The Dragon's Curse

“There weren’t always dragons in the valley. Displaced, homeless, and feral. No. Once the race of dragons was grand, sophisticated, and glorious. Then, they lived atop the Mota mountains. There, they spent the nights so close to the stars that the great clockwork of the sky was etched into their very hearts. By gazing at those stars, the memories of all history were brought before them. Solemn and stoic, the dragon was, for the most part, disinterested by those other races of the word. The races of Unicorn, Men, and countless others that are now lost to history.”

“Where are these mountains? Can you tell us how to get there?”

“They are in the north, hemmed in by the forests of Blokem. No man has ever been known to survive in those forests, full of strange, unearthly creatures. Absolutely impenetrable, these forests guarded the mountains from any would-be explorer or conquistador. Of all the intellectual species, only the dragon was known to enter these forests and return again from them, always with a fresh kill, meat of any sort of mysterious animal, to make his supper and feed his family.

"It was only in the rarest circumstances that the dragons would visit men. And even rarer that they would invite men to visit their kingdom. The only method of access would necessitate being carried by the regal-winged creatures over the forests and into the unimaginable heights of the Mota Mountains. Inevitably, men who made the journey would suffer from oxygen deprivation in those altitudes. Therefore, these visits were all the rarer.

"Yes, in those days the Dragon Kingdom was like a secret island society. The world of the dragons was higher than all others, and knowing of all others, and admired by all others.

"But things are much different now, eh? Why, now the dragon is treated like a glamorous dog and men buy and sell them like livestock in the valleys of Hewnhock where the ravines hide their not-so-secret commerce. So, you say, there have been attempts to illegalize this trade? There has been no attempt to end the slavery.”

“Tell me, wise one, How did it all happen? What led to this misfortune of the Dragons?”

“Do not call me ‘Wise One!’ Baah! Is that my reputation in the far world beyond these confines? The Dragon is my brother. Therefore I learn his story and keep it with my heart. This is not wisdom, only a cursed love.”

“My apologies, but please, tell us how the dragons fell.”

“The truth disturbs the people to the point that they have chosen to forget it, I see.”

“Perhaps. I would not know.”

“Sit and listen closely, silently, I will tell you the story…

There are many people in this world, many creatures, many cultures, many languages. But all have this one thing in common: all creatures shudder in fear at the sound of the name of evil: Lucexearaz. Some say he is a monster, others say an evil spirit. Some say he is dead while others will tell you he never existed. But even the doubters are afraid of the thought of such an evil being. The stories of Lucexearaz are old and, some would say, myth. You must decide what you will believe as you listen to the story I will tell you.

Long ago, the world was a very different place. In those days, dragons were much like men and giants, sorchi and the winged-horses. Like all these other races, they built their own kingdoms and had their own governments. They could speak and had a great intellect. They had laws, traditions, beliefs and values. And their culture was beautiful.

But Lucexearaz enjoys destroying beautiful things.

That is why Lucexearaz visited the dragon king, Vagakr. This he did during the winter, a strange winter unlike any that has been matched in history. For many months, the cold winds threw ice against the peaks of the Mota Mountains, and the snow drifts in the forest kept the forest creatures hiding in dens and caves far longer than was typical of any hibernating species. Hunting had been unsuccessful for many weeks, and the dragons were unable to provide fresh meat for their hungry offspring. The sky was unrelenting in its precipitation, and the white ice built up continuously on every surface. The dragons would dig and claw it away from their cave entrances, but each time they broke through to see the world, the sky was grey and there was no sign of sun or moon. And the winds were so fierce that those dragons who dared to attempt flight were hurled about and often dashed against the rocks and wounded. Vagakr moaned in his cave knowing that the winter was weakening his kingdom, his people. His own offspring writhed in hunger at the back of the cave, under the wing of the dragon queen, Yatah.

Then Lucexearaz came into the cave and spoke to Vagakr. The dragon king was disgusted with the evil one who dared to enter his palace, and demanded to know by what power he came across the forests of Blokim and up the mountain heights.

“By the same power that will end this winter for you, if you agree to take my advice.”

“You can offer nothing but evil, go bother the men in the valleys. I dare to believe it is YOU who have brought this storm.”

“And I will give you the power to defeat this snow and ice. You and your people need not die here in the cold. Is it evil to save your kingdom from impending doom?”

“It is my duty to save my kingdom and my people from evil-doers like you.”

Then the queen, Yatah, lept to her feet and stood beside her husband and hissed. “Our children will die of this winter if you do not find a solution, King. Will you listen to the one who brings power? Learn at the least what he offers before you reject it.”

Vagakr said to Lucexearaz, “What is your proposal?”

“I will grant you, oh King Vagakr, a power unimaginable, which shall make you again the most powerful creature on the earth. From the depth of your lungs shall alight a heat which will drive away all the cold. From your very breath, you will melt away all the snow and ice which you see devouring your kingdom. By fire, you will set your mountain free from this scourge. A fire so great, that you will drive even the clouds away from your land. And that heat which is in your lungs shall never be put out, nor shall you fear it eating at you from inside. It will stay there for the rest of your days, and your children shall carry it as well, and indeed, all of their children till the end of time. You will be fire breathers. And every creature on the earth will fear you and your children, forever.”

