Meric the Storyman: Rega and the Dragonstones

Rega, now in his late twenties, was partners with Milrop the Trader. He was average in height with dark hair and dark eyes. He never grew as large as his father, and that was most likely due to him not going out trapping like his father. All in all, nothing really stood out in his appearance, and that was perfect for their business.

Ractah was one of the larger cities in the Makloran kingdom, although a large mountain range separated it from the Kingdom City. The Lunamon river ran through the center of the city. Produce and wares from all over were brought here to sell. The river was used to transport items and people. A ferry service was set up that traveled to the city of Bridgeway. Farmers from all over would travel to Ractah to sell their crops. Occasionally, even halflings would make the long trip with wagon-loads of their specially grown tobacco, Redbottom Leaf, or their famous casks of ale.

The part of the city north of the river mostly was for official offices and the main guard barracks. A smithy was established there, mainly to service the needs of the guards. There was a small, but clean inn. There were also the northern gates.

Most of the city was south of the river. It was there the trader markets were set up. There were several nice inns for the many travelers going through, and a couple inns for those with questionable business doings. There were a variety of other establishments located here; magic shops, tailors, leatherworkers, smiths, the docks, and a good number of pubs. The southern gates had a small guard outpost attached. In the south-western corner could be found Milrop’s Trader Shop.

At the time, Milrop was out of town, away on a job. Rega was left to run the Trader Shop alone. His best friend, Dexir, who had just recently completed training, was now a Guard of Ractah.

Rega had met Dexir soon after moving in with Milrop. They attended local school training together, learning how to read and write. They also tended to get into trouble together. Where one was, you would normally find the other. Unlike Rega, Dexir was both tall and muscular. His uncle Zastin, now a guard captain, made sure Dexir kept up his physical training in addition to the tutoring.

Dexir, currently off-duty, was hanging out with Rega, helping with the boredom of watching over the shop by talking about the latest news to make it to the city. As a Guard of Ractah, he had access to news that others may not. “Did you hear about Esapha?” asked Dexir.

“No.” answered Rega.

“Well, my friend, trouble is brewing. Just last week the city was attacked by a band of orcs.”

“So, we’ve been attacked by orcs here in Ractah.” said Rega.

“I know that!” exclaimed Dex, “But these orcs were led by a red dragon!”

Rega’s eyebrows rose at this news, and he asked, “A red dragon? Are you sure? Evil dragons haven’t been seen for many years.”

Dexir answered, “I’m sure. I was there in the southern guard house when the news arrived. A guard from Esapha came all the way up here to warn us. He said that this particular group of orcs had a red dragon symbol on their shields.”

They continued discussing the possibilities of evil dragons coming out of hiding. As the conversation turned to the war that would surely follow, the bell above the door clanged. In walked an elderly man.

The old man walked around the shop, stopping when he was near the rolls of blank parchment. Rega had time to give him the once over. He was wearing a light red robe, with a dark red sash as a belt. He had a normal walking stick, plain and without any special carvings. There were no rings on his fingers and he wore no other kinds of jewelry. His coin purse, however, appeared to be bulging! Things did not quite fall into the usual categories here.

Eventually the old man walked up to the counter.

“How may I help you, sir?” asked Rega.

The old man looked at Dexir, then back to Rega and whispered, “I hear you are in the acquiring business. Am I correct?”

“Uh, that depends.” answered Rega. “If you could come back to the office, we can discuss it.” Then turning to his friend, “Hey Dex, keep an eye on the place, OK?”

“Got it, Rega. It’ll cost ya an ale, though.”

“Deal.” said Rega.

Rega led the old man back to the office. The office was actually a small room in the back where all transactions were discussed.

Most of the room’s contents were very plain. There was a wood stove, which was used to heat the room during the colder months. A few casks of ale and bottles of wine were in a rack. Some of the better furs brought in by the trappers were stacked neatly in the corner. The only items that seemed out of place were the table and chairs.

Milrop had accepted the table as payment for a job. It was crafted in solid oak. The chairs were also oak but lined in plush red velvet. Decorations carved in the table and chairs showed scenes of ancient warriors in battle. Originally, it had been crafted for one of the Makloran barons, but after falling terminally ill his family no longer desired it.

