Wysterra: Origins

There were’nt always dragons in the Valley. They were pushed there, fleeing near extinction. Forced to hide in the darkness of the underground caves beneath the fertile ground of the Kingdom of Eadid above, the dragons of Eadid chose survival over thriving. It was prophecized that these dragons that hid in the darkness would travel to the Wyrm islands of the Ethereal World one day. There, they would find their sole purpose: to protect the spark of imagination born from the souls lost in the battle for control of Wysterra and all that is of the Physical and Ethereal Worlds. But that was what was to come, and this was now.

The dragons of the physical plane were not like those of legend or folklore. In their dragon form, they were not much larger than your average horse, and in their human form, they were nearly indistinguishable from any other human, except by another dragon. The ability of a dragon to take a human form was unknown to the villagers that lived in the Kingdom of Eadid.

Dragons were believed to be extinct to humans, yet they survived in the caves beneath the Valley. These sentient beings hunted at night, being careful to avoid detection by the human eye; as per royal decree, any dragon found was to be executed for the actions of their forefathers, who before had pillaged much of the kingdom. It became a law among the dragons of the Kingdom of Eadid to not interfere in humans’ affairs and not partake of their livestock or crops.

Yet, one dragon, Bronagh, was not committed to protecting her pride and had grown tired of hiding in the darkness. She looked around at her entombed increasing number of brethren and sought more than a repressed life in the dark. She remembered and longed for the days when dragons flew high without fear as strong rulers of the sky, an army of fire, claw, and fang. She also remembered the day she watched as her father fell cascading from the sky, his death cries echoing through her soul as Bronagh watched powerlessly, and she craved for the blood of these humans that pushed the once-great dragons into the darkness.

The rules of her pride meant very little to Bronagh, and she cared not how her actions might affect others. She only felt hunger, physical, and that which was for revenge. She had often violated the rules of her pride, hunted in the open, and taken the lives of those humans unfortunate enough to see her.

On one fateful day, Bronagh decided again that she wanted fresh mutton for her meal and knew where a field of them grazed. Again, this defiant dragon wished to fly in the sun’s light and feel its warmth on her wings, and so she did. She left the safety of the den that housed herself and her brethren and took to the skies, the wind washing across her wings as the hunger for the flesh she would soon consume filled her with desire. It was as if she could almost taste the delicate life essence before her teeth pierced the body of a young lamb she caught in her sights.

As she approached her meal, her wings flapped quickly before fully stretching out as she fell into an aerial glide and descended upon her victim. Her talons dug deep into the warm wet flesh of her next meal as the young lamb cried out in pain. She carried her young victim high into the sky as if aiming for the sun before dropping it plummeting to its death. She followed its descent closely, landing aside the broken body to consume her prey.

As she partook of her repast, a young girl approached. Seeing the dead sheep being savagely consumed, she let out a scream, to which the dragon Bronagh answered with confrontation. Finishing the last bit of flesh and only leaving a pile of fur on the ground, she flew over to where the young girl stood and, upon her approach, unleashed a fiery fury as the young maiden fell, burning her screams disappeared into a whimper followed by silence.

Unknown to Bronagh, however, her actions were being watched by a fellow dragon, Roisin. Rosin was tasked by the elders to alert the council of any further infarctions on the laws set forth by the pride by Bronagh.

Bronagh spent the remainder of the day flying over the kingdom, taking what she wanted where she desired. As she arrived back at the cave where the Dragons of Eadid dwelled, she transformed into her human form. As she entered, she was greeted by Roisin. “The council would like to speak to you, Bronagh.”

“Oh, would they? And what would our weak leadership wish to speak with me about?” Bronagh replied.

“I think you know Bronagh. They have spoken to you before.” Roisin replied.

“And I have grown weary of these discussions,” Bronagh returned.

“As have they, I fear,” Roisin answered.

As they approached the meeting hall, Bronagh could hear the mumbles of the discussion carrying through the cave in which they dwelt as her anger grew.

She found the entire council awaiting her when she reached the meeting room. They gathered in a semi-circle manner as Roisin followed her into the room as she entered.

“Bronagh, we have heard that, yet again, today you have failed to heed our warnings,” one of the eldest dragons spoke.

“And what of it. We are superior to the humans, and what right have they to anything?” Bronagh spoke in defiance.

“This is not about superiority Bronagh, but a desire to live in peace alongside one another. This is crucial to our survival. You have been spoken to more than once to keep our existence a secret. To not take your dragon form and live in the shadows with your brothers and sisters. We are just now a council of fifty and were nearly extinct the last time we made our presence known. Do you, Bronagh, not remember the dark times, as do I?” The elder dragon questioned.

“I remember the dark times. I remember watching my father fall to his death at the hands of a human, and I refuse to live as the inferior species, as I am not.” Bronagh returned as she looked around the room and continued to speak. “We are meant to be rulers, not a species to hide in the dark. None of you deserve to exist if you do not see that and are a disgrace to your own kind.”

“I am aware of your feelings, Bronagh. You have countless times made them clear, and I fear it is time for us to act; therefore, I banish you from this council of dragons forever. You are never to return, and should your actions unleash the wrath of men, you shall be the one to bear it, not us.” The elder dragon ruled.

“If you do this, mark my words. I shall have my revenge. You fear men. I am the one you should fear, old one.” And with that, Bronagh left with only vengeance in her heart.