River polymorphed into an owl after she left the Market Inn, and flew from the Grey Citadel back into the forest. As she retook her form, she heard Smoke through her dragon’s necklace, “River… I am here … just at the top of the Emonvale Range.. what is happening? You seemed deeply alarmed in your last message?”
River said, “Smoke! Yes, you could definitely say that. I think there’s something terribly wrong in the Draspines and I’m worried about my clan. Do you know about anything going on there?”
“Ever since you left the Dragon Challenge, strange things have been happening amongst the dragons…. once there was a peace, where all dragons had sworn a truce… there are now reports that factions are developing and there is a rumor that the Blacks have allied with something very evil.”
“I do not know what is happening at the Draspine Mountains– I can take you part of the way there, but we will need to be very careful– I will be away from the support of other friendly dragons. Just head north from the Grey Citadel, and down out of the valley. I do not want to land near the Grey Citadel, there is something very evil there– I can sense it even here, where I am.”
Smoke said, “It will probably take you a day to reach me, if you are careful and not followed, and then our flight will be over 150 miles to get the Margreve forest. I dare not fly further over the Margreve… it could violate the truce.”
River replied, “You have my undying gratitude. I can move pretty quietly through the forest, and Anord taught me to polymorph since the last time you saw me so I can always turn into something with wings. There are some other Tabaxi clans in the Margreve and we all have various ties with each other. Get me that far and they’ll help me the rest of the way.”
As she ended her conversation with Smoke, Anord suddenly forced their way into her mind.
“Aisteach….. you are leaving the Grey Citadel? But why? Don’t you appreciate that I have interests there? I have tasks for you there.”
“Your tasks take second place to the safety of my clan. Did you see that vision I had in The Ways? If they’re okay, I’ll head back. Otherwise, if you want me to come back, your best bet is to help me out with them.”
“…’my tasks take second place…’?” Anord asked incredulously.
His tone changed to measured annoyance, “I decide what your priorities will be…. that is what it means to follow me! I give you my power to carry out my will on Vala. I need you to go back to the Grey Citadel… your clan will die regardless — but if you don’t do what I want, all of Vala will die.”
“Thank you for confirming my fears, and consider yourself unfollowed. I’ve told you before I was doing fine before I ever caught your eye, and I’ll do fine carrying on without you. You say I can’t save my clan, but I’m willing to die trying. Get one of your doppelgangers, who are apparently so devoted to you, to go do whatever in the Grey Citadel.”
Several hours later, she arrived in the Emonvale Range to find Smoke curled up in a large ball, napping.
“Smoke… Smoke… c’mon, wake up, Big Fella, we’ve got places to go,” pleaded River.
Smoke opened one eye, taking River in. A puff of smoke exited his nostrils. Without lifting his head, he said, “Where are your friends?”
“Back in the Grey Citadel. I couldn’t ask them to choose between Argone’s people and mine. Hopefully, they’re not too pissed off to come help after they’ve taken care of the Conch. Are you ready? I’ve got it on good authority that things are very wrong in the Draspines.”
Suddenly a shock passed through River and she slumped to the ground as energy was ripped from her being. As she returned to consciousness in front of Smoke, she felt an emptiness and could no longer sense Anord in her mind and soul.
Smoke lifted his head, “River? Are you ok?”
River’s arms tingles and her fur stands on end as Arnod’s power exited her markings.
“Well, shit”, River thought, with a feeling of despair quickly followed by a wave of anger. “Fuck you then, you two-penny hedgemage!” she raged in her head, her tail lashing back and forth. After a moment she turned back to Smoke. “Yes, I’m okay, just some puppet strings being cut. Things just got a bit harder, but not impossible. Are you ready?”
Smoke, thoughtfully, said, “I understand the need for strings to be cut. The dragons, despite our power, have strings placed upon us.” Without elaborating further, he slowly stood, his size and majesty something to behold. He extended his folded wings and flapped them three times as if stretching. “Climb on dragon friend, we have many miles to cover before dark.”
River climbed onto Smoke’s back and braced for his kick away from land. Once airborne, she laid flat along his neck to shelter from the wind of his passage, closed her eyes, and sighed. She mused that they would have to get persnickety right now, but I wasn’t cut out to be a cleric anyway. At least now I don’t have to try to explain it to the clan. If they’re still alive, she thought and shivered.
