The Birth of a Land
(Dunkan's Tale, as told by the mage himself)
Taggius Knight and Drax
Come sit, and listen, and I will recite the tale of Draconia and thus...Od'tumna. Good, 'tis a tale of wonder and magic, love and heartbreak.
You see, Draconia was born nearly 50,000 years ago; it was the life essence of the oldest living Gold Dragon, Dracius. When he passed away, he willed his essence to grow and to evolve, becoming something for all to enjoy. And enjoy we did! At the first sign of life Draconia was a wonderful place, with golden streams of pure cool water, fruit filled orchards and fertile farm lands. There were dragons galore, every color you could think of, and they lived in harmony along with all kinds of beings, some magical, some not.
All were living peacefully together; there had been no wars or evil in the world, and it was the perfect place to live, but, as always seems to happen, the gods get jealous of a wondrous place full of harmony. They placed an evil seed in Draconia: a black dragon was born,and named Ash, for he was as dark as the midnight sky when the moon decided not to rise.
All the dragons lived in the deep caverns you now call Od’tumna. Ash grew up learning all the arts of the dragons, except he turned them all towards the black art. It was apparent to all that Ash was not like the others: he had hate in his soul, and disrespect for humans, orcs, ogres, goblins and all other races on Draconia. He felt they were insubordinate and should be used merely as slaves or for food. Now, this did not set well with the Golden Dragons who had come to rule over Draconia. They summoned Ash and banned him from the land, stating that he needed to find a new realm in which to live. Instead Ash had secretly turned many dragons to his side: the black, red and green had sworn their liege to Ash, and had started to enslave other inhabitants of Draconia.
This started many many years of wars amongst them, during which time Ash had come to learn that other races could serve him well. He started recruiting mages and turning them on to the black arts. Then came the assassins and thieves. The evil was spreading on Draconia, and the fight for power was great. There was a balance that had come about and lasted for tens of thousands of years. During this time Ash had taken fancy to one particular elf that had showed great promise; he was a natural at the art of magic and had a raw power that, if it could be harnessed, would rule for eternity.
Ash turned Orodreth (the aforesaid elf) to the black arts by showing him the powers he had dreamed of as a lowly apprentice. The Black Elf Orodreth grew stronger with every passing year, and together Ash and Orodreth slowly started turning the power of the land to the dark side.
About this time a very beautiful elvin maiden caught the attention of Orodreth. Her name was L`uthien Oranr`a : she was as pure as the snow and as beautiful as the sunset over the valley. Orodreth did everything he could to get her attention but L`uthien was not interested in someone with such a black heart, or as cold as Orodreth.
Instead L`uthien had secretly fallen in love with an Ogre named Taggster. They kept their love secret for many years, only meeting in the forest when they were sure no one was around. Eventually Orodreth became so obsessed with L`uthien that he had her followed, and when he learned of the love the two shared he became enraged! Orodreth followed L`uthien into the forest and waited until they were together, then he summoned creatures from the bowels of Draconia to come forth and take Taggster captive. The creatures were so large and strong that Taggster was easily overpowered. Orodreth then tortured Taggster in front of L`uthien. Taggster was nearly dead when Orodreth gave L`uthien a choice: marry him and he would spare Taggster, or decline, and watch him die! Before L`uthien could say a word, Taggster, in a last ditch effort, managed to get loose and attacked Orodreth.....but Orodreth used his black magic to kill Taggster. L`uthien ran and knelt down beside Taggster crying and confessing her eternal love for the ogre. Upon hearing this, Orodreth was enraged, and he struck L`uthien, knocking her away from Taggster. Orodreth stood over the body of Taggster chanting .....this caused the ogre's body to glow, and in a bright flame, it vanished. As L`uthien watched she cried and continued to confess her love for Taggster. Unbeknownst to Orodreth, however, they were not alone, for watching them was Camthlion Arcamenel, who, upon hearing her continued confession, took the soul of Taggster and placed it in the womb of L`uthien. What happened next was not foreseen, and would end up changing the history of Draconia forever. Orodreth, at the heighth of his rage, raped L`uthien, then took her to his tower and locked her away so she could bear him a son. He then gave her one last chance to be with him, or die a terrible death.
