When I was a Dragon
It all began in a time before the world was made again. A time when dragons were nearly as great as the gods. Into this world I was hatched, a wee darling of silver and ice that slept and played with my clutch under the watchful eyes of our mother. We lived in a fluffy lair of clouds Mother had forged into a labyrinth of tunnels and chambers to confound those few who managed to find it, as well as to hide her wondrous trove from rival dragons.
When we grew from hatchlings to wyrmlings, Mother took us out into the world to learn it for a decade or two before deciding we were ready to explore the world on our own. My exploring lasted decades that turned to centuries and I learned much of magic that fascinated me more than anything else. To my shame, I was so fascinated that I failed to notice the chaos unleashed by that vile traitor of all dragon kind, Eternos. By the time I did notice, it was too late.
The demons, creatures of chaos, had overrun the world and broken it. In that moment, we all learned the truth of the world and how truly insignificant we all were compared to the Great Father of All. The world was remade but into two parts, one to be the true world and the second to serve as a moon and home of the gods. Punishments were dealt out. And it was to the dragons that the worst punishments fell. Understandable, since the bulk of dragon kind had followed Eternos but it was still terrible. Not one dragon who had lived upon the world before the breaking was allowed to ever live upon it again. It was either total destruction or banishment to the small world under the direct rule of the gods.
When I was a Tome
I chose Godsheim but longed to explore and study the remade world. But there was no way I, as one of THE dragons, could ever do so. I struggled for ages trying to find a way, but failed. In my failure, I turned to Boki, the goddess of magic, for solace, finally yielding to my faith. She was a boon to my soul and it was she who found a solution. She needed a tome that could teach the magic knowledge she wrote within it to the right souls while also protecting that knowledge. This tome would live upon the world, in the hands of her devoted. Of course, I accepted such a role and welcomed the change from my magnificent dragon form to that of a tome.
Oh, it was glorious to exist upon the world! For nearly five thousand years I taught the way of Boki to her devoted, who were all manner of creatures. And then, I came to a sect of her devoted who called themselves The Brethren. An interesting name when not all of them were male, something they had deliberately planned so their female brethren could work with even more secrecy than they did. And secrecy was their most important tenet after devotion to Boki.
The Brethren had stumbled upon a ritual generations in the making and realized that its outcome was inevitable, though when it happened could be delayed. They dedicated themselves to sabotaging the ritual in every way they could. Then, one day, they were forced to carry out their sabotage of last resort that brought about
The End Of Instant. People found themselves scattered about the world. And it left me with the leader of the Brethren.
When I was a Familiar
During the next three years, we adventured! Living as simple spice traders while still managing to keep our eyes on the plotters who had spent generations gathering all they needed to bring about their ritual. They, too, had been scattered about the world. Scattered also meant weakened, and there was hope for the Brethren to again sabotage their efforts. Tragically, the Brethren leader was murdered by one of Them. I needed to hide and so I arranged to be changed from a tome into a familiar with two living forms: that of a Sturdy Toad and a Feathered Flying Viper. The grandson of the murdered Brethren leader became my "master" and I became his teacher. What can we do now? The answer remains in the future.
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