"Then, at the very height of our civilization, our race became so strong in magic, our wizards so infused with power, that we could no longer contain the magic within ourselves. A time of great turmoil came upon us, and our entire race was ripped asunder by our own magic. Many of our more powerful magic-users evolved into the race of dragons, that being the reason why the higher dragon forms retain the ability to assume the Eldar form, just as many Eldar can take the form of a small gray dragon. This would also seem to explain the origin of the drakes, an intermediate form.
"But while a part of our people became dragons, the magic was ripped away from other members of our race, and those became the modern elves, diminished in power, in stature, and in their span of years, for modern elves live only a few hundred years, while the Eldar, like the dragons, live for thousands. A small core of our race remained unchanged from what we were before, and that core still survives here in Wind-reach. I cannot say if this legend has any truth, although there is much evidence to support it. Both the draconic and elven inhabitants of Windreach are very fond of this tale, and most prefer to believe it, since it binds the civilized dragons and the Eldar in almost brotherly ties."
"The Great One himself acknowledges the strong possibility of that tie, although it happened long before he became an Immortal," Kharendaen added. "But the ties between the dragons and the elves remain until this day. That is why many elves recognize the patronage of the Great One and some even serve as his clerics. It is also why the dragons stay out of the lands and the affairs of the elves. Even the renegades usually leave them alone."
Once the two dragons had eaten, Alendhae led them to the bathing pools deeper within the mountain. Each of the pools was more than large enough to hold three or four dragons, so there was plenty of room for the two of them to recline in ease. Kharendaen immediately submerged herself up to her nose, but Thelvyn lowered himself gingerly into the steaming water. The gentle warmth of the water needed several minutes before it began to penetrate his tough armor, soothing muscles that still felt the strain of his recent battles and long flights.
Thelvyn had never before had a warm bath, at least not as a dragon. He could never have imagined heating enough water, so he had resigned himself to cold dips in icy mountain lakes. While life encased in armor had been less bothersome than he had feared, having a hide that could turn arrows was still uncomfortable, and the warm bath was very soothing. After some time, he retreated to a corner of the pool where the water was deep enough for him to sit up on his haunches with his head just above the water. Kharendaen drifted over and pressed herself close against him. He gathered her in his arms and held her tightly.
"Do you still have any complaints about being a dragon?" she asked.
"Did I ever complain?" he asked in turn. "It meant being with you. I always thought you were the most beautiful, graceful lady I had ever seen. Of course, such feelings were a matter of some confusion to me for the five years we were together before I knew that I was a dragon."
Kharendaen smiled teasingly. "Even if I don't have long legs like Solveig?"
"Well, she doesn't have your long neck."
Thelvyn suddenly raised his head and lifted his ears, turning his head as if listening to some distant voice. Kharendaen fell silent, and she lifted her own ears as if she, too, could catch the sound of that voice, even if she did not understand the words.
"We are called," Thelvyn said at last, turning to face his mate. "There is much that the Great One wants me to know before I face the Parliament of Dragons. Sir George is requested to come as well. I wonder where he has gone off to."
"He went out early to bathe," Alendhae answered, approaching from where he had been standing near the door. "He is with my own people presently, but he can be summoned at once."
The dragons pulled themselves out of the pool and dried themselves quickly before they hurried back to Daresha's lair. Kharendaen hastened to slip back into her saddle, while Thelvyn thought it best to put on the Collar of the Dragons. By the time they were ready to leave, Sir George was escorted in by a couple of Eldar who had been assigned to serve him.
"Where are we going?" he asked as he collected his hat and climbed into the saddle.
"We are on our way to meet with the Great One," Thelvyn said, then paused and looked perplexed. "But where? I just realized that I have no idea where we should go."
"The Great One's sacred place here in Windreach is at the top of his own hall," Kharendaen explained, glancing over her shoulder at Sir George. "You might not be very happy about going there, but we will try to keep you safe."
"Try?" Sir George asked, but the dragons were already on their way out to the ledge before he could question her further.
They paused for a moment on the ledge, taking a moment to look about. This was Thelvyn's first chance to have a good look at the hidden city of Windreach, since they had arrived late the previous night. Most of the lairs of the dragons who lived or regularly visited the city were located along the steep inner wall of the dead volcano, and he could see at least a couple of thousand ledges like the one where they now stood. The lairs themselves seemed draconic enough, but the great city, with its many tall buildings in the floor of the volcano, was far different from anything he had expected.
Later, when he had the time for a tour of Windreach, he would learn the names and functions of many of the buildings he saw. In one part of the city stood perhaps the largest university in all the world, in size if not in actual attendance, which was also a school of magic, where wizards of other races would have given all they had to study under dragon mages who knew disciplines of magic far in advance of their own, if they had only known that such a place even existed. There was a great library with books that had been gathered for thousands of years, many from the time before the Rain of Fire, ancient texts from a hundred or more nations that had risen and fallen again throughout history, some already forgotten to the outside world.