Now we jump ahead several months to the birthing of the child of Orodreth......
The time had come. L`uthien was having the child forced upon her by Orodreth. All indications had shown the child was going to be extremely healthy. As Orodreth and Ash waited for the next evil disciple to be born and the midwives were tending to L`uthien, screams...horrible screams were heard coming from the room were L`uthien lay; Orodreth and Ash were informed that there were not one, but two children born! Orodreth smiled thinking they were of his bloodline, and that with his two sons he would rule the world! The children were brought out to Orodreth and Ash, but it was apparent something was wrong; when the midwives came through the door, in their arms, wrapped in blankets, was one small frail sickly looking child, while the other was strong and healthy and much bigger then his brother.
Orodreth then noticed that one child looked like him, and as he pulled the sheet from over the face to see the one that favored him, he saw it was the frail one. He walked over to the other; the midwives had said it did not look like him, but (wisely) did not say who the child looked like. He pulled the covers from the face of the 2nd born and screamed "Damn you Camthlion Arcamenel! I will have my revenge!" He tried to kill the 2nd born (and the mother as well) but was unable to, as it seemed the two were protected someway. So instead he cursed the child to remain the size of a baby lion cub.....what he did not know was that the curse would only affect his size and not his heart or his strength. This would be discovered later....
Once Orodreth realized he could not kill the L`uthien or her "bastard" child, he banished them from the Elven Village and forced them to live in the Enchanted forest. L`uthien packed her child and left the village with mixed reactions from the villagers. She would name the child Taggius Knight, honoring her true love, Taggster. Meanwhile Orodreth took the frail child and named him Elrohil; he would take THIS child and teach him the black arts and strengthen him through them as well: he would eventually become the perfect Dark Mage.
On the other hand, L`uthien and Taggius would live a life of fear, never knowing when Orodreth may try to come and take their lives or torture them; but Tagg (as his mother would call him) really did not seem to worry about that. As a matter of fact, Tagg had made life in the Enchanted Forest somewhat enjoyable since he had come to be friends with all the forest creatures. They had learned that Tagg would protect them against trappers and hunters, and in return, they would leave food they had forraged for Tagg and his mother.
Elrohil, on the other hand, become dark and evil; his eyes had lost all feeling, and his heart had grown cold and as hard and as black as coal. He had immersed himself in the black arts, and was growing stronger everyday, his soul shriveled and dead. Elrohil would spy on his younger brother, and his hatred for him grew as the years passed. Elrohil had learned how to torture and enjoyed it immensely, all the while planning a hideous revenge on his brother in order to get his father's approval.
Tagg grew up shunned by the elves and the ogres. No one wanted a thing to do with him or his mother, so she took him to a nearby place in the Enchanted Woods that had been made off limits by the Dark Mage Leader. He grew up there carefree, even though his mother always worried about him. As he grew it became apparent that the curse had not affected his strength, for he was as strong as his 10 foot tall father.
Tagg would later meet a young elvin woman who would become his wife. One day during one of his many hunting expeditions in which he would hunt for food and/or forest creatures in need, he happened upon a Golden Dragon that had been ensnared in a trap by its enemies. He watched from the tree line as the Dracs tortured the dragon, and decided to help him. When the dracs had drunk themselves to sleep, he snuck in and loosed the Dragon from his captors. That is how he met DRAX, a 1200 year old Gold Dragon. They became friends and Drax even started training Tagg in the art of magic and combat, using all weapons known to man so he could become part of an Elite Knighthood. Drax took Tagg deep into the caverns underneath Draconia where he had metals unknown to the world; there he forged armor, swords, and weapons with the heat of the caverns and his magic. The armor was nearly impenetrable, as light as a feather, and it allowed Tagg great speed, unlike other plate. His swords were as sharp as a dragon's tooth and never lost their edge as long as he kept them polished on a regular basis. Tagg became an expert with the swords and daggers; he also became skilled in magic, or, as DRAX always said, he knew magic well enough to get himself into trouble, and out of it.
