A Tale of Discovery

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A Tale of Discovery
The hour is late as you step from the harsh Fredian winter wind into the west styne inn. The smells from the kitchen, the loud clamor of the many conversations, and the shocking warmth of the heat assaults you, as you step from the door. All eyes turn and glance in your direction, those that know you nod a greeting, those by the door frown at the cold wind you let in with you, all others just turn back to their food and conversations.

You make your way over to the bar and get Merem's attention and shout an order for a coffee. Merem smiles and nods that she heard your order, over the noise of the inn. She promptly fills a stein with coffee and slides in over to you. Picking up the stein you toss a few gold pieces on the bar and look out over the crowd for a place to sit, seeing nothing close, you move farther into the inn

As you make your way towards the middle of the inn, you can now hear and see the harpist playing her elegant tune, this side of the fire place. Across the fireplace, you see a table inhabited by a single figure, you make your way over to the only empty chair in the inn. The husky figure at the table is cloaked in heavy robes as if the winter wind outside was blowing straight through the inn and the raging fire wasn't providing at form of warmth. Stepping up to the table you ask "Is this chair taken?". The figure glances up at you and from the dark recesses of the cowl that covers its head, comes a raspy voice hissing "No, by all meanssss Ssssit."

Cautiously sitting, you take a drink from your coffee and inquire "Are you ok sir?".

A gruff raspy chuckle emits from within the darkness of the hood "I am fine... my voicssse issss a gift of my father."

Raising an eyebrow you comment nonchalantly "I don't know that I would call that a gift". The gruff chuckle rises to a loud raspy laugh, that causes conversations at tables near you to stop and curious eyes to be cast in your direction. Glancing around, you look back at the figure across from you, and see fiery glow come from behind a set of jagged teeth. Having seen many strange things in your life, this only spikes your curiosity. You ask "Excuse me, but your not human are you?".

"No, not by a long sssshot" The figure replies "Thou I am part elvissssh".

"Part elvish?" You ask "How can that be? Or for that matter what happened to you?".

"Well that issss a long tale....if you are truly interessssted order me a hot coffee and I will tell you a tale of cruelty and love." the stranger returns.

Turning you motion to the serving maid for another coffee, which is brought almost immediately to your table. You notice the slight look of fear on the serving maids' face as she quickly sets down the drink and hurries away. Looking back towards the stranger you see a red scaly clawed hand reach from the sleeve of the heavy cloak and grasp the stein of hot coffee. The look of the hand catches you a little by surprise, but it also spurs on your curiosity.

As you watch in curiosity the hand lifts the stein into the dark depths, where the cloaked figures mouth would be and is emptied in one swallow. Setting the stein the figure speaks "Sssso you wissssh to know how I became as I am?"

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"Well to understand that you firsssst must hear the sssstory of a land whosssse name hassss passssted from memory. Even thou I wassss born there I have no memory of it, only the sssstory that was passssted on to me by my insssstructor. It was a farming community located in a wide valley of a temperate mountain range. Primarily a human community with a few dwarven, halfling familiessss and one elven family, the Cuthalion family.

To the Cuthalionssss, wassss born a female child Nienna. Nienna grew into a woman of ssssuch beauty that sssshe had many would be ssssuitors even before sssshe wassss of age to marry. Her father, Aerandir, wassss a old and wizsssened man and did not believe in mixsssing the royal blood of elvessss with that of what he conssssidered lower racessss. One human, by the name of Amarassss didn't agree with Aerandir, and actively tried to get the young Nienna to run away with him. One day Aerandir caught Amarassss in the act and tried to kill him. Amarassss wassss unarmed but managed to elude being killed and fled the valley into the mountainssss.

A few dayssss after Amarassss fled the valley, a red dragon wassss sssseen flying over. It wassss rumored by many that Amarassss had misssstakenly wandered into itssss lair and woke it up. Areandir knowing better than to believe ssssuch rumorssss dresssssed in hissss battle armor from warssss passsst and rode up in to the mountainssss to sssslay the dragon. The detailssss of their encounter are not known for Aerandir wassss dead when hissss horsssse returned to the village with him sssstrapped to itssss back. There wassss much commotion becausssse Aerandir wassss the only experiencsssed warrior in the whole village.

