The Journey Of The Dragons The Journey of the Dragons A Journey Begins Chapter one The Dragons . In a land where Dragons roam free without the fear of being hunted, you could not go a day without seeing one soar gracefully above you in the clear blue sky. These Dragons would dive and glide through the sky and the great mountains that shot out of the ground. In these mountains you would find many Dragons, as they were a place of sanctuary for the great beasts. In these sanctuary’s they could peacefully rest without being disturbed by other inhabitants of the world. Other known sanctuaries would be behind waterfalls, where the cool fresh flowing water rushing and being mixed up would provide a serene and refreshing place to be. Some also would reside in the woods within the Elven Kingdom having the safety of the trees and serenity of its surroundings. This was done to worship the powerful creatures of old and to show their respect and of course to show their appreciation, for the Dragons produced so much power that the magic which flowed through their veins had an effect on the world in its entirety. In this world species such as Elves, Dwarves and men all worship the Dragons because they kept them alive, however as with any world there are the darker creatures such as Trolls, Goblins and Orks which normally reside in the Darker parts of the earth and do not worship the Dragons, instead they have no god and only focus on keeping their species growing in order to assure power over their lands and defence against other creatures that would cause any threat. Dragons were strong fire breathing magical Beasts which act as a major part of the world which they live in, by using their powers to regenerate the magic which surrounds every creature and every part of the world. Due to this, many different species gave respect to these great beasts. Due to this power the entire world was encircled with a ring of magical essence keeping peace and harmony throughout the land where no wickedness had arose apart from that which had already been lurking in the Darkness far away in the distant lands south of Shelfsor, where the Dwarf lords house and vast halls stood, within the great city protected by an impenetrable wall built by the Dwarf people. As although there was peace in the land it had not always been that way where it was in the days of despair and darkness, dwindled fools, scorned names and the craving of power by not just the evil lords of the south however also that of the Men, Elves and the Dwarfs. This was a time where territorial battles where at hand mostly driven by the man kind; striving to push their boundaries further to become the most dominant race on the earth; however the darkness which had clouded their minds had brewed after many years of torture, death and betrayal. The Elven folk due to their ancient teachings and elegances managed to avoid the darkness in most of their provinces, yet still the houses of Rachdor and Rallidon which were situated closest to the darkness of the southern west lands were overcome and they began a war against the Dwarf people. Furthermore going against Elven teachings burning and pillaging as if they were no better than Orks making their way to the great Dwarf hall’s in the east. The Dwarf lords heard of these grim tidings and knowing they could not defend both armies’ that raged towards them, sent everyone who was old and strong enough to work on building a huge wall in which to defend themselves against the measure of power they expected to face in the months to pass. As word spread of what remained untouched by what the Dwarves now called the ‘Dark Elves’ or by some ‘the Elves of death’, they headed as swiftly as possible to the land now called Shelfsor meaning in the ancient tongue of the Dwarf, ‘The Great wall City’, as at the time it was known as the chamber the lords, however it had the best chance of survival against the armies as it was surrounded by mountains and this was paramount in the completion of the wall. The wall that was being built was enforced with steel and iron from the mines as they felt that stone would not be enough to hold them. The Dwarf lords decided it had to be higher than any wall had ever been, and as a consequence many fell in the building of the great wall, nevertheless this was something which had to be sacrificed to save the lives of many. During this time Relek son of Ballach of the house of Rachdor and Badillion son of Rollin of the house of Rallidon, marched their armies almost mindlessly through villages and the shadow of their purpose was purely to enslave, kill, rape and pillage anything that stood in their way from the great Dwarf halls. Some of the Elven folk marching with these houses would occasionally try and escape the band of their fellow elves as if they had awoken from a spell. In spite of this as soon as the clouds of darkness had lifted and they realised the goings on within their own house they had but little time to think; as while fleeing there was a chance of being struck by an arrow in the head or possibly while disorientated a Dwarf warrior hewed their axe through them. It was not a pleasant time for these races which later on in these tales you will see as some older Dwarves will always remember the slaughter of their people caused by the Elven houses. There is also a tale of a Dwarf father named Aolin, son of Desrin of the house