As the years went by, Tagg’s skill progressed, and he and Drax became a formidable pair. They fought many a battle together including the Dragon wars, the war of the Mages, and many others ......all the while Elrohil grew stronger as well, and was leading the onslaught in the battle of the Mages. This battle would become legend as the brothers clashed on the field of battle. When the two collided on the battlefield, all other fighting stopped save for these two. The other soldiers and dragons watched as what was believed to be the true forms of evil and good, fought. The fight lasted for days; it appeared neither one was stronger than the other. They BOTH fought well: Elrohil would use his magic, but Tagg would counter most of the time, and his expert swordsmanship would get the better of Elrohill from time to time.
Then, it appeared that Elrohil as getting the better of Tagg, as he started mocking him. He had Tagg on the ground and was about to administer the fatal blow, but just before he did, he told Tagg, "When I am done with you, then I will take the life of our mother as well!" Suddenly Tagg was on his feet, and before anyone knew what had happened, he was standing over the headless body of his brother, Elrohil.
Years went by, and the balance of power had shifted towards the light, and everything was
getting back to normal (or..as normal as any world fighting goodness against evil COULD get).
Suddenly Tagg’s mother took ill. It was a cruel illness that killed her slowly... then his son and daughter... and finally, his wife. This would later be call the Disease, and it slowly started to kill Draconia. A huge war broke out trying to destroy the Disease. This battle would unite all kinds on Draconia, as they slowly lost their world. The high mages had decided to send their best warriors in search of a cure, but just as Tagg and Drax were about to leave, the Disease came bursting in, showing for the first time, his true form:
....IT WAS ELROHIL, Tagg's own brother...
Drax sent Tagg on his way, and turned to fight. That was the last Tagg would see of Drax and Draconia.
Thus, here in Od'tumna, my good people, we must find a way to defeat this "brother" of Tagg....and see if it is even possible to find and restore Drakonia to her former glory. THAT is why we are here.....
You see, Draconia was born nearly 50,000 years ago; it was the life essence of the oldest living Gold Dragon, Dracius. When he passed away, he willed his essence to grow and to evolve, becoming something for all to enjoy. And enjoy we did! At the first sign of life Draconia was a wonderful place, with golden streams of pure cool water, fruit filled orchards and fertile farm lands. There were dragons galore, every color you could think of, and they lived in harmony along with all kinds of beings, some magical, some not.
All were living peacefully together; there had been no wars or evil in the world, and it was the perfect place to live, but, as always seems to happen, the gods get jealous of a wondrous place full of harmony. They placed an evil seed in Draconia: a black dragon was born,and named Ash, for he was as dark as the midnight sky when the moon decided not to rise.
All the dragons lived in the deep caverns you now call Od’tumna. Ash grew up learning all the arts of the dragons, except he turned them all towards the black art. It was apparent to all that Ash was not like the others: he had hate in his soul, and disrespect for humans, orcs, ogres, goblins and all other races on Draconia. He felt they were insubordinate and should be used merely as slaves or for food. Now, this did not set well with the Golden Dragons who had come to rule over Draconia. They summoned Ash and banned him from the land, stating that he needed to find a new realm in which to live. Instead Ash had secretly turned many dragons to his side: the black, red and green had sworn their liege to Ash, and had started to enslave other inhabitants of Draconia.
This started many many years of wars amongst them, during which time Ash had come to learn that other races could serve him well. He started recruiting mages and turning them on to the black arts. Then came the assassins and thieves. The evil was spreading on Draconia, and the fight for power was great. There was a balance that had come about and lasted for tens of thousands of years. During this time Ash had taken fancy to one particular elf that had showed great promise; he was a natural at the art of magic and had a raw power that, if it could be harnessed, would rule for eternity.