As they entered the room the old man said, “Dispel magic and Permanence spells. Very strong ones, too!”

Rega looked somewhat surprised. He knew that anyone who could detect magic spells could also perform them, unless he had a magical ring or wand, which was used to detect magic, but Rega had not seen any when looking earlier.

Quickly, his surprised look turned into a grin. He had had wizards in the back room before, and wizards generally meant a healthy profit for the business. Since the old man was the first to actually notice the spells placed on the room, he was probably very powerful. This would mean that he would have more wealth to distribute.

“Can I offer you a drink?” Rega asked the old man. “I also have some pipe-weed...Redbottom Leaf, only the best.”

“I’ll say yes to both.” answered the old man, his grey-blue eyes twinkling while taking out a beautifully crafted wooden pipe, trimmed in silver.

Rega got the drinks and tobacco. When a man comes in with a bulging purse, he gets the royal treatment.

“So, you like the Dispel Magic spell?” asked Rega.

“I can tell it is a powerful version.” replied the old man. “It appears to be coming from the table there. I don’t recall any anti-magic wood, so there must be something else at play.”

“Very observant.” said Rega in response to the man’s comment. “We have the spell placed on the table. It gets coated with a Dispel Magic cream. It works like the HG-107 Healing Cream.” Rega walked over to a shelf and picked up a small jar. A label on it said “HG-107, Heals Good”.

“I know all about HG-107.” replied the old man. “I helped make it.” Noticing Rega’s look of interest, the old man added, “Actually, the formula was discovered by accident. An acquaintance of mine was working with some chemicals when some spilled on his hand. It started burning into his flesh, so he had to hurry and get the chemicals off. This particular acquaintance happened to be very fortunate in having a hippogriff as a familiar, so there were piles of hippogriff dung lying around just outside. He plunged his hand into a fresh pile of dung, and the burning stopped. When he pulled his hand out and washed off the dung, he noticed that there were no wounds. It had been healed.” The old man took a long drink from his mug of ale and continued, “Since I happened to be visiting him at the time, he came right away to explain what happened. We then started testing out formulas. The hippogriff dung by itself was not enough. We needed to figure out what was needed to react with it to give it the healing ability. Finally after one-hundred and seven tries, we got it right.” The man paused to take another drink before continuing, “This new cream is very interesting. I may have to look into it when I get the chance.”

“Well, talk with Zekil a bit north of here.” said Rega. “We provide him with some special plant on a regular basis. Our travels take us by these monks. They trade us the cultivated plants for a case of Elven wine. To get the wine, we have to get the elves a special fabric. The fabric is conveniently made here in Ractah. All we have to do is provide the tailor shop some of our furs. It is all legitimate business.”

“I am sure it is.” said the old man with a grin. “It is interesting that you mention Zekil. He was the acquaintance I worked with to make the HG-107 cream. I enjoy my visits with him along with his charming apprentice. If anyone could make the Dispel Magic cream, it would be Zekil and his apprentice, Marissa.”

At the mention of Zekil’s apprentice, Rega paused in thought for a few seconds. But now that the small talk was over, and each of them had sized-up one another, it was time to settle down to business. Rega asked the old man, “How may I be of assistance to you?”

The old man took a deep puff from his pipe and blew out a few smoke rings before he moved in closer to Rega and quietly answered with a question of his own, “Ever hear of a Dragonstone?”

Rega looked puzzled and shook his head no.

“I thought not.” the old man said. “Well, let me start from the beginning.”

“At one time, the good dragons interacted with the humans, dwarves, and elves on a regular basis. Major issues dealing with evil dragon attacks in the two kingdoms generally involved council with one or more good dragons. The problem was more times than not, swiftly resolved. ”

“It was at this time that the humanoid races began to learn about the uses of dragon corpses. In addition to the amount of people that could be fed, scales could be fashioned into strong armor. The teeth, claws, blood, and heart were all useful for magical spell components. For a while, there were plenty of evil dragon corpses available to maintain a supply of these trade goods. However, after about a hundred years of this, supplies started to dwindle. It was then that those with nefarious purposes thought to go after good dragons to make a profit. It was then the good dragons decided to withdraw from the humanoid population in order to survive.”