of Tersaken. Aolin had witnessed the destruction of his village and his wife and kin personally, he saw them being raped and then hung by the elf lord himself Relek, son of Ballach. Aolin managed to flee and was not pursued by the Dark elves as they moved on never stopping only to rest so they could continue in their aspirations. This is where Aolin took a path though the mountains to seek help of the outcast Dwarves and bring heed of his tidings. He encounters many foes in his travels however they all fell before him and eventually Aolin son of Desrin slays the Elf lord while Relek was sleeping in his chambers after another Dwarf city was successfully destroyed. This is the last we hear of Aolin, son of Desrin as he disappeared into the night. Some say he returned to the outcasts in the mountains others say he took his own #life once he had completed his final judgment upon the elf lord, and was returned to his family in the next world. However others to this day though a thousand years after this event see an old Dwarf like figure in the mountains ever searching for his kin driven mad the torment he suffered while wondering alone in the mountains all those years. Isolation is not something of which most would wish bestowed upon themselves or others. This would end the tale of Aolin son of Desrin of the house of Tersaken. Going back to the dark pillage of the dark elves many tried to overcome them but still each elf was much stronger and far more superior to any Dwarf and all seemed hopeless. However many of the Dwarf kind began a road to the great halls (Shelfsor) and only the stubborn stayed behind to fight. This helped the building of the wall and also meant when the time came they would have been strengthened by the other clans and houses that had joined them in the great defence of Shelfsor and the last of the Dwarves of the great hall and the Dwarf lords. The Dark Elves came at them not expecting the wall to be so stalwart and immense in stature. The Elven lord ordered a direct thrust of all their strength to focus on the weakest part of the wall near the gate as it seemed the building work had been poorer there given the months that had passed since the wall was started but little did the Elf lord Badillion know the Dwarf lords had ordered one area of the wall to look ill built and behind that which no Elf could see a solid wall of steel and iron. Even though the wall seemed impenetrable and they would survive the assault the Dwarf lords were worried and troubled deeply as they could not understand why the Dragons had not come to their aid in such desperate times. This was due to their attention being drawn elsewhere as the Men were also fighting and this was waged against the Elves whom had not been overcome by the darkness. Therefore the Dragons had not noticed the evil doings going on in the east, and all their strength was being used to fight the Darkness and stop the unnecessary destruction in the west. But by now the word Dragon had been scorned in Shelfsor, as they could not understand why they were left alone and were unaware of the tidings from the west. The defending of Shelfsor went on for weeks as the elf lord was constantly withdrawing from reach of the arrows to re plan his attack. It was on the sixth week where Badillion, son of Rollin of the house of Rallidon fell by the hands of his guard as the darkness that had surrounded the land was rescinding and the guard and the rest or the Elves had realised what their lord was causing which ended the siege on Shelfsor. What remained of the Elves retreated to their province’s and on the long journey home had for the first time witnessed what they had done. To this day they are still known as the Dark Elves never leaving their house in the Dark woods and the heirs of these houses had both lived on for they were but children and their mothers had cared for them during the year they had they had been gone. When the Dwarves had heard word of what was happening all over the land they were still fearful of men coming through the mountains from the west as they left the northern lands. However as finally the Last of the evil and the great spell has rescinded, the Dragon which often visited Shelfsor in the halls returned once again. Yet he was not welcomed by all he told the lords of his tidings of the land and of the south and the west. It also learned of what had happened as was still oblivious to wall and why he was not welcomed with open arms, as he had not noticed the destruction on the ground where the Dark elves had ravished through. As a token of grace the great Dragon offered to help rebuild their once peaceful land and though this would not bring back those who had fell it was accepted. Once he had kept his promise and helped rebuild, the Dragons called a meeting in a forest to the north and decided because of the tragedy in the east they would appoint Dragon Keepers from all points of the land from Man, Elven and Dwarf like so that never again would anything like this go unnoticed. 