Ash turned Orodreth (the aforesaid elf) to the black arts by showing him the powers he had dreamed of as a lowly apprentice. The Black Elf Orodreth grew stronger with every passing year, and together Ash and Orodreth slowly started turning the power of the land to the dark side.
About this time a very beautiful elvin maiden caught the attention of Orodreth. Her name was L`uthien Oranr`a : she was as pure as the snow and as beautiful as the sunset over the valley. Orodreth did everything he could to get her attention but L`uthien was not interested in someone with such a black heart, or as cold as Orodreth.
Instead L`uthien had secretly fallen in love with an Ogre named Taggster. They kept their love secret for many years, only meeting in the forest when they were sure no one was around. Eventually Orodreth became so obsessed with L`uthien that he had her followed, and when he learned of the love the two shared he became enraged! Orodreth followed L`uthien into the forest and waited until they were together, then he summoned creatures from the bowels of Draconia to come forth and take Taggster captive. The creatures were so large and strong that Taggster was easily overpowered. Orodreth then tortured Taggster in front of L`uthien. Taggster was nearly dead when Orodreth gave L`uthien a choice: marry him and he would spare Taggster, or decline, and watch him die! Before L`uthien could say a word, Taggster, in a last ditch effort, managed to get loose and attacked Orodreth.....but Orodreth used his black magic to kill Taggster. L`uthien ran and knelt down beside Taggster crying and confessing her eternal love for the ogre. Upon hearing this, Orodreth was enraged, and he struck L`uthien, knocking her away from Taggster. Orodreth stood over the body of Taggster chanting .....this caused the ogre's body to glow, and in a bright flame, it vanished. As L`uthien watched she cried and continued to confess her love for Taggster. Unbeknownst to Orodreth, however, they were not alone, for watching them was Camthlion Arcamenel, who, upon hearing her continued confession, took the soul of Taggster and placed it in the womb of L`uthien. What happened next was not foreseen, and would end up changing the history of Draconia forever. Orodreth, at the heighth of his rage, raped L`uthien, then took her to his tower and locked her away so she could bear him a son. He then gave her one last chance to be with him, or die a terrible death.
Now we jump ahead several months to the birthing of the child of Orodreth......
The time had come. L`uthien was having the child forced upon her by Orodreth. All indications had shown the child was going to be extremely healthy. As Orodreth and Ash waited for the next evil disciple to be born and the midwives were tending to L`uthien, screams...horrible screams were heard coming from the room were L`uthien lay; Orodreth and Ash were informed that there were not one, but two children born! Orodreth smiled thinking they were of his bloodline, and that with his two sons he would rule the world! The children were brought out to Orodreth and Ash, but it was apparent something was wrong; when the midwives came through the door, in their arms, wrapped in blankets, was one small frail sickly looking child, while the other was strong and healthy and much bigger then his brother.
Orodreth then noticed that one child looked like him, and as he pulled the sheet from over the face to see the one that favored him, he saw it was the frail one. He walked over to the other; the midwives had said it did not look like him, but (wisely) did not say who the child looked like. He pulled the covers from the face of the 2nd born and screamed "Damn you Camthlion Arcamenel! I will have my revenge!" He tried to kill the 2nd born (and the mother as well) but was unable to, as it seemed the two were protected someway. So instead he cursed the child to remain the size of a baby lion cub.....what he did not know was that the curse would only affect his size and not his heart or his strength. This would be discovered later....
Once Orodreth realized he could not kill the L`uthien or her "bastard" child, he banished them from the Elven Village and forced them to live in the Enchanted forest. L`uthien packed her child and left the village with mixed reactions from the villagers. She would name the child Taggius Knight, honoring her true love, Taggster. Meanwhile Orodreth took the frail child and named him Elrohil; he would take THIS child and teach him the black arts and strengthen him through them as well: he would eventually become the perfect Dark Mage.
