Research (Week 3)

* **Legendary Creatures – 4 Students**
* **The Wild – 1 Student**
* **The Brooch/Symbol – 2 Students**
* **Dragons – 1 Student**
* **Centaurs – 1 Student**

## A Dwarven Legend, With Elvish Annotations

<in Dwarven>

**The Unlikely Dragon Hunters**

Many years ago in the age of the Great Dragon Riders, before the rise of Sorantan there were two close companions. One was a bald dwarf who was cursed by the Elven High Priestess to lose his beard forever. The other was one of the ugliest trolls you could ever have seen. The two were fighting companions and slew many dragons each and together. Their unusual friendship was legendary until an argument caused them to part. A petty argument over a spilt beer with each blaming the other. For many years they refused to speak to each other and did as much as they could to avoid each other until the day that they both arrived at the lair of a Great Platinum Dragon. It was three days before they spoke. Three days of silence as each camped within easy calling distance of the other. Each knew that on their own they could not defeat the dragon but neither being willing to be the one who broke the silence. It was the dragon that broke the silence in the end as it came out of its lair and smelt the scent of the two Dragon Hunters. As soon as it came swooping out of the sky towards the campsite the two friends fell into the automatic routine of fighting side-by-side once more. Together they fought, together they won and together they celebrated their victory.

<end Dwarven>

Elvish notes:

* Whilst this story has obviously been embellished, it reinforces the theory that there has long been conflict between the Wild and the lesser races – which I admit is probably true;
* Note that the companionship of a Troll and a Dwarf is not something we have ever observed, all evidence today points towards them being mortal enemies;
* Rasten believes that this tale provides further support to the strategy proposed by Oranzer – personally I think it is a fairy story;

## A Strange Legend – Repeated In A Couple Of Documents

**THE DESTRUCTION OF THE SENTIENT SINNERS**

When the World was yet young, the Ancient Gods lived in person among the created peoples to rule over them in a serene Golden Age of prosperity and peace. But when the peoples multiplied, their self-confidence grew and they swarmed away from the sway of the Divine Seats. Soon free-will became a pretext for misbehavior and sin, and crime and adultery took a flight (and horrid musical novelty called in-door stone-clapping).

Seeing that greed and fighting and intemperance more and more got a hold of their flocks, The Ancients spoke: "Shall our poor Ears have to listen to the noise of their endless quibbling and babbling forever?! Shall our noses have to bare the smell of their hairy bodies and breaths till eternity?! Come, let us make an end to these little pests, these pains that wallow in their inequities like pigs in the mud!". And in unity the Serene Powers created many kinds of monsters that since roam the lands. And although these beasts took a heavy toll of the life of the peoples, the people multiplied and sinned even more - "For tomorrow we may die!"

So again The Ancients took council, and out of the seed of all the monsters they had created, they made one enormous Beast, a Chimera the size of a mountain. And one of The Ancients pulled out one of his own Eyes and place it on the forehead of the monstrous being, where it flickered like lightning. When the Beast walked, the earth shook (THUMB, THUMB), the gaze of its one Eye set forests in fire and stoned all flesh, and the peoples fled in utter panic before it. Satisfied The Ancients reclined on their Seats - this would solve the problem once and for all! No mortal flesh would remain alive, and a new Serenity would soon dawn.

But among the Ancient Gods there was one who did not agree, whether out of vanity or out of mercy, that is not known; his name was Rantah. And he went to one of the peoples (some say it were the ancestors of the mead loving Dwarves) and ordered them to make 7000 jars of red beer. And when the Beast came their way(THUMP, THUMP) they quickly poured the jars out on the ground, as Rantah had commanded. And when the Beast saw the pool of red fluid on the ground it eagerly advanced, thinking it was a pool of blood. Greedily it gulped down the red substance - oh how sweet its taste! - and soon found that its massive legs felt oddly rubbery, and its little brain dozy. So when it saw, in the surface of the red pool, the reflection of its own head and of the furious Eye gazing up, it staggered and tripped and fell to the ground (THUMB, THUMB, THUD!)- and broke its neck under its own weight.

When the Ancients Gods saw that their plan had failed, and that the sentient beings they had created proved ineradicable like weeds, they shrugged their mighty shoulders, and serenely retreated upwards to the Heavens, leaving the peoples to their dubious fate down there in the mud.

## Followers Of The Wild Wood

We know very little of the creatures fundamental secular, theological or spiritual beliefs, and indeed for many of these creatures their intellect is unlikely to support great complexity in this area, but from careful observance and an exhaustive analysis of their behaviour over the past decades my learned colleagues and I have put together a paper that we will present at next years Symposium of Reason. This presentation will assert, and provide unassailable evidence that supports our theory, that the denizens assaulting the Empires borders, who when interrogated claim to be following the decree of the Wild Wood, are in fact simply religious fanatics.