From the Man realm the Redscale House and the Toldin house were picked for the great honour. From the Redscale house Shaleg, son of Tre and Terago, son of Mer, and from the house Akrim, son of Argio and Clew, son of Dorag. These men were to pass down their responsibilities to their first born son and theirs so on and so forth unless one did not bear a son then a brother would take his place if he fell or was unable to continue. For no woman at that time was seen physically fit to become neither a keeper nor even a soldier of the realm. From the Elven realm there was Baracliat, son of Tendel and Upsorp, son of Angarp of the Greyish house and Tandril, son of Elegin and the strong Turgin, son of Dadrin of the Balagion house. Therefore the Men and Elven folk were named to protect alongside their god like winged beasts. However yet one more kind were granted such honour for the Dwarves Gulin, son of Gogridden and his brother Ackweken son of Gogridden from the Mertakien house and the last of the keepers names was that of the Tersaken house one was meant to have been Aolin and Berethn, son of Claith but as Aolin had been rumoured to have fell he was swiftly replaced by Gleg, son of Teig, not the Dragons first choice but none the less had proven a noble warrior in the great defence of Shelfsor. So there it was twelve keepers were to be befriended by twelve Dragons and protect the land and share council and wisdom with one another. The stories of the Keepers is yet another of many tales in the Journey of the Dragons on this land as it involved many battles against a feared foe full of woe, darkness and despair. And only that of the keepers sort full hearted and courageous would dare challenge the might of the evil that lay before them. An evil lord named Lochmort now ruled over the south and the Orks that would follow as he now had the power to control one of the Dragons that had dwelled in the south for many years. However has never had to care for anything but itself and in addition to this the dragon had developed a hatred for others due to this it was easy to control for Lochmort, as evil knew evil and could understand the will of the beast. This therefore unleashed a fight of beast against beast in those old times where the likes of Goldthorn and Shellington, that were two great Dragons that stood as tall of that of twenty men, fought with great might against their foes. They would now have to contend with the great and ever growing danger of Grading the evil Dragon of the South and now a servant of evil working alongside Lochmort. Grading was however unlike other Dragons as by now he was almost double in size and had not one but two large gaping mouths filled with razor sharp bone crushing teeth, which could both breathe fire, unlike the standard one mouthed Dragons. This would mean the riders already were up against a beast which surpassed that of their own, a strong attacking force and weapon indeed for the Dark Lord of the south. Yet this again is another tale. If we go back to Goldthorn and Shellington, these Dragons were two of the high Dragons, which had been based on their skill, power and leadership skills. More than once had they pressed a victory on the battlefield against evil that dared to oppose the great beasts. The powers which they possessed were different to that of Grading as where he used pure evil they tapped into the good magic. Which could be stronger since the land was encircled by this magic and could be called upon in times of need. Yet later they would find when facing their foe in the southern lands the evil source would be so great that they would have to rely on their own powers within to defeat their foe for that area of the land had but little good left, which sadly caused weaker Dragons their lives as they fell into the molten sharp rocky surface. Goldthorn and Shellington had many powers some of which included the ability to keep their rider acclimatised so if they were travelling through the frozen peaks they would not be cold and if they were in the hottest volcano they would yet feel no such warmth. Later in the Journey we see Goldthorn helping the world again except a much greater foe with the help of Shellington and help from an unexpected source. The battle that was spoken of with the Dragons was that of one of great magnitude. The Dwarves, Elven folk and Men with the Keepers and their Dragons met their foe at his own gates, yet though many fell the battle was won. The evil Dragon Grading was stuck down by Goldthorn and Shellington with their riders, and it was Terago, son of Mer from the Redscale house who wielded the sword Dragoflam and struck down the beast and his master while riding on Goldthorn. Dragoflam will later be explained however it is recognised by all as the Great Dragoflam and all who witness it are afraid or merry as it reminds them of the defeat of Lord Lochmort and of Grading. Orks, Goblins and all things evil would flee in sight of the weapon as it held unimaginable power when both keeper and Dragon were together. However due to the sands of time many keepers fell by age, ill health or were slain along with their Dragon in battles defending their land or of course the great battle of the south. The Redscale house was known as the most noble at that time as it was their house that had defeated the evil. However as generations passed and more peaceful times were known to the lands, ones kin became more of an importance to the Keepers rather than their Dragon companion. And so it was that the dragons returned to their sanctuaries in the waterfalls, caves or huge dwellings in the Elven Kingdoms. The Redscale house removed itself from the #life of where it had got their reputation from. The Families settled down had children whom had families of their