They flew in silence for a while. Smoke’s slow but powerful flapping of his wings created a deep “Swoosh” noise on the downward arc, followed by a higher-pitched “swish” noise as they raised his wings for another downward stroke. The sound was graceful …powerful, and hypnotic. Occasionally, Smoke snorted, and an acidic smell swept over River, keeping her from dozing off. The acid was strong; the vapors were not enough to harm River, but it was like having smelling salts waved beneath her nose. After a while, Smoke said, “You have only been gone from Varoone for perhaps 2 weeks, and much has changed in D’Hara. A great evil is awakening. You say that your clan is in trouble? What kind of trouble? Do they live in the Margreve Forest or beyond?”
River sighed. “They live beyond. I’m from the Stone Shadow clan of Mountain Tabaxi in the Draspine Mountains. My full name is North River Eye, and I’m what my people call a ‘story roamer.’ I was sent out into the world to keep tabs on ‘civilization’ (and I use that term loosely these days) for a while and to bring that knowledge back to my clan so that they are prepared if they ever have dealings with the people out here. When I first met Argone and the rest of the group in Saltmarsh, we listened to a realm bard one night, and he said that the Moonwell in the Draspine Mountains had been corrupted. My clan ranges not too far from there, so I was a bit concerned but figured they could handle it, or just move away from it if they had to since they’re nomads. When we went to Varoone and found out that Argone’s people were in trouble because the Silver Conch had been stolen from Saltmarsh, and we’d heard rumors that it was in the Grey Citadel, we decided to head there, and I thought that we would just head back to the Draspines to check on my folk afterward.”
“However, our journey from the Crystal Caves to the Grey Citadel went over, or through, or whatever, something called The Ways. When we were in there, each of us had a vision that may or may not have been real. In mine, I saw my people starving and dying. I don’t know why or what was happening, but it scared me enough that by the time we got to the Grey Citadel, I knew I had to go back immediately to ensure everything was okay. However, Argone’s people are in just as much trouble, and I couldn’t ask him to abandon his quest to go off with me on what might or might not be a jumped-up hallucination, so I waited until they’d decided to go out for the evening, told them that I wasn’t feeling well and was going to stay in, wrote them a letter and left it with the innkeeper, and left.”
“My decision to leave had some other… er… repercussions, and I learned from a reliable source that my vision is more than likely true. Now, I need to get back there and either help them or get them out. I know you can’t get me back to the Draspines, but the Mountain Tabaxi clans have ties with the Forest Tabaxi clans in the Margreve. If you can get me within a day or two of the Margreve, I can contact them, and they’ll help me get the rest of the way.”
Smoke was quiet as he considered what River shared. This was his way, quick to listen and slow to speak.
After a long while, he said, “There may be a connection between a breach of the truce and your clan’s troubles. I fear that the troubles you mention are not limited to just Tabaxi. The Moonwell, indeed, has been lost… the Boxes of Kestrel may be in play. I will take you as far north as I can …. but I can’t violate the truce, even though others have. The Moonwell’s death is the first sign of a breach of the truce. There is an approaching storm, I fear.” There was tremendous sadness in his voice.
River snorted. “Hmph, seems like things are going to the hells in a handbasket all over. What is this truce you’re talking about? And what are the Boxes of Kestrel?”
Smoke was quiet again for a while, and the steady beating of his wings was soothing to River’s troubled mind. The rugged mountains of the Grey Citadel Mountains slowly transition into rocky bluffs and then tree-covered rolling hills.
The air was chilly this high up, and as dusk started to fall, Smoke dipped down into the forests below. He found a secluded clearing in the dense woods and lands, allowing River to disembark. There was a clear stream near but not much in the way of edible berries as it was still very early spring (late March).
He curled up, laying his head on his front arms, and stared at his companion.
“You are a collector of stories? Well, I will tell you the story of the Boxes of Kestrel and the Truce.”
Smoke began, “When the Major Gods created Vala, Virelle, the goddess of peace, looked down at the beauty of Vala and wept with joy at what she saw. As her tears fell from the heavens, some of the tears did not soak into the ground but instead held their egg shape and slowly hardened in place. Those that held their form begin to change color, each achieving a different hue.”
“Hundreds of her tears were transformed this way, and soon there were over 1,000 colored teardrops, frozen in shape, across Vala. At that time in Vala’s history, magic permeated every atom and molecule. The world was awash in magic, and as the sun arose, the swirling magical energy of Vala mixed with the beautiful colored tears of Eldath, and her tears were transformed into dragon eggs.”
“Days later, those eggs hatched, and dragons of all colors and types entered Vala—they were the first living creatures.