On the other hand, L`uthien and Taggius would live a life of fear, never knowing when Orodreth may try to come and take their lives or torture them; but Tagg (as his mother would call him) really did not seem to worry about that. As a matter of fact, Tagg had made life in the Enchanted Forest somewhat enjoyable since he had come to be friends with all the forest creatures. They had learned that Tagg would protect them against trappers and hunters, and in return, they would leave food they had forraged for Tagg and his mother.
Elrohil, on the other hand, become dark and evil; his eyes had lost all feeling, and his heart had grown cold and as hard and as black as coal. He had immersed himself in the black arts, and was growing stronger everyday, his soul shriveled and dead. Elrohil would spy on his younger brother, and his hatred for him grew as the years passed. Elrohil had learned how to torture and enjoyed it immensely, all the while planning a hideous revenge on his brother in order to get his father's approval.
Tagg grew up shunned by the elves and the ogres. No one wanted a thing to do with him or his mother, so she took him to a nearby place in the Enchanted Woods that had been made off limits by the Dark Mage Leader. He grew up there carefree, even though his mother always worried about him. As he grew it became apparent that the curse had not affected his strength, for he was as strong as his 10 foot tall father.
Tagg would later meet a young elvin woman who would become his wife. One day during one of his many hunting expeditions in which he would hunt for food and/or forest creatures in need, he happened upon a Golden Dragon that had been ensnared in a trap by its enemies. He watched from the tree line as the Dracs tortured the dragon, and decided to help him. When the dracs had drunk themselves to sleep, he snuck in and loosed the Dragon from his captors. That is how he met DRAX, a 1200 year old Gold Dragon. They became friends and Drax even started training Tagg in the art of magic and combat, using all weapons known to man so he could become part of an Elite Knighthood. Drax took Tagg deep into the caverns underneath Draconia where he had metals unknown to the world; there he forged armor, swords, and weapons with the heat of the caverns and his magic. The armor was nearly impenetrable, as light as a feather, and it allowed Tagg great speed, unlike other plate. His swords were as sharp as a dragon's tooth and never lost their edge as long as he kept them polished on a regular basis. Tagg became an expert with the swords and daggers; he also became skilled in magic, or, as DRAX always said, he knew magic well enough to get himself into trouble, and out of it.
As the years went by, Tagg’s skill progressed, and he and Drax became a formidable pair. They fought many a battle together including the Dragon wars, the war of the Mages, and many others ......all the while Elrohil grew stronger as well, and was leading the onslaught in the battle of the Mages. This battle would become legend as the brothers clashed on the field of battle. When the two collided on the battlefield, all other fighting stopped save for these two. The other soldiers and dragons watched as what was believed to be the true forms of evil and good, fought. The fight lasted for days; it appeared neither one was stronger than the other. They BOTH fought well: Elrohil would use his magic, but Tagg would counter most of the time, and his expert swordsmanship would get the better of Elrohill from time to time.
Then, it appeared that Elrohil as getting the better of Tagg, as he started mocking him. He had Tagg on the ground and was about to administer the fatal blow, but just before he did, he told Tagg, "When I am done with you, then I will take the life of our mother as well!" Suddenly Tagg was on his feet, and before anyone knew what had happened, he was standing over the headless body of his brother, Elrohil.
Years went by, and the balance of power had shifted towards the light, and everything was
getting back to normal (or..as normal as any world fighting goodness against evil COULD get).
Suddenly Tagg’s mother took ill. It was a cruel illness that killed her slowly... then his son and daughter... and finally, his wife. This would later be call the Disease, and it slowly started to kill Draconia. A huge war broke out trying to destroy the Disease. This battle would unite all kinds on Draconia, as they slowly lost their world. The high mages had decided to send their best warriors in search of a cure, but just as Tagg and Drax were about to leave, the Disease came bursting in, showing for the first time, his true form:
....IT WAS ELROHIL, Tagg's own brother...
Drax sent Tagg on his way, and turned to fight. That was the last Tagg would see of Drax and Draconia.
Thus, here in Od'tumna, my good people, we must find a way to defeat this "brother" of Tagg....and see if it is even possible to find and restore Drakonia to her former glory. THAT is why we are here.....