Arkson's Splendour
Summary
A fine silver ring, embedded with a series of highly condensed, water-aspected crysium blocks in the band. The crowning piece is a round cut of alexandrite, its shimmering light dancing in its peculiar hues. An inscription on the inner band is written in a dialect of draconic found in Lophern several thousand years ago. Since translation was finished, it reads: "For my son, whom leaves our garden, we are always with you". Dragons are not ones to bother with spying, for their formidable might is often enough the direct approach works. All things being what they are, not all dragons have the strength to usurp their superiors. Nor do all dragons arrogantly overlook the power of many cooperating peoples. Such is the case with Arkson, an otherwise unremarkable dragon of an entirely forgotten lineage. No one really knows where he came from, and there is much speculation, but the damages he left in Aerthen have reverberated for millennia. Long before the Aerthen Imperial Federation formed, and even the Imperium itself, all sorts of noble queendoms stretched across Aerthen. A reasonable peace had settled about them, busier with the problems of the Forsaken and the Relentless than each other. However, disagreements flared up, which quickly turned to acts of war. The northern region fell to in-fighting with alarming quickness, a fire that spread to the south just as quickly. Numerous queendoms burned down in the fervent wars, sparking more undead and further complicating matters. Eventually, the ruling powers in primitive Votyoger realized something unusual was going on. Great dragon Votyoger clans migrated upward, quelling the wars and dethroning many powers. The conflict catalyzed in a large-scale battle between them and the many species displaced by their encroachment. At the end of the battle, the victorious dragons found the oddity--one of their own had led their enemies, wearing the skin and flesh of a human. Facing capture, this dragon killed himself with a secret poison capsule. It would be, out of all of his belongings, that his ring garnered the most attention. This dragon had assumed a form otherwise impossible to do, all with the help of it and water magic. Through some arcane method, he wrapped himself in magic water that gave him the most convincing illusion, even able to imitate tactile sensation. With his death, several notable figures throughout Aerthen suddenly vanished at once, as if they were ghosts. It was deduced that this mystery dragon, ostensibly called Arkson, was responsible for impersonating highly influential people. Great suspicions fell upon the dragons and their ilk, all too suddenly aware of their own inability to figure out who was who. This grand reveal forced their collective retreat, and they spent much time and effort into studying Arkson's arcane techniques. Water magic, chiefly overlooked until then, became a topic of intense scrutiny, investment, and development. As it would be, Arkson inadvertently became the father of spying and subterfuge as the dragons in Votyoger conceived of. Thus, where they went, so did Arkson's school of water secrets. Arkson's ultimate fate is, paradoxically, unknown. His body vanished and so never saw proper internment, with some speculating he became undead. Nor has anyone found his family line or their place of home, despite scouring Lophern for any trace. Some ruins that contained similar writings were discovered much later on. Whoever had lived there, though, had been dead longer than even draconic history could recall. As for his ring, its typically apart of a collection of other powerful artifacts locked up in Votyoger. Only the greatest of dragon engineers or wokma scholars are allowed near it and others. For many, it is simply a curious note of an ever curious period in time. The rest of Aerthen is a bit more sore about the subject. Arkson's actions is how many of the longer lived species keep old grudges and blood oaths with and against each other.Mechanics & Inner Workings
The ring itself serves as a magical focus and regulation device. As one wraps themselves in magic water, a sort of keystone is needed to stabilize the 'illusion'. This subdues the magical aura, stabilizes the water shell and whatever it looks like. The truly remarkable aspect is its ability to do so, as the ring was built with an absurd hyper-specialty to that exact task. Even an amateur spy would be able to maintain a good disguise with it, and someone of Arkson's skill would be perfectly indistinguishable.
Significance
Arkson and his splendorous ring defined spy work in Votyoger, becoming the ancestor figure of the profession. His utilization of water magic for his strange method of disguise became a recognizable method in Votyoger, Aerthen, and Lophern. To an extent, he is also credited for being the sole reason water magic schools as a whole took off in proper earnest. Great powers became vastly intrigued by its potential, and so even completely unrelated schools of water magic owe their livelihood to him.
By the same token, however, powerful countermeasures arose which dramatically limited its effectiveness. Eventually it was largely abandoned as a method of spying, and other efforts replaced it--such as paid turncoats, grooming loyal servants to infiltrate, and the like. In modern times its usage has, humorously, revitalized for performance arts and theatre. It has allowed one actor to take on any number of roles, and so the only living examples really left are found in entertainment.
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