“The good dragons had formed a Council, with representatives from each of the different species allowed to be council members. It is not known what the evil dragons did, but it is suspected they formed a council of their own. Each good dragon Council member chose a gem that appealed to him or her. These gems became the Dragonstones. There is an ancient poem and it goes like this...

Copper of the desert,

Likes the sapphire that is blue.

Brass chose the topaz.

He lives in the desert, too.

Bronze has the emerald.

He inhabits near lakes and seas.

Silver dwells in mountains.

He chose the ruby.

Gold covets the diamond.

He can live anywhere.

These Dragons and their stones,

Forms the Council of Dragonlair.

“But what does it mean?” asked Rega.

Taking another drink from his ale, the old man continued. “Of these five gems used by the dragons, only the largest and most flawless were chosen. Spells were cast in each gem so that when the five stones are joined together and their spells invoked, a powerful weapon will appear.”

“After many long Council meetings, it was decided to place the Dragonstones at different locations to avoid the chance that all five gems could fall into evil hands. The meetings turned toward how to separate them. Eventually, it was agreed that each gem should go to a person who could be entrusted with the gem’s power.”

“The Dragonstones were placed secretively. The stones, thus far, haven’t had to be used for their intended purpose. As time went on, many had forgotten about the stones and their whereabouts. There are only a few who have even heard of them.”

“But where do I fit in?...What do I have to do with this?...How am I...” Rega excitedly blurt out, before the old man cut him off.

“I’m getting to that.” chuckled the old man. “You have heard the stories about the evil dragons recently, right?”

“Yeah, Dexir and I were talking about Esapha when you came into the shop.” answered Rega.

The old man continued. “For about the past hundred years, the evil dragons have been scheming to destroy the humanoid races. Wanting to save their filthy hides, the orcs and goblins and such evil creatures have aided them in this plan. So, when the evil dragons wipe out all of the humanoids, there will be no one in their way to stop them from reaching their ultimate goal of destruction...to eliminate all good dragon-kind! This we cannot allow!”

Rega sat there motionless, his mouth wide open. The old man went on. “Your services are wanted to get back the Dragonstones. They will be the crucial part in saving both the humanoids and dragons. For without them, the evil dragons will defeat us.”

Rega took a gulp of his drink then asked, “What did you mean by the ‘we cannot allow’ and ‘us’ parts?”

“Before I explain this to you, let’s take a walk. I get uncomfortable being inside small places too long.”

Though it was not normal procedure to leave the shop during the discussion, especially with a man who obviously knew magic, Rega agreed to go. On the way out, he told Dexir that he would be back later and asked him to continue watching the shop.

They walked toward the northern gate, over the bridge and across the river, then out the gate, with neither saying anything. A half-hour went by. The old man led Rega to a brook, off from the main road. The old man asked Rega to sit down so he could continue his story. Rega sat down under a tree by the brook. The old man finally spoke.

“There is no good way to tell you, so here it goes. I have been sent here from the Council of Dragonlair. It has been decided that it is time to interact with mankind once again.”

“Do you mean...” Rega stuttered, but did not finish.

Suddenly, the man grew larger and larger. He next sprouted two wings and a tail. His arms and legs grew long claws, and his mouth grew large fangs, and still he grew larger. Scales started forming all over his misshaped body. The wings looked like those of a bat, but very large. He still grew. His eyes took on a reptilian shape. Finally, he started taking on a silver hue and the shape of a dragon, completing his transformation.

Hovering over Rega stood a large silver dragon.

Rega turned pale, became lightheaded and fainted.

When Rega awoke, he tried to remember where he was, and after looking up, he remembered very quickly. He took a few seconds to observe more of the details on the dragon. It had a silver frill with a purplish hue on the edges that went from the top of its head to the tip of its tail. Another frill was on the dragon’s chin, looking like a goatee. Two horns adorned the head, starting out silver nearer the head and turning black at the tips. He finally stopped on the familiar grey-blue eyes staring back at him.

“Glad you could make it back.” said the dragon. “Aren’t you glad I had you sit?”

Rega did not laugh or even crack a smile.

“I’m sorry about shocking you like that, but you would never have believed me otherwise.”

“I still don’t know if I can believe it now.” said Rega.

