Concerning the Gem and Ferrous Dragons
Don't mess with the White Flame.
"You think you can just stomp in here and turn me into some kind of whipping boy? You know who I am, right?" "I'm aware. And I don't care. You'll agree to my terms listed in the letter or die. I'll personally be the one to deliver your fresh corpse to the doorstep of the Von Rossweise family." "You may be an overlord, but I'm no pushover myself. Don't pick off more than you can chew, Cinderclaw. This is your last warning." "...Then this will be your last breath."The world of Chromaticos is one of deceit, backstabbing, façades and masquerades. Power-hungry Chromatic dragons have little morals when it comes to increasing their level of control over their continent. Such selfish desires trickle down to the population at large, leaving the peoples within the country stranded in their own fights to maintain some semblance of power. This state of perpetual chaos has waned heavily over the years, leaving Chromaticos on a level of stability akin to the neighboring continent of Metallan. While the ruling class dislike any comparison to their brother species, this comparison is one of the few that is not looked at as disrespectful. The ability to hold oneself to high standard while not sacrificing efficiency can hardly be considered a failure, nor would anyone from the outside looking in see it as a betrayal of ideals. No, anyone who would have such a viewpoint would be foolish. That made the fall all the harder when eleven dragons mirroring the species exiled in the aftermath of the Rebellion attacked not only Chromaticos, but Draconia as a whole in the year 3035 EoD. The capital cities of each region were ravaged by a separate dragon, each one being of the Great Wyrm stage of life. The eleventh dragon attacked the island of Quirin Umer, destroying not only a large section of the temple, but also damaging Io's Gate, the portal that was used by the creator of all dragonkind to ascend to the afterlife.
The ground shook until the earth split, and lightning struck like a furious mother disciplining a child. That was when we saw it. Flapping its wings, descending from the clouds.Those dragons disappeared as swiftly as they struck, finding refuge within the stormy clouds that had converged over the continents. Extensive searches by any dragon capable of lengthy flight time led to no leads on who or what the dragons were, or why they were here to begin with. Not that there was much guessing needed. It was quite obvious. The Ferrous and Gem dragons that had lost the rebellion 2500 years prior had returned to Draconia to take their vengeance. While the investigation turned up no leads, the Overlords were quick to gather their own evidence. Several people, most completely non-related to any of the events, were falsely accused and imprisoned to appease the masses. Random citizens of lesser status, those in the wrong place at the wrong time, even the families or close friends of the leadership caste weren't safe from accusations. Without any real evidence to disprove the made claims, those unfortunate souls were left to rot in prison for the rest of their days, wasting away until their flesh was peeled clean by the insect life of Draconia's own version of hell: the Prison of Briggs known as Ad. For ten years it seemed like they had gotten the right people. The Overlords knew the truth. They were ignorant to what or who was really out there plotting their demise from the shadows. It would only be a matter of time until they struck again, they just didn't know when or how, but they knew it would be harder than their first attempt. There was no guarantee that they would be satisfied demolishing the capital cities, if they wanted to overthrow the government, they'd have to strike at the leaders themselves. They had already shaken the populace's faith in them, all they'd have to do is strike the killing blow. But those ten years crept along, the fear slowly fading into the back of everyone's minds as their lives continued without worry.
It felt like the nightmare was over. We were always worried that they got the wrong people locked up. But it seems like we were just paranoid. Maybe things would start to get back to normal around here.Then, they struck again. At the first of the semi-annual meetings that the Council of Dragons holds on Quirin Umer, the events seemed to get off to a wonderful start. Each overlord had invited personal guests to attend, as they were given pretext that they have a special honor of sorts bestowed upon them, something completely new. In the midst of the ceremonies, a lone figure stood above the hole in the temple ceiling left during the previous attack. Storm clouds formed; lightning struck rapidly as the sky went dark. The figure leaned forward, throwing themselves through the gap and into the meeting. A single bolt of lightning struck their body, shifting their form into a Topaz dragon that engaged in battle with the ten overlords present. The council members and bystanders fled for their lives, not wanting to take the chance that they'd be caught in the crossfire. When day broke hours later, news reached everyone that the Topaz dragon had incapacitated several of the Overlords and fled once again into the sky.