own until after plague and time there was only three members of the house left, which would be the last of the Keepers eventually for Men as the Toldin house had diminished and bore no sons to carry on the honour. The story of the great battle would show how many keepers and Dragons lost their lives therefore explaining the drop in the numbers of keepers. But due to the peaceful times that followed, need there was not to start choosing more keepers in which to replace them. Most became normal men defending the realm to keep a status others like our Heroes house become blacksmiths honouring Dragoflam and all weapons like it thus passing on their respect. As the years did pass the tales became less told and now only whispers fairy tales or something to frighten the children. Therefore many of the kin of the riders had no knowledge of their house’s past or history. Yet one from the Elven house of Greyish Fonter Veilia a young Elf brought in from the house of Rallidon knew of the tales and the teachings of the riders. This was due to the Elven folk’s immortality and the elders had passed on their knowledge of all things of old. This young man grew in stature much stronger than others of his new house and seemed like he always had black clouds over him and was always alone studying the Dragons of old, quizzing about their powers and of their history. This was a worry and troubled the higher elves as the man seemed distant and reminded them of the Dark Elven days as he seemed to walk as if mindless. Eventually he fled from the land in search of great Dragons to closely survey their power in an attempt to harness it for his own doing to become all powerful. For once he could do this Dragons could be controlled, as only once before had this been done, however the elf thought that he could be more successful. He eventually took control of one of the beasts and twisted it to his liking, himself becoming a sorcerer and as Lord Lochmort before him took dwelling in the south where he gathered an army of huge power to once again plunge the land into darkness and despair. However this time the Dragons had but no Keepers and no longer were it known for armies to gather as great as before. In the mean time however in the land of Men a young Blacksmith Peter Redscale was committed to helping his family by doing work every day from sun rise to sun set. Yet he did have some free time where Peter would practice his sword fighting with his best friend and this is where the journey begins. Chapter 2 The Dragon Sanctuary “I will strike you down and there’s nothing you can do to stop me, your pathetic skills with your weapons will be your downfall!” shouted Peter. “Never the sky will fall before you defeat me Peter, I have gotten a lot stronger since we last, met and your underestimation of me will be the cause of your defeat”, rapidly replied Scott. The two best friends were practicing their weapon skills, Peter was acting as an evil sorcerer and Scott was acting as the brave warrior who fights for all that is good. Peter and Scott were practicing in a great field full of lush green grass which the sheep and other livestock in the village were feeding on. This field was surrounded by a large oak forest that led to the bottom of Mount Besida which marked the outskirts of the land of Men otherwise known as Clorfossil. Peter’s village was right on the borders of Clorfossil which meant there were defences posted all round the village. However Peter and Scott had always dreamed of being warriors and defenders of the realm, as they were stuck in the professions of their fathers. As Scott was a carpenter his #life was simple but his dreams were kept alive as the sessions with Peter boosted his confidence and moral and brought him away from the reality of his #life. The wind was blowing lightly through the trees and the field that was used for the fight between Peter and Scott. Usually it would be clam with no breeze and this would mean that the friends would tire more easily. “Why will you not attack? Are you scared Scott? Do you think I will defeat you in one blow?” asked Peter. “No I am waiting for you to make the first move great sorcerer, with your power I shouldn’t be a challenge” replied Scott. Then all of a sudden Peter swung for Scott with his wooden sword then he tripped and Scott thrusted his sword at Peter’s neck. This then showed that Peter had lost and good was restored. “Lucky hit, if I had not fallen you would have been defeated that time Scott. I suppose I will try again tomorrow as we have been out for too long now and I am afraid I must retire as I need to rest, for I have much to do tomorrow. Mr Beagle from North Cleartown has requested two of my finest swords” “You are right it was a lucky shot but you need to be more careful on your movement or you will always lose no matter who your opponent. I must retire too. I agree that we have been out for too long if we are to have sufficient rest for tomorrow. I have to get more material or I will fall behind with the village’s requests. I will see you again at the same time tomorrow then. Goodnight Peter”, replied Scott. “Good night Scott”, shouted Peter. Peter made his way back to his home on the top of the hill near the loch where in the evening at sundown the sun set is the most elegant thing you can witness in the village and Peter every night sat at his doorstop and watched the sight