The dragon laughed. “By the way, you can call me Soliat, but getting back to the item at hand. Will you help us recover the Dragonstones?”

Rega stood up. He walked up to the dragon, observing how the scales reflected the sunlight as if they were made from real silver. He reached out his hand and said, “May I? Obviously, I have never had the opportunity to see a dragon up close let alone touch one.”

Soliat lowered his head so his neck was at Rega’s height.

Rega passed his hand along Soliat’s neck, feeling the smoothness and at the same time the warmth. Satisfied, he moved back a bit from the dragon and finally answered with his own question. “Why can’t you get them yourself?” he asked. “If these are your stones, surely you should be able to get them.”

“There are several reasons why we can’t.” answered Soliat, as he adjusted himself to his normal height. “First, some of the five Holders have no idea about the gems being Dragonstones. As far as they know, the gems are just normal gems. Also, one Holder who knows about the true nature of the Dragonstones won’t give his up willingly. We dragons do not make good thieves and we will not attack a Holder for his stone. This would make us as bad as the evil dragons. Doing this would also reveal our plan to the evil dragon’s spies. If they so much as get an idea of what we are trying to do, we could lose. This has to be done in secrecy, in a way that nothing can be tied to us. We had to go out and hire a thief. You.”

Being a thief, Rega asked “How much?”

“Isn’t it enough that mankind be saved?!” asked Soliat, but before Rega answered he said, “No, you asked for a price, and you will get a price.”

Suddenly a bulging purse landed near Rega’s feet, followed by a silver dagger.

“The pouch is a miniature bag of holding. It contains one thousand silver pieces. The dagger is magic. This is your up-front payment. For each Dragonstone you recover, you will be paid five thousand gold pieces. If you recover them all, you will get a bonus.” As he was talking, he continued to lower his head until he was face to face with Rega. Soliat then asked, “Will you do it?”

“Can you answer another question?” asked Rega. “Why did you come to me?”

“We thought about going with the Thieves Guild in Makloran, but the possibility of spies finding out there was too great. Then we thought about getting some help from the halfling city in Leafbourn and although we love the halflings dearly, putting a halfling in charge of this is just as good as giving the stones to the evil dragons. In addition to hearing about you when stopping by Zekil’s place, your name came up when we went to the elven city of Estu. They mentioned you were good and could be trusted. They also said you loved a challenge.”

“I’ll do it.” said Rega. “This should be discussed with Milrop, but maybe those elves are right. I do like a challenge. Dragon you got yourself a thief!”

Although it is difficult to see a dragon’s expression, Rega swore he saw Soliat smile.

“Good.” said Soliat. “You should start with my stone...the Ruby, the Stone of Luck; something I am sure you will need throughout this mission. It is located in the crown of the Dwarven King in Cromwell. I am attuned to the stone, so once I know you have it, I will pass on further instructions. Also, as luck would have it, there are a couple of halflings coming through your city later today or tomorrow. If you feel they could be of some assistance, mention something about the Emeraldstone to them. I have word from the bronze Council member that these halflings can be trusted. They are on their way to Striplind. This could give you a good alibi in case you get stopped.”

“Good enough.” said Rega.

“Well, I’ve got to be going. I risk much in coming here, but it had to be done. It took me all night to shake the spy I picked up in Estu.” The dragon looked deeply at Rega and asked, “Since I’m in the area, I should pay a visit to Zekil. Is there something you would like me to deliver?”

Rega looked around and saw some wildflowers growing nearby. He picked a few and then tied them together with a loose thread from his clothing. He set them down by Soliat. “Could you make sure Marissa gets those please?”

“Of course.” answered Soliat as he carefully picked up the flowers. “I’m sure she still misses you, too.”

The dragon walked away from Rega and jumped. He started flapping his wings to increase speed. Before he had gotten too far, Soliat turned his head back and said, “Good Luck, Rega of Ractah.” The dragon then turned southwest. In no time he became a small silver speck in the sky.

Rega went back to the city. He told Dexir the whole story, even showing him the bag of silver pieces along with the magic dagger. He then started closing up shop.

As they locked the door, Dexir asked, “So, when do we leave? I could use a vacation.”

Rega smiled and put his arm around his friend’s shoulder. “How about that ale I owe you? God knows I need one.”