DF12 Birthday Party by ObsessiveAme
Fuck the dragons! I hope they all die and you guys can die too for supporting them!While the simpletons toiled in the dark, unaware of anything that was happening, one Overlord had it all figured out. The Red Dragon Overlord Ralbas Cinderclaw had his spies scattered across Draconia. While the rest of Chromaticos was lowering their standards to become more unified, all he cared about was keeping his power. Any actions that he had committed contradictory to that notion were a ruse meant to appease the mindless masses. He had already quelled one attempt to remove him from power and he had no desire to repeat that process. During these spies' operations, one came back with his memory modified, an affliction noted by one of Ralbas' Dracoguard members. The alteration was reversed through spiritual means, with Ralbas probing into the spy's inner mind to find what secrets were trapped within. He discovered the heart of the operation and the secrets behind it all. The dragons were not actually dragons. They were humanoids given the ability to transform into dragons much like the polymorph spell or a druid's ability to change shapes. But, not only had the spy discovered this secret, he witnessed a meeting between the group of them. Eleven VIP targets and at least fifty other members that were not shifters, but aids sent by their leaders to assist them in anyway they could. With this knowledge, Ralbas sent a letter to the leader of the operation. The letter is noted below. Players in my game aren't allowed to click the spoiler
Hello, dear leader, You may not know who I am, but that does not matter. What does matter is I know who you are, as well as all of your stupid little friends. I can also assume why you have come here, though I care not for that. Your reasoning doesn't really hold any concern to me. I've actually known who you all are for the past five years. After your first attack on our holy grounds, I made sure to station my spies in every corner of the world, including the black market. Were you not aware that I dabble in the dark sphere of politics? If that is the case, I feel bad for your subordinates having to be under the command of such an oblivious blowhard. Anyways, the second attack just confirmed my suspicions. As this letter reaches you, my personal regiment of Dracoguard also find themselves conveniently stationed outside the houses that hold you and your comrades. Don't worry, they won't harm any of you, so long as you listen to what I have to say and agree to my terms. Their lives are in your hands, so I would recommend that you don't act in haste or anger, lest you want to return home a disappointment to your father. Yes, I even know about that too. There may be some hope in your mind that you can escape me. Let me clear the air and be upfront by telling you that you cannot. Even if you were to elude my guardsmen, you will inevitably die horrible, painful, agonizing deaths. And though I may be a cruel man, I am by no means a sadist. I wouldn't want to harm the youngest one you bring with you. After all, she's just a small child wanting to keep her brother safe. How would he react if he finds out his little sister died because of your arrogance? So don't try anything stupid. Just continue to read further and accept my proposal when you get to it. I don't want to waste your gifts; I want to utilize them. My world is on the verge of turning into an unrecognizable shitfest. Despite my efforts in killing troubling politicians or wiping out scourges that plague our lands, nothing seems to stem the decay. The only thing I can do is assert my control over not just my region, but my continent and the entirety of Draconia. This is where you will aid me. We will spread your forces into the Defense Forces that will soon form. Your second attack only hastened that, so I have at least one reason to be grateful to you. These forces will be special military operations groups founded under the guise of defending the world. The truth of their formation was to originally house criminals and troublemakers that had some combat value, then wipe them out when they stopped being useful. Now they at least serve a purpose in "finding" out who you all are. Too bad for them there's no point to it. Your members within the Defense Forces will receive assignments from myself and you to cripple various organizations that stand in my way. The other members of your little group I will install into clerical and governmental positions across the continent. They will weaken those systems from within as well and hasten the downfall of those regions, leaving them ripe for me to overtake. We will repeat this process across the ocean on Metallan as well. My own region of Alezar will remain under my control, of course, as the plague of weakness that rots the rest of Chromaticos does not affect me. The fallen regions will go under my control, but they will serve as your new territory. You will be free to migrate your people back to your home plane. No more exile. You'll all be looked at as heroes that ended your banishment. And you'll also finally gain your dad's acceptance. It must be hard for someone that came here when they were ten years old to not have that unless you complete some grandiose task. You must be at least twenty now, maybe twenty-one? Don't worry. That fear and anxiety you have will disappear soon. I look forward to hearing your acceptance of my proposal. Just let the Dracoguard member that's holding his dagger to your neck know. Should you accept, we'll be in touch. If you decline, well. I appreciate you hearing me out, and I'm glad that the last thing you were probably thinking of before your death was knowing your father never loved you, you failure.
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