“And what will you require in return?” asked the king. “You are known to offer good only in return for evil. What sort of curse do you intend to strike me with?”

“It is a simple thing. You shall no longer be quite content to spend all your days upon these mountains. Rather, you will become interested in and curious of the societies of Men. This shall not bother you much, nor disrupt your way of life. But, it is a trait that will grow in intensity with each passing generation. Because of this, your descendants will spread their wings in far-off places, beyond the forests of Blokim and across the sea. They shall see all parts of the earth, and wherever they go, they shall be the wonder of all who see them. For they will be the Fire-Breathers! Fierce and powerful!”

Lucexearaz held out a small morsel of magic resembling a burnt biscuit and set it down at the feet of the royal couple. “If you do nothing, no one will save you from this winter. If you but eat this, all I have told you will come true.”

Vagakr was uneasy. He didn’t notice by what method Lucexearaz left the cave. Yatah stood by him and they stared at the magic morsel with heavy thoughts and hungry bellies. They quarreled, and their children watched them. They considered throwing the morsel off the mountain. Would some other animal find it? They could bury it. They could eat it. What is the worst that could come of it? How honest was that evil, mysterious Lucexearaz? Then they argued over who should eat it. They finally agreed to both eat and suffer the consequences and the glory together.

That was the day dragons first breathed fire.

They did indeed drive away the snow and ice that day. And magically, the eternal clouds disappeared. The dragon people stood in awe of their rulers and their new power, and they bowed deeply, trembling with a fear that no dragon had ever known before.

This fear and this power was a curse of its own. In the years that followed, the social dynamic of the dragons was upset by this development. The royal dragons had a great burning strength of fire that was not always used for the good of all. It could be used as a tool of oppression. It was used as bribery. Dragons would fight each other for the right to marry into the royal family, to hand this power on to their own offspring. There was war amongst the great lizards. And chaos ruled. While some dragons fought bloody battles in their old mountain homes, others traveled far to seek the peace of the distant world and to learn about the society of men. Men who were nearly powerless in a world of dragons and giants. Men who even in war, were so limited in meting out destruction. Men who farmed crops and tamed beasts and built ships. Men who would rather befriend those more powerful races, than fight those races.

Lucexearaz had cursed the dragon race by giving each dragon a strange desire for human companionship. In fact, the dragons no longer trusted themselves to make wise decisions and began asking men to make decisions for them. As their own kingdom fell apart, they turned to men for solutions to their own civil war. Most men, however, are not very wise, nevertheless, they quickly discovered their new power over dragon minds. As generations passed, the dragon curse grew more severe and dragons went from being simply obsessed with men, to completely devoted to them. Soon the world found itself in a very large, senseless war as confused dragons fought the battles of angry men. These were perhaps the most chaotic times that ever were in history.

But Lucexearaz can not create a curse without also creating a cure. In the far north, there is a certain mountain which is made of that crimson mineral which is called ‘Dragon Rock.’ One might say that Dragon Rock is the soul of the dragons’ curse. The Rock first came to the cities of man by way of strange traders whom many trusted like road-side bandits. Very few actually believed the story of a crimson mineral containing power. But it was not long before the power was proven. For these traders were trained in the magic of the Dragon Rock and alongside them traveled dragons who acted differently from all others. These were not confused creatures, constantly going from one man to another in search of their place, as most dragons were. These knew their place, their path. These were under the spell of the Rock, each bound to only one master, a master who wore a bracelet cuff, embedded with the red Rock of the north mountains. These were tame animals, not a displaced people.

With time, men began to learn the magic of the Dragon Rock, and the responsibility was given to three men of Nopel to keep all the knowledge of the power. This task was given by King Mobee who had many dealings with the Dragon Rock Traders from the north. Outside the city of Eba, three towers were built for the work of these three Keepers. Over the ages, the Keepers would each train one to follow in the work of forging the bracelets and so continue the tradition. It became the way of the Keepers to care about the best interests of the dragons and they were quite diligent in bestowing the bracelets only to those who proved themselves worthy of the responsibility of being Dragon-Lord.

In those early days, a man who wore a dozen Dragon Bracelets might be followed by a dozen dragons, and soon became the richest war-lord in the land. And so it was not long before one such war-lord by the name of Anabairus gathered his league of twenty dragons and brought battle to the towers of Eba. A man could only control as many dragons as he could fit bracelets upon his arms, but Anabairus hoped to take control of the supply. If he controlled the stock, no man could rise in power without his allowance.

The battle was great, but Anabairus was faced with more foes than his army could handle, for the armies of Eba had their dragons and were sworn to protect the way of the Keepers. However, the towers were destroyed and only one Keeper survived. This entire event raised the great question. What would be the fate of the Dragon race?

The last Keeper relocated his forge to what is now known as Dragon Island where the great lizards give birth. Meanwhile, those races of the world besides men and dragons decided that action must be taken to prevent further war as result of the odd balance of power. Soldiers were sent in all directions to every corner of the world to find someone knowledgeable in the magic of the Dragon Rock. For twenty years more soldiers were sent, and for twenty years none returned.

It was the forty-sixth year after the destruction of the towers and over three thousand years since the beginning of the curse when one soldier finally returned to Eba. Hamian of the Desert Peoples had found one who claimed to have both the knowledge and power to bring the Dragon-Lord Era to an end.