Kadir Jyrgas

> And as he leapt into the air with his spear, he threw it like a javelin straight into the head of the beast. Ending its life in a fiery blaze of glory.
>
> Legend of the Dragonslayer

## Life

Kadir was born in the region of Yelris, he was a naturally talented fighter, being praised as the best of his generation, yet that was not enough for a man like him.

He was cursed with the plight of all heroes; the fear of being forgotten one day, his stories would go unsung and his great deeds would be forgotten, he felt as if he was born in the wrong generation. In such a time of peace there was no glory or valor to be gained, his talent would go unused and he would just become another nameless warrior, forgotten by time, his goal was lofty and arrogant, for a man's story, no matter how timeless could not be remembered for time immemorial.

His sole wish was to become immortal, not in the sense of biological longevity, but rather in the sense that he would be remembered for generations to come, his story would be told from father to son, teacher to student, master to disciple. So, when he heard news of emperor Marcus Khomer gathering the best warriors in the entire kingdom to slay a dragon who had been terrorizing the local population far in the northern reaches of the empire, Kadir was ecstatic, he knew this event would be the one to define his legend, his myth.

Together, with more than 60 other warriors, they marched for days until they had arrived at the destination the dragon was said to have been resting. as they wondered where it laid, they saw it. Massive boney wings with a green hue, impenetrable verdant-green scales that resembled those of a lizard, and a pair of eyes that peered into your very soul. As they stared in wonder and shock, they felt it, the instinctual fear that the dragons had carved into their ancestors long ago, they quickly prepared for battle but were blown away when the dragon descended from the skies and slammed down into the ground, sending a tremor through the bodies of everyone in the vicinity.

Kadir, ever the ambitious, broke line and leapt straight unto the dragon's head to deliver a crushing blow, however, the dragon moved and the attack missed, instead hitting its horn and splitting it from the dragon's head. This reckless act proved to enrage the dragon, it roared with great anguish and pain and as Kadir tried to re-initiate a battle with the dragon, it whacked him with its tail and sent him hurling into a nearby tree. The troops, now without their leader's guidance tried to battle the dragon but it quickly soared into the sky and assailed them with fire, burning at least half of them to death. While the troops looked in horror as their comrades screamed in agony and pain. The dragon quickly left the scene, flying into the distant horizon. The first expedition group had failed.

When the defeated group marched back into the capital of Bremlach in shame, they were harassed and belittled for their failures. Emperor Marcus approached the group and said to them:

"Kadir Jyrgas, your reckless behavior while fighting the dragon has led to the defeat of the main party, you have costed us our time, reputation, and morale. What do you have to say for yourselves?"

"I sincerely apologize, your majesty, it was my own blunder that led to the dragon slaughtering my men, but if i may...." Kadir took out the colossal horn that was hidden in the caravan that the group was travelling in

Marcus' eyes perked up with curiosity.

"Is that... A dragon's horn? Now... I would've exiled you for returning with nothing but a dozen burnt corpses but this... This is quite valuable, perhaps it was not a complete failure after all."

He ordered his men to take the horn in and dismissed the expedition party, telling them to return in approximately 6 months time.

In the 6 months it took for the 2nd expedition to form, the dragon, in search of its missing horn tore down villages and incinerated castles to find it. But alas for the dragon, its horn was nowhere to be found in the borders for it was kept within the capital, to be forged into a mighty weapon capable of piercing its scales.

Meanwhile, Kadir was training himself in the mountains in preparation of the second expedition, he would not let something like that happen once more, no longer would he act like a petulant child and recklessly jump into battle without a care in the world, if he was out of commission, then the hierarchy of the army would crumble and lead to confusion once more, he would need to have the strength to endure all the dragon's blows, the power to keep his morale of his men steady, he would return not with the corpse of a man, but of a dragon's.

"Steady your heart, strengthen your resolve."

The mantra of the dragonslayer.

When the time came, Marcus summoned Kadir and his men back into the capital and gifted him two weapons.

A black spear that could burst into flames and incinerate its opponents to ash

And a sword equally as dark that unleashed a gust of sharp wind that could cut through anything.