“All dragons are descendants from Eldath’s tears and were creatures of incredible magic, for our very creation was formed from the tears of God of peace mixed with the divine magical energy that was Vala. We are, by definition, Vala with scales.”
“For centuries, we dragons were the sole inhabitants of Vala. For reasons that we to this day do not understand, Vala’s Major Gods, including Eldath, created other mysterious races, such as the unknowable Builders, commonly believed to have been demigods of what later have become known as the core races (that is elves, dwarves, and humans).”
“These Builders were creatures of tremendous power and literally breathed the magic that existed into every substance of Vala. The Rainbow Serpent was one of the Builders, and she carved the Underdark and many of the cave systems across Vala. Eventually, she was allowed to ascend to the heavens when her work was finished. We dragons did not understand why the Builders, creatures created after us, were given such status. We did not understand why we did not receive the honor of becoming Gods. But as I grow older, I am beginning to understand, and I will try to explain why dragons can’t leave Vala.”
“Eventually, the major and minor races were created—from what many believe were vast games of the Gods in an effort to amuse themselves in a competition of creativity. Like everything on Vala, these races were also blessed with tremendous magical energies. Again, Vala was alive with magical energy as if the entire world was covered with a morning dew of magic.”
“Certainly, the gods themselves had a far more direct role in the world in these early days, for it was during the Age of Creation that the deity Zharulek (also called the Nameless One or the Keeper) was confronted and defeated by an alliance of gods and goddesses, primarily through the acts of Vanyra, the goddess of valor, (who cut open the world and sealed the Keeper in a strange dimension at the world’s core) and Malrikan, God of Locks (who provided a lock and key capable of imprisoning a god).”
“The imprisoning of the Keeper changed Vala—it was no longer a peaceful place, but the very core of Vala, in the Underworld, pulsed with something… something evil. That evil seeped into Vala and changed creatures for the worse.”
“Again, centuries passed, and the first, and arguably the greatest, of humanity’s civilizations, was the continent of Karnosea, a realm of powerful magic whose secrets are still valued today. The Empire of Siriathon, the Magocracy of Orbs, rose near the end of the Age of Legend, founded and ruled by wizards known as Runelords. The most prominent of these Runelords was Draezhor, and he was not satisfied with the tremendous magic powers they had been gifted from the Gods. He began an irreverent attempt to harvest the magical gift into Orbs, including a Huge orb on Karnosea.”
“For centuries, they studied magic and attempted to usurp the magic from the gods themselves in the War of Magic with the Gods. After an epic struggle, Vala’s Gods destroyed the giant Orb the Siriathon’s had created, and in what can only be described as a global magical purge (the Purge), removed the gifted magic from the entire world, moving magic and its threads from the material plane to other planes.”
“The Gods could not destroy or remove magic altogether as by doing so would also destroy Vala. By moving magic away from the material plane, the magic threads that form a covering around the world continued to exist, but almost none of the world’s inhabitants were gifted with magic or even aware of the magic threads.”
“At this same time, they imprisoned Lord Draezhor in the UnderWorld with three magical locks. The elves, humans, and dwarves were responsible for protecting the locks.”
“Before the Magical Purge, every living creature could use magic. The Magocracy of Orbs angered the Gods, and in response, the gods ripped magic from the world. Because the world and magic were so intertwined, it created a ripple that destroyed the very fabric of the world, collapsing mountains, raising seas, and creating huge rips in the crust of the earth, allowing the creatures from the UnderWorld and UnderDark to stream on to the surface of Vala.”
Smoke stopped, catching his breath as a new sadness crept back into his voice.
“I am getting ahead of myself. Before the Gods conducted the Purge, they summoned all the Dragons in Vala. They shared with my kind what they were about to do. The Gods were deeply troubled by the idea of a Purge and there was an argument among the Gods. The dragons did not understand—what did the God’s displeasure with the Magocracy have to do with us?”
“Then it was explained to us.”
“Virelle, with pain on her face, told us that since we were created from her tears and the very magical essence of Vala, it would destroy all of the dragons if the Gods were to remove magic from Vala. There was no way to separate who we were as dragons and the magic– we are magic…. we are Vala.”
“Some dragons pleaded with the Gods for mercy or salvation. Other dragons, angry with what the Builder’s creations had done, attacked cities and towns across Vala to destroy all life and hopefully remove the need for a Purge. This created a divide among the dragons that still exists today – Good dragons, trying to please the Gods and evil dragons, seeking to punish the lesser races for the sins of the Magocracy.”