The following day the dragon returned to the valley and landed in the market ssssquare. The town folkssss being common people fled from it in fear and hid in their homessss. The dragon roared out hissss anger "You have ssssent ssssomeone to try and kill me, Spit Fire, this angerssss me greatly and to calm my anger I demand a ssssacrifice.", then the dragon breathed itssss fiery breath out onto the ssssurrounding buildingssss. It then roared "You have until morning, If I am not ssssatisfied I will burn thissss valley and kill all of you.", with that it leapt into the air and flew off. The town folkssss were quick to act and exssstinguissssh the fire with the losssse of only a few buildingssss.

That evening a town meeting wassss called to disssscussss what they sssshould do. Many wanted to jusssst leave the valley that night and hope the dragon wouldn't noticssse. But othersss ssssaid that if Aerandir hadn't gone up into the mountainssss to attack the dragon none of thissss would have happened. Brilalcarwen, Aerandir'ssss wife, sssstood up and countered that by ssssaying "Aerandir had gone up to destroy the dragon to protect ussss all and if you can’t ssssee that then, you sssshould all just run and pack your thingssss and flee like the ratssss you are". With that sssshe promptly left the meeting. It issssn't known what happened after sssshe left, but the following morning the dragon returned.

Landing oncssse again in the market ssssquare, the dragon roared out "The time hassss come where issss my ssssacrific?" The town people sssslowly came out from their hiding placsssessss and approached the dragon. Glaring down at them Sssspit Fire demanded "Where is my ssssacrificssss?" Before the townsss people could reply, an arrow ssshot over their headssss an hit the dragon at the basssse of the neck. Lurchsssing back in pain the dragon roared and sssspewed fire into the air, at this the people sssscattered to find hiding placessss away from the dragonssss rage. Sssstanding alone at the edge of the market ssssquare wassss Brilalcarwen, holding a bow and aiming a ssssecond arrow at the dragon. "Here issss your ssssacrific wyrn!" Brilalcarwen sssshouted as sssshe let fly the arrow, that alsssso hit the dragon in the neck. Recovering from the attackssss Sssspit fire charged toward Brilalcarwen bellowing "You ssshall be the first to die, then I sssshall burn thissss valley to assssh."

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But before Sssspit Fire had crosssssed half the disssstance to Brilalcarwen another voicssse wassss heard say "Amarassshenthaloussss you will sssstop thissss right now!" It wassss no sssspell but thosssse wordssss had an almosssst magical ability, for time sssseemed to sssstop assss the dragon frozssse in midcharge, Brilalcarwen handssss locked and refussssed to releasssse the arrow that was notchsssed in the bow. The only movement wassss of the young Nienna, ssshe ran up the road that lead off towardssss the Cuthalionssss essstate. Sssstopping between the two enemiessss, sssshe turned to her mother and sssspoke "Put the bow down, you can't kill him and your actionssss won't bring back Areandir." Turning ssssharply without even noticing the great greif that ssssuddenly filled Brilalcarwen facssse, Nienna addresssssed the dragon "And what do you think your doing? Coming down here and sssscaring thesssse poor people, burning their houssssessss. You sssshould be asssshamed of yoursssself!" The dragon sssshrunk back in what could be conssssidered fear if it wassssnt for the huge ssssizssse differencssse between the two figuressss.

At thissss Brilalcarwen dropped the bow and a look of confussssion came over her "You know thisss dragon?" Sssshe assssked. Turning back to her mother Nienna ssssaid "Thissss issss Amarassss, in hissss true form." With that Brilalcarwen finally undersssstood what her hussssband might have ssssusssspected all along. "You can’t have her dragon" Brilalcarwen bitterly sssstated, bending to pick up the bow and arrow. But before sssshe could reach them Nienna sssstepped forward and put her foot on the bow. "Mother that decsssissssion issss not yourssss to make and assss a csssertain thing hassss come to my attention it issss out of your control." Looking up and then frowning and sssstanding up Brilalcarwen assssked "What do you mean?" Nienna ssssmiled turned to look at Amarassss and then turned back to Brilalcarwen and said "I am carrying a child, Amarassss'ssss child." The sssshock and then horror on Brilalcarwen facssse wassss very evident, sssshe compossssed hersssself, sssstraightened her battledress and flatly stated "You are no longer my child be gone with you." And with that sssshe bent over picked up the bow and arrow and walked off toward the Cuthalionssss essstate.

