The Tribes of Maw Valley

There weren't always dragons in the Valley. My great-grandfather, Chief Searing Cloud, used to tell me stories about how life was for my people before we encountered the great drakes. The nine tribes that made us up, now unified, once held nothing but malice in their hearts for one another. We were quick to anger which in turn made us hateful creatures who killed one another over things that could easily be shared. Things like land and natural resources, now bountiful, felt finite then so we sent our children to fight and die for centuries.

Soon, the smallest of tribes, my birth tribe, found themselves on the brink of destruction when they wandered into Maw Valley led by Chief Long Shadow, my great-great-grandfather. He had tried at a truce with an opposing tribe whose chief seemed to share his interest in peace. That fragile trust was tarnished when they attacked Long Shadow and his tribe in the dead of night while they slept. Heartbroken, he relinquished his efforts at compromise and led his people into the Valley to escape the barbarism that spiraled through the surrounding lands. The Valley was, thankfully, not only vast, but safely nestled between two massive mountain ranges. It was also blessed with an plentiful bounty of resources previously untouched by any other people, so it became easy for my tribe to forget about the outside troubles and go on with their new, secluded lives.

Much time had passed, and the small tribe began to grow prosperous and large within the embrace of the Valley. However, as the years waned, Chief Long Shadow became plagued by nightmares. Visions in his sleep that showed horrid images of our people being tormented and violated by a nearly unstoppable force. The force encroached on our land in monstrous multitudes, emerging from the sea, clad in bright metal. Additionally, his dreams revealed a way to potentially oppose the coming storm. Our salvation would come from our unity; unity that would emerge from beneath the shadow of mighty wings.

Emboldened with glorious purpose and a chance to spare his people and his young son from suffering, Chief Long Shadow left the safety of Maw Valley and embarked on a months-long spiritual quest.

Chief Searing Cloud’s retelling of this part of the tale gets a bit muddled and though there are different versions told among the tribe of what Long Shadow did while he was away, the ending remains the same: Chief Long Shadow returned on the back of a dragon, riding it like one would a horse, with eight more of the beasts in tow.

Some say that Long Shadow ventured deep into the earth and discovered the drakes encased in stone making them seem like no more than statues and after some sort of ritual engraved in the stone, he was able to awaken them. Others believe that he ascended the tallest peak of the neighboring mountains or plunged deep into a lake where a portal to another world waited and transported him to the place the drakes called home.

My great-grandfather believes the truth lies somewhere between all the possible theories. He used to say that our ancestors and the predecessors of the dragons lived in harmony with one another. They were just as numerous as we were and vastly more intelligent. We shared what we could with them, and they did the same until, one day, they started to disappear. Their numbers lessened as the years went by and our wisdom, compassion, and cultural strength died with them.

During his quest, Chief Long Shadow must have realized how tethered our people are to the dragons and their need for us was as great as our need for them. Long Shadow returned with the drakes who had taught him their knowledge and wisdom and with their presence by his side, he united the warring tribes together under a banner of renewed prosperity. The chief of each of the remaining eight tribes were taught of our connection to the dragons so they could in turn teach it to the rest of our people. They were bonded to a dragon of their own as symbol of this connection to be passed down to their children when the time came. Maw Valley became the new seat of my peoples’ and the dragons’ cultural unification.

I, Chief Iron Sky, share a bond with the same drake as my great-great-grandfather once did. I also shared the same haunting visions that come to me as they did for him, and now they have seeped out of my mind and into reality. A large group of people, mostly men, have arrived by way of the sea to our land. They ventured here on massive wooden vessels that float on the surface of the water. Their clothing as well as the implements they carry are made almost entirely out of a metallic material that captures the sun’s light making them appear like motes of brilliant fire walking the earth.

Like Long Shadow before me had done with the opposing tribe, I tried to establish a peaceful rapport with our visitors and discern their purpose here. I made sure to not reveal the dragons to them nor the full might of our collective tribes. At first things were going well, these men seemed cordial and respectful. We met often and shared what we could about the land and its bounty. It took only a few short weeks for them to reveal how barbaric they truly were. During one of our scheduled visits, they attempted to take me captive. Their attempt failed, but resulted in the deaths of my tribesmen who accompanied me. It was then that I became aware of the fact that they were not visitors, but invaders here to steal what we have already cultivated.

My visions have since been confirmed that these men are the nearly unstoppable force that was prophesized within them and within the dreams of my forefathers. They have begun to push inland and establish camps and small settlements that they carve out of our land. They have no respect for the flora and fauna of this land; butchering and burning what they need with reckless abandon. They think we are foolish savages that they can step over or onto to stake claim to what was never theirs. I am no such feebleminded barbarian. I am Chief Iron Sky, leader of the Nine Tribes of Maw Valley, and I ride one of the great dragons alongside my fellow chieftains. This is the war we were meant to fight all our lives and we are more than prepared for it.

These invaders are a dark reflection of what we once were. Our own hateful past has come back to try and tear asunder all that we have built. Our enemy has shown they prefer the closed fist to the open hand so we will bathe them in fire and clothe them in their own blood to be sent back across the sea to the accursed land they dared to journey out from.