accentuated feature aids them in focusing their attack which makes for a far more accurate and deadly expulsion of the dragon breath that we utilize against our enemies. The breath is used in self-defense and in battle. Though I must admit that the reds are wonderful to have around when you need a fire to roast a meal.” Elsen raised an eyebrow at this comment, but Verigas assured him. “Do not worry Elsen. We tend to eat cattle, deer, and other wild animals the same as you. That is part of why I have come to you so that you may understand our intentions and our Code. It is our intention not to harm any sentient, reasoning being. We will do so in self defense much as you do but we much prefer to live in peace with all beings.” Elsen broke in and then remembered himself. “My apologies. I did not mean to be rude.” He bowed once more out of respect. “Do not worry Elsen.” Verigas assured him. I understand that you will have many questions. Proceed.” There was a moment of awkward silence and then Elsen proceeded with his inquiry. “Surely you must know that the stories from Thallenia have reached us here? My neighbors and kin are positively terrified. They are convinced that before the day is out you will pull us from the caves where we have sought refuge and eat us one and all. How will I be able to convince them of your sincerity?” Verigas gave her best dragon smile and tried not to let it look like a sneer; this was hard for a dragon. “Elsen, I want to tell you something you likely did not know about the Valley and your people. She gazed about her and took in the entirety of their surroundings as she began to speak. The Valley is an ancient place, and your people are descended from the kingdom of mankind that once lived alongside dragons in this very place. Long ago when the world was still new, and the beauty of this place was spoken of across the continent my ancestors dwelt here among your people. Because of the special bond our two races shared the first king of dragons, Golsandar, blessed the Valley and cast a simple but powerful spell here that encompasses the entirety of the Valley from East to West and reaching to the foot of the outer slope of the Vyrradar mountains on either side. This spell has remained for many thousands of years, and it prevents violence of any kind in this most wonderful of places. This is the reason why war and violence never come to your people.” Elsen could see the honesty in her eyes. He could feel it in the warmth of her words. Despite never having heard the story Elsen knew without question that it was true. Still, he had to ask. “Verigas, if this was the case then why did your people leave? Why depart from so wonderful a place as the Valley?” Verigas smiled and Elsen could see the glimmer of joy in her eye. “That is simple Elsen. My ancestors believed that as word spread about the peace and joy that might be had in the Valley mankind would flock there in such numbers that it would be impossible for dragons to remain and leave enough space for their friends. For this reason, the king issued a decree that dragons should spread across the continent and share their knowledge and kindness with the rest of mankind. Unfortunately, by the time they discovered that most people were happy where they were in the kingdoms they loved and living on the lands they had worked and cared for it was too late for the dragons to return. Most had become accustomed to the new mountains, valleys, and caves that they found suitable for themselves. They knew the Valley was always there, but they simply didn’t want to return. The king was confident that your people would care for the Valley and prosper behind the protective veil.” Verigas paused for just a moment and then finished her message. “Elsen, the king and his queen would very much like to meet with your people and deliver his request that we be permitted by your council to settle here once again and dwell alongside your people. Can you deliver that request to your leaders for me and let me know what their answer is?” Elsen smiled broadly and bowed to Verigas once more. “My lady Verigas I would be most pleased to deliver your king’s request to the council. Give me but a moment and I will deliver your message.” Elsen turned on his heels and scampered back into the cave. Verigas could hear him shouting as he ran through the network of tunnels.

The people could hear the excitement in Elsen's voice. Some of the folk mistook his excitement for panic and they began to panic until the head of the council shushed them and told them that it was not fear but joy in Elsen’s voice. As he entered the large cavern where many of the Valley folk were gathered the council members met him at the center meeting place and the remainder of the people gathered in a circle about them. As Elsen came to a stop he greeted everyone in the customary manner by kissing his index and middle finger then placing them on his heart. Those in attendance did the same in reply. “My dear friends; I have the most wonderful news to share with you. I have just come from conversing with the emissary from the dragons and you will all be so very pleased. The dragon, Verigas is her name, has come to let us know that they are our friends and mean no harm to us. They seek only refuge here from the purge of dragon kind that rages beyond the borders of our Valley.” Valerie Hardgrove burst in with her two cents. “But we’ve all heard the stories from Thallenia and beyond. How can we be assured that what these dragons say is true?” Elsen turned in her direction and spoke with a tremendous sense of confidence and a broad smile on his face. “I tell you that I am convinced of their sincerity.” He turned to Barland Withrow and asked him if he had ever encountered stories of dragons in the archives of the Valley histories. Barland looked to be in thought for a moment and then he spoke up. “I do recall a story when I was a boy that my great-grandfather told me about a long-lost tale from the ancient days that had been handed down verbally. I did some searching over the years of my life keeping the archives and I did find a story about the beginnings. Something about dragons and men living together in peace. The story mentioned that one day the dragons left but it wasn’t too detailed as to why. I had always assumed my great grandfather made it up, but I suppose there must be some truth to it.” Elsen went on to relate the story he had been told by Verigas and at last he let the council know that the king and queen of the dragons were requesting an audience with them. The eight council members huddled together for a moment and then the elder councilman, Delvas Baderund, turned with the others lined up behind him and delivered their answer. “We will meet with our guests and hear their entreaty.” The others responded in kind. “So say we all.”