“The Gods debated the matter for weeks until one lesser God, Kestrel, proposed a solution. He stated that the only way to save the dragons during the Purge was for the Dragons to transfer their life, magic, and energy out of Vala during the Purge. He further explained that he had created a magic box that he believed could hold the transferred magical energy from a creature, and yet the creature’s physical body would continue to live.”
“There was a fierce debate among the Gods regarding this plan, and many demanded a test of this new magic. Kestrel took a small dragon, like a faerie dragon, and with a long incantation, which took 24 hours, he was able to extract the magical energy from the faerie dragon into his box, and yet the dragon lived. Then, the next day, he reversed the process, and the magical energy went back into the faerie dragon as if nothing had happened.”
“The Gods were amazed and commissioned Kestrel to create boxes sufficient in power to hold the dragons’ magical energy.”
“Given that the dragons were in factions at this point, Kestrel proposed that he would create three magic boxes which would hold the good, neutral and evil dragon’s energies separately. The magic boxes, which became known as the Boxes of Kestrel were created. Each was only the size of a loaf of bread.”
“At the proper time, the good, evil and neutral dragons, through Kestrel’s divine power, had most of their magic and even their life essences transferred into the Boxes of Kestrel. Little did they know that they would never get their power back and would forever be changed.”
Smoke paused for a long time.
Finally, he continued. “Each dragon faction agreed to allow Kestrel to conduct the incantation and their very magical life force and energy was moved from their bodies into a Box of Kestrel. The good dragons went first, followed by the neutral dragons. But the evil dragons, sensing that this was their chance to put an end to the other dragons, led an attack against Kestrel as he started the incantation for their box. Kestrel, being a God, was not in danger of harm during this attack, but he was interrupted, and something happened that was not planned. The third box pulled in the evil dragons but also started a mini-Purge, which was not part of the plan. Magic was draining from Vala and the God were not ready for this!”
“Kestrel was horrified to see that the third box of Kestrel, the box containing the evil dragons, was starting to fill with dangerous levels of energy that would potentially explode, killing all evil dragons. He weaved magic between the three boxes and linked them, which allowed the over-filling evil box to transfer some of its energy to the other three boxes, thus creating a permanent link.”
“The crisis was averted, but not before much of Vala’s magical energy had been added to the boxes. Now the dragons’ bodies were still in Vala but their magical powers and energy were in the boxes. Because the dragons were pure magic, they each retained some element of magic, but nowhere near what they had before the Boxes of Kestrel were created.”
“The dragons wondered if they would be able to get their power back, particularly since the amount of extra energy that had entered the boxes and because the boxes were now linked.”
“There was great worry amongst the dragons and the Gods.”
“The Purge happened as planned and the remaining magic in Vala was ripped from this plane and moved to another plane.”
“But as you know, the Purge also ripped holes in the surface of Vala, and the evils that had been permeating deep in the Underdark and the Underworld swarmed the surface of the world.”
“Kestrel begin his process of transferring the dragon’s power back out of the boxes into the dragons, but it was not working! Something was wrong! He stopped and puzzled by the issue.”
“The dragons were horrified and turned on Kestrel.”
“Kestrel dropped his boxes in Vala and fled to another plane and to this day has not opened the Boxes of Kestrel.”
“Without their divine and magical energy dragons, while living long lives, were no longer immortal. This what I am – an ancient dragon nearing the end of my life, and I have not received my birthright—the dragon’s magic that is locked in the Boxes of Kestrel.”
A tear slid down his face.
“But it gets worse—not only will I never get my birth-right, but all Vala could be destroyed if the boxes are opened now because of the truce that was made when Lord Draezhor – the Demon Lord was imprisoned.”
“I won’t bore you with the details of who Lord Draezhor was, but all Vala rose to fight against the demon hordes, and a band of heroes begged the Gods for help. The Gods, knowing of the Boxes of Kestrel, provided instructions to the humans, elves, and dwarves to build locks or protection temples to house the Boxes of Kestrel. Power from those boxes was used to power the locks so that Lord Draezhor can’t escape. The dragons very energy to this day is the solo reason you live, yet the lesser races hunt us and do not honor us.”
“Next, an archmage who was part of the heroes that were battling Lord Draezhor was transformed into a magic sword. I don’t understand how or why, but this sword became a channeling device. The sword could pull magic from the Boxes of Kestrel without opening them, and once the sword had pulled power from all three boxes, it was able to seal the gate to the underworld after the heroes of that time drove Lord Draezhor back into the Underworld. Like a needle and thread – the sword stitched the gate closed.”