I have attached a synopsis of the presentation and would welcome the sponsorship of the College as this would allow us to further refine the efforts and apply even more stringent diligence to the validation of our theories.

(This short note – the attachment has been lost, is stamped “Reject”, with a scribbled note “wordy, pompous and unstructured”)

## More On Hentron (the Bardic version)

The bards do sing and the dreamers do dream of a time not so long ago when there was more of a smile than a grim refrain in the streets of Stormhaven. Much of the tales wound about the hope of Prince Hentron whose youth and insight were a delightful mixture all at once care fee and capable of the most outrageous fun loving mischief typical of so many youths, while all the same able to share with people the warmth and happiness that he felt within his own essence.

Hentron was fond of sailing and flying about the winds on the wings of magic or the chasing of a college mate through the dark caves of the old city. Like many before him in his line, he was hopelessly always in love, and for the better part of his youth, as was typical of his line sadly too, with the wrong young lady. This would displease his father William to no end; nothing like having your own failings echoed by your own!

There was the Ariel Nomad Princess that kept him enthralled for a whole summer, somewhat of a record for the young man, until both parents deemed that a distant assignment to study the origins of the Eldar Mountains was in store for her. Then there came the odd eyed girl from Parthon who danced the most outrageous version of the 'Veils' ever seen.

The last was probably the most mysterious for she seemed to be able to take his focus from traditional pursuits to things that one might expect of the future King. It is said that she chose him and that in that choice her eyes were on something far beyond the bonds of love. It must be said that she appeared to have no Royal ambition, for she was no throne huntress, though huntress she most assuredly was. Her intensity was on the essence of Hentron and he loved every minute of her attention.

His father, annoyed at most of his associations, became even more concerned as Hentron's involvement became a serious matter. The King could find out nothing about her past or family, and all was building for quite a show down. In desperation, it is said, that William called upon a Seeress, of which there was more than one vile rumor, and together they consulted a deep crystal palantir to pierce the past of the woman. The calls of the temporal web strained on them both, and twisted out of control, though some say the Seeress planned it all along. William was given the glimpse, not of the past but of the future, and it tore at his heart and soul. He wallowed in delusions and spasm's for a week before he died with the name of Sonia forming on his lips. Though who she was has never been found.

Hentron, soon became ill, though the mages seemed to think that spells were finding him from distant shores. The Court Wizard did not have time to counter them before a great magical storm rose up like the petals of a great flower and took him and his love away forever more. No mage could locate him, and those that held sway said he was never-more. A sad day for the Kingdom and sadder still for the civil wars were soon to return after generations of unity.

## Dragons

The great beasts collectively known as Dragons seem in fact to be a number of inter-related species.

Those whose scales have a metallic hue are the most fearsome, thus far we have verified sightings of the following (in order of ferocity) Copper, Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum, there are unsubstantiated rumours of a Mithril dragon as well and this beast if found would be truly terrifying.

The lesser dragons, and because I use the word lesser – do not for a moment think of these beasts as feeble, again in order of strength are White, Green, Yellow, Blue, Black and Red.

Dragons seem to be able to cross breed within their sub-species quite happily, although the offspring will largely tend towards the weaker parents breed. Hybrids have been observed, but these tend to be relatively sickly beasts and unable to breed themselves. The one exception is the dun coloured Drake, a pale shadow of even the weakest White Dragon but it does have two redeeming features, it is able to breed and we are able to tame the beasts for warmounts.

True Dragons are all intelligent, and capable of speech, most have some significant arcane ability whilst themselves being resistant to hostile magic.

As a foe, they are fearsome, but up until recently they tended not to act in an organised fashion and so many were slain by great heroes seeking fame. This has all changed, the rise of the Wild has seen Dragons oppose the Empire in an organised and coordinated fashion. There are reports of some Dragons being ridden by humanoids, many of the lesser races but even some Elves and Dark Elves. Tales are surfacing of a “Dragonrider” called Soratan who is leading these efforts and bringing organisation to the nihilistic forces of the Wild.

I fear for the future of the Empire.

## A Strange List

(From a damaged scroll, obviously a copy of another document.)

….100 year peace agreed, will cooperate

Centaurs: 100 year peace agreed, will cooperate and seek to free their brethren from the influence of the wild;

Dwarves: 100 year peace agreed, will cooperate but will operate only within their borders

Humans: 100 year peace agreed, will cooperate

Giants: Non aggression pact agreed, will resist the foe within their borders

Catfolk: Cooperation pact agreed, will end upon the utter destruction of the foe

Trolls: Still debating, likely to cooperate

Orcs: Will follow the Trolls

Goblins: Refused any pact

Reptilians: 100 year……..