before going in to rest. However this time when sitting comfortably at his doorstep watching the sun set, Peter noticed in the background a burst of fire coming from behind the Gia Waterfall at the end of the loch. This made Peter curious however due to him being up at sunrise the next day he had to retire for the night and investigate his curiosity at the end of the next day. That night when Peter lay on his bed he could not sleep for the waterfalls burst of flames had fixated in his dreams and his dream found him taking his small boat to the waterfall and trying to get behind the water however some strange force was pushing him back from the water and a strange voice whispering. “Stay back” Each time he tried to enter the waterfall cave. Peter tried to get in one more time and a great burst of fire shot through the water which was thundering down. At that point Peter woke up, sweating like he was in a volcano. Peter then looked to where he was lying and noticed his sheets were soaking wet, this he could not understand as it had been a cool night. Could it have been his dream was real? At that point he noticed it was time to get up anyway, and made his way through to the eating area of the house. There waiting for him with his breakfast was his mother, standing in the sunlight shining through the window with a light blue gown and a smile as big as the ocean on her face. Just the sight of her would make men fall to their knees when she walked back from the market. Peter noticed that she had placed a plate with crispy bacon, eggs and freshly squeezed orange juice on the table ready for Peter before he left for another hard days labour with his father. “Good morning Peter pleasant sleep?” asked Mrs Redscale. “Morning mother, I had a very strange dream about the waterfall and when I woke my bed was soaking!” replied Peter. “I’m sure it as just your sweat dear after all it was quite warm last night” Peter could tell his mother was just making him feel better as it was quite cool that night and he felt she was keeping something from him. However he thought he would leave it and check for himself later that night, therefore Peter replied, “Yea that’s probably what it was mum, well thanks for the breakfast it looks delicious” Peter then started to eat his breakfast as he would need to eat it all if he was to be ready for he had a very busy day ahead of him and needed all the energy he could possibly get. Once Peter had finished his breakfast he changed clothes and made his way to the blacksmiths. On this walk down to work he visited Scott at the carpenters to let him know of what happened last night and instead of practicing they would be going to the waterfall to investigate the flames from the night before. Scott agreed and Peter made his way to the blacksmiths to make swords for Mr Beagle so he did not have to stay behind to carry out extra work. This would give Peter even more time to check out the waterfall after the day was over. Peter walked up to the door of the blacksmiths to be met by his father. His father was a very large man, well built like an ox and long bushy brown hair hanging down to his shoulders carrying a large Metal bar. He then began to talk to Peter. “Peter your late! Mr Beagle is coming all the way from the north to collect his swords and you haven’t started yet. May the gods help you if you do not get those finished in time son... well what are you waiting for go!” “Yes father!” shouted Peter. Peter then began to shape and make moulds for the swords to give them an elegant look. While looking into the fire while making the swords his mind was still at Gia Waterfall trying to find a way in. Before he knew, it was almost time for Mr Beagle to arrive. The two swords were finished and these swords were made especially to be strong yet light. They could cut a log in half and yet you wouldn’t break a sweat. Soon after Mr Beagle’s Horse could be seen in the distance coming towards the village as the Blacksmith overlooked the road entering the village. Mr Beagle rode in to the Blacksmith, jumped off his horse and shouted, “Good afternoon men, where’s my swords then? They better be ready, as I did not ride for a day to find that my swords have been forgotten” “Of course, of course Mr Beagle they have been finished and are awaiting you to pick them up” Mr Beagle then laughed and started to walk towards Peter and placed his hand on Peter’s shoulder and whispered, “Well done my boy” Peter then started to tell Mr Beagle the details of the swords and that even with their strength they were still very light which would be handy if was ever needed to be used in battle. While Peter was talking Mr Beagle pulled a sword from a bag he was carrying and handed it to Peter. This sword was shaped like a Dragons tail with a silver handle which looked like flames coming the sides. Peter had never seen such a well made sword before in his entire #life. Peter took the sword and began to test the sword it was as light as a feather and when he swung to hit a piece of old wood sitting in the corner of the room it was if the sword guided itself to the wood and sliced it was an apple. “That sword my boy was handmade in the depths of the mines in the mountains in the far east of the elf realm and Dragon Fire was used to weld the sword which means this sword possesses a natural magic surrounding, which is said to protect the carrier. However...