“That same sword has the ability to open the very gate that it sealed, but only if the Boxes of Kestrel are opened.”
“Now here is where the Truce comes in.”
“The dragons by this time withdrew from normal interactions with the people of Vala. Even the Good dragons were angry and hurt by their fate and many resorted to raiding the civilized areas as payback. The humans, elves and dwarves cried out to the Gods for help and the Gods summoned the dragons.”
“Again, there was discussion about returning the dragons’ power to them from the Boxes of Kestrel, but Kestrel had not been seen in eons, and no one knew how to undo his magic.”
“Unfortunately, or fortunately, I don’t know which, the Gods were able to determine that if the Boxes of Kestrel were opened without the proper magical spells, all of the dragon magic AND the Vala magic would flood into the dragons and the dragons would become so overwhelmed by the magical flood that they would be destroyed!”
“No dragon wanted to take that risk, but they longed for Kestrel to return and undo his magic.”
“The dragons, desperate for their magical energy in the Boxes of Kestrel not to be lost, asked the Gods to protect the boxes and to organize a search into the planes to find Kestrel.”
“The Gods agreed and hid the Boxes of Kestrel deep within nature, per Virelle’s request. However, the Gods required a truce while the search for Kestrel was ongoing.”
“Pursuant to the terms of the truce, the dragons were not allowed to wage open war against the lesser races, although they could defend themselves if attacked. The gods gave the same terms and warnings to the lesser races and warned them to respect and honor the dragons or the dragons could retaliate. The One Tree was planted by Virelle to represent the truce between the lesser races and the dragons.”
“In order to make the Truce work, the Gods told the lesser races that if they failed to live up to the terms, the Gods would allow the Boxes of Kestrel to be opened, which would like allow Lord Draezhor to escape from his Underworld prison. If that happened, the dragons would die. In other words, both sides would die if the Boxes of Kestrel were opened. To protect against someone accidently opening the Boxes of Kestrel, the boxes were buried deep underground, separately from each other.”
“Because the power and magic of Vala itself was in the boxes along with the dragons’ power, they began to leak. Magical energy leaked and bubbled upwards to the surface, creating the Moonwells.”
“The One Tree, which had been planted by Virelle as a promise to the peoples of Vala, tapped its roots into the wonderful dragon magic and Vala magic that was moving through the underground cave system that the Rainbow Serpent had made centuries before, and flourishes and today creates a barrier of protection.”
“To further protect the Boxes of Kestrel, the Gods called forth Arch Druids and empowered them to maintain the true balance between the truce and to guard the Moonwells.”
“So you see, if a Moonwell has failed, it must mean that the Box of Kestrel that produced the Moonwell is missing and if the Boxes are opened without Kestrel’s magic, the dragons will all die and the Gate holding back Lord Draezhor will be broken and all the lesser races will die.”
“This is why I am helping you get to the Moonwell, but I can’t help fight—I must honor the truce and there could be evil dragons there.”
River was silent for several minutes after Smoke stopped talking, and then stood, walked over to him, and laid her head against his snout while softly caressing his face. “Smoke, I am so, so sorry. I wish… ah, Smoke, I wish I could do more to help you! The god who I… who gave me the power to do the things I did during the Trial wasn’t happy when I left the Grey Citidel and they… I defied them by putting my clan before them and they’ve cut me off. That’s why I collapsed back there when I met up with you. I’m basically powerless! The best I can do right now is hope that I can pull my clan out and get them somewhere safe. But Smoke, I promise… once I can get my people out and my friends come, I promise we’ll go back in and try to find the box and restore the Moonwell. Maybe there’s some way to open the boxes to restore your magic without killing you. Oh, Smoke…” She stopped talking and leaned against him, tears streaming down her face.
Smoke nuzzled against River as she stroked his scales, his closed eyes moist with dragon tears.
“If you wanted to help the dragons, you must find the Boxes of Kestrel and keep them safe until Kestrel can be found and forced to undo his magic.”
“I will, Smoke. As soon as I get my people out… I’m not sure if my friends are coming or not, but as soon as my clan is safe, I’ll go back in and try to find the box and keep it safe.”
After time spent trying to comfort Smoke, and exhausted by the day’s exertions and revelations, River finally curled up next to Smoke and fell asleep.
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