The Legacy of The Firedrake Queen, Arha Katash

Written by CalofGearva

Many eras of The Wraith Globe were dark, but none, past or present, were more abominable than The Tyranny of Dragons. The Dragonborn was rebuked and cast off the main continent, forced to experience and slow and strenuous death at sea. The remaining individuals were left to endure a terrible existence, hiding on the fringes of once-great cities, simply trying to find food for the night and not become food themselves. It seemed as if all hope was lost: The Finite Races would slowly fade off the great canvas of existence, forgotten by the artist of this great masterpiece forever... However, the death of one lowly maiden changed this disastrous turn of events. One young Half-Orc girl, Arha Karash, became the drive behind the great sword that would inevitably pierce the fierce heart of the ferocious Dragonkind. Even the death of this maiden would be powerful, as, without it, the peoples of The Main Continent would have never been united like they are now.

Summary

In 706 PG, Arha's human mother, Saadia Katash, was forced to marry a wicked Orcish Chieftan, Scrag Katash. Scrag was an evil man, simply wanting Saadia for looks and his own pleasure. Arha was unwanted by Scrag, but Saadia and Arha managed to escape Scrag.
After escaping their wicked and twisted Orcish captor, Arha was self-educated by her mother as they traveled from town to town, searching for a place to settle down after almost 30 years in an Orc town. A kind young man, Percival Everard, was living in a shelter that was protected from the ruin of the Dragonkind. Arha was then formally educated in a class of other children, but throughout her early life in the shelter, her surrounding taught her what a truly desperate state The Finite Races were in, and her unstoppable drive had something to say about this but was just waiting for the right moment to speak...
at the young age of 16, Arha killed a dragon singlehandedly with nothing but a single spear split in half. As the creature charged recklessly at the child, she launched the cheaply-smithed polearm directly down the worm's throat, choking the all-consuming fire from its hateful eyes. She hollowed out the skull of the beast and wore it as a helmet. She was a machine on the battlefield, moving like a dancer across the bloodied soil, always knowing exactly where to strike. Barely a year after her first dragon, she narrowly managed to take down an adult red dragon, tricking the devilish being into thinking she was a helpless peasant girl running along with her family after her hamlet was burned to scorching embers, but it was a ruse. Karash threw off the cloak concealing her identity and managed to get behind the dragon and out of its vision in some incredible feat of camouflage. she yelled at the dragon, catching its attention and allowing the homeless villagers to escape the situation. The wicked flying worm slowly turned to face the diminutive figure, and she returned its awe-inspiring presence with a single taunt. "You thought you could eat that whole village?! I don't even think you can get through my body alone!" She taunted, following her statement with a full-bellied Orcish laugh. In one moment, The maiden had been swallowed whole by the ravenous beast. However, that was not the end of her. After sliding down the slime-covered esophagus of the Dragon, she produced two short swords from her waist and started to slash away at the insides of the monster. She slowly tunneled through the boiling-hot flesh until she reached the vulnerable heart of the supposedly-wise brute, and cut it to ribbons, immediately killing the dragon. 20 minutes later, she emerged from the mouth of the corpse, hoisting the enormous slab of heart over her head in one hand. With many supporters behind her, The Finite Races slowly started to conquer the land which had been theirs for more than a century. However, tragedy soon befell the warrior now deemed by many as "The Firedrake Queen".
Karash believed she could take on the source of this evil, Tiamat, considered to be The Queen of Dragons. Arha never returned from her epic. However, this figure's death did not lower the morale of The Finite Races. Instead, it drove them to fight harder and longer for the land that had been unrightfully taken from them. The dragons were pushed to the brink, and then suddenly disappeared, only to be seen on The Main Continent in increasing rarity. They are now considered absolutely legendary creatures, but none except for Tiamat are more legendary than the great Firedrake Queen, Arha Karash, The First Dragonslayer!

Historical Basis

This "myth" is historically confirmed. Ancient records now referred to as "The Draconic Chronicles" tell of the epic character, slaying dragons left and right, and leading the Finite Races on the most direct path back to freedom and security. Some critics still doubt the existence of such a powerful character, saying it would be impossible to slay a full-grown red dragon alone, but many believe in Arha Katash and refer to her as a real historical figure. It is unknown if some of her heroic acts are exaggerated, but it is believed by many scholars that she may not have always acted alone, meaning she might have not been as powerful as The Dragonic Chronicles made it out to be. There is much speculation over this one singular question. Some believe there is no exaggeration involved, and all of the Dragonic Chronicles are purely truth. Some are indifferent, while some don't even believe that Arha Katash was ever a real figure, and just a fake leader, made to unite the people and build up a resistance against The Dragonkind. Of all the eras of The Wraith Globe, this is the second most undocumented era, behind Artoyus by a large margin.

Spread

As The Tyranny of Dragons did not spread to The Outer Continents, this legend is not spread near as far there, but in The Main continent, this is common history that every moderately-educated child knows of. There are also quite a few figures of speech based on The Firedrake Queen, a couple of which include...

• By the power of The Firedrake Queen, strengthen me!

• By Arha's crimson tresses!!?

Variations & Mutation

Some believe that Katash actually defeated Tiamat, and is still journeying home. Much like The Odyssey of Greek Mythology, the journey home was much more difficult than the actual objective of the epic. These believers think that Arha died on the journey home, and are still searching for her body all over The Main Continent.

Cultural Reception

The legend is received well by a large majority of The Finite Races. One large exception is a sect of Dragonborn which call themselves "The Servants of Dragonkind". They perceive Katash as a demonic mass-murderer, killing hundreds of dragons in her life. This group, like Kobolds, consider dragons to be their gods. They believe that dragons should rule the world, and wish that The Tyranny of Dragons would have ended with Arha corpse skewered on the jaws of a dragon and The Finite Races dying off quickly as they helplessly look on at everything they once knew and love, turned to smoldering embers.

In Art

There is no recorded art of The Firedrake Queen. It is unknown why this is but, it is believed that the scenes of savagery that Arha would produce after killing tens of dragons would make even the most seasoned doctor or warrior faint in an instant.

"If we look to what we imagine the future to be, there is no need to look to the past."

Date of First Recording

It is believed that Arha recorded her life and achievements herself, anticipating her fame and legacy. However, after she died, he mother, Saadia Katash, finished the work and published it as "The Dragonic Chronicles".

Date of Setting

720 PG - 727 PG

Related People

• Arha Karash, The First Dragonslayer