Perhaps what surprised Thelvyn most, at least at first, was that Windreach, like all cities, had large areas devoted to shops and markets. The elves of Wendar in the wild, forested mountains surrounding Windreach were under the protection of the dragons and traded with them freely, not only food but also wood, metals, and gems for a variety of uses. Dragon craftsmen kept workrooms throughout many parts of the city, where they made such things as furnishings for their lairs, weapons and leather harnesses, and other goods that dragons needed or fancied. One of the most common professions practiced here was the making of jewelry, since dragons throughout the world often brought parts of their treasures here to be reworked from human, elvish, or dwarvish forms into jewelry of their own styles and proportions. The jewelers of Windreach were among the most skilled in the world, many having practiced their art for hundreds of years.
Several hundred dragons were in residence at Windreach at all times. Due to the wishes of the Great One, even the shape-changing dragons remained in draconic form at all times while they were here. Windreach was a place of rare honor and trust among the dragons. Many of the permanent residents kept their hoards here under only a minimum of security, without fear of theft, and fights or duels between dragons were strictly forbidden. Only rare battles of supreme political dominance were tolerated, and those fights had to be ta" ken outside the city.
Drakes and other dragon-kin were permitted as long as they were of intelligent breeds, but the dragon-kin typically found the company of true dragons intimidating. Renegade dragons were not trusted and were never permitted; they would almost certainly be slain if they tried to enter, especially after the theft of the Collar of the Dragons, for dragons who did not conform to draconic law were not tolerated. No other races were permitted. Humans, elves, dwarves, gnomes, and halflings approaching under innocent circumstances would be turned away, while thieves and mercenary adventurers and any evil humanoids would be slain. The only exception was the Eldar. The wild elves of Wendar were left to themselves.
The most outstanding and
remarkable feature in all of Wind-reach was the Hall of the Great One. Standing more than twelve hundred feet above the floor of the extinct volcano, that towering edifice of smooth white stone was the tallest in all the world. The two dragons leapt out from the ledge, passing over the roofs of the city as they gathered speed before they began to climb steeply in a wide circle around the Hall of the Great One. The lowest floors comprised the Treasury of the Dragons, where the most important and valuable artifacts and treasures of their race had been gathered through the years. The Collar of the Dragons, the greatest of all their heirlooms, had been kept there through the centuries since the time of the founding of Windreach. Several floors above the treasury were occupied by the Parliament of the Dragons, including the private chambers of the members of the parliament.
The entire top half of the Hall of the Great One had been reserved as the stronghold of his clerics, with their own lairs and their places of training and research. Kharendaen led the way, climbing higher and higher until they were far above the outer wall of the city. The winds here were almost always strong, so that the two dragons had to fight increasingly fierce crosswinds. They took special care not to be thrown against the wall of the great building. Level after level, the Hall of the Great One became steadily narrower as they continued to climb, their circle becoming tighter and tighter.
Soon they neared the top, flying swiftly in and out between the highest of the great spires and towers of the Hall of the Great One. As she moved nearer to a group of the highest towers, Kharendaen suddenly darted toward a wide ledge of white stone set in the outer wall just beneath the steep, cone-shaped roof of the highest tower. She turned sharply to land on the ledge, which was barely large enough for Thelvyn to land as well. He made a desperate leap at the other end. The ledge was nothing more than a simple shelf of smooth stone, without rail or parapet. There was a small recessed area in the back of the ledge that offered slight protection from the treacherous winds, with a large door leading into the tower, Hanked by large glass windows.
Sir George dropped down from his saddle and retreated into the minimal safety of the recess, as far from the edge as he could get. The bulk of the two dragons offered him some protection from the cold wind, which threatened to pull them from the ledge. Even the dragons had to fold their wings quickly and crouch low.
Moving cautiously, Kharendaen approached the door. There was no handle or latch visible on the outside, not even a keyhole, although the door began to open by itself as she stood before it. They passed through the door into a chamber of vast size, large enough that it filled that entire level of the tower, although its exact proportions were difficult to gauge. Most of the hall was filled with deep shadows, as dark as night, broken by shafts of light that poured in from a few widely spaced windows. Great columns of smooth, white stone stood like ghostly sentries at the edge of the darkness. The dragons slowly descended the wide steps into a large recessed portion in the center, the only area that was well lighted.
"Come along, Sir George," a voice said. "There is nothing to fear."
They turned abruptly to see that the Great One awaited them patiently on a small area like a simple stage above the recessed area where they now stood. He appeared not in his more authoritative guise of the great three-headed dragon, but in his less threatening form of an older dragon of some small, dull goldish gray breed that had long since disappeared from the world. This form was probably close to what his appearance had been in life. Sir George made a helpless gesture and descended the steps to join his companions.
"You have found the collar and unmasked your true enemies," the Great One began. "Indeed, you could not have done better. Unfortunately, the gemstone dragons will have learned from this that they do not dare take the Dragonking lightly. Nor are they likely to underestimate the dragons of this world, whom they have looked upon as far beneath themselves. I fear that you must expect them to be better prepared in the future."
"You seem to know a great deal," Thelvyn observed.
"Do not expect that I have special knowledge of such things," the Great One explained. "I know only what you know, what I have heard you say between yourselves and to Marthaen, for I am often with you even if you cannot see me. I know these gemstone dragons, for I fought them long ago. But my awareness cannot extend into their world."
"But there was obviously much that you knew or expected," Thelvyn said, with a note of impatience. "You could have spoken a bit more plainly when we talked with you in Silvermist."
"Yes, I could have," he agreed. "Indeed, I would have preferred to have given you better warning of what to expect. But I have not been acting alone in preparing the champion who will defend our world. Many Immortals are allied to my cause, but it has always been necessary for us to act circumspectly, remaining cautious of the limitations that we must respect to maintain the balances of good and evil."
"It has always been best for us to proceed cautiously in dealing with mortals," a woman's deep, resonant voice spoke from out of the darkness. The voice was that of the Immortal Terra, although the dragons could see only an indistinct form standing in the deepest shadows. "Thelvyn, you must not forget that you are still young, especially for one of your race. I still believe that it was better to be safe with you."
"Safe?" Thelvyn asked incredulously, although his two companions were obviously apprehensive that he was being so direct with the Immortals. "You allowed us to be sent completely unprepared into a stronghold of the gemstone dragons."
"The time has come when I can speak plainly to you on this matter," the Great One said. "All that you know and have concluded about the gemstone dragons is correct, although the situation is far more complex than you may think. For one thing, although they are called the Masters, they are not the true masters behind these events."
"One of them said the gemstone dragons serve someone called the Overlord," Thelvyn replied. "Unfortunately, I do not know anything more."
"Nor do I. They do indeed control Alessa Vyledaar, and as you suspected, they achieved that control only recently. Nor is she the only one in this world whose will they control. But you must be aware that they can control the will of any dragon just as they controlled Murodhir and his henchmen, although it was the traitor, Byen Kalestraan, who helped the Masters entrap them. You must also be aware that they have controlled the Flaemish people in the past, and it is within their power to seize control of the Flaem once again. Fortunately, they are not yet that strong in this world."
"But who are the gemstone dragons?" Thelvyn asked. "They know an ancient version of the language of the dragons, so we suspect they must have had some contact with this world long ago. Is it possible this isn't the first time that they have tried to conquer Mystara?"
"Indeed it is not the first time," the Great One answered. "Have you been told of the Eldar and the origin of the dragons? That will help you to better understand the gemstone dragons."
The Great One paused a moment to recline along the length of the stage, still facing them. "The time has come that you should learn the true history of the first Dragonlord, which even the dragons do not know. For in the time of ancient Blackmoor, there was no dragon Immortal to guide and protect the dragons. The dragons had been gaining in power and in knowledge, and their breeds continued to evolve, becoming larger and wiser. Magic became even more a part of their very being.
"In this time, there was a fellowship of powerful dragon sorcerers who had observed the slow advancement of their race and wished to gather and direct the magic they would need to accelerate that natural process. They wished to evolve into higher forms rather than be content to wait for their descendants to inherit the power and wisdom that would be their birthright."
The Great One paused a moment, turning his head to look away. "I must confess that I was a part of their band at first, for I was a cleric in the service of the Immortal Terra, and I supported anything that might benefit the dragons. At first their desires were pure and noble. But in time they came to b
elieve that they could become Immortals, and that became their ultimate goal. I argued with them, warning them that they expected too much, but they would not listen. And so I withdrew from their company.
"In time, these dragon sorcerers worked great magic upon themselves, but their experiment failed. They did not become true Immortals but were instead transformed into the gemstone dragons, far more powerful than any dragon that lived at that time, even more powerful that most modern golds and reds. Believing that they had the right as the most powerful beings in the world to rule the world, they began to force lesser nations to their will. Eventually they made war upon Blackmoor.
"That was when the first misunderstanding began, since the men of Blackmoor believed that all dragons were at war with them, not understanding that it was only the gemstone dragons. And Blackmoor was slowly being defeated, so that in desperation they sought to create a weapon the dragons could not hope to fight. Eventually the wizards of Blackmoor created the first Dragonlord, who mistakenly made war upon all dragons and nearly destroyed them, while the gemstone dragons withdrew and continued their own war in secret."
The Great One rose, sitting up on his haunches as if the memory of that time still filled him with concern. "At that time, the Immortals, especially Terra, became convinced they must intervene to save the dragons and stop the war. I had withdrawn to the ancient forests as a cleric of Terra. Terra conceived a plan that seemed to her the only hope to put an end to the conflict. Terra sponsored me, and in a relatively short time, she succeeded in making me the first dragon Immortal. To make a long story short, I eventually defeated the first Dragonlord, that being the only way to force him to listen, and then we joined forces together with the wizards of Blackmoor against the gemstone dragons. Subsequently the gemstone dragons were defeated and escaped through a world gate.
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