Raam stood still, gazing out of the high tower window. The flapping of a nearby flag tore through the silence. To see the city laid out before him, the scurrying of the people…it helped to center him and provide perspective.
“You look tired Baron. You should get some rest” said the wizard Mahr as he leaned heavily on his staff.
“I am not a young man, and these stairs…I’ve never understood your fixation with heights. We could be having this conversation in a back room of the Dragon’s Rest over a nice tankard of ale” said Mahr with a wry smile.
At that moment their conversation was interrupted by loud shouting. They both looked down to see Balian rallying the troops in the courtyard below. They could hear his shouts over the din of the city and the wailing of the strong winds blowing from the west.
Raam chuckled to himself “No doubt Balian is telling the men that I took on the troll army by myself and set them ablaze with two hands tied behind my back.”
Raam and Mahr leaned forward with interest and caught Balian shouting the following phrase:
“Not since Choral the Conqueror released his red dragons has there been such a rout.”
Those words caught Raam off-guard and he clutched the window to steady himself. He quickly stiffened and prayed that Mahr had been distracted by the scene below.
“Interesting..” said Mahr as he ran his hand slowly through his unkempt white beard. Raam turned to look at Mahr and found the wizard eyeing him very carefully.
“What do you know of Dragons?” Raam asked, knowing that getting anything past Mahr was a lost cause. The old man had an uncanny ability to see right through him.
“I know to avoid them” replied the wizard with a grin.
“You are as thrifty with your words as a merchant with his coin. You are supposed to be my trusted advisor, must you make me ask so many questions? There is much to be said for volunteering information, my friend.”
“My advice was concise and sound. Avoid them. Although in your case I think that somehow…yes that makes sense…someone in your family’s past may have needed that advice far more than you.”
“What do you mean… and no more riddles!” Raam replied slightly irritated. He had suspected much at what the wizard had been hinting. The fact that the wizard seemed to know more than he and especially that this would involve his family added to his annoyance.
“Calm yourself Baron. You know of what I speak. I have seen your library. Those books you collect are not procured at random. Your handlers have scoured the area to acquire those tomes. In your zest to acquire information you should be more discrete.”
“Point taken, although I did forget to mention that in addition to not wanting riddles, lectures at this hour are also unnecessary” Raam replied in a stern voice that eventually broke down into a small grin.
“I apologize Mahr, you have been a great help to me and I will heed your advice. Now could you please help me understand? I know you have answers to my questions.”
“You know what you are Raam or at least you suspect. Do you think that your powers are a gift from Abadar? A god you don’t even worship? Do you think that you are so special that they come without strings attached? Do you think I spend hours toiling over my spellbooks for pleasure? …well maybe I do, but that is beside the point.”
“Why do you fly the dragon standard? The commoners believe it is symbolic of your magical power. They do not understand that is the source of your power” stated the wizard definitively.
“So it is true then. What am I? Some sort of monster?” replied Raam with distant eyes. “What kind of king grows claws and yellow eyes when he rages?”
“Tell me what you know of red dragons, wizard” he said after a brief pause.
“They are the most cunning and evil of all beasts. Their great power can devastate kingdoms of men. Their breath is the hottest of hellfire and the minds are as keen as their claws. As they grow more ancient so grows their power and their wickedness. Their physical ferocity is only matched by their magical abilities. They are hell upon the earth and leave a trail of sorrow and destruction in their wake” said Mahr grimly.
“Was there ever one that may have been unlike the others? One that may have been good?” asked Raam weakly.
“No such beast has ever walked the earth. They are evil incarnate.”
“How can you be so sure old man?” the Baron replied.
“Because I AM sure YOUNG man. I have met one, have you? Red dragons are not like some orc or troll, whose evil is born out of stupidity. They are capable of walking along side good for as long as it serves their purpose. As long as it leads them to what they want. They are actually very charming and duplicitous. You may have a conversation with one and not know it, unless you know what to look for.”
“But how can that be?” asked Raam.
“They have powerful shape-changing magic which allows them to walk as men. They are fascinated by humans. They love our riches, our magic and human beauty. All dragons are like this, good and bad. Some may walk as men and be great friends to the people. Others take the form of man to perpetuate evil… not through, flame or claw, but through word and deed. They are unlike any enemy you have ever encountered. In a thousand years one can become quite accomplished and stylish in perpetuating evil, young lord. Setting alight a swamp troll may thrill the peasantry, but you are asking of things far beyond your abilities. You may get there one day and then again you may not. Either way you would be wise to be humble at the thought of your heritage.”
“But am I then destined to become an inhuman, evil monster?” Raam asked with a downtrodden look in his eyes. “If the blood that is the source of my magic comes from such a creature, am I not doomed?”
“Goodness no child.” Said Mahr with a chuckle.
“Was ever there a murderer born to a priest? Did ever a scoundrel have a good son? The ways of heredity and lineage are more mysterious than the most complicated magical experimentations. You may suspect an outcome, but one can never be sure how it’s going to turn out until it’s finished. I wouldn’t worry about it too much. You have a gift. Lead your life as if it is a gift and not a burden. Do great things with it.”
Raam breathed a sigh of relief that had been building up for over a year. His whole body relaxed as he leaned against the window and watched the glinting of spears and armor in the sun.
“Besides, the only red dragons in this area that I know of were the allies of Choral that the knight below spoke of. They haven’t been heard from in years…probably annoyed by some self-righteous adventurers until they left for other lands. I seem to remember a party sent out by Brevoy, sponsored by the church of Abadar, to seek them out decades back. Maybe the are dead, who knows? Even if they aren’t dead they are probably long gone. I’m sure the dragon with whom you share blood has no idea you even exist” said the wizard who was already heading down the long twisting stairwell.
“Take solace in that young man! Take great comfort, in fact” echoed the wizard’s voice up the tower stairwell.
With those words Baron Raam Corso had to grip the sill of the tower window with all of his strength to avoid falling forward in shock and down into the courtyard below.