After a few seconds to take it the whole story, you state the question that has been on your mind "But if you are a half-dragon, how is that you look so....?" You pause searching for the proper word only to have it supplied by the stranger "Draconian?" Recovering from the statement and how it seemed almost to be pulled right from your thoughts, you say "Well,... yes".
With a raspy chuckle the figure says "That issss the ssssecond part of the tale. You ssssee when the knowledge sssspread of my mother and Amarassss, sssshe became sssshuned by the valley community sssshe tried to ssssave. With Amarassss'ssss help Nienna left the only placsse sssshe had known assss home. According to my insssstructor, Amarassss arrived at the doorssss to the sssschool with Nienna in the procssesssss of giving birth to me. The sssschool sssstaff did everything they could to help the procssesss along but not being clerical men they had no power to stop the bleeding, Nienna died giving birth to me. When Aramassss heard the news, he flew into a rage and as my insssturctor said it took the combined power of sssseveral of the sssstaff to ssssave the sssschool and to drive my father off the sssschool groundssss.

The sssstaff of the the sssschool were brilliant and wissse men, they took pity on me and raisssed me as one of their own. You ssssee i didn’t look like any half-dragon they had ever sssseen, my head wassss dragon-like, my fingerssss and toessss ended in thick clawssss and my whole body wassss covered with fine red sssscales. My childhood wassssn't easssy, the sssschool taught the arcane artssss and the many sssstudentssss weren't as undersssstanding or assss compassssionent assss the insssstructorssss. I facsssed much ridicule from otherssss and got in a lot of trouble when I couldn't control my anger. My fatherssss hot blood wassss hard to dampen at times. I began learning the artssss at an early age and until the time where I losssst control and killed one of the other sssstudentssss, I wassss on my way to becoming a great mage.

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But the Insssstructorssss ssssaw the danger in keeping a young half-dragon like me around the other sssstudentssss, sssso I wassss ssssent to do my studying in the sssschools great library. Thissss in hind ssssight wassss a misssstake. For the librarian, although he was a wissse man, wassss not a very good parent. I was given accesssss to ever book, tome and sssscroll in the great archive of the library. My sssschooling continued until I came acrosssss a book on half-dragonssss. Thissss book talked of wayssss in which thosssse of dragon desssscent could tap into their draconic blood and become more powerful. This became my goal, to draw upon my dragon half and sssshow the insssstructorssss I wasss ssssomeone they couldn't jusssst hide away in a dusssty old library.

Late one night, in one of the incantassstion roomssss I prepared the sssspell that would unleasssh the power of my fatherssss blood and make me more powerful. Well being the rassssh youth that i wassss I didn’t read the sssspell properly and asssssumed the spell failed. But two sssstrange sssside effectssss happened first I wassss ported to thissss land of Fredian and the other wassss that the sssspell sssucceeded with an interesting bonussss. Assss I gain in power I am becoming more and more draconic in appearancssse.

Sssso as you can ssssee my differencssse in appearancssse is a gift, for with it comessss the power of my father." The stranger concludes. With that, the stranger stands up and you notice that he is not as tall as you expected, but you guess that is due to his elven heritage. You see a fiery smile come from within the hood and the stranger says "Thank you for the warm coffee, but I mussst get back to my ssssearch." the stranger turns to leave.

Puzzled you ask "Search? What are you looking for?"

Turning back towards you he replies "My father, I have many quesssstionssss that only he can anssswer." And with that the stranger turns and steps away, he pauses in front of the now dieing fire, only for a second and you see a small ball of flame fly from the hood and hit it causing it to erupt into a blazing fire once more. This causes much commotion from surrounding tables and startles the harpist enough that she stops playing. He then pauses in front of the harpist and by the many thank yous you hear, can only assume he has tipped her some gold. He then makes his way to the door, pulling his cloak tighter around him and stepping out into the wintry night.

Sitting back you lift your coffee to drink it only to realize it has become cold, looking up you signal to the waitress for another. As she sets the new one down and you instinctively pay her you ask "Pardon me miss, but that man that just left who is he?"

A look of surprise and fear crosses her face at your question then she leans over and whispers "If yous' asking who your drinkin' companion was, he be Isendur Spit Fire, I heard said he is a dragon mage ." She quickly stands up looking around, glances back at you, smiles and walks off to her duties. Leaving you to drink your coffee and think about the strange tale of discovery you were just told.