Verigas was both pleased and curious as Elsen exited the cave. He smiled as the sunlight slanting through the canyon struck his face and declared that “the council members have agreed to meet with your assembly. If it is possible and as I believe it will have the greatest impact on our people, could we meet at the Great Grove in the center of the Valley?” Verigas gave her toothy version of a human smile and answered him in a very satisfied tone. “Yes Elsen. I will notify the Grand Assembly immediately.” She noted with great joy that the people began to stream out of the cave as she leapt into the sky and wheeled away to the West. She could here the murmuring as well as the ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ from the crowd below as they looked for the first time upon a dragon. This was off to a good start.

Elsen had been correct. As Geldar and Selistar glided in and flared their wings for landing the assembled crowd of several thousand people gathered in a semi-circle at the East end of the Great Grove were plainly in awe. These good people had shed their fear thanks to the beaming confidence of their kinsman, Elsen. The eight council members were in plain view arrayed at the center of the semi-circle. As Geldar and Selistar touched down and folded their wings the other members of their flight touched down farther behind them. The dazzling array of colors, shapes and sizes was spectacular. The members of the council bowed deeply, and the head of the council spoke clearly for all assembled. “We welcome our guests to the Valley, and we look forward to establishing long and mutually beneficial relations as we build new friendships going forward.”

Everyone’s eyes were on Geldar. While Verigas had seemed extremely large at fifteen feet without her tale, the king of the dragons was at least thirty-five feet in height; he may have been larger. Where the silver dragons, including the queen, were long and slender and the blacks were muscled and even larger than the silver the king was both tall and physically powerful with a large body that shimmered beneath its golden scales and rippled with the muscles of his form. The people simply couldn’t imagine a mere human facing off against so grand and obviously formidable a creature. Those in the Great Grove became animated when Geldar began to speak. It took only a moment for them to realize that his speech was in their heads and not their ears. It was only mildly unnerving for these simple folk; a feeling that was overwhelmed by their great joy at learning about their new friends. “To all of you in the Valley. I am pleased to bring my people here to the Great Grove and even more pleased that you have kept this place in such high regard. This was the meeting ground for our kind in ages past when we would meet with your ancestors. This is the place where sacred pacts were made. It is here in the Great Grove that the spell of protection and the great blessing were laid upon this valley. It is from this grove that the power of the Valley emanates and surrounds us all. I bring my people before you today to ask that you grant us a great honor. I ask as the king of dragons and a descendant of the dragons of the Valley that you permit us to resettle here with you where we came from. We wish to live alongside your people and share our knowledge, our strength, and our wisdom with you as you share the protection of this place and your hospitality with us.” While one of the council members seemed a bit out of sorts it was only because he was considering how he could trouble some of their new friends to settle near his homestead that was Northeast of the Great Grove. Delvas Baderund huddled with his colleagues in the council for only a moment and then turned to address their regal guests. “Lord Geldar…” Geldar broke in and chided him ever so slightly. “We are to be friends Mr. Baderund. I appreciate the honorifics, but good old Geldar will do nicely.” Delvas smiled and after clearing his throat he continued. “Geldar, we are unanimous in our view that you should find good homes here with us in the Valley. We will, if it is right with you and your people, assemble here at each successive full moon to feast and celebrate our friendship and we would precede that with a meeting of our people to discuss mutually beneficial and troublesome issues alike so that no shadow of discontent or mistrust will ever rise between us. Geldar flared his wings and bowed his head as he spoke to all assembled in reply. “We are pleased with this arrangement. On behalf of all dragon kind and my family I accept. May our peoples grow in friendship, peace, and prosperity for so long as we exist and keep the precepts of this pact. Blessings to the people of the Valley.”

The cheer from the assembled Valley folk mixed with the roars of the dragons and formed a joyous noise that assaulted the walls of the valley and the air of the sky. Unfortunately for all assembled it raced heavenward and reached the ears of the only dragon on all the continent that did not claim allegiance to the flight. One who despised Geldar and positively hated the Valley folk. Baalisten burned the location in his mind and wheeled West to head back to the outpost of dragon hunters in Thallenia for he had made a pact with the foul warriors. More troubling was that he knew something that no other dragon knew. Baalisten knew how to negate the spell and the blessing that protected the valley. The ancient, brooding, blue dragon wanted what he considered to be his by birthright and one way or another he intended to have it.