Verlax, The Son of Urrimont

A grown Dragon, once found a toddler in the forest, and so began the legend of one of the greatest heroes that the race of men has ever produced. The Dragon was an old one; ancient in his name. Firadrang men called him “Flamefather” but to his own kind, he was known as Urrimont, the son of Seffirom. Urrimont had lived for centuries, and had in that time, grown to hate the race of men. He despised them, for they were a race of liars and cheaters, backstabbers and betrayers but few among them had a good heart. When he came upon a child of men, in the forest that he had claimed as his own, his first thought was fury. He thought of scorching the earth upon which the child stood and the child along with it, ridding himself of this vermin.

But the innocence of a child, regardless of its race, is a curious thing, for it melts the coldest of hearts. Upon looking the innocent eyes of the child, Urrimont could no longer bring himself to kill it, and so he chose to move on. But the child, in its fascination, grabbed hold of the mighty creature’s tale.

As the old saying goes, to touch a dragon’s tale, is to call upon the fire of Hell itself, turned Urrimont to face the child once more.

“Do you not know what I am, fool!” He Roared in the words of Men, hoping the child spoke their language.

The child understood nothing, and began to cry. Urrimont the “Flamefather” was so moved by the tears of this child, that he chose to take him with him, to his horde, under the Mount Harlimon, deep within the heart to the forest. There he would decide what to do with it.

And so it was, that the Flamefather, the Scourge of the Silver forest, the beast of blood, carried a human child, dangling from his tale, back to his horde. And there that child remains, for Urrimont chose to only keep it, but to raise it as his own. The child was a boy, and had no name, so Urrimont chose to give him the name Verlax, a name of Dragon kind. In the old tongue of the Wyrms, it meant “King”.

Urrimont taught the child all he knew about that languages of Men and beasts. He taught the child how to speak the words of the wood, the language of the trees and above all else, he taught the child, how to call upon fire. He passed on the ancient spells of his kind, the magics used to summon and control fire. And in time, Verlax grew to be a fine, strong young man, and of him, his father, Urrimont, was proud.

The child of Man, was now the son of a Dragon. Verlax was free, to roam around the forest, but his father had forbidden him from crossing the border of the woods. And so he ran wild within the trees but was always tempted to visit the outside world. And as fate would have it, the outside world cane to forest itself.

Once, it is said, Geoffrey, the Prince of the Kingdom of Arios, was passing through that rejoin with his caravan of knights. Geoffrey was a renowned hunter, and he loved to hunt dangerous beasts. When passing by the Forest of Urrimont, Geoffrey wished to slay the legendary dragon, and so against the wishes of his advisors, he and his knights entered the forest. Unbeknownst to them, nearby was the mandragon, Verlax, watching their every move. Fascinated by these new creatures, that looked familiar to him, Verlax descended from his hiding place, high in the trees, and came face to face with the humans.

They thought of him as some form of beast, for he wore an armor of dragon scales. The knights tried to attack him, but they were no match for his great strength. Yet Geoffrey’s words were swifter and sharper than his blade, he tricked Verlax, and pretended to be a friend, and Verlax guided him to the den of his father.

Once there, Geoffrey unveiled his true nature, he proved to be a sorcerer; he attacked Urrimont while he was asleep. Geoffrey’s knights enhanced by his magic, kept Verlax at bay. Geoffrey was brutal and his magic took the great beast by surprise.

Among the knights, was a warrior maiden called Olena, who saw just how much pain Urrimont was in and how that pain hurt Verlax, who tried to save his father. She turned on her men, and aided Verlax, for not all men are cruel. With her help, not only did Verlax defeat the knights, but he slayed that sorcerer, who tormented his father.

Afterwards, when Urrimont came to his senses he saw the woman Plena and sought to attack her. He rained fire upon her, but Verlax used his own magics to save her. So great was Urrimont’s rage, that he nearly killed his own son.

“Father! Enough, she has aided me, she saved me,” the son yelled.

“She is a human, vile creatures they are, scum of the Earth,” growled the father.

“I am human too, Father!” Verlax proclaimed.

Upon hearing that, Urrimont calmed down, and tears filled his great eyes.

“NO! You are my son, you are Verlax, you are not one of them,” he roared.

“I see now, father, my race cannot be trusted, but I wish to learn more about them, about their nature, I wish to see for myself what I am, should you allow it, I wish to leave the forest.”

“My son, I love you, but the world of men, is a dark place, I fear it would consume you, take you from me.”

“I swear upon the honor of my flame, I will return to you, after I know my place in the world.” Urrimont looked at the little boy he had found in the woods and in his place, saw a man, who was more than just a man. And so it was, that with blessing of his father, Verlax Dragonson left the forest realm of his father, and set out into the world. With him, went the woman Olena, as his guide and a friend. In Time, he would become a legend among men, a hero, who’s stories have been passed down for generations. Verlax, the son of Urrimont